Last night the 2009 American Music Awards were handed out at the Nokia Theater here in Los Angeles, CA in a live ABC network telecast broadcast on the East Coast and in an edited form for folks watching on the West Coast. The show was edited due to a bit of controversy initiated by Adam Lambert and his “too racy” performance of his new single For Your Entertainment (the show was also edited due to Jennifer Lopez accidentally falling on her ass … but we’ll get to that in a bit). Glambert decided his first TV network performance as a solo performer would be a great place to engage in some same-sex kissing … which, of course, got everyone all riled up:
Openly-gay performer Adam Lambert is defending his man-on-man kiss at the American Music Awards, saying female performers have been pushing the limits for years. The American Idol runner-up kissed a band member while performing his new single, “For Your Entertainment.” The sexually-charged performance angered some parents who quickly began posting messages of disgust online. Pop & Hiss reader Richard Bowen wrote, “I know he wants to break out and show the world his dangerous side, but why alienate an entire population of kids to do it?” When asked how he would feel if the performance was edited for West Coast viewers, Lambert told Pop & Hiss he would not be happy. “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,” Lambert said. “It’s a shame. Female entertainers have been risqué for years. Honestly, there’s a huge double standard.” Lambert said the kiss happened in the moment. Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera shared an attention-grabbing kiss during the 2003 MTV Music Awards. ABC had to quickly cut to an audience shot during the performance when Lambert had a male dancer simulate oral sex on him.
The kiss was so meh. As Lambert said himself, Madonna (and other female performers) gratuitously kiss other women for “shock value” and no one really bats an eye … it’s a contrived act meant to generate water-cooler buzz the next day (and it works, which is plainly obvs since we’re talking about it now). I’m happy to report that Glambert‘s kiss was NOT edited out of the West Coast feed … it was the alleged “simulated oral sex” act that was edited out. After the jump, check out a photo of this “heinous” act, watch video of Lambert‘s uncensored performance and see what all the controversy was really about …
Yeah, all he did was stick his crotch in a male dancer’s face … again, I say meh. It is insane to call this “simulated sex”. ABC had no problem with Lambert sticking his face into a female dancer’s face, which was not edited out of the performance … but the gesture pictured above was not shown in the West Coast feed of the show. I have to say, all this controversy is so ridiculous … especially when the real discussion should be about how Lambert‘s actual performance of his song (you know, the actual singing) was not very good at all. He seemed so preoccupied with shocking viewers and not at all interested in turning in a solid singing performance … I wasn’t really impressed with any of it (especially since, at one point, Adam accidentally fell on his ass during his performance). But … it is the talk of the day.
Here is video of Lambert‘s original unedited performance of For Your Entertainment on the AMAs last night:
Do you think any of this hoopla is worth talking about? Do you find any of this offensive … er, you know, absent the terrible singing?
[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]
He is trying too hard to be shocking. I agree with you, Trent, meh…..
I didn’t watch last night and I’m not a fan of his anyway, but they did play a clip of his singing on the radio this morning. The only thing he should be appologizing for his how horrible he was. He had a huge chance to grab people who didn’t watch AI and he blew it by going for shock value instead of actually singing.
I agree with you Trent. I don’t get the hoopla. It’s nothing that hasn’t been seen before and the preformance of the song itself was yawn inspiring.
First off I have to say I do not really like the song and secondly, Adam is right. Why is it ok for 3 girls (Madonna, Britney & Christina) to kiss on stage but when it is boy-boy kiss its edited. Come on. It really really peeves me off. I dont want to get political on your board Trent, however, I feel like I have to express how messed up North American Television can be. Yes, it was a bit too much but if this was Lady Gaga or Britney doing the same thing, no one would even care. I just think people need to grow up and accept that if we are going to show woman-woman action then man-man action should be allowed as well. Enough Said. ha ha ha
I said the same thing he said pretty much in my comments on Facebook. If Gaga or Christina or Pink got up there and did the exact same things he did (crotch-in-face and the kiss), it wouldn’t be nearly as scandalous. And frickin Madonna has built half her career on those types of moves.
I dunno, I’m an Adam fan, and I think he could tone it down, but I don’t see why he should have to. I don’t think little kids are gonna be irreparably harmed by seeing 2 dudes kissing *shrugs*. Then again, I grew up in a household where the things we saw/listened to were rarely censored.
