14 DAY TRIAL // The backlash against Adam Lambert for his edgy and highly controversial performance at this year’s American Music Awards has begun. ABC, the network that also aired the AMAs 2009 and which had booked Adam for an appearance on Good Morning America has backed out, saying the controversy was too much to have its audiences exposed to it so early in the morning, AceShowbiz informs.
In a statement released to the media as regards the GMA cancelation, ABC stresses that, while Lambert’s orientation had nothing to do with the decision, the fact that he was highly unpredictable as a performer certainly did. For instance, the network says, parts of this weekend’s performance at the AMAs had not been included in the rehearsals, which means that he might do the same again early in the morning, when even more young members of the audience might be watching.
Consequently, the network has decided to play it safe and call off all plans, the statement says. “Given his controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning,” a spokesperson explained. The same rep insisted that the decision was in no way influenced by Walt Disney, which owns ABC and promotes a more family-friendly image than the “antics” Lambert pulled during the AMAs, as some critics have described his performance.
However, in true one man’s loss is another man’s gain fashion, CBS immediately stepped in with an offer to Lambert. The network initially approached the singer shortly after ABC and was turned down precisely because of this. With his agenda now free, Lambert graciously accepted the deal for a two-song live performance and a TV interview discussing the AMAs “controversy” as well as the backlash that ensued and continues as we speak with some media outlets.
“We spoke to them about who our audience is and our expectations. He’s a very smart, sophisticated performer,” executive producer of The Early Show Zev Shalev says of Lambert. Adam, on his part, says he has no hard feelings for ABC because he can understand the decision, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with it. “Obviously, I respect their decision – they gotta do what they gotta do. It’s too bad – I think there were a lot of fans who were excited to come see me. They probably had a lot of pressure coming at them from certain people who weren’t happy about it,” the singer said in a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest.
Adam Lambert has also pre-taped a performance of “Whataya Want From Me” for an upcoming episode of the Late Show with David Letterman. Keep an eye on this space for more on this.