Lambert Lambasted

Seems the guy-on-guy smooch and simulated copulation are still on the minds of many controlling American media honchos. First his new CD has vanished from the Billboard charts altogether, and has fallen drastically on both Amazon and iTunes. Also, more cancellations of confirmed performances on ABC programs have been announced. Is this because people aren't interested, or because of some internally programmed censorship. All his other co-Idols seem to be doing just fine in sales and ranking.

If you search on Billboard.com for Adam Lambert's new album, "For Your Entertainment", you will get a message saying it has not charted yet. An article on Billboard stated Adam's album debuted at #3 it's first week, but doesn't say where it stands now. Some commenters on Billboard.com are screaming censorship because they are not able to see Lambert's rankings.

As of today, Lambert's debut album, "For Your Entertainment", has fallen to the #27 spot on Amazon's top 100 downloads. The single "For Your Entertainment" has fallen out of the top 100 downloads altogether. On iTunes, "For Your Entertainment" (both the album and the single) have taken a similar nosedive.

How much does anti-Adam sentiment play into this? Well, apparently, a lot. A Facebook group called "1,000,000 to File an FCC Obscenity Complaint Against Adam Lambert" has gained a following of about 500 this past week (however, many of them are LGBT people who joined in solidarity to speak out supporting Adam, and to report the group for spreading hate speech). Some members have "Yes on Prop 8 " logos as their profile picture.

The group says, "We are organizing over 1 million people to file an online complaint with the FCC against Adam Lambert using the following statement - Adam Lambert committed several obscene homosexual acts when he French kissed another man, simulated receiving oral sex from another man, groped another mans genitals, and committed other obscene sexual acts during his live televised performance on the American Music Awards Show which was aired live on national television November 22nd, 2009 on ABC."

Lambert told Ellen DeGeneres on her show, "I suppose part of what I got caught up in, that I forgot, was that this was the first time people were seeing me on TV again after Idol. I didn't really think about that as objectively as I might of wanted to." He added, "It was maybe a little too far." His father suggested he maybe make an apology, but Lambert stated "I don't feel like I did anything wrong, it just wasn't maybe the right judgment call. It's a taste thing more than an obscenity thing. I think it's just a taste level."

This comes on the heels of news that Disney-owned ABC's head of television Anne Sweeney said the network is "reviewing the steps it takes in preparing for live broadcasts of performers" following Adam's notorious November 22nd performance on the network's American Music Awards, which has garnered both praise and criticism. Sweeney told Reuters, "We certainly don't want to suppress artistry at any level, but we also have to be very cognizant of who our audience is."

Adam Lambert tweeted today that his performance scheduled for December 17 on Disney-owned ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live had been canceled, according to the LA Times. An ABC spokesperson had this to say about the network's decision to cancel - "We decided not to move forward with the booking at this time," and declined to be interviewed about the issue. Lambert has also been disinvited to perform on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, although a spokesperson claimed that the booking was never finalized. However, Dick Clark Productions produces the AMA Red Carpet Show and is using Adam's name to encourage viewers to join on its Facebook fan page and follow it on Twitter.

Lambert also tweeted that his fans should blame the FCC, not ABC for his recent de-bookings. However, the LA Times points out that the FCC doesn't monitor programming after 10 p.m. It's right there on the FCC website - "The FCC has determined, with the approval of the courts, that there is a reasonable risk that children will be in the audience from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., local time. Therefore, the FCC prohibits station licensees from broadcasting indecent material during that period."Material is indecent if, in context, it depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium...The 'safe harbor' refers to the time period between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., local time. During this time period, a station may air indecent and/or profane material."

Lambert's performance on ABC's American Music Awards on November 22 aired near 11 p.m., well within the FCC's "safe harbor". So no matter how many people complain about the performance, nobody from ABC can point the finger of blame at the FCC for the network's continued de-booking of Adam from its shows. As for ABC's argument that Lambert "proved himself unpredictable on live television" for de-booking him on "Good Morning America" after the AMA's, he proved himself utterly safe and predictable the next day on CBS's "The Early Show" and "The David Letterman Show", delivering outstanding, crowd-pleasing performances.

Also, he seems to be building a cult of personality. He admitted to CNN International that he grew up an "ugly duckling fat kid', once weighing 250 pounds, and said his flashy behavior of late is his way of overcoming self-image problems. According to Access Hollywood, Barbara Walters has named Adam one of the "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009," which seems to be a dubious distinction, since Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Jenny Sanford, wife of disgraced South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, also made the cut. Jenny Sanford has told reporters that gay marriage wrecked her family. Barbara's show airs December 9 on NBC (check local listings).

Whatever you think of his music, his looks, or his personality, the only real possible hold back for his future is his open sexuality. Shame!