Meh is right. I watched the entire show from Janet’s amazing opening (love her) and I loved so many of the other performances. But I was not inspired by Lambert enough to even finish watching, I turned it off, bad singing kills it for me every time, I don’t just want to be shocked, that’s not all there is to being entertained.
I agree with Jacinta, completely right. If it was a female artist who was doing these type of stunts it wouldn’t be so serious. But when it is a gay male then it becomes an issue. I love Adam and I support him all the way.
but I do agree there is a double standard, I like Adam Lambert, I just wasn’t into his performance lst night….
i saw it live since i live in DC and adam played his fall of well then because i thought it was part of his act…JLO, however, BUAHAHAHAHHA -that had to be embarrassing
i am glad, as a mom…. that this aired after my kids were in bed. I don’t get how ADAM got the prime slot of the FINAL performance?!?!?!? i guess all it takes is coming in 2nd on american idol to get one of the 2 best places in the show… LAME, unless they KNEW what he was planning to do and they put the unrated perfromance a the end. lol I thought it was awful and that while Adam has a point about the females pushing the envelope… i’d be just as upset about it not to mention most of THAT happens on the cable networks not on regular network tv. he won no points with me mainly because of the same things he did on AI that i hated. screeching with his tounge haning out. you’re not steven tyler, dude and you sound like shit!
I’d say the kiss was the least of it, but his Madonna/Britney/Christina reasoning doesn’t really hold up since that was on MTV (where people expect “shocking” stuff) and this was network TV. Still, I don’t see anything wrong with the kiss (plus, it was after 10, and ABC runs Brothers & Sisters at that time every Sunday – a show that features a married same-sex couple who do their share of kissing scenes (they’re actually the cutest couple on the show!)). It’s the rest of LAMEbert’s performance that wasn’t so cool.
I saw the Idol tour this summer and his performance overall seemed inappropriate given the number of children and young teens in the audience. Plus, you know, there’s the awful singing. THAT’S what they should have edited out of the West Coast broadcast!
Why does everyone keep saying that when Britney, Christina, and Madonna kissed it was no big deal? As I recall, it was just as much of a big deal as this is. People were talking about it for weeks, many were outraged. To say that no one “batted an eyelash” over is really not true. Honestly, I’m tired of all of it. When are people going to get tired of sex and start showing some true talent?
the adverts on your site with the sound are really annoying
kind of puts you off of visiting again
Did nothing for me. I agree, it was “meh”. Like a little kid trying to play dress up or something.
what an embrassment to rep the gay community that way live to the entire world
horrible performance, he thinks its all about screaming in the mic
Yea this was a horrible performance. He tried way too hard and the singing reflected that. My favorite part of the whole thing is that if Adam had won AI, none of this would be happening. I still think it was best for him not to win.
Britney called….she wants her song and performance back!
ADAM! Ugh. WTF was that?
He was sooooo super off key, sharp, and all over the place! My thoughts are that he was too nervous, or perhaps too worked up about his first preformance that the singing suffered as a result. I think his Idol preformances proved he can sing live, and now he wanted to prove himself in ‘other areas’.
In one way, it’s got people talking but I think he could have tried less with more inpact.
@Bree – it was a big deal but it was tolerated much better and was not edited like Adam’s kiss. I have noticed that families will accept two girls kissing much more than two guys. Thats where the double standards come from. If you are going to allow one.. why not the other??
Just watched the performance for the first time. I’m more offended by the crotch grab on the woman on the chair dance portion of the song than the not so simulated oral or that uncomfortable kiss.
holy shit okay…i’m all about crazy controversial performances. HOWEVER…I like it when they’re done creatively and not OBVIOUS. It’s like he randomly decided that his performance wasn’t “shocking enough” so he quickly grabbed that dude and just mauled his face for a few seconds to make up for it lol. I feel dumb to not be supportive of a fellow gay entertainer but at the same time I feel like he’s trying WAY too hard.
I don’t think most people could tell that it was a man on man kiss in the first place. I was more annoyed by the pushing people’s faces into his crotch (both men and women). Crotch smelling on stage is not cool and makes me less likely to ever listen to the performer again.
