2009 Adam Lambert's AI 8 Performances

[4Ms]

Adam - The Idol Era

Page 15. Adam Lambert Bibliography

Page 16. Articles #01 - 12 From The Adam Lambert Bibliography
Page 17. Articles #13 - 24 From The Adam Lambert Bibliography
Page 18. Articles #25 - 36 From The Adam Lambert Bibliography
Page 19. Articles #37 - 48 From The Adam Lambert Bibliography
Page 20. Articles #49 - 60 From The Adam Lambert Bibliography



01. Alexander, Betty. "A Tribute to Second Runner-Up Adam Lambert."
Associated Content 28 May 2009.
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1781330/a_tribute_to_second_runnerup_adam_lambert.html
Opinion on why Adam Lambert didn't win American Idol.

02. Berrin, Danielle. "Adam Lambert: the Jewish American Idol."
Hollywood Jew (blog in Jewish Journal) 29 April 2009.
www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/adam_lambert_the_jewish_american_idol_20090429
Article about Adam's Jewish roots and performances at Jewish events.

03. Breen, Matthew. "Reinventing Adam Lambert, the Outtakes"
The Advocate 21 October 2011
news.advocate.com/post/11735531870/reinventing-adam-lambert-the-outtakes

04A. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part One."
Los Angeles Times 4 August 2009.
latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-1.html
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part one covers the period from 1982 to 2001.

04B. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Two."
Los Angeles Times 5 August 2009.
latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-two.html
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part two covers the period from 2001 to 2005.

04C. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Three."
Los Angeles Times 10 August 2009.
latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-three.html
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part three covers the period from 2005 to American Idol Season 8.

04D. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Four."
Los Angeles Times 8 August 2009.
latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-four.html
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part four covers American Idol Season 8 and beyond.

05. Cjay858. "Lessons From Adam Lambert."
HubPages 21 May 2009.
hubpages.com/hub/What-I-Learned-From-Adam-Lambert
Inspirational piece about Adam Lambert by one of his former high
school classmates.

06. Cristiano, Elena. "Hopes dashed early for North County "Idol"
fans"
North County Times 20 May 2009.
www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/05/20/news/sandiego/z83a9310873409aee882575bd00195902.txt
Adam Lambert's San Diego supporters react to the final results of
American Idol Season 8 on May 20, 2009.

07. della Cava, Marco R. "Behind the 'Idol' curtain: 3 finalists, 3 days, zero rest"
USA Today. 13 May 2009
www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-05-12-idol-peek_n.htm
www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20090513/idolbackstage13_cv.art.htm
American Idol contestants Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and
Danny Gokey go over their vocal harmony parts with producer
Scott Wojahn for a Ford music video at the Record Plant.

08. Elber, Lynn. "Adam Lambert Get His Hometown Hurrah"
The Huffington Post 8 May 2009.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/08/adam-lambert-get-his-home_n_200359.html
Adam Lambert goes back to San Diego and visits his alma mater,
Mt. Carmel High School.

09. Ebron, Angela. "An American Idol Mom
WD talks to Adam Lambert’s #1 fan—his mom, Leila"
www.womansday.com/Articles/Lifestyle/Family-Fun/An-American-Idol-Mom.html
Leila Lambert talks about her son's childhood, his voice and
American Idol.

10. Frehsée, Nicole. "Lambert Rocks 'Idol' Revue.
"Rolling Stone issue #1086, 3 September 2009: 15, 18.
community.livejournal.com/ontd_ai/1905356.html
ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/38458487.html
Rolling Stone follows Adam Lambert and Kris Allen on the road for
a day on August 7, 2009.

11. GATECRASHER, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER. "Holy combo:
Adam as Judas, Kris as Jesus!"
NYDailyNews.com 01 June 2009
articles.nydailynews.com/2009-06-01/gossip/29435878_1_adam-lambert-kris-allen-glambert

12. Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "The Liberation of Adam Lambert."
Rolling Stone issue #1081, 25 June 2009: 52-57.
www.vanessagrigoriadis.com/images/pdfs/lambert.pdf
www.mr-l.org/category/evergreens/text-of-rolling-stone-interview/
Adam's candid and controversial cover story interview where he
shares details about his private life, his experience on American
Idol and his sexual orientation.

Related Rolling Stone Links:

"The New Issue of Rolling Stone: The Liberation of Adam Lambert"
9 June 2009
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-the-liberation-of-adam-lambert-20090609

"Adam Lambert: The Early Years
Family photos of the budding superstar before he hit American Idol"
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/adam-lambert-the-early-years-20090610

"Adam Lambert in His Own Words: Sexuality, Kris Allen and Life After Idol"
10 June 2009
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-lambert-in-his-own-words-sexuality-kris-allen-and-life-after-idol-20090610

Adam Lambert: "American Idol" 's Glam-Rock Sex God
The Season Eight singer who single-handedly saved "American Idol" Photo Gallery
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/adam-lambert-american-idol-s-glam-rock-sex-god-20090608

The 'American Idol' 2009 Finale: Kris Allen and Adam Lambert's
Final Face-Off
Photos from Season Eight's star-packed conclusion featuring Kiss,
Queen, Black Eyed Peas and more
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-american-idol-2009-finale-kris-allen-and-adam-lamberts-final-face-off-20090521

[4Ms]

01. Alexander, Betty. "A Tribute to Second Runner-Up Adam Lambert."
Associated Content 28 May 2009.
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1781330/a_tribute_to_second_runnerup_adam_lambert.html
Opinion on why Adam Lambert didn't win American Idol.

Now that Season 8 of American Idol is behind us, believe it or not, I think more needs to be said about the shocking upset of the final winner this year. And I also want to take this opportunity to pay a little tribute to Adam Lambert at the same time. As you all know, Kris Allen won the American Idol title, and Adam Lambert came in second place. I also realize that each guy had their legion of fans, however, I was an Adam Lambert fan and want to say a few more things about the man, and also about the phenomenal performances he gave us each week.

First, I don't want to take anything away from Kris Allen, since he is a very good contemporary singer in his own right. My problem with his win is that there are many talented young guy singers, much like Kris, so I did not see anything extraordinary in his performances. Adam, on the other hand, shocked and entertained us each week with his special brand of showmanship.

During the audition phase of American Idol this year, the second I heard Adam Lambert sing, combined with his stunning good looks, I turned to my husband and said, "That guy right there is going to win this whole competition". Of course, I was wrong, but only by one. We all watched as Adam made his way through the auditions, on to Hollywood, and then into the group of finalists. He did that by being the best at what he does.

On a personal level, there has been much speculation about Adam's sexual orientation. I, like many others, saw those pictures on the internet that looked like Adam kissing another man. I'll be honest. I wondered, for one split second, if my "crush" on Adam would be diminished in any way because of the possibility that he might be gay. I don't care about anyone's sexual orientation, but when you have a "crush" on an actor or a singer, there's that one little tiny totally far out there thought of somehow you being with your "crush", even though it's an impossibility. It's part of the fantasy for us girls and always has been from Elvis Presley, right on down to The Jonas Brothers today.

I need not have worried my little head about it. The following week, Adam strutted his sexy self on to the American Idol stage, squinted those sensual eyes, and pure gold came out of his mouth like it always did. My "crush" was still officially on. Even Paula Abdul gushed one time that he was "astonishingly handsome", and those were her words. Kara DioGuardi was even more smitten, since if she wasn't behind the judge's podium, I swear a few of those times she would have ended up at his feet. Even Simon and Randy had their little mini crushes on Adam. It was obvious. The guy can certainly draw people in, that's for sure.

I enjoyed all the different ranges and aspects of Adam Lambert's performances. His ballad of "Mad World", as well as his high pitched rocker screams in other songs, were all magical. He even changed his appearance to match whatever song or genre he was doing that week. Adam was still a sexy dude, whether he had eyeliner and black nail polish on, or a more traditional polished look. That was all part of what made him entertaining and exciting to watch week after week. The finalists were all very talented kids this year, but Adam's performance was the one many of us looked forward to the most on Tuesday nights.

The internet was an interesting study in just how much impact Adam Lambert had on American Idol viewers, which were in the millions. You could check out any poll, any day of the week, and Adam stood out far in front of the second and third place contestant. From the American Idol judges, to his millions of fans, Adam Lambert was going to be the next American Idol. But then something unforeseen happened. This is my opinion on what went down.

When Danny Gokey was voted off American Idol, I believe that a large majority of his fans changed their allegiance to Kris Allen. After all, Danny and Kris were much the same in terms of being young contemporary singers. They were both nice wholesome guys and were thought of as "safe". Adam, on the other hand, had that edge to him which gave him that raw sensuality that he conveyed on the stage each week. I believe that turned some people off to him. In the final analysis, Kris's votes, along with most of Danny's, outnumbered Adam's votes in order to take the title of this year's American Idol.

To say I was devastated by that, is an understatement. I think that Adam Lambert, with his immense talent, should have been able to have his "moment" on national TV, and he was denied that. I understand the voting process is fair, and I, among others, need to accept his loss, but I can't help it if I feel something unjust happened here. Adam deserved to have his "day in the sun" as it were.

Adam accepted his fate much more graciously than a lot of his avid fans did, me included. Did you see how genuinely happy Adam was for Kris when the winner was announced? And every interview I've read since then, shows just how mature and gracious Adam is as a person. He has a positive attitude about the future as well. Let's add those qualities to all his other ones, and you have one terrific guy.

I'm not worried about Adam Lambert's future in show business. He will no doubt be very successful. Very few people even knew who he was just a few short months ago. But now he has millions of fans out there waiting anxiously for his next career move. Lost in the dust is our curiosity of whether Adam likes boys or girls or both in the bedroom. All we're focused on now is when can we see him perform again, and what will his CD sound like when it's released.

I, for one, will be first in line to buy his CD. And I also want to thank Adam Lambert for giving us all the excitement and entertainment that he brought into our living rooms over the last few months from the stage of American Idol. I can't imagine next year's Idol hopefuls giving us anyone as phenomenal as him. We'll just have to wait and see.

02. Berrin, Danielle. "Adam Lambert: the Jewish American Idol."
Hollywood Jew (blog in Jewish Journal) 29 April 2009.
www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/adam_lambert_the_jewish_american_idol_20090429
Article about Adam's Jewish roots and performances at Jewish events.

Last month when I was home for my birthday I got scolded—by my best friend. “Haven’t you seen Adam Lambert on Idol?! I’m dying to know what you think!” If I thought I could get away without knowing about Lambert—the second Jewish contestant to be a front runner on ‘Idol’ (Elliott Yamin placed 3rd in Season 5)—I was SO wrong. Adam Lambert cannot be ignored. The buzz around him finally reached a boiling point, so I caved in and tivo’d last week’s show.

And all I could think was, Kara DioGuardi is so right: He is the modern incarnate of Clark Kent!

But before Adam Lambert became the rock star of “American Idol” season 8, he was a rising star on the Jewish stage. The actor/singer played the slave Joshua in a 2004 multi-million-dollar Kodak Theatre production of “The Ten Commandments” that publicly flopped, save for one redeeming feature. Even with movie star Val Kilmer in the lead, L.A. Times critic Mark Swed, who was sparing in his praise, wrote: “Few singers or dancers distinguish themselves with a personal sound or style. High notes are calculated to get applause. Adam Lambert, as Joshua, does the best in ‘Is Anybody Listening?‘ It is also the best song.”

Five years later, Lambert’s success on “Idol” feels well deserved if not overdue. And his newfound stardom has earned him a cult following and celebrity friends; he was recently spotted gallivanting around Hollywood with “High School Musical” stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Living under a microscope hasn’t seemed to bother him either: When provocative photographs surfaced of Lambert dressed in drag and kissing other men, he proclaimed, “I have nothing to hide. I am who I am.”

But before Lambert’s glamorous turn, in which he has become known for his angelic voice and trademark eyeliner, he humbly sang with Jewish groups to gain experience.

