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Adam Lambert kiss “double standard”

Middle America was shocked by Adam Lambert's same-sex smooch at the American Music Awards, but he says female singers have been risque for years.

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lmbMiddle America is in outrage after American Idol‘s Adam Lambert’s performance at the American Music Awards.  His flamboyant performance included a same-sex smooch and the gyrating his groin into the face of a (male) dancer.

“For Your Entertainment” is Lambert’s new single, a high NRG song performed with all the gusto of Britney, Kylie and Robbie, camped up to the max. It screened live in Australia yesterday on FOX8.

In the US, ABC says more than 1,500 people called to complain about the performance.  Lambert was also turning up the heat with female dancers too, but it’s not them that people seemed to complain about.

ABC cut part of the act from the U.S. West Coast telecast that aired later.

American Music Awards producers, Dick Clark Productions, said they were unaware from rehearsals what Lambert had planned. “We did not expect the impromptu moments,” a spokeswoman said. Geez guys, what is live rock / pop if it ain’t impromptu?

Lambert was having none of it afterwards.

“If it’s gonna be edited, then in a way that’s discrimination. I don’t mean to get political, but Madonna, Britney and Christina weren’t edited,” he said. “It’s a shame. Female entertainers have been risqué for years. Honestly, there’s a huge double standard.”

True’ nuff. But shouldn’t they have been more outraged at the song itself? Yikes.

Source: LA Times, Reuters

16 Responses

  1. I think it’s more how explicit it was rather then it being a gay guy thing. I mean if Britney shoved a female dancer into the same position Adam did I reckon just as many would complain.

  2. @Kitty Baroque oh they were lip syncing alright! just in another way…

    @james that’s Janet’s wardrobe malfunction 😉

    It’s sad how female homosexuality is fine but male homosexuality spells commercial death, sometimes you have to be in your face about certain things to get people to stop worrying about it.

  3. US TV is a huge double standard in a country where it is considered normal to be able to carry guns and (apparently) shoot each other regularly. It is legal to carry firearms in public simply “to protect yourselves”.The country has Gay marriage, Gay communities, Gay politicians and Media celebs. It has extremist cults and other nutters who do ridiculous things to themselves and others.

    The country elects to public office people that openly do nothing to maintain the high moral standards or agendas they pretend to espouse or got elected on.Wake up America. People have lives that depart from the standards of Mediocrity. You don’t have to like it but your liberties would be throttled were they taken away from minorities like this. Oh yes, one small detail. There’s always the Off button.

    The stage is always going to push peoples buttons. The whole point of the stage is to challenge you, to excite you, to force you to take sides and have an opinion. You however do not have the right to take other peoples liberties away from them even if you disagree.

    So if it’s Adam Lambert getting frisky, LaToyas Wardrobe malfunction or Brittany flashing her crotch just deal with it. Women have breasts, men have their bodies there is nothing wrong with them being seen other than in the minds of the religious minorities – who probably have their own vices anyway. Just grow up.

  4. Incredibly talented Artist!!! You probably haven’t heard the album – unless you stream on facebook, Youtube or have illegally. Its literally a classic album, full of awesome stuff, he’s phenomenal!
    One of the few people on the AMA’s not lip syncing, the backing singers and sound were crap – impossible for him to hear the key -, they gave him far too much to do in a short rehearsal time (think it was a couple of days) and he would have been majorly nervous.
    Don’t think its fair to pass judgement on someone you don’t know that well, been following him for ages and his integrity is first class – he is all about being true to himself and an open book. Huge reminder that Homophobia is still alive and well if you ask me, I’m sick of seeing half naked chicks in music vids, its totally a double standard.
    If you could buy the For Your Entertainment album in Australia you would see what a phenomenal vocalist he is. Still, he is Def gonna be Massivenow….Phenomenal Performer- its just not the brain numbing cooker cutter style we have become used to. Awesome Man!

  5. America hasn’t changed to much from the 50’s when fossils and religious nutters complained about Elvis and his gyrating.

    Couldn’t really care less about this guy but I reckon he might want to consider a move to the UK where that sort of performance wouldn’t raise an eyebrow let alone a complaint.

  7. I think it is more sexist than homophobic – I can’t imagine people being too impressed if a male artist pushed a woman’s face into his crotch, either. Meanwhile Britney and Christina have both done the exact same dance move.

    Of course, you don’t do a performance like that and not want controversy, but I do like that he and Lady GaGa are bringing high-performance back – very ’70s. A bit of shock value is always amusing.

    @Aaron what you say about the AMAs is very true, but while the Grammys might be peer voted they are still very conservative. How many years of Sting, Phil Collins and Tony Bennett have we had to sit through? Now they’re mixing it up with the likes of Alicia Keys and John Mayer. Ho hum. I doubt you would see this kind of carry-on at the Grammys – which is a shame.

  9. 1500 calling to complain is relatively minor for a “big” event, and to some extent is a reflection that the US is loosening up. (The Janet Jackson Superbowl debacle had 500000+ complaints, not to mention major legislation, and a court case that was only resolved this year.) The show got 15 million viewers in the US.

    The AMAs are also–for a music award show–rather conservative and mainstream by nature, being based on popularity/airplay as opposed to artistic achievement.

  10. Homophobia is alive and well … closely married to the typical double standard that we are subjected to all the time …
    Surprise! Surprise! Another “Christian” won their Idol as well as ours … and then they produce endless half assed and compromised music that untimatlely contributes nothing to the growth of the industry …
    Militant Christians strike again for tedious mediocrity!
    I need to throw up …
    Jack!

  11. He knew what kind of reaction he would get from some of the audience ( he must have) and he decided to do it anyway .Very brave!!
    Sad thing is if he was straight he would have more fans of his music.
    Not being straight – that is the deciding factor for some. Its that cut and dry. those were the people that ring the channel and complain , rather than just switching channels.

  12. I absolutely loved Adam on American Idol, his performance of “Mad World” was the best performance ive ever seen on any of these Idol / X Factor / Popstars type shows. I had high hopes for this first album of his but its a huge, huge let down, hes been far to indulgent and the whole thing is just a mess. Very disappointing indeed.

  15. I saw this live last night. I had no problem with him dancing sexually with the girls and guys. All performers do that. No problem with a bit of dirty dancing. With the same or opposite sex. And to see him dancing suggestively just with girls would be kinda silly, as everyone knows he’s gay.

    But the kiss (or 5 second tongue down the throat) of the keyboard player was just tacky. I mean, it was not sexy or cute or anything it was just gross. Who does that? Literally grabs someone and forces their tongue down the other persons throat on national TV. Gay or straight, that is just tacky. I’ve never seen any performer do that. It was purely for shock value. The dancing with the guys was cool, but the kiss was just tacky.

    He can’t complain now if people talk about his sexuality rather than his music now. Or “label” him. He delibratly went out of his way with that kiss to throw his sexuality in everyones face. He’s asking for the labels now.

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