Why does it matter? Adam came to fame on American Idol and now he is trying to break out of that “closet” and show his ideal audience who he really is. I agree though, the singing was not his best, but I am still a fan of Adam. I can not remember one performance on AI that I did not like. I honestly think he was just trying to break out of AI’s “closet”.
I was more offended by the crotch caress of the female dancer than the kiss. The “simulated oral sex” was a bit much as well. The kiss was silly. The singing was HORRIBLE. Maybe he is trying to distract from his singing by shocking everyone with the performance part of his show.
He is such a joke. He’s the male Lady Gaga- shitty music, unattractive, and nothing more than an attention whore. He may be able to ‘sing’ but his voice is NOT pleasant to the ear, theres a big difference. It’s fine though, both him and Gaga will be forgotton in a few months. People will get sick of their schtick soon enough.
@Adam H – I agree with you SFM!
I thought Gaga’s p33n was way more shocking!
I didn’t know it was a man he kissed. I also didn’t care. I found it very contrived and BOooooooring!
everything about adam is over rated.
I didn’t like Adam’s singing and I’m not really an Adam fan but I thought the performance itself could have been cool. The big issue I have with it, is that I think it’s inappropriate for network television. If he’d done it on MTV like the Britney-Madonna-Christina kiss, I think that audience and television station is more “appropriate” for this kind of performance.
Wow. This song sucks. First I’ve heard it. Sounds like baaad musical theatre. Definitely care way more about that than anything else. Although, actually, I kind of find the hyper-sexual performance genuinely a little sad. Because, unlike Britney, Madonna, Michael Jackson, even J-Lo, Justin Timberlake, etc., he’s not a dancer, so there’s no artistry to what he’s doing. He would be better served by letting the dancers do the dancing and concentrating on a good singing performance. It’s like these pop packagers have totally abandoned abandoned the idea of talent. And that makes the performance vulgar. Just as vulgar to grab that girl dancer’s crotch as putting the guy’s face in his own, though. Ugh. Like, wow! The cane is like a dick! Who would have thought!
@ nicole…totally agree. didn’t like his singing on idol, his singing here is just as obnoxious, and his songs are no good! i really hope his stardom fades fast…
He and Lady Gaga need to run off and live on an island together away from everyone else. IMO.
Not an Adam fan ,, and laughed when he tripped….even though he did cover it up pretty nicely. I guess any kind of attention he can get, he’s going for.
he went for shock value and that really messed up his singing. he should of taken the opprotunity (sp?) to gain fans who had never heard of him or seen american idol. he sounded horrible. nothing in that was offensive to me but my best friend is bi and her sisters are lesibians. im also a very open person and a very open minded person so that could be why it didn’t bother me. people need to just relax and be open to different things and different lifestyles. the kiss was really sloppy and really uncomfortable. i wanted to hand the poor guy a napkin after adam was done with him.
I’m a gay man and I think Adam’s performance was just messy and gross. If I wanted to see simulated sex acts… well I would just watch real ones where the participants are more attractive and terrible at speaking English.
@Eric — “I would just watch real ones where the participants are more attractive and terrible at speaking English.” LMAO :)
I thought the performance was awesome. When I watch people perform, i want to be entertained with gratuitous sex, and Adam is perfect.
@ Bree and Macten: I agree! The first thing I thought of was the Britney/Madonna/Christina kiss which everyone made a HUGE deal about. Granted, a lot of that though was because it was back when we still thought Britney was sane/somewhat virginal…Adam Lambert is not even close to being as big a deal as either of those 3 are. Theres also a difference between pushing the envelope on MTV and on network tv…..honestly he kept saying it was “all in the moment” and well if it was……I almost feel bad for that band member cause it sort of looks like Adam assaulted him (granted, that was the nature of all the choreography but still…if someone caught ME off guard with a kiss like that, guy or girl, I’d be pissed)….and I though the other moves were actually worse. I really thought he was about to just plop down and get a super risque lap dance in the middle of the show.
First of all, are we certain that’s a man that he kissed? I’m just sayin’…
I could care less about the shock value stuff. The thing that surprises me is that Adam is actually talented, unlike Madonna or Britney, so he doesn’t need to fall back on shock value. His voice did NOT sound good last night and that is what surprised me.