In 2007, he performed at the Kol Nidre service at Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre, where he sang the duet “The Prayer” with Cantor Illysia Pierce. “He was spectacular. People were just blown away by him,“ said Rabbi David Baron, spiritual leader of Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre. “He has that star talent; even among stars, he’s a standout. He’s the shoo-in to win this year’s ‘Idol’ and if you listen to the judges, Randy, Paula—and Simon, the toughest critic—they all say the same thing, ‘You’re already a star.’”

Lambert also joined Temple of the Arts to perform at a memorial concert for Yitzhak Rabin, where he sang Shir LeShalom at American Jewish University.

He’s easily a Jewish star, but will he be the next American Idol? His friends at Temple of the Arts certainly hope so.

“The whole congregation is rooting for him, calling and voting, they’re just so excited that he made it. He’s really captured everbody’s imagination,” Rabbi Baron said.

Should Lambert’s fortunes land him on stage at the Nokia Theatre for the American Idol Finale—there’s a chance you can go see him: Nashuva received 6 tickets to the “American Idol” Finale that they will auction off via email starting Friday, May 1st. For your chance to see Lambert, visit nashuvafundraiser.com for more details.

Now I gotta run. American Idol is on.

[4Ms]

03. Breen, Matthew. "Reinventing Adam Lambert, the Outtakes"
The Advocate 21 October 2011
news.advocate.com/post/11735531870/reinventing-adam-lambert-the-outtakes
atop.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=idolpreformances&thread=23&page=16#89494


In the complete interview, Adam Lambert describes his fashion influences, 1970s glam inspirations, his song “Outlaws of Love,” and what it’s like to be in the media spotlight.

The Advocate: When did you first know that you could sing?
Adam Lambert: I had been doing children’s theater for a while, at a theater company in San Diego and we were doing a production of Fiddler on the Roof. There’s this part the Russian soldier who sings this big powerful operatic solo in the middle of the song “L’Chaim” and I’d been cast in that role, and I just opened my mouth. You have to hold this one kind of high powerful note for a long time, for dramatic effect, and I just remember this director was like, “Wow,” and stopped me had me do it again, used it as instruction for the other kids. When I finally did it in front of an audience I heard a few gasps. It was children’s theater so the level of expectation was kind of low. So that was the first time I went wow, maybe this is something I’m better at than the other kids. I’m good at something.

Performing was a natural impulse as a child?
Yeah, I was pretty precocious. My mom thought at one point I had ADD, and took me to the doctor and the doctor was like, “no he’s just precocious, he’s just got a lot of questions and has a lot of horsepower.” I always had a pretty vivid imagination, playing dress up and make-believe, and when I had my toys I had a story.

You also talk about knowing that you were different. How did that manifest itself?
I just knew there was something kind of taboo, that felt wrong but so right, about some of the other guys — like looking at the other boys. It was when I started becoming a sexual human. When puberty started setting in, I was like, that does something for me that the girls don’t quite do it the same way. It’s still a struggle at that point because obviously that doesn’t feel “normal” so I was still trying to see if it would change, that I just hadn’t met the right girl.

(RELATED: Watch our video interview with Adam Lambert’s mother)

Leila Lambert: The Impact of Adam Lambert

Leila Lambert tells how her son’s coming out affected her family,
why it’s important to be active for equality, offers advice for parents
of other gay children, and reveals what she thinks of Adam’s new
album.

By Jeremy Kinser

Adam Lambert says that he had it relatively good. When he and his mother Leila Lambert were accepting awards from PFLAG this year, Adam told the audience that coming out was made much easier because his parents were so supportive of him. In fact, Adam and Leila joke that one of her first reactions was “great — more shopping!”

In an exclusive interview with The Advocate, our November cover man’s mother talks about the bad advice she got when thinking about asking Adam if he had a boyfriend, his subsequent coming out at 18, and the support she can now show as the parent of an openly gay man. She also drops some hints about the recording of his new album, due out in spring 2012. Following the interview, Leila said there are a few simple words of advice she has for every parent: “Love your child without reservation and unconditionally!”

Your mom asked you if you wanted a boyfriend. But before that, when did you understand that for yourself?
In high school. I didn’t really date in high school. I didn’t have any girlfriends. My friends were mostly girls. I pretty much knew at that point. I was like any boy, gay or straight, you know, like jerking off looking at porn on the computer — you know, really slow Internet connections at the time, like in 1997. You could see like a blurry one frame per minute. At that point I knew, but even though I was in southern California, it was a pretty conservative upper middle class area. I don’t think any of the other students were gay — not out anyway. It’s hard. I was really secretive and worried about my sexuality, and I definitely didn’t do anything to indicate that, yes, I was definitely gay. But I also didn’t do all that much to try to convince the other way, I was kind of in the middle. I was really involved in theater and choir and all those performing arts things. In a high school of kids that were all dressing in Quick Silver and surf clothes, I was going to Banana Republic. And I found it really necessary to have a messenger bag. I definitely went against the grain early, so not much has changed — except I would never shop at Banana Republic ever again. You couldn’t catch me dead in a pair of chinos.

Even though I was uncomfortable dubbing myself gay I wanted to express my individuality. A love for fashion and costume and the way I presented myself visually was always very important to me. But I was kind of bougie, I want nice things, I want nice clothing that looks classy and professional — that was back then.

Your aesthetic now is obviously very different. You talked making a change in your style in Germany.
That was the most dramatic turning point. Slowly but surely moving out of San Diego, moving to Los Angeles, living here, just discovering myself, meeting new people, turning 21, getting to go out, go to bars, just you know, expression, it’s just something that sort of develops.

Being out of the country helps, too.
There was a whole other world of options, to dive into a new community, a new pool. There was a lot of hardcore clubs and ravey type places, and different music. It was really exciting.

Who do you look to for style inspirations?
Even back then and to this day I get a kick out of looking at runway show stills and videos. I love fashion, for the longest time it wasn’t something that I could afford. I mean high fashion is really expensive! Growing up here in L.A., coming into my own here, the best thing I could do was going to Wasteland on Melrose Ave. and buying something from six seasons ago and try to make it work. Or cut something with a pair of scissors. I was pretty adventurous with my homemade alterations — even though I can’t sew to save my life. And what’s funny is, I look back and most of the stuff I tried to pull off was rather tacky and horrible, but fuck it! I also feel that’s part of the expression in fashion. At some point it just kind of has to be for you, and not for everybody else. So if I feel great in the weird asymmetrical blousy cotton shirt [gestures to his shirt] then I’m going to wear it.

That’s part of the fun of it, trying something new. One of the things I hear a lot, especially when making small talk with somebody and I’m wearing something kind of eccentric, is, “Oh, I could never pull that off.” It’s one of my pet peeves, that phrase, because the only thing you need to pull it off is the desire to do so. That’s what separates people who are taking fashion risks from those that aren’t, is that they just choose to do it. It’s just a choice.

It seems reasonable to me that a designer or label should approach you and ask you to put your name on something.
That’d be really cool. I’ve had some discussions. It’s not something that I’m pursuing yet, but I totally would, when the time is right. The focus right now is — for the past five months I’ve been writing and recording at least a couple days a week, so that’s my focus. And I’m not the best multi-tasker in the world. When I get involved in a project I put all my eggs in that basket. It’s a blessing and a curse. It can be really great because I have a lot of energy to put into it but I don’t always juggle other things as well as I could.

Today is “A Day in Gay America.”
I got a smoothie and I pumped gas!

(RELATED: See photos from Adam Lambert’s Day in Gay America shoot)
These photos are included below, at the end of the article.

What are your days like now?
What I did this morning before coming here [to the recording studio] is truly a normal day for me. When we got the schedule they were like, “We need you at the studio on Friday and we’re doing this [photo shoot] on Friday,” so it just makes sense. These are my days. I woke up, I got on my treadmill at my house this morning and ran for 20 minutes and got ready. I love this juice place because this is called “The Singer’s Remedy” and it’s like lemon and cayenne. It clears your throat and gets your chords ready. And it’s something I actually do. And I need gas to drive, it’s a normal day.

How much time are you spending in the recording studio?
It’s a tedious process, it’s really time consuming. It takes time to get it right. I don’t know how other artist do it, but for this project I’m kind of adopting the mentality of just keep writing and keep recording as much as possible, and then when we know that we’re ready to decide which tracks are going to be on the album, we’ll look at everything and narrow it down, and when I say we, it’s myself, my A&R for my label, and my manager.

You don’t know what will be on the album now? What are you recording now?
You never know. I have no idea what’s going to be on there and what’s not.

How would you characterize the music that’s driving you most right now?
There are three lanes I’ve been chasing down, depending on who the producer or the writer is that I’m working with, there are about three different kind of vibes. I’ve been experimenting with a lot more funk this time —

With Sam Sparro?
Yeah, I did a song with him, and we’re going to do some more work next week. He’s great. I love Sam. He and I wrote a song on my last album, as well. It was on the international release, called “Voodoo.” He is so easy to work with and we laugh a lot because we have a similar sense of humor, and we write really well together. It’s a really balanced equation. We throw the ball back and forth. He’s got amazing ideas, amazing melodies, great style vocally and conceptually, and I think we kind of share a similar head space.

So funk is one track…
I guess you could call it electrofunk, and then there’s some darker synth pop — a little bit Depeche Mode, a little bit ’90s industrial. Nine Inch Nails meets George Michael. I know that’s a weird mashup but that’s what it feels like. Then there’s some more singer-songwriter emotional, vocally driven. No matter what the genre is that we’re working on, it’s all very person. Even on upbeat fun tracks it’s all very real. The last album was a little bit more of a fantasy escape with the exception of maybe “Whattya Want From Me?” and a couple of other songs, but even my image for that last album felt very theatrical, and kind of over the top and intentionally tacky. There was a choice there with the album cover — I get a kick out of making artistic statements that are kind of ridiculous, you know? There’s something like overtly weird about it, or tongue in cheek or campy. I think it was more campy than provocative. But in America, camp is not something that is mainstream. It’s not something that is always grasped. You kind of have to hit people over the head with things, especially pop music, so there were some challenges with that.

That last album cover reminded me of a Jobriath album cover.
That’s definitely a reference — ’70s glam. Also the ’80s hair metal bands with their high glam. There’s something really fun about that because it’s so ridiculous. But I think it was also really unexpected for someone coming off of Idol because of what the audience is used to seeing from that show, which is a bit more boy next-door, girl next-door, wholesome, normal. And I’m definitely not normal. In fact sometimes I try too hard not to be normal. I’ve always tried to do the opposite — I don’t even know why I do it. I think contrarian is a good word for it. I like to do the other thing, just to do it.

Are you worried about sophomore slump?
There’s a different pressure. There are more expectations in certain respects, but there’s less in certain respects. I think an artist breaking into the scene without American Idol, without a platform like that, it’s a different set of circumstance. But for me I [had] all the hype of a TV show, and now that’s two years in the past, so now we have to create hype, attention, and focus on the music, so we have to re-splash. But people recognize me, people know who I am, so hopefully that’ll help. I don’t know. It’s hard. Any sort of creation of art is hard to present to people if they have a very strong idea of what you are or were. This album is more personal, and I think it’s going to let people underneath my façade a little bit. It was a self-created and totally admitted façade. There was something very theatrical about the last album, it was glam, it was intentional. And I think that’s pretty popular in pop music right now, a cartoon sensibility, like a heightened kind of gimmick, and that was the gimmick I wanted to run with. But this one is a lot more current, it feels a lot more now, and lot more personal. I think the thing I’m trying to convey to my audience is that you really can’t judge a book by its cover, and there’s more to the universe than you can see with your eyes. Without being pretentious or preachy, there’s a lot of themes in the album that are kind of spiritual in a way. It’s like existential pop. There’s some things that I’m writing about and exploring that are a bit deeper than where I went on the last album.

I knew I was doing this interview with The Advocate today, and the VH1 thing [“Behind the Music”] just came out, and it’s so funny because it’s been the weirdest battle with identifying as a gay man in mainstream culture. Because there’s not a lot of us, especially in the music industry. After I was given the opportunity to open up and do interviews after Idol, I was like yeah, yeah yeah. I didn’t want to do that. I came out, but this isn’t what I wanted to do.

