Adam Will Be a Cover Boy
Adam Lambert will appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. How exciting!
The Press Release:
New York, NY – There is nothing more valuable to the health of an eight-year-old TV series than a surprise, and for American Idol, it rarely happens. But once in a very long while, someone arrives who doesn’t just dominate American Idol, but challenges and even changes it. And that has happened with the current season’s contestant Adam Lambert. With his mop of glam-rock cobalt-blue-on-dyed-black hair, his hearing, his sneering, and his unambiguously ambiguous sexuality, Adam would have probably been brushed off early on. And there was also a time, more recently, when Adam would have made it to Hollywood but been dismissed as “too Broadway” or “too musical theater.”
Then in walked this 27-year-old from San Diego, a chameleon of a singer who was unashamedly everything that the Fox reality show thought America didn’t want. And he flattened the competition. He has been able to morph from a quasi-punk whom the judges accused of being “like something out of Rocky Horror” to a Rat Pack sharpie to a grown-up crooner. Other contestants who have tried this on Idol routinely get accused of lacking identity.
There’s always been a fracture between how you succeed on Idol and how you succeed beyond Idol once you enter a world in which being the cookie-cutter product of a network series is a liability. But Adam has taken a battering ram to that aesthetic. And he’s doing so while playing out the big issue – the gay question – with a complicated mixture of caution and shrewdness. Though Adam is widely assumed to be gay, the most he would say to EW about the public scrutiny is “I know who I am. I’m an honest guy, and I’m just going to keep singing.”
Now the question is whether an openly gay contestant can win American Idol? The question is being considered everywhere from fan blogs to The New York Times – but we’re still one openly gay contestant short of a test case. Adam’s sexuality offers a fascinating challenge to the show’s status quo. Is Idol ready for a gay winner? Possibly. After all, its British forebear Pop Idol crowned a contestant, Will Young, who came out shortly after he won. And Idol itself came close when Clay Aiken, then closeted but somebody who even house plants surmised was gay, finished second. But is Idol ready for this gay(ish) winner? Perhaps not. Clay, after all, never sang “I’m gonna give you every inch of my love” while wearing skintight pants and green glitter guyliner.
Unlike his counterparts, who commodify their lives on their sleeves, Adam isn’t talking about it. Maybe it’s still too costly to say who you are. It’s certainly costly not to. Does he feel he can’t? Does the show feel he shouldn’t? Is his choice personal or strategic? Will it pay off? And does any of this represent progress? (Cover story, Page 24)
May 11th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Just got the magazine! Great Article! I completely agree – the most interesting and exciting contestant in Idol History (I’ve been watching since the end of season 1). I will be voting for this boy non stop after the show on Tuesday! He is the rightful winner for this season! And so down to earth and articulate -I listened to one of his radio interviews in San Diego, he was great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5UlANGdp-w
***GO ADAM!!! ***:-)
May 14th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I LOVE ADAM!!! I’M GOING TO THE CONCERT AND I WILL CRY WHEN I SEE HIM!!!!!!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Adam is a legend, icon and his future will be beyond his wildest dreams and he deserves it.
He is unique, extraordianary and ONE OF A KIND who is in a CLASS OF HIS OWN…but really all contestants do deserve their due fame and glory and to them I congratulate and support. I consider myself fair and am happy to see anyone following thier dreams. I’m sure we will continue and purchase music from some of the others, maybe Chris and for sure Allison. I hope all fans find the positive in each one and instead of saying negative things about other that they will just say POSITIVE things about all the GOOD and talent discovered! BY THE WAY CONGRATS TO YOU ALL AND CONGRATS CHRIS…YOU ARE so kind and cute with a great future.
AND ADAM, isn’t just one in a MILLION, HE’S ONE IN A LIFETIME!
TO ADAM- ONCE IN A LIFETIME, LEGENDARY ROCK STAR… Rock ON, this is just the beginning of your lifetime achievements!
February 17th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
I had fun understanding this post. I want to see more on this subject.. Gives Thanks for writing this nice article.. Anyway, I
August 18th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Awesome, that’s just what I was scanning for! You just spared me alot of digging around
October 27th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
I really enjoy getting dressed up for a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture. I remember high school dances and the fun we had. It’s great to see this classic continue to be so popular.
October 28th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
To tell the truth, I am voiceless. The Shawshank Redemption is marvelous. I’am a young film fan, in fact, this film came out the same yearI was very young, and so I’am to a greater extent accustomed movies with astounding special effects, edge-of-your-seat action, et cetera. This film has none of that, and nevertheless, it appeals so closely . The way Frank Darabont uses the tale of Red to drive on the story, the beauty of the soundtrack utilized (note the mouth harp used just before Red finding the letter close to the end). The entire film, from beginning to finish, from actions to sound, is a beacon of hope, assessment, and repurchase. The cast is mastered, Morgan Freeman(Red) really brings about a fresh feel to the movie, and that is exactly what the movie is, what a film should be. Highly recommended for each film fan.