I think Adam is extremely smart. He just wanted to get people talking, imo.
OH! While I was watching the performance, I totally thought of the Madonna-Britney-X-tina frenching and thought hmmm….watch people have a HUGE problem with Adam’s kiss. I would love to hang out with Adam – he entirely understands the double standards that plague women.
Is Adam Lambert a freaking fool???????? What is talking about?!?!?! “It’s a shame. Female entertainers have been risqué for years. Honestly, there’s a huge double standard.” Uhmmmm exuseeeeee me? Im pretty sure that his little performance it going to blow over within a week. But how can he say that girls arent judged for their risque shows???? When Britney kissed Madonna it was headline news, front page on US weekly, some politicans wife said she wish she could shoot britney and even Bette Mittler called the performance “irresponsible” and mothers groups were outraged and lets not forgot britneys oops performance were she was wearing a nude colored costume and the UPROAR that caused. And what about madonnas humping on the stage to like a virgin? I mean this list can go on and on but i am soooooo sure female artist are more judged for their performance because they are not only being judged for being sexual but for being role models aswell. Plus society has a weird preference for girls to act like ladies and virginal or something, we can thank all the simple-minded folk in middle america for this…. Its like when Xtina made her song “Cant hold us down” for real. When Dirrty came out they edited some parts out of her video but they dont edit rappers with their big botty vixens simulating sex acts. I mean cmon!!!! THATS a double standard! if anything girls have it worse. Adam loves that he is geting some controversy because now he is able too use this opportunity to play victim. IT like get over it! it happens to ALL artits of all sex, and all orientations its not just you sweetie!! Get over yourself!!! Nobody cares about American Idol “celebs” anyway. They all suck. Regardless. Ugh sorry for this rant but he is blantly using this opportunity too feel sorry for himself. It rediculous. If anything girls get wayyyy more of a whiplash.
Regardless of that stupid comment he made though. i actua;;y did like the performace, regardless of his singing, it was a decent performance I thought. I just wish he didnt say stupid things ;)
Maybe he should actually distinguish himself as an artist before he tries to prove his points. Britney/Christina/Madonna were famous for years before that performance. Has Adam Lambert even released his first album? I’m all for shock value later on in your career but if you do everything you can to shock the audience coming out of the gates as an artist what are you going to do in 3, 5, or 10 years?
oh my god such a scandal, same sex kissing… get over it, people. seriously.
if the intention of same sex kissing is to shock people, doesn’t that re-enforce the “taboo” view people have? just wondering out loud. never found madonna-britney-christina’s shocking and certainly not this.
Oh Yeah because i’d much rather have my children watching Adam shove his crotch in someones face than let them look at a picture of Miley Cyrus in a swim suit. Ya’ll are totally mixed up. I’m not talking about the same sex kissing, i don’t give a crap about that… but honestly i wouldn’t want to watch anybody shove their crotch in another persons face during their performance. Especially if my kids were anywhere near the tv.
I agree that it’s a bigger deal because it was on network tv rather than MTV ala the Madonna/Britney/Christina thing, and like some have said, there was a big hoopla about it. I’ve never cared about Adam Lambert one way or another, but this has definitely turned me off of him. Not entertaining and too contrived. I think he definitely knew what he was doing and was probably hoping to be censored. It gets his name out there and establishes him as risque. Plus, he gets the added bonus of crying foul and look like the wronged party in a issue concerning same sex issues.
@Erinn – I TOTALLY agree! His performance was a huge FAIL because he did not feature the music. If you take awy the over-the-top showboating, the song, and the way he sung were mediocre at best. Even Lady Gaga did not turn up the theatrics until after she had established herself musically first (with Just Dance). And I’m sorry, but in such a time where gay and lesbian issues need to be heard and taken seriously, simulated boy on boy oral sex on an international stage is a step backward, IMHO.
The same sex kiss didn’t bother me. It was the “simulated oral sex” that I thought wasn’t appropriate for network television. Everyone says what about Madonna/Britney/Christina, but that was on MTV which is cable station. If Janet and Justin having the “nipple slip” was considered terrible for network television then I just don’t see how Adam’s performance was ok for network primetime tv.
