Nov. 23-29: A Fallen Idol & A Fallen J.Lo Get Back Up
It takes some musicians years to stockpile enough anecdotes worthy of a Behind The Music rockumentary, but American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert just managed to do so record time, following a classic rise/fall/redemption story arc in just one week.
The saga began last Sunday at the American Music Awards, when Adam--an unknown less than a year ago, before he became the breakout star of American Idol season 8--was primed to be the breakout star of the awards telecast. It was supposed to be his big night, with his first televised performance of his new single "For Your Entertainment" closing the big show. It was a classic rock 'n' roll Cinderella story of overnight stardom.
But then, something went wrong. An "in the moment" Adam got "carried away" (his words) during his raunchy performance--which, in case you missed it, featured a same-sex smooch, dancers on leather leashes, a whole lot of R-rated groping, and one especially outrageous unrehearsed dancer-interaction. All of this left blindsided camera crew members scrambling to quick-cut to widescreen audience reaction shots and panicked staffers in the editing bay working overtime to cut out "offensive" scenes for the show's tape-delayed broadcasts. By the end of the whole spectacle, the live audience was sitting in semi-silent shock as Adam flipped the bird, and roughly 1,500 irate viewers flooded the ABC switchboard with complaints. It appeared that on the biggest night of his life, during his important make-or-break performance, Adam Lambert had blown it.
The fallout continued later in the week, when it was announced that Adam's free Wednesday concert on Good Morning America has been cancelled, reportedly because ABC--the same network that aired Adam's controversial AMAs performance--was skittish that he might pull the same stunts that landed ABC in hot water Sunday night. A rep for GMA told TV Newser: "Given his controversial live performance on the AMAs, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.".
But then, this whole tale had a rising-from-ashes happy ending. CBS rival morning program The Early Show promptly swooped up Adam for its Wednesday episode; the scandal only seemed to spike sales for Adam's debut album, For Your Entertainment, with him now predicted to sell an impressive 225,000 units in his first week; he delivered tamer Early Show and Letterman performances that were well-received by the public, establishing that it's not all about shock tactics with him; and he became a free-speech cause célèbre as he pointed out the double-standard that his performance had generated far more controversy than similarly racy displays by heterosexual female AMA performers.
So maybe he knew what he was doing all along. Regardless, it was one crazy week for Adam Lambert.
AND THEN THE REST OF THE ARTICLE TALKS ABOUT JLO, WHITNEY HOUSTON AND OTHER UNIMPORTANT PEOPLE. BUT W/E. THOUGHTS ON THIS ARTICLE? (PIECE OF ADVICE: DON'T READ THE COMMENTS.)
And jsyk, Yahoo, 'Fallen Idol' wasn't even funny the first time.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/thatsreallyweek/59606/nov-23-29-a-fallen-idola-fallen-jlo-get-back-up/
GIF JUST BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT.