Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Adam Lambert shrugs off AMAs controversy

American Idol runner-up thinks stage antics were fine

Adam Lambert at American Idol 2009: Season 8 Finale in LA | Red Carpet | LA Premiere | Pictures | Now Magazine | Celebrity Gossip

Adam kissed a male member of his band whilst on stage

Everyone's aflutter about Adam Lambert's racy performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday - except Adam Lambert.

'I'm not a babysitter, I'm a performer,' Lambert, 27, tells Ryan Seacrest in an interview on the latter's Web site, adding, 'The spirit of rock and roll is alive and well.'

Not on ABC, which apparently didn't approve of Lambert's stage show in which he French-kissed a band member and simulated oral sex.

The network has made it clear that Lambert won't be performing on its morning program.

It cancelled an appearance on Good Morning America slated for Wednesday after receiving over 1,500 complaints about the Sunday broadcast. The network says it doesn't feel he'd be appropriate for a morning audience.

After the GMA cancellation, CBS asked Lambert to perform on its Early Show on Wednesday instead.

'I think the adrenaline kind of took me over,' Lambert tells Seacrest.

'I admit and I'm kind of proud of the fact that I did get a little carried away.

'I had a good time and I was merely interpreting the lyrics of my song. It wasn't meant to piss anyone off, it wasn't meant to hurt anyone or cause any problems.'

  But the reaction, he says, is far out of proportion to the offense.

'I don't feel like I owe anyone an apology,' he says.

'I did something female performers have been doing for years. All of a sudden a guy does it, and it's crazy. I do think there's a slight double standard.'

  His fans seem to agree. On Twitter, the topic #shameonYouABC has been a hot topic since the GMA cancellation was announced, with many fans accusing the network of homophobia and discrimination.

  Though he doesn't hold any grudges against the network, Lambert says that at least people have more realistic expectations since his days on a reality-show competition.

'I'm sexual person, and maybe people didn't see that on American Idol,' he says. 'But now ... they do.'

Michael Y. Park