I didn’t like his performance, but not because I was offended. I thought that his singing was really shrill and hard to listen to. I am all for people being outrageous (they are onstage in costumes dancing and singing, for goodness sakes), but I just prefer when it sounds better.
I thought his performance, in general, was gross and trashy. The whole tongue thing when he screams was more scary than anything else he did! Yikes.
Wow, first time I’ve heard the song. I’m a huge queer culture lover but that song is too campy and broadway for my taste. Was he channeling Xtina with all that unnecessary belting?
I just thought the singing sucked, which was why I didn’t like it. He did nearly win a singing competition so the vocals should be there. The simulated BJ just screamed desperation to me.
Re: The same-sex kissing, ABC airs Brothers and Sisters in the same time slot that kiss occured, and that show has a married same-sex couple who kiss regularly at that time slot, so really what is the big deal?
His mom must be so proud of him…..
I agree with several others concerning the difference of a cable station vs network primetime TV.
I think he lost many fans last night–I know I was one of them.
What the hell is he doing at 2:50??
@rosyanna – I beleive he would ocnsider that “pushing the envelope”, but most here just think it’s an offensive crotch grab!
Does anyone else think he totally sounds like Vince Neil when he makes those high-pitched, screaming notes?? Makes it seem like a really bad Motley Crue cover!
This whole thing is so pathetic. I completely agree with you Trent. He didn’t care about actually singing his song, all he wanted was to ‘shock’ people. How original. I’m getting so sick of all this. Whatever happened to just being a good singer/performer without going over the top and making yourself look stupid?
I don’t care if a guy kissed a guy… I’m just glad I don’t have to see or hear all these talentless people……………….. I’m much more into people who can actually sing and perform live.
It’s just a gross kiss in general. It looks like he licked the guys whole face and tried to pull his tonsils out.
And, seriously, does he think we are going to buy that it was “in the moment?” PUH-LEASE.
I think they should have put Kris Allen in gLAMEberts place. He is SO much more talented. I’ve never been impressed with Adam, and this just pushed me opinion of him even farther.
whats up with their floor, that 2 artists fell on their asses?
Bottom line: Song sucked and too much crotch action- of any variety.
Look, I think it was great. I just don’t think that we’re used to that kind of entertainment in the mainstream. People aren’t sure how to handle it.
I didn’t care at all about the same-sex kiss, a kiss is a kiss. But his performance was just offensive and uncomfortable to watch. Next time he needs to make sure he sounds decent instead of just going for shock value.
i thought he was kissing a girl?? LOL but totally agree not all that great. and would he please stop with the tongue thing!! not to mention the screaming!
I couldn’t care less about the kissing and simulated oral sex but his singing was just terrible!
Yeah, the performance was not good. And the face in crotch is definitely not needed. I agree with the people who said that he is being too obvious. But whatever, he will do what he will and there will be haters no matter what. His singing was not good at all. Very disappointing after listening to him on Idol. I just listened to all the clips from his new album on iTunes to restore my faith that he can actually sing. I haven’t bought it yet though… I can tell there are like 4 or 5 songs that I will really like…. until then, rocking out to new Lady Gaga. :)
kiss didnt bother me whatsoever. i thought it was a girl . it was the simulated blow job and crotch caress that was bothersome. i think he was trying to do a cabaret type performance and unfortunately the music and singing were just awful. the whole thing made me miss prince…who has always appeared sexually ambiguous…and sexy nonetheless..to men and women.
I wasnt bothered by it at all, I thought his performance WAS H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Oral Sex on stage, groping women, making out with some random dude on stage. Thats good television folks…
I like him more because of this performance. I’m all for male objectification. ;) And the kiss was kinda hot!
I didn’t care about him before, but now I’m cheering for him. And now that I’ve discovered his music, I really like it!
who is he anyway? why is it offensive for children to see 2 boys kissing or 2 girls kissing or anyone kissing? i would rather my daughter see 2 whoevers kissing then 2 people fighting…do we still really live in a world that people think watching 2 guys kiss will turn there kids gay?of course its not going to,but it may make more gay kids feel better about themselves!
i love more because her performnace.stick man face on his crotch it is good performance.
i wish lambert stick her crotch and ass and say to me such my penis and lick my assholl and i do it immediatly
he was so beauty guy and sexy bodu
22years old guy from usa