I think The Advocate is an exception. I think a respected gay publication treats it differently, but regular journalism they make such a big deal out of homosexuality! It’s gotten to the point where I feel like fans and gay people know that I’m gay and I feel like we’ve beaten it over the head. It’s nothing I’m ashamed of. I’m totally proud of it and open about it but I do feel like there’s something really, it’s creating like a vicious cycle. Because of the sensationalism that the media lends to sexuality I feel like it’s holding us back from moving past it. I’m starting to grow really fond of the post-gay concept. Because I haven’t really thought about being gay since I was coming out of the closet. It just was after the fact. In my whole 20s in L.A. before I was a celebrity, I went to gay clubs and I met guys, but I also had a life outside of that. My life wasn’t defined by my sexuality, and becoming a celebrity it’s kind of gone backwards, and all of a sudden it’s all about being gay. And it’s not for me, that’s not how I feel, but that’s how I feel the media wants to spin me. To almost use me as a catalyst. In some respects a lot of good can come from that. Kids coming up — when I was a kid I didn’t have that many people to look up to. And if I’d had people in the public eye who were really upfront about it, it probably would have helped me.

Is the fact that you don’t think about being gay very much a function of living in a big city and being surrounded by a culture where you’re less likely to be beat up or spit on? Post-gay is a nice idea.

Describe the feeling of the scrutiny for the first time when you are able to do interviews.
I’m getting used to it now, but when it all started it was really overwhelming. I was being asked questions that I hadn’t really thought about in 10 years, since coming out. It’s tricky. It brought a lot of things to light that hadn’t really crossed my consciousness since I was struggling with it.

After Idol and your first album was coming out, you’ve variously said, and I’m paraphrasing, “I want to be an artist, not a gay artist. I want to be a performer, not a politician.” But it seems you’ve changed your approach. You are doing activism now.
Yeah I have gotten further into that. I’m more comfortable with it. I’m more comfortable with myself in the public eye. That’s an adjustment. It was such a quick experience. Being on Idol you’re catapulted so fast. It took me a minute to figure out what I wanted to contribute, how I wanted to contribute. I’m far from perfect, I fuck up, I make missteps, I wear the wrong thing, I say the wrong thing, I sing the wrong thing. I hope I’m also singing, saying, and wearing the right thing.

I think you can see how some in the gay media were confused by you. You said, “It’s not about wearing a t-shirt that says ‘gay,’” but then kissing your guitarist at the VMAs.
I kind of asked for it in a way. That’s the other thing about being a celebrity and being an artist. Not everything is so premeditated as people think it is. There are things that just happen, there are things you just do.

You mean the kiss?
Yeah, it just happened. It was an impulse. Because we’re in L.A. there’s such a film industry, and everything is so scripted in film. Songwriting is scripted, but live performance is something else. I love being spontaneous — there are spontaneous notes I hit when I sing a song from this time to that time, I don’t stand in the same place, I don’t have moves — unless it’s a choreographed routine. Things do have a life of their own —that’s where the magic is. But what you say is true, there was a certain level of — I think it was a bit reactionary on my part. I think I was a little overwhelmed at that point with everything, and I’d faced some criticism from a gay publication over another choice that I’d made, which was a post-gay decision — me taking a picture with a girl I thought it was just sexy.

Details magazine?
Yeah, I didn’t think it was intended at all to make me straight. I thought it was kind of funny. I thought it was like two girls kiss at a bar for a guy to kind of toy with him, that’s what it felt like to me. It was to fuck with people a little but, like, “Oh weird, I didn’t expect to see him there.” I’ve made out with girls, I may have done more than that too, but so what? I’ve heard people criticize that, “Oh, he’s just trying to seem bi.” No I’m just being, I’m not trying to seem anything, that’s just the truth. It’s not as premeditated as it seems, I don’t know how to do that.

Is this all something you have to think about in a different way than before?
If anything the photo shoot for Details was to toy with a double standard, and to just kind of mess with stereotypes and with people’s perceptions of what is and isn’t. And it was a fantasy. Most of my fans are female, and it was kind of a fantasy for them, and why not for a minute?

Because there’s no question—?
There’s no question in their minds — no question in my mind, not an ounce. And I do believe in a gray area of sexuality. I don’t think it should be so black and white.

But you’re subjected to a different level of scrutiny, when people see a narrow sliver of your life and project more about you based on that. When people see certain things, do they expect that you’re sending a message, conveying a deeper meaning about something in your life?
That performance was really spur of the moment, when I look back with hindsight it was kind of me reacting a little bit to that, like you know, you’re not gay enough thing. At that moment for whatever reason I was like, well is this gay enough? It was me being a little bit pissed off!

I come from a theater, which on one hand is very controlled, but on the other hand, in my 20s I would do performances at clubs and Burning Man, and the Zodiac Show, and a lot of what I did was very performance art, free spirited, ad-libbed, spontaneous expression, and that’s the part of the art form I’m in love with. I don’t like being told what to do or how to do it, I don’t like every step being choreographed. I like being spontaneous.

You’ve talked about having an epiphany at Burning Man about the direction of your career. You were in Wicked, but not feeling satisfied.
I just wasn’t satisfied, and I didn’t know what I was looking for. And at Burning Man, it just sort of clicked all of a sudden. I realized I was kind of in my own way, I wasn’t really going for it. Somewhere in my head I thought I wanted something and I wasn’t making it happen. And I think that was the kind of flip, it’s like, you have control over your destiny, you have to be proactive to achieve your goals and dreams, and that was the thing I wasn’t doing. I was being lazy about it.

I wanted to make music and do my own show, and do my own expression my own art, where I could be at the helm of it, making decisions. I’ve been in professional theater where you’re directed, and I wanted to direct myself. I wanted to write my own music. I’d started to write stuff on my own, and I had done stuff with a couple of producers. The other thing I realized was, if I could just get with some of these major writers and producers that make things sound amazing, we could collaborate and make amazing songs. So I started thinking, how the fuck am I supposed to get myself in front of some of these people, because it’s a hard business to break into. And the big pop mainstream music industry is very heterosexual. A lot of the pop girls that you see coming up, they use their feminine wiles to persuade producers to work with them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, that’s part of their charm. But a lot of the music industry is driven like that. If it’s male artist, they make the feel the producer feel cool, because they’re cool. It’s kind of high school.

The fame wasn’t part of the desire. Another motivating factor was that I had nothing saved in the bank. I wasn’t struggling, I had a theater job, I was able to pay the rent and live pretty comfortably, go out to eat, go out to a bar, see a movie, go buy an outfit. But I had no savings. I was in a studio apartment and getting older, talking to my parents about taxes and life. So I started thinking about how do I make some money — that was another motivating factor.

The fame part is the weirdest thing — the fame part is like a job unto itself.

How much can we talk about your boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen?
You know honestly, it’s when you start talking so much about your relationship… it opens the door too much.

When did you meet?
In Finland in Helsinki in a bar after a show I did there.

He is a reality TV personality in Big Brother — so he’s famous.
Which is great because he understands some of the things I go through. It was an instant connection, but I didn’t know [that he was famous] until after we met. I approached him. There was physical attraction but also a great energy, like a glow. There was something very connected about the eye contact, the communication just flowed very easily.

And you went on a date from there?
That’s all I’ll say. [Laughs]

How long have you been seeing each other?
That was in November.

And he lives…?
That’s all I’m going to say. I’ve only been in one major long-term relationship prior to this, and I’m really, really happy. It’s done a lot for me, and it’s grounded me, and it has inspired me as a writer, as a performer, and I just think everybody wants that connection, and I’m really happy to have found it.

He’s inspired a lot. I’m writing about love and relationships. Before meeting Saul —which is a great positive healthy exciting relationship — I had some not so healthy situations. Heartache is great for songwriting.

Tell me about the song “Outlaws of Love.”
Even though I’m trying to go to this post-gay mentality, which also I think is a generational thing, 100%, “Outlaws of Love” — I just wanted to write about the struggles the frustration that many gay people face. And I wanted to do it in a simple portrait and compare it to being on the run from the law. You just can rest, you can’t settle, you’re always on guard, you’re always looking over your shoulder, looking for that peace, that solace. That is a concept we’ve all seen in movies, like Bonnie & Clyde or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I wanted to write it to communicate it to someone who doesn’t understand. I’m really proud of it, because I feel like it’s important and says it in a really accessible way.

I’m learning so much about songwriting on this album, I’m learning so much from the other people that I’m writing with. I’m very lucky to have the opportunities I have. I wrote it with BC Jean and Rune Westberg.

Gay marriage is like, our love is outlawed, literally.

Let’s talk about your fans. Do young gay fans come up to you at shows?
From what I can tell there’s more of a gay presence internationally than domestically, which I found interesting. It’s great [when gay kids come up] because I feel like the ones that I meet are like the ones that kind of feel weird. I don’t think I’m cool, I think I’m kind of a dork. I pick up this kind of energy among young people that like, it might not be the coolest thing to say you like Adam Lambert’s music. I just feel like people don’t think that I’m cool, but I think that’s great. So I love that I have the kids who are like ballsy enough to be like, “Fuck it, I like Adam’s music,” and who have the guts to say that “I don’t care if you don’t think he’s cool because I like the music.” I mean I am kind of a nerd.

I feel like there’s a collective eye-roll when it comes to me, in the media, and just in general consciousness, with the exception of my amazing Glamberts, my hardcore fans who are the opposite.

This shit’s hilarious. When I’m not being stressed out by fame or Oh my God, am I gay enough for you, or not gay enough for you?, when all that’s said and done there’s something really funny about this, I mean really ridiculous, especially because this happened to me at 27 years old and I went though my 20s not having this job. And so that’s the thing that kind of keeps me fine about it. That’s the part of me that keeps it in perspective and keeps me grounded. And it’s pretty funny. It really is a dream job, and it’s really cool. I do stop and keep it all in perspective. This is pop music, and it’s not fucking brain surgery. I mean some of it’s serious and some deals with issues like outlaws of love but some of it’s just really fun fucking dance music. And I’m wearing eight pounds of makeup because I fucking want to. Why not?

Filed Under: Adam Lambert, The Advocate, A Day In Gay America

Adam Lambert: In Photos
news.advocate.com/post/11623549382/adam-lambert-in-photos

The Adam Lambert interview was also part of The Advocate’s special report, A Day in Gay America.
We accepted photos from readers across the nation who shared moments from their day on August 12.



2:35 p.m. in Hollywood: Lambert records his new album at Conway Studios on Melrose Avenue.



Matthew Breen, Advocate editor in chief, interviews cover man Lambert at the Conway Recording Studios.



Lambert gets ready for his cover shot.



Creative Director Scott McPherson works with Lambert on the cover image.





Lambert in his Mustang GT.



11:44 a.m. in Hollywood: Lambert downs a wheatgrass shot at Real Raw Live juice bar.



11:15 a.m. in Hollywood: Lambert fills up the tank at a Mobil gas station before a busy day.

[4Ms]

04A. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part One."
Los Angeles Times 4 August 2009.
Original link: latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-1.html
ATop link: atop.proboards.com/post/89500/thread
All 4 Parts: psyche.terrapolis.org/content/adam-lambert-ultimate-interview-la-times-august-2009-four-part-interview-313
Adam-Lambert.org: adam-lambert.org/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-one/#sthash.4fHcrMBv.dpbs
UltimateInterview_Bronson-Fred_LATimes
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part one covers the period from 1982 to 2001.


"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert sat down with writer Fred Bronson for a wide-ranging interview. In Part One, Lambert talks about his early musical influences.

We know from watching “American Idol” that you were raised in San Diego, but where were your parents living when you were born?

I was born Jan. 29, 1982, in Indianapolis, Ind. I believe I was conceived on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico. I should have a little T-shirt that says, “Conceived in Puerto Rico.” They had me about nine months after their wedding.

My parents moved me out of Indianapolis when I was about a year old. My mom and dad said: “This isn’t the right fit for us. We want to go somewhere else.” So a job opportunity opened up for [my dad] in San Diego and we moved.


Where in San Diego did you grow up?

North County, mostly. When we first moved out there, it was Rancho Bernardo and then we ended up moving when I was 4, maybe 5. Right around the time my brother was born, [we moved] to Rancho Peñasquitos, which is just inland of Del Mar, and that’s where we settled.


What is your earliest memory of music?

My dad was a college DJ, so he had a really huge record collection and he is very proud of it. There was always music playing in the house, all vinyl. He was a Deadhead, so there was some Grateful Dead, which I never really got into. There was a lot of classic rock. Bob Dylan. Bob Marley was playing a lot. My dad has really good taste in music.


Do you remember playing his vinyl albums?

At some point later in my life he would let me touch the records. That was a big deal though because I didn’t know what I was doing.


Where else did you hear music? Did you listen to the radio or shop at a local record store?

I never was a big radio listener, probably because my dad listened to his records. As I got older, I had a stereo and I had tapes. I was more into playing the tapes than the radio.

I remember going to the Wherehouse and buying the two-for-one CDs. The first tape I remember having was Paula Abdul’s “Shut Up and Dance” remixes tape, which I was very into. I remember having an Elvis karaoke tape.


And singing along to it?

Oh, yeah. This karaoke machine was really cool. I also had Wilson Phillips, Mariah Carey’s “Emotions.” These are my first CDs. I remember them quite clearly.


When did you realize you had musical talent?

At 10 years old, I was put into a musical theater company, a children’s theater company. I was really creative early on and I think my parents were trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I had a lot of energy. I was hyper and they put me in indoor soccer and T-Ball and I didn’t really love it. I was in the Cub Scouts at one point. They tried everything -- swimming lessons and other activities -- but I was very creative at home and wanted to play dress-up and make believe and recite things, so they figured that theater was a natural fit.

I got into all the musicals and the first time I realized I was doing a production of “Fiddler On the Roof” and there’s this scene where this Russian guy has a featured solo in the “L’Chaim” number. It’s like a bar scene. He’s the big guy that holds the note forever. It’s that big showoff moment, and I was playing that part.


How old were you at that point?

I was 12 or 13 and I really enjoyed singing it and all of a sudden, everybody was saying, “He’s got a really great voice,” and there was all this buzz. All the parents were saying, “He can really sing,” and the director said, “You sound great. Do it again,” and he was showing me off, having me do it for all the other kids. That was when I started taking voice lessons and knew this is something I really like. I’m good at it.

And that was kind of my thing. I didn’t like doing stuff unless I was good at it and I didn’t like trying to get good at something. I wanted to just do what I was already good at. Like soccer, I was having to work at it so I didn’t like it. I didn’t like to practice piano, it was so foreign to me. But there was something about singing -- the idea of using my voice, I was very comfortable with that.

A lot of my early singing was more mimicking. I copied things. That’s how I learned how to sing at first, by copying.


What were you copying? Songs from musicals?

A lot of theater stuff. I listened to a lot of cast albums. I had “Les Miz” and “Miss Saigon.” I was obsessed with “Phantom of the Opera.” I remember when the revival of “Grease” came out, I had that CD. Right as I was going into high school, “Rent” came out. That was a big deal. The cool thing is that my dad had the concept recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and showed it to me, and “Tommy.” That was really cool for us because it was his world and my world kind of coming together, the idea that they were musicals. He loved that we had something in common and we both loved the “Jesus Christ Superstar” recording and we sat and we listened to it a couple times.

In 1994, there was a production of “Tommy” at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, and that’s how it became a Broadway show. We went together and he got really into it.


Was “Tommy” the first Broadway show you ever saw?

No, I remember seeing “Phantom of the Opera” in L.A. when I was a kid and it was very exciting and I think “Les Miz” came through the Civic Theater in San Diego. “West Side Story” was on tour. I remember seeing a couple national tours come through. When I was a kid, because I had gotten into theater, my younger brother started getting into it, too, and my mom got us head shots and an agent up here in L.A. So we would commute for auditions all the time.


For theater?

Hardly ever for theater. It was for commercials, TV, jobs like that. I did one commercial when I was a kid and you can hardly tell it was me. My brother got a ton of work. He was luckier than I was.


What was the commercial?

It was a Century 21 commercial. I must have been 11. I ran around with a dog in the front yard and they did a crane shot. I was out of school for the day and I thought it was the coolest thing. That was the first professional thing.


Were you cast in any of your high school’s musicals?

Yes, back in San Diego, as an after-school activity. Plus I was in the Metropolitan Educational Theatre for eight years. It was run by a man named Alex Urban.


Is that the theater group we saw you visit on “American Idol”?

Yes. That was a highlight. I also worked with a woman named Lynne Broyles, who is my voice teacher. And she had a little community theater company and we did some performances with that. Then in high school, I was in chorus and I was also in the drama club and I sang with a jazz band, so I had a bunch of different outlets. And there was also a thing that they did in high school called Air Bands. It’s a big deal in San Diego and it’s almost like a staged music video. Everybody lip syncs but it’s like a performance. It’s hard to explain. It’s like a choreographed staged costume concert. You know, if you look at Janet Jackson or Madonna or Michael Jackson, their concerts are really stylized. And it was like kids taking music and creating medleys and costuming and building sets and creating a storyline through them. It was this big competition in San Diego and I got really involved in that in high school and I look back now and realize there was so much that went into it and I got so passionate about it that I think that kind of mentality of putting together a show from start to finish is definitely going to come in handy in the future. It did on “Idol,” [the idea that] I had to put a number together.


What did you learn from taking voice lessons?

I reconnected with my voice teacher because of “Idol” and I invited her to come to the show. I asked her, “What was it like when I first came in? What was going on?” And she said, “You had this seamless sound to your voice, but you wanted to understand it. You wanted me to explain physically how it worked all the time and when you couldn’t hit a note, you wanted to know why and you wanted to fix it.” She told me, “You were really intense about it,” and that was very interesting to me. I remember [bringing her] the “Jesus Christ Superstar” recording and all those high screams that they do, and I said, “Teach me how to do this,” and she replied, “You don’t teach that sound. That’s something you just make. I think you might have to get older to make that noise.” So I waited.


Aside from the commercial you did when you were a child, what other early professional work did you do?

At about 16, I auditioned for the Starlight Theatre, which is an outdoor theater company down in Balboa Park. It’s a semi-professional thing; we got paid a little bit but it wasn’t union. We would literally have to freeze for planes going over because it’s right in the path of the San Diego airport. So there were little stoplights in the orchestra pit and if a plane was coming, it would go yellow and red and you would freeze. It was crazy.

I was in the ensemble for both “Hello, Dolly!” and “Camelot” and then the next summer, I did shows at Moonlight Amphitheatre, in Vista up in North County. I did “The Music Man” and “Grease” and I played Captain Hook in “Peter Pan.”


While you were doing this theater work, were you also listening to rock music?

In high school I started watching MTV and listening to pop music. As random as it sounds, I was really into Missy Elliott and I remember that Britney and Christina had just come out and ’N Sync and Backstreet Boys. I liked all the dance remixes.


You mentioned being in a jazz band during high school, so you were exposed to all kinds of music.

When I was younger, I listened to a lot of musical theater and then as I got older, I wanted to hear cool pop music.

The jazz band would have guest singers for their concerts and that was a really good educational experience too because that was the first time that I was singing with a full band. Even in the theater company, we didn’t have an orchestra. It was all piano because it was cheap. But then at Starlight, there was an orchestra and all the school musicals had an orchestra, so I started finally getting experience working with a full band. But the jazz band was cool because it wasn’t musical theater. It was swing standards, so that was a departure for me and I did some Sammy Davis Jr. You know, standards like “Paper Moon.”


Were those standards new to you?

I had heard them here and there but a lot of them were new and I would have to learn them. We did some blues. It was very educational. And then in choir, we were like a classical choir. So we were doing a lot of Latin and various languages and it was all a cappella and very orchestral and complicated. That taught me a lot about using my ear and harmony.


At this point, did you know what you wanted to do with your life?

I wanted to perform. Even in high school, I was saying, “I want to be on Broadway. I want to go do theater.” So I had this dream that I was going to go to New York and do Broadway and go to college first. My grades weren’t ever amazing because I was so distracted with all the outside activities that I never really cared enough. I was like, “Eh, I don’t want to do my homework. I don’t want to study for the test.” I just got by. I was a B student and so I didn’t have good enough grades to get into the good schools for theater. I wanted to go to NYU. I wanted to go to Cincinnati. I applied to them and I didn’t get into any of them. I did get into California State Fullerton.


Were you a drama major?

I went into the school as a musical theater major because they had a BFA program for musical theater and right as classes began, I had started rehearsals for “Grease” at Moonlight and it was my first time playing a part. I was Doody and I was so excited that I got to sing my own song and that I was going to be in the show and featured and I was so distracted that I didn’t go to class at all. And so by the fifth week, I didn’t really want to go to school. The show had closed and I wanted to learn on the job. I thought I could get more jobs, and it was kind of wishful thinking. It was a little idealistic. Youth, you know, but I thought, “How can I be in school anymore?” The last 18 years of my life, I’ve been learning and I want to live and I want to go and be in the real world. And I had sat through a couple classes and I thought, “I’m not going to learn anything here. They’re saying stuff that I already know.” I was being a little bit ridiculous, and I learned the hard way that it doesn’t really work that way. I left school and my dad said, “I’m not paying your bills. You’ve got to get a job.” So I got a job working at Macy’s in Orange County at the Main Place mall right near Fullerton. I was doing retail and I stayed there for about six months and then I moved to North Hollywood. I had a couple friends that had moved up. I hung out with them and I was miserable. I couldn’t find a job. I couldn’t work. I was fat. I was a little lonely, and then I got my first job, which was on a cruise ship. I was 19.

-- Fred Bronson

[4Ms]

04B. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Two."
Los Angeles Times 5 August 2009.
Original link: latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-two.html
ATop link: atop.proboards.com/post/89503/thread
All 4 Parts: psyche.terrapolis.org/content/adam-lambert-ultimate-interview-la-times-august-2009-four-part-interview-313
Adam-Lambert.org: adam-lambert.org/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-two/#sthash.wMQ2m6aJ.dpbs
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part two covers the period from 2001 to 2005.


In Part Two of this four-part interview with Adam Lambert, the "Idol" runner-up discusses his early experiences in show business and the experience of hanging out with Val Kilmer when they appeared in "The Ten Commandments" together. Part One of the interview can be read here.

Your first job was working on a cruise line when you were 19. Which cruise line?

Holland America. That was through Anita Mann Productions. Usually their leads were older guys, like leading men. And they had one guy they had to get rid of at the last minute. They needed somebody and I went in there and auditioned. I was so green. I had no idea what I was doing, but Anita really liked my voice. She said, “You can sing. You’re going to play the lead part.” Everybody else in the cast was looking at me like, “He’s going to be the lead? He’s 19.” So it was a tough situation. We were rehearsing and I didn’t know what was going on. It was totally over my head. She’s saying, “Just imagine that person will be there, that person will be there and that person will be there.” It was fast. It was overwhelming. It was the most information that I’d ever had to take in and I was not quite confident enough yet to own it. I felt a little intimidated by it. So I got out there on the ship and they weren’t very nice to me and they were really catty. Finally we did the first night’s performance and I kicked ass and they were like, “OK, we’ll leave you alone.” My career thus far has always been about proving myself in these weird moments, and then once I prove myself, people are like, “Oh, OK.” So that was my first job, and I went around the world. I was on the ship for 10 months.


What was it like being away for so long?

Incredible. I saw the world when I was 19 and 20. I was in Russia and Scandinavia and the Mediterranean and then we did the East Coast and we pulled into New York on Sept. 7, [2001], right before Sept. 11. We were doing the tourism thing and when [the attacks] happened, we were up near Nova Scotia and we had to stay out on the water for three days because of security. It was pretty wild, pretty scary. Did that, then did the Caribbean, then went across the Pacific. Hawaii, down into Australia and New Zealand. It was amazing.


You were working at night, so your days were free?

Yes, I got to do a lot of sightseeing and tourist type activities. I really wanted to go live the culture. I wanted the nightlife. I wanted to be able to go and meet young people and go drink.


After 10 months, did you leave the ship?

I came back home and started auditioning again. Did some Civic Light Opera shows in Orange County and here.


And home was Los Angeles at this point?

I came back to L.A. and I was just auditioning for things. A couple Broadway auditions came through. I signed with a manager and she hooked me up with some jobs and then I was cast in a European production of “Hair.” And so I was in Germany for six months, and that was a great experience because I was longing to go back to Europe and really live there. That was a huge turning point for me personally, because I finally got comfortable in my own skin – or started to.


You were also at the right age to become your own person.

Yes, I was about 21, 22, and it was a big eye opener for me. I think anyone who does “Hair” gets really invested in the meaning and the message and the whole community feel of it. I was really close with everybody and there was a lot of discovery and a lot of free-love mentality. I was discovering a lot about myself. Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, a lot of it.


How long were you in Germany?

Six months, and it was Berlin, mostly, but then Hamburg and Munich. We went to Italy for a week and performed there. I went to Amsterdam for a week.


Were you performing “Hair” in English?

Most of the time, and then midway through the production, the producer decided that he wanted us to do all the dialogue in German. No one spoke German, so they had a dialogue coach come in and teach us phonetically. No one knew what they were saying and so if someone dropped a line, we’d have to switch to English. It was an absolute disaster, but again, what an experience. I look back on it now and think, “That was crazy.”


Did you have to re-establish yourself every time you came back to California?

I did. I was out of the loop, but it was good for me. I really liked traveling and I don’t like routines. I’m not into the same-old. I like novelty, so I think it was really good for me and it helped me grow.


So up to this point, you hadn’t sung rock, just theatrical songs?

It was mostly theater music at this point. There was one little thing -- there was a girl involved with the theater company and I knew her family. Her parents and my parents got along really well. They had similar views. They were really liberal and just wanted to have a good time. They would have parties and we would hang out and everybody would jam and it was all like our parents’ music. That’s how I got into the ’60s and ’70s stuff. Her dad was a classical guitarist and my dad plays the keyboard a little bit. So we would sing the Stones and Dylan and Joni Mitchell and Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix and all that stuff. They really loved the Doors. So I was exposed to all that music. And then, it wasn’t anything serious but we decided to form a band. It was like a little garage band with her dad and her and me and my dad and we wrote some original stuff together and recorded it on a six-track tape deck. We were called the Gutter Rats. Or Vicarious Lives.


How far did you take it?

We never performed. We just did it for ourselves, but it was cool because it was definitely not musical theater. It was definitely very ’70s feeling because of our parents and they were showing us what to do. We had fun.


What other work did you do before you were cast in “Wicked”?

I auditioned for more TV and film projects. I was never fond of the auditioning process. I’d never really considered myself the strongest actor, so I never really went for it. I did a couple more theater things. Did something at Reprise over at UCLA.


What was the Reprise production?

“On the Twentieth Century” with David Lee as the director. He was great. I did a production of “Brigadoon” in Texas at Theatre Under the Stars, so I had my Equity card finally, which felt like I had arrived. I was a professional now. I was getting paid enough money to live on, to really pay my bills, and it was going to lead to more work. I did a production of “110 in the Shade” at the Pasadena Playhouse and then I got cast in “The Ten Commandments” at the Kodak Theatre with Val Kilmer and that was a big turning point for me professionally because I had my own song and I was a character.


Who did you play in “The Ten Commandments”?

Joshua. Everything was copacetic by the end, but in the beginning, I was doing all this promotion for them to get interest built for the show and singing the song everywhere. I was on the Chabad Telethon and I was in love with being a rock star and I was going to rehearsal with nail polish on and eyeliner from the night before, and the director came up to me and said, “Could you take all that off?” and I asked, “Why?” He told me, “The producers are a little uncomfortable with it. They don’t really get it,” and I said, “But we’re not in costume yet. Why does it matter?” He said, “They feel like you’re supposed to be the leader of the Hebrew army by the end of this and they’re really uncomfortable with the way it looks.” And I told him, “This is theater. This is a pop musical. What ... is your problem?”

So I faced more opposition, like I did on the cruise ship. It was that same type of thing repeating itself where I felt like they just didn’t believe in me, which was really hard for me. I found out later they had been seeing other people trying to replace me. When the show opened, I was one of the only people that got good reviews, so it was the best victory ever. You were worried about my nail polish and I’m getting better reviews than [others], so that was a big moment for me.

It was interesting hanging out with Val Kilmer because he took a liking to me and a couple other people and we would always go and eat together and we would go hang out at his house and he just really wanted to have a group of friends during this experience. I’ve lost touch with him, but he’s very cool. Eccentric but cool, and it was interesting being in the shadows with him in public. It was my first taste of what it must be like to be a celebrity and have people want your autograph and having people take pictures of you. It was a good eye opener for me, what it must be like to be a celebrity and to be famous.


Fame has its positives and its negatives.

It taught me a lot. I realized Val had to really watch what he said. Then I was kicking around Hollywood ... and going to clubs like Hyde and seeing famous people and getting photographed here and there. Right after “Ten Commandments,” I did the Zodiac show, the first one at the Music Box, and I sang “A Change Is Gonna Come” in a full glam-feathered outfit.


The same Sam Cooke song that Simon Fuller chose for you to sing on “American Idol.” Did Simon know that you had performed the song earlier in your career?

I don’t know. We never talked about that, but what was interesting about that was I changed a lyric in it. Instead of “I’m afraid to die,” I sang, “I don’t see what’s wrong with a little glitter around my eyes,” because I wanted the song to be about what I was dealing with on “The Ten Commandments,” this weird, ignorant, “Why are you wearing nail polish?” Like this weird discrimination because I was expressing myself and having people feel uncomfortable with that and then everything tying into my sexuality and just being alternative in any way and wanting the song to be about that. It’s interesting that that came full circle with “Idol.” Really weird and the same issues. Maybe more far-reaching this time and less personal.

And then “Wicked” happened right after the Zodiac show. Toward the end of our run on “Ten Commandments,’ there was an audition for the first national company and the casting director had heard of me because of the reviews for “Ten Commandments.” That really set me up for that. I don’t think I would have gotten hired if it hadn’t been for that. I was hired as an understudy for Fiyero on the national tour and we rehearsed in New York and that was a blast. It was a great moment for me because I felt like I’d finally arrived. Even though it was the tour, it was a Broadway production. It was the highest caliber thing that I had been a part of. “Ten Commandments” wanted to be that and had all this money behind it, but it was a disaster. So this was a successful hit show that I was now a part of and it felt validating to get that job.


You were in the ensemble, so you were on stage every night, even if you didn’t go on as Fiyero.

Oh, yeah. I was an onstage cover. And we rehearsed it in Toronto for about a month before we opened and we ran there for about 2½ months. So I spent time in Toronto and then we went to Chicago. Spent a couple of months there and then here in L.A. a couple months and then San Francisco. And at that point, it was about six months into it and I felt, “I think I’m done,” and I got to this point where I thought, “This is what I’ve been working toward my whole high school career and my early 20s. This has been the goal, Broadway,” and I knew that I could probably go into the New York production the minute a track opened up but I wasn’t satisfied. Probably because I was in the ensemble. I’m not going to lie. It was probably a step down from “The Ten Commandments” situation. Bigger show but not as featured, not as much attention. Not doing what I felt I was supposed to be doing.


How often did you get to play Fiyero?

I went on as Fiyero a couple times and it was really fun. I thought I did well, but it was only a couple times. The guy hardly ever missed. So I dropped out. I thought, “I want to be a rock star.” During “Ten Commandments,” I had a friend who encouraged me to play around with Garage Band and come up with my own stuff, so it all happened at once. I started messing around with the idea of recording. I got really interested in that while I was on the road with “Wicked.”

-- Fred Bronson

[4Ms]

04C. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Three."
Los Angeles Times 10 August 2009.
Original link: latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-three.html
ATop link: atop.proboards.com/post/89571/thread
All 4 Parts: psyche.terrapolis.org/content/adam-lambert-ultimate-interview-la-times-august-2009-four-part-interview-313
Adam-Lambert.org: adam-lambert.org/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-three/#sthash.V3SIwUld.dpbs
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part three covers the period from 2005 to American Idol Season 8.


In Part Three of this four-part interview, the "Idol" runner-up talks about his time performing in the cast of "Wicked" and his decision to audition for "American Idol." Part One of this interview can be read here. Part Two can be read here.


So you left “Wicked” to become a rock star?

I came back [to Los Angeles] and took some promo shots and started rehearsing. We had a handful of songs. I don’t know if any of them were great, but it was a start. At the time, we believed in them. We did a couple gigs here and there. The band was called the Citizen Vein. We performed at the Knitting Factory one night, the Cat Club on Sunset, and a club in Hermosa Beach. We did three gigs and that was it and we recorded a couple things, like rough recordings, and I don’t know, it didn’t quite click. We kept writing and doing things, but then I got into my first relationship and I fell in love and I was going out a lot. I was dressing up, just living my life and having a great time. Falling in love was major. It changed everything, because up until then, I was 25 and I hadn’t been in love. I felt like there was a part of me that was like, “I don’t understand something about life, like a big thing.” I listened to these songs on the radio or CDs or I’d see these musicals about people being in love with each other and what that feels like and what heartbreak feels like and the joy of what love is and I had sex but I’d never been in love and just didn’t get it. It was really interesting because during and after that relationship, everything changes. It’s like, “Oh, that’s what they were talking about.” I thought that was so corny before and now I am crying because I totally identify with what that feels like. So that was a big turning point for personal growth.

I went to Burning Man...

... which was another big eye opener. People living in this utopian society and how beautiful that idea is -- and after Burning Man, I looked for social outlets here in L.A. that were part of that underground scene, not the typical bar scene but more of a neo-hippie movement. You know, these underground clubs downtown. That was a really fun community to become a part of. Then I did a production of “Debbie Does Dallas” in Lake Tahoe. It was a topless revue at Harveys Casino. I was desperate. I could not find a job. It was going to pay me. They were going to put me up. It was with Anita Mann, the woman who did the cruise ship. I went up there and I was missing the person I was with and I was miserable because I was in a long-distance relationship and the show, when it was pitched to me, sounded like it was going to be a different situation and it tuned out to be not the most professional situation in the world. There was hardly an audience. They wanted to see boobs. They didn’t want to hear me sing, so they would talk. It was not a good gig.

I heard they were rehiring for the Los Angeles company of “Wicked,” and it had been about a year since I had been out of the touring company. They were going to form a new company and I thought, “I don’t know why I left. That was so stupid. I need to get that job.” And so I begged. They said, “Why did you leave? We don’t know if you’re just going to leave again. It’s a liability for us.” I told them, “No, no, no. I was stupid. I was lonely on tour. I wasn’t satisfied and had outside opportunities. I really want to be in a sit-down company and then I can work on all my outside stuff and still work on the show,” and they said fine. So I came back and I opened the L.A. company of “Wicked.”


As Fiyero again?

The understudy, yes. Exactly the same thing.


For the same actor?

This was a different guy. He was out a little more often, so I got to go on more, during the almost two years we were open here.


So you stayed for the entire Los Angeles run?

I stayed. I lived right down the street from the theater, and I really enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great job, and it was nice to have money again in the city and live my life. There was a producer I started working with. He was forming his own publishing company for placement in film and TV and advertising campaigns, so they hired me to be a songwriter. And so I would go down there a couple days a week during the day and lay stuff down and write and really started to build a nice collection of music and I felt like it was at a much better level. I’d learned more about writing, about pop hooks, how it all works. Through trial and error, we got some good stuff. I was doing some session work here and there, so I was really starting to move toward, “I really think I should go for this now.” I felt more confident and I started getting frustrated with “Wicked.” I felt they weren’t promoting me and it wasn’t satisfying. I started performing at clubs, just to get my name out there. I was going to release music. I really got into the idea of becoming a solo act. I think a couple years before, the idea of that really scared me because I was concerned about, “How are people going to think of me?” and “I’m never going to have a private life if I do that.”

I didn’t think I was ready for that. I didn’t think I could handle it and then I really got into the idea of it. I had turned 26 and felt, “I’m getting old and I still haven’t been to New York yet.” I knew there was work for me in the theater and I could move to New York and probably work there, but I’m particular and I never really considered myself the best actor in the world. I wanted to be myself, so I was less and less enchanted with the idea of musical theater. There weren’t a lot of shows that were interesting to me musically or conceptually. I wanted to do my own thing. So I started experimenting, doing club acts and the pop/dance thing.

I sang and I had two dancers and we were wearing really wild clothes and then I was doing stuff with Upright Cabaret. It was like the New York tradition of having all the show actors and people in town come together and sing, like Joe’s Pub [in New York]. I met a lot of great people through that and got a lot of attention.


Where did you think this was all leading?

I put my faith in the producer that I was working with, Monte Pittman (sic), that when all this music was finished, he was going to do all the work to get it out there, and he did do a lot of work. But he had just come from New Zealand. He was really established there, but he was new here, like an outside player. So I didn’t know how quickly that was going to happen, and I wondered, “What are my other options?” And last year when “Idol” was on, we were all watching it at “Wicked” and everybody would discuss their opinions of who did better and why, and then somebody said, “Adam, you should audition for that,” and I thought, “Yeah, maybe I should.”


This happened during Season 7?

Yes, but I watched a lot of the seasons. Not all of them, but a lot of them.


When did you first watch the show?

I watched the first season. I remember Kelly [Clarkson] was on and she was great. I was really excited, but I didn’t think they were going to like me. I thought I was too out there.


You are a little out there!

I am a little out there, but I’m kind of a strategist in that I knew what I could get away with and what I probably couldn’t get away with, so I tried to dumb myself down for the first couple auditions. You know, look a little more normal, dress a little bit more low key.


Where did you audition?

In San Francisco. I drove up with two of my best friends. The next morning I had gotten an hour’s sleep because I was really anxious, and right as I auditioned, I reached this epiphany where I thought, “You’re about to be 27. What do you have to show for yourself? You’ve done a couple shows. You’re working. You know you can pay your bills but do you want to do something great? Do you want to do something major and launch yourself? Yeah, I do,” and I knew that “Idol” was going to be, if I could get it, such a platform. I’d seen people that had been on “Idol” and were eliminated playing leads on Broadway, and I knew that’s the way New York is now. If you’re on TV and you’re a celebrity, you can get a lead in a Broadway show. I thought that’s what I should do because they don’t seem to want to promote me at “Wicked.” The worst-case scenario is that it would enhance my career in the theater and the best-case scenario is that I could do really well -- and I didn’t know what it was going to be.


You knew the odds were against you, but that was OK, right?

Yes. I walked into the first audition with the judges, and Simon and Kara said, “You’re theatrical.” I had a feeling it was going to go down like this. They’re going to be, “Oh, he’s too Broadway,” even though I don’t feel like I actually am when I sing. I’m theatrical, but I don’t think that it’s necessarily musical theater.


What did you sing at your first audition?

I sang “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and then “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and they said, “Don’t sing ‘Crazy’ at the next audition because they can’t get the rights to it and everybody tries to sing it." I sang [“Rock With You” by] Michael Jackson and they wanted to hear another one so I sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” and that’s the one they ended up showing on TV.


Were you a Queen fan?

I’m a huge Queen fan. Freddie’s the man. He’s the voice. Just the musicianship required to sing that kind of music is really high. It’s very melodic and rangy and dramatic and I appreciate all that.


Could you ever have imagined while auditioning with “Bohemian Rhapsody” that a few months later you’d be on stage singing lead vocals with Queen?

Weird. It’s weird full circle stuff all around. It’s thrilling, but it almost loses its impact in a funny way, like, “Oh, of course I’m onstage with Queen.” What the hell’s going on? “Of course, KISS.” I can’t believe it. This can sound very pretentious if taken the wrong way but I almost feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. I do feel this is what I’m supposed to be doing and I have a fatalistic view on life that things happen for a reason. I feel like everything that’s led up to this point has prepared me for this. It’s the whole “Slumdog Millionaire” thing, where it’s like his whole life like leads up to that moment and the only way he gets through that moment is because of all of his experiences. I went to see “Slumdog” as this was all happening and I was just in tears because I was so touched by the concept of that movie. And I wouldn’t have done what I did on the show had it not been for what I’ve gone through and my experiences in my life and what age I’m at. I wouldn’t have been that confident. I would have been second guessing myself. I would have been really busy people-pleasing as opposed to just doing what I do. It was meant to be now.

--Fred Bronson

[4Ms]

04D. Bronson, Fred. "Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Four."
Los Angeles Times 11 August 2009.
Original link: latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/08/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-four.html
ATop link: atop.proboards.com/post/89572/thread
All 4 Parts: psyche.terrapolis.org/content/adam-lambert-ultimate-interview-la-times-august-2009-four-part-interview-313
Adam-Lambert.org: adam-lambert.org/adam-lambert-the-ultimate-interview-part-4/#sthash.hxleYlPp.dpbs
Very detailed interview about every aspect of Adam's life and career.
Part four covers American Idol Season 8 and beyond.

In the final segment of this four-part interview, the Season Eight runner-up discusses his "American Idol" experience. Part One of this interview can be read here. Part Two can be read here. Part Three can be read here.


Let’s talk about some of the songs you performed on “Idol.” One of my favorites was your interpretation of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears" during Motown week.

My first impulse was to do “War” by Edwin Starr. I love that song.


That makes sense -- Bruce Springsteen recorded it, too.

He has? I haven’t heard that version. I want to hear that. And Randy Jackson produced a Motown album with Boyz II Men and they do a version of it. It’s great, but the week before I had just done “Ring of Fire,” so I already caused controversy and pushed the buttons and polarized everybody and I’m really happy about it because I liked what I did and I got to be weird and set myself apart, so I felt I should probably go the complete opposite direction and be super-cleaned-up and kind of pretty and acoustic and organic. That was me being strategic, because I don’t really see myself singing in an acoustic style but I knew I could and it was fun. Because it was Motown, I always wanted to dress fitting the song, so I said, “Let’s get a suit and brush my hair and take off the makeup and the nail polish and do like a real classic look because it’s fresh.” It got everybody talking and I realized I could play with image on the show more than I thought I could.”


How did you work with the stylists?

They were really good. Miles and Art were very, very, very collaborative and receptive to every idea that I had and they really supported me. I mean, a lot of it was me saying, “I want to do something like this,” and they’d say, “OK, let’s go shopping,” and then we would put together [my look] as a team.


Not every contestant comes up with their own ideas for how they’re going to look.

I’m the L.A. guy. I like clothes and visual presentation and playing dress-up. I think that definitely was an advantage.


You mentioned singing an acoustic song. Your version of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” was a great example of that. How did you choose to sing that?

The theme was year of birth. They gave us a list and that song popped out at me and I remembered the Gary Jules version from the movie, “Donnie Darko.” It’s haunting and beautiful and it gets in your head and the words are amazing and I wanted to do it because I knew it would be different and very non-“Idol” and not showy. I wanted to pull back and sound really vulnerable and just do the song justice and they came up with a great arrangement of it, kind of this ambient, acoustic thing.


How closely did you work with ["Idol" Music Director] Rickey Minor on arrangements?

I worked with the vocal team first and my team was Dorian Holley and Michael Orland. We would look at the song and cut it to make it fit in the time of one minute and 45 seconds. We would figure out which parts of the song we liked the most, how to make it flow, what key to put it in, vocal things to do with it, style things to do with it and if I had an idea in my head we would figure it out and they would make notes and they’d send that off to Rickey’s arranger. Then Rickey would get it and develop it. So the first time we hear what it’s going to sound like is the Sunday before, because they give us rough mixes for our iTunes recording which happens the next morning, Monday morning, before our band rehearsal. After a couple weeks of that, I got Rickey’s number and I asked if I could just call him. He’s super-talented, awesome. So I was really happy that we got to skip all that process and talk one-on-one.


You mentioned the Johnny Cash classic, “Ring of Fire.” Tell me about choosing that song and the very non-country arrangement of it.

I was really inspired by David Cook’s approach to the show the year before. I thought he was really smart in that he didn’t let the theme weeks throw him off, whereas a lot of people conform to the theme, so it turns into this talent show, whereas he kept his cool points because he always made it work for his style and he was very true to his own artistry. I just took a page from him. When it came to country week, I thought: “This is one of those moments where you can take a song and make it work for you,” like he did with “Billie Jean.”

Country music is like the furthest thing from me but I remembered an electro version of “Ring of Fire” I had heard a couple of years ago. I didn’t remember who it was by. It was sexy. The words are hot. The melody’s good. I knew that’s the one I should do. It’s dark and kind of risqué and I liked it. I searched iTunes for different versions of it. That’s basically what Cook did, he found covers and used those arrangements, which he got a lot of [criticism] for. There’s no reason why he should have. We’re singing covers, so what’s the difference?


I’ve never understood why anyone would be upset that a David Cook would sing Chris Cornell’s version of “Billie Jean” instead of Michael Jackson’s original arrangement or that a Chris Daughtry would sing Live’s version of another Johnny Cash song, “I Walk the Line.”

I never got that either. If you asked him who it was by, he would tell you. It’s not like we’re trying to trick anybody.

There was a woman named Dilana who sang “Ring of Fire” on the “Rock Star: Supernova” show and that was the way she did it. She had a recording of it out with the Middle Eastern dub kind of feel to it. I loved that style. I love world music, especially when it’s in that dub electronica kind of vein. I really love that, like Thievery Corporation’s a good example of that. I was really excited to be able to do a song on “Idol” that sounded like that and I knew it was probably going to be like, “What?” Vocally, I felt like I nailed it. And of course I read the press and people were saying, “He’s screeching,” and I’m thinking, “That’s not really screeching. I don’t really know what that is to you.” But everybody has their own opinion.


So while you were on “Idol,” you were reading what people were writing about you. Did it affect you?

I’m pretty objective, pretty resilient to that kind of thing. I didn’t take it personally. I try to take it as research, like how people were responding to it, and I felt the same way about the judges. They had objective opinions and everybody has one. Listen to their comment and if it’s a good critique, take it. Make notes. Fix it if you agree, and if not, just keep doing your thing.

It’s not about them and what they think. It’s about that I get to be on TV in front of millions of people and I get to sing. It’s about the opportunity and the experience and it’s not about “Did the judges like it?” I didn’t want to be too concerned with that, and by having a sense of humor about it, it made me more OK.


Back to David Cook for a moment. You’ve said you were inspired by the way he looked at the songs he did over the season as a “set list.”

I definitely approached the show in the same way, creating a lot of variety with the songs I chose. If I did an acoustic down tempo soft falsetto ballad the week before, then I wanted to contrast and go completely the other direction the next week. I wanted to keep everybody guessing and I wanted to make it a really dynamic set of songs.


Was “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” a song you knew from your father’s record collection?

Yes, and my mom’s a huge Stones fan. She’s gone to their concerts. I was going to sing “Cryin’” by Aerosmith that first week and had rehearsed it and cut it down and gotten a rehearsal track, but at the last minute, the publishers weren’t comfortable with one of the details in the contract and didn’t really know who I was yet, so they pulled it and I had to come up with something really fast. I needed to do something that would establish me as a rocker, because I looked at my group and I knew that there were a lot of poppier R&B and country [singers], and I wondered, “How do I make myself different and stand out?” There was a girl rocker and I thought I’ll be the boy rocker.

Kris [Allen] and Allison [Iraheta] were both in that group with me and we went through together and did all our press together and all three of us are signed now. It’s a beautiful thing that, for reasons that are beyond us, we’ve been cool. And the three of us get along really well, which is nice.

Anyway, I picked “Satisfaction” because I knew the song and it was a song that everybody knew. It was a rock song and I wanted to associate myself with icons, with famous rock stars. And Hollywood Week was a good time for me to do my research into how [people] were going to see me. It was an experiment. What happens when I sing this way? How does it go over? What happens if I do this?

We did our second round of a cappella group choreography and we sang “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad and I got to really wail and go high and go crazy and they loved it. So I knew I could go nuts and they’re going to like that. Simon said, “You can sing. I didn’t know what the big deal was before. OK, you’ve got pipes.” That helped establish myself and then the final day of Hollywood Week was pick your own song off this list and I wasn’t feeling any of the songs. I asked, “Can we sing from the girls’ list?” and they said yes. I knew I had to get up early the next morning and know the song and be prepared. I didn’t want to worry about learning words. I wanted to be able to sing the song. What song on this girls’ list do I know that no one else is doing? “Believe” by Cher. I remember loving that single.

It was the first time I had worked with Dorian and Michael and I asked them, “Is it too gay? Is it too ridiculous?” And they were like, “Uhhh...” [Adam shrugs his shoulders while looking up and rolling his eyes]. I said, “What if we make it a rock-pop ballad, not a dance song? What if it’s totally different?” And they said, “Let’s try it.” I sang it and I felt good about it. It set me apart. None of the other guys were doing ballads. I knew the [judges] would remember me, because there were 75 people. I needed to stand out so that they would put me on the show. I knew that that was how it was going to go down.


Looking back at the season as a whole, what do you know now that you didn’t know before you were on “Idol”?

I learned a lot by watching myself back. Like, less is more. I don’t have to do quite as much every time, because when I watched some of the first performances, “Satisfaction,” “Black or White,” they get a little manic and that was because I was excited and had all this adrenaline. By getting used to working on the soundstage and getting comfortable and not being as nervous, I learned what works and what doesn’t.


How did you like working with this season’s mentors?

Slash was really cool and very flattering and Smokey was amazing. That was an honor. All the mentors were great, like being onstage with Queen and Kiss was so cool. And I learned a lot about dealing with the cameras. I had never really worked with a camera and the director on the show, Bruce [Gowers], is amazing and really fun and we got along really well. He would tell me, “I’m going to do this with the camera. Just play with that camera.” He gave me some directions here and there and it helped me make the most of that format, because I was used to being onstage and not being intimate. And Ken Warwick, the producer, is the most supportive and warm and so is Mike Darnell, from Fox. I mean, he’s amazing. I never felt stifled. They really encouraged everything, all of it. It was really, really nice.


And now you’re recording your debut album. What is your vision for your first record?

I want to do pop-rock electronic, like dance rock. I want it to be rock and roll, a nod to all the ’60s and ’70s rock that I love, the classic and the glam rock, but with a very current, futuristic sensibility for dance floors. I want people to have fun. I don’t want to sound like I have this social cause, but I think that music in the ’70s was so cool because it was about partying. It was about bringing people together and celebrating and not about all this dark sad [stuff]. I want to bring back the fun stuff. I want to bring people together and get them to dance and smile and feel sexy and celebrate our similarities, not our differences.

-- Fred Bronson

[4Ms]

05. Cjay858. "Lessons From Adam Lambert."
HubPages 21 May 2009.
hubpages.com/hub/What-I-Learned-From-Adam-Lambert
Inspirational piece about Adam Lambert by one of his former high
school classmates.

And no, i'm not talking about singing lessons...

By now, if you pay any kind of attention to American Pop Culture, you're sure to have heard of Adam Lambert: The freshly minted 2nd place runner up in American Idol Season 8. Although he did not come out victorious as the official Idol Champion, Adam had successfully captured the heart and attention of a nation and the world. With his amazing singing chops, stage presence and personal style, many have dubbed him the "most exciting american idol contestant" of all time.

While I won't make this hub a resource for where to find his inspiring performances, I'd rather shine some light on Adam's past, and the road to success in which we all have the potential to realize for ourselves.

Personally, the recent phenomena that Adam has become is something that hits close to home. Growing up in San Diego, California I attended Mt. Carmel High School from 1996-2000. It's kind of neat to know that Adam has put our high school on the map. And due to my musical passion as well, I was able to enjoy high school choir concerts and musicals where Adam played leading roles most of the time. I can still recall memories of Adam seemingly "in his own world" 5 minutes before choir class began, and he's just singing some songs...in a happy go lucky fashion. In watching some post fame interview's, he claims "i was one of those wierd kids in high school", I can see where he's comming from, but "wierd" to me is such a vague word. He was definitely known on campus as a musical and arts guy. From what I remember, he was pretty well liked and respected overall...but I also was aware of some jealousy and insecurity that he evoked around his musical peers...which is understandable in our adolescent years.

Everyone knew he could outsing anyone on campus, and looking back at it now...he knew what his strengths were, yet didn't let it get to his head too much. More importantly, he did not let what others think weigh on him, or tone himself down for the sake of pleasing others. This is the important lesson that I want to touch upon. Adams conviction to live out his passion regardless of how he is percieved on the outside...

06. Cristiano, Elena. "Hopes dashed early for North County "Idol" fans"
North County Times 20 May 2009.
www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/05/20/news/sandiego/z83a9310873409aee882575bd00195902.txt
Adam Lambert's San Diego supporters react to the final results of
American Idol Season 8 on May 20, 2009.

SAN DIEGO -- Hopes ran high at Copley Symphony Hall early Wednesday night as hundreds gathered to watch the East Coast broadcast of the "American Idol" final three hours before the rest of the Pacific time zone got to see the results.

North County residents made up the majority of the audience, there to cheer on their hometown favorite, Adam Lambert, who grew up in Rancho Penasquitos. But their hopes were dashed when the top spot went to guitar-strumming singer Kris Allen of Conway, Ark.

Mouth agape, 11-year-old Trevor Yertman of Carlsbad said he just couldn't believe it. He said he and his twin sister, Emily, both fifth-graders at Buena Vista Elementary School, watched "every show twice" and stayed up until 11 p.m. Tuesday to finish casting the estimated 500 votes they said they logged between them.

Jimmy Garcia of San Marcos, a member of the show's production crew who said he had recorded season after season of "American Idol," was there for Wednesday night's viewing. He said even though he isn't "musically inclined," the winners "just stand out."
Garcia, who also recorded the show's customary glimpse into Lambert's personal life, said his impression of the 27-year-old performer was that he's a "really good guy, deep-down good guy."

After the announcement of the winner, Garcia looked around the room at the stunned faces and declared the outcome "a shocker."
The North County fans weren't the only ones waiting for the results. Fox announced that the voting had set a new world record with nearly 100 million votes cast.

"Adam, Adam, Adam," was the cry early in the show from the largely female crowd, laden with glittering, handmade signs. Leading the way were cheerleaders from the freshman, junior varsity and varsity squads of Lambert's alma mater.
Squeals of delight filled the concert hall as the live camera swooped above their heads and their images were aired to millions of viewers around the world.

"I've taught for 30 years, and Adam was by far the most talented boy ever," said Nancy Gray, the choir teacher at Mt. Carmel High School where Lambert graduated in 2000.

Even last year's runner-up, Carly Smithson of San Diego, gushed about Lambert.

"He's amazing," said Smithson. "He wears whatever he wants and sings whatever he wants," referring to Lambert's flamboyant style and theatrical flare.

Seconds later Lambert appeared on the giant screen above the audience with the rock band Kiss in full glam gear.

"Awesome," declared Smithson.

"He just had 'it,'" said Gray of the season-long front-runner.

www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_063d2936-89e8-569b-b351-79a20b2ccb2c.html#ixzz1aN02cBvf

[4Ms]

07. della Cava, Marco R. "Behind the 'Idol' curtain: 3 finalists, 3 days, zero rest"
USA Today. 13 May 2009
www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-05-12-idol-peek_n.htm
www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20090513/idolbackstage13_cv.art.htm

American Idol contestants Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey go over their vocal harmony parts with producer Scott Wojahn for a Ford music video at the Record Plant.


LOS ANGELES — At the glittering sweatshop of a star factory that is American Idol, time to relax is as rare as a kind word from Simon Cowell.
All three Season 8 finalists happily plop down before a catered lunch during a break in filming Sunday at the Ford music video shoot, which airs during tonight's results show (Fox, 9 ET/PT). But as is often his way, Adam Lambert takes the opportunity too far.

PHOTO GALLERY: Go behind the scenes
'IDOL' CHATTER: Follow every note in our blog
"I just love being outside," he says, leaning back from the lunch table in his flimsy folding chair. "We're always stuck indoors, in the studio, in rehearsals, in the …"

Lambert is milliseconds from crashing to the concrete on the Paramount back lot when he grabs the table and a fellow diner grabs him. He stands up, eyes bulging.

Danny Gokey looks over at Kris Allen, then affects a Ryan Seacrest tone: "And tonight, live from the hospital, we have Adam Lambert."

The group laughter is genuine and welcome. For the three remaining contestants, Idol is all work and little play. Regardless of who wins, they all eagerly spy the finish line.

"What do I want after Idol? Well, I certainly don't want to go back to driving semis, so I guess I'd like to help people better themselves," says Wisconsin native Gokey, 29.

Allen, 23, shakes his head. "I wasn't doing anything before I auditioned, which really was my brother's idea, just going to the University of Central Arkansas. But I've now found what I'm supposed to do with my life. I want to take this ball and run with it."

If Gokey and Allen come across as mellow Midwesterners, San Diego native Lambert, 27, seems carved from the gritty asphalt at Hollywood and Vine. "I want to do the pop-star thing," says Lambert, who's difficult to overlook with his dyed black-and-blue locks and Cleopatra eyeliner. "I want to open people's minds. I want to push buttons."

Just then, a production assistant pushes the switch on his walkie-talkie and barks: "We need the three guys back on set. And get ready to release the dogs."

A nearby handler motions toward three menacing German shepherds that will stalk the Idols on the next shot.

"The dogs seem nice," says Lambert, flashing a wary I-hope-they-don't-bite smile. "Here we go again."

What's it like to be an Idol in the final throes of competition?

A three-day tag-along reveals that an Idol finalist's constant companions include physical fatigue, mental exhaustion and a constant stream of choices: What song? What note? What outfit? What take?

One thing is clear: Television's top-rated series is less reality show than boot camp for wannabe stars. Survive incessant tasks — song and wardrobe selections, rehearsals, music-video recordings and shoots, iTunes recording sessions — and there won't be a Hollywood pitch you can't hit.

Saturday: Shopping incognito

It's late morning in the City of Angels, where the frenzy has slowed to a manageable weekend pace. Families of Hasidic Jews walk leisurely to synagogue past the nearly empty parking lot of CBS Studios. Inside, Lambert sits in a dimly lit windowless room and sings Aerosmith's Cryin'.

"Should I say the word 'Cryin' ' at the end, or is that, you know, too show-tune-y?" Lambert asks Michael Orland, who, along with Dorian Holley, has proffered vocal and musical advice to Lambert and Allen throughout the competition.

Orland agrees he should just draw out the last "me" of the verse.

Lambert nods, then starts talking about a few recent performances, praising recently departed Idol Allison Iraheta, 17, with whom he dueted last week on a raucous version of Foghat's Slow Ride.

"I tell you, give her two years and, bam! She'll be a star," he says with genuine awe. "She is just so, so talented."

He runs through U2's One, which the judges picked for him to sing. Aside from hearing it a few times on the radio, the song was mostly unfamiliar to Lambert until a few hours ago. The three men spend much time working out how to make the last words of the song ("sisters and brothers") a whisper.

"You've got the huge voice, we know that," says Holley. "But sometimes it's more powerful to go the opposite way."

Ten minutes later, Lambert stands up and stomps a single snakeskin boot: "All right, we're done. Let's go shopping."

After a trip of a few blocks by car, Lambert and stylist Miles Siggins walk freely through the posh Beverly Center mall. No one stops the Idol finalist. This is L.A., and Lambert isn't yet A-list.

Inside the hip-with-cash store Traffic, Lambert and Siggins fall in love with a faded denim shirt by Dolce & Gabbana. At $695, it comes close to his two-song budget of $800. Not that that would stop Lambert.

"He's broken Taylor Hicks' record for spending the most out of your own pocket," Siggins says, laughing. "And I'm not telling you by how much."

Lambert says the white suit he wore to sing the Rat Pack-era tune Feeling Good cost $1,700. "But in this competition, the visual is as important as the voice," he says. "I'll spend what I have to."

Says Siggins: "Adam's my modern-day David Bowie."

With that, the two are off to admire a sandblasted pair of jeans from Hysteric Glamour for $855. "I love this," whispers Lambert.

In the end, though, nothing makes Lambert's cut, and he moves on to other stores.

Back at CBS, as Idol executive producer Ken Warwick zips by in his sleek Bentley coupe, Gokey and Allen pull up in black SUVs, just back from their hometown visits. In the case of all three Idols, huge crowds were on hand to salute their local heroes. But the events took their toll. Both men seem bushed.

This time it's Allen's turn to run through his songs for Orland and Holley. Accompanying himself on a Taylor acoustic guitar, Allen's version of Kanye West's Heartless is flawless. The coaches have little to add.

"I haven't listened to that song much," says Allen, even though it was his own choice.

Wide-eyed, Holley asks, "Does that, ah, come easy to you?"

"Words and stuff? Yeah," says Allen.

"That's a blessing," Holley says.

Upstairs in the cavernous CBS monolith — where shows such as Idol and Dancing With the Stars are taped — coaches Debra Byrd and Matt Rhodes are waiting in the more expansive rehearsal room.

Byrd says contestants with strong church backgrounds, such as Gokey and Lil Rounds, who finished seventh, often are at a disadvantage on the pop culture-oriented program.

"Being on Idol is like the microwave version of learning music, super-fast," she says. "As a worship leader, Danny wants to get a crowd involved, so he comes out of the box and goes for the jugular. We're trying to show him the subtleties of the arc of a song. He's learning how to phrase things differently. He can be …"

She pauses.

"I don't think Danny's had time since he lost his wife (a few weeks before his Idol audition) to deal with all his emotions," she says softly. "And this show moves. At this point, Danny Gokey can't say, "Stop, I need a break.' And as an adult, I'm sure it's hard to do all this, to sleep when you're told to sleep, to wake up when you're told to wake up."

The door opens and Gokey walks in, head to toe in black. He apologizes for being low on energy. "I don't feel well at all," he says. Nonetheless, he dutifully plays Joe Cocker's hit You Are So Beautiful, a version he recorded with his friends while at home in Milwaukee.

"I love these guitar chords. Can you figure them out?" he asks.

Rhodes gets to work behind his keyboard.

"Uh-huh, I'm feeling it," says Byrd as the song suddenly erupts out of larger speakers.

Just then a nearby Coke machine comes to life, its whir mixing with the lilting chords.

A few hours later, the trio regroups a few blocks from CBS at the Record Plant, whose walls have heard the strains of everyone from Guns N' Roses to Michael Bolton.

Inside one of the studios, a group of music video producers repeatedly play a song that the three Idols will record separately. Since the tune goes with a Ford video that airs next week (and can't be named) — when there will be only two contestants standing — the trick tonight is for the singers to perform the song as free of embellishments as possible, so the tracks of the surviving Idols can be seamlessly meshed together for broadcast.

After a long delay because of a bum microphone, producer Roger Wojahn turns to Allen, who's been killing time in the recording booth, and says, "OK, we're ready, you're in the spotlight, Kris, 50 million people watching, and go!"

"Oh, great," says Allen. "No pressure."

Allen hits his marks, but the new microphone still isn't making people happy. Time drags. People start telling airplane horror stories. Wojahn has one about landing gear that almost didn't come down. Holley, on hand to lend support, tops that with a tale of flying to Asia with Michael Jackson when the jumbo jet dropped 10,000 feet in seconds.

At this point, Lambert and Gokey are sprawled shamelessly across a big brown leather couch. Lambert is texting a friend; Gokey is curled up in a fetal position, passed out.

When Allen is finally finished, Lambert yells, "Put me in, Coach," and jogs over to the booth. His session isn't without problems — the song's key isn't in his preferred range — but he is persistent.

"Try really belting it out this time," says Wojahn.

"OK," says Lambert in a cartoonish voice, a goofy trademark of his. This one sounds like Daffy Duck.

Lambert tries again. Still no good.

"Put a little acting in it, Adam," says Holley.

"OK," says Daffy.

This time it's good enough, says the producer. But Lambert just shouts out, "One more!" His enthusiasm is appreciated, but he's through.

Gokey rises from his stupor and marches wordlessly into the booth. Despite feeling wretched, he manages to deliver the goods.

"Just one more and we're done," says Wojahn.

Holley quickly adds a thought, one that only an intimate could supply.

"Danny, you've got the breaths and rhythms right," he says. "But I don't believe you're talking to a real girl that you just don't want to let go. Find that."

Gokey doesn't flinch. Then he looks down and starts to sing.

"We're done," yells Wojahn.

Sunday: Traffic jams and hometown heroes

The morning dawns hazy, another Southern California day that requires the sun to blast away the marine layer conjured up by the Pacific.

At the famed gates of Paramount Studios— through which the likes of Marlene Dietrich, the Marx Brothers and Tom Cruise have passed — guards wave in visitors looking for the "Wild Plum" shoot, the code for today's filming of yet another Ford music video.

More than 30 Ford vehicles line a street that resembles New York, complete with rusting fire escapes and chipped brownstone stoops. Over the next several hours, the three Idols will spend a lot of time sitting inside a candy-apple red convertible Mustang.

With Allen at the wheel, the trio drive down the car-flanked street, over and over again, until the director is happy with the shot. Then the cars are moved into the road, blocking our heroes' progress.

The next shot involves Allen pulling up to the traffic jam, at which point Gokey opens the passenger door, walks in front of the car and opens up his outstretched hands. Animation will make it look like his arms have grown big and long enough to sweep the traffic aside.

"Like parting the Red Sea, guys," Gokey says as he walks back to the Mustang. Lambert, jammed into the rear seat, laughs. Then he asks for a giant umbrella to block the emerging sun, the better to shield this natural redhead's fair skin.

After posing with a couple who have won a Ford and a trip to this filming through an Idol sweepstakes, the three finalists march over to a catering truck, load up on chicken and asparagus and sit down under a white canopy to eat.

"I don't know about you guys, but it was really emotional to be home," says Gokey. "To see the whole city in unity like that was amazing."

Allen nods. "I kept thinking, 'You're really all here for me?' "

Gokey admits that being home makes him want to win for the hometown folks. "I did wonder, 'Why do they want me?' But I just want to give love back. I'm not here for the attention."

"I am!" Lambert cuts in. The line cracks the others up, but he's not joking.

"Look," says Lambert, "I didn't really come here to win as much as I came to get exposure and build my career. It's about what the show gives us."

Gokey listens, then says, "I think it's about leaving a mark in people's hearts."

Lambert takes it in, but continues. "I have treated the whole show as a set list, really. To show all my angles. So if I do an album, it'll be a reflection of what I did on the show."

Lambert ribs Gokey. "Come on, you like the attention, admit it."

Gokey laughs. "OK, I can cope with it after, like, two seconds."

For each of the three, last season's show marked their first true exposure to the Idol phenomenon. Gokey says watching all of Season 7 inspired him to try out, while Lambert says David Cook turned him on to the show's promise and possibilities.

"He really was the first to look beyond the obvious with his song choices and arrangements," says Lambert. "David paved the way for people like me to create their own path on the show."

Allen adds Jason Castro to his list of ex-Idol favorites, as much for his song choices as his ability to play along as he sang.

It's silent as the Idols finish up their lunches.

Lambert offers one regret.

"You know, maybe I shouldn't have written down that I was a chorus boy in (the musical) Wicked on my audition sheet," he says. "I feel like, from the moment they noticed that, they put me in a musical-theater box. I should have just put session singer. Oh, well."

Time to release the dogs.

Monday: New day, new attitude

After a solid night's rest, Gokey feels much better, smiling and even walking with a hint of a strut.

"I feel like me again," he says.

It's not much past 9 in the morning and he and the other Idols are at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood to record their newest songs for iTunes distribution.

Gokey takes a pass at Terence Trent D'Arby's Dance Little Sister, the tune judge Paula Abdul has selected for him to perform.

It's practice, but Gokey is singing as convincingly as anyone could while holding a coffee mug and swiveling in a black Herman Miller Aeron office chair. "Woo-ooo!" he sings, channeling Michael Jackson's trademark falsetto gasp.

"It's kind of my song," he says of the funk-soul romp. "But there are just so many breaks."

Gokey shakes his head while engineer Brad Gilderman listens. "I'm not sure what to do during them."

Once inside the booth, Gokey fills those breaks with convincing scat, but the repeated takes start to wear on his voice. And the singing isn't the only thing on Gokey's mind. Those breaks are the perfect place for a performer to dance, not a Gokey forte.

"Yeah, maybe I need to do a little James Brown thing there," he says, laughing at the thought of it. "My stage presence is, well, I know I need to work on it."

He traces the problem to his grounding in church performances. "When I'm singing there, I'm singing up, not out at the audience. And the audience, they're not focused on what I'm doing, they're focused up. So, this is all new for me."

A few booths over, Lambert is sipping tea and waiting to give Cryin' a go, but not before putting some finishing touches on One.

"Vocally you're there, Adam, but the timing needs tightening," says engineer Dennis Duncan.

"Aw-right then," goofs Lambert, this time in a lilting British accent.

For the next 10 minutes, Lambert sings the same passage. He keeps fouling up the take, unhappy with the pitch.

The process is two steps forward and one back. But thanks to the magic of digital recording, the engineers will piece together a complete song from best-of segments from each verse and chorus.

At one juncture, Lambert unloads with a deafening raspberry.

After a while, Duncan comes over the speaker: "Sorry, Adam, but we need to move on."

"Great," says Lambert, meaning it. "Truth be told, I'm not a huge U2 fan. I respect them, of course, but Aerosmith and Steven Tyler are more my speed."

Lambert says he'd be happy to live in the studio and do take after take. "That's not an issue for me," he says. "What's hard is fitting this (recording) in with all the other things they ask us to do. You can't focus, really."

To re-energize, Lambert says he hangs out in his room listening to mood music by Thievery Corporation, takes kava-kava homeopathic supplements and texts instead of calls to save his voice.

He and Kris have been roommates, and a friendship has formed. "Danny and me? Well, we're really different," says Lambert softly. "On everything. So we often agree to disagree."

A pause. "Going through this thing together has been bonding," he adds. "That guy has heart. And, man, can he sing."

At that instant Gokey's soulful croon carries over from the studio next door. "Wow," says Lambert.

A few doors down, Allen decides to momentarily set aside the judges' choice —Apologizeby OneRepublic. He makes his way through Heartless, Kanye West's wordy love ditty, but he's having a tricky time with the avalanche of lyrics.

"That's what I get for doing an R&B version of a rap tune," he says, rolling his eyes.

To keep the pressure off, it's probably best that Allen not think about the fact that Michael Jackson recorded Thriller in the very place where he's standing now, though Jackson's eyes were likely focused on a loft window above the recording booth — a viewing stand built for the singer's pet chimp, Bubbles.

Take after take follows, with particular attention paid to a section that finds Allen dropping uncomfortably into a lower register. "Pitchy," says engineer Jon Rezin, pulling a Randy Jackson critique.

Finally, the myriad squiggly lines throbbing on Rezin's Apple recording application confirm that Allen has nailed the tune.

"God bless you," says Rezin.

"Ah, is that the same 'God bless you' you'd say to an ugly kid who did OK?" jokes Allen.

"Up until then, yeah," Rezin shoots back, an easy repartee born of weeks of collaboration.

Allen and Gokey are done with their recordings. Next they're off to shop for outfits to suit those songs. As they leave Westlake Studios by the back alley exit, Lambert's still blasting away on Cryin' in the highest of high registers.

Over at the funky used clothing shop Wasteland on trendy Melrose Avenue, Allen and Gokey look about as enthusiastic as two guys at a baby shower.

"I don't know what I'm looking for," says Allen. "I leave it to him." He points at style coach Art Conn, who's frantically shuffling through racks of secondhand T-shirts that go from $16 (for a period Deep Purple black concert tee missing a collar) to $500 (for a bead-studded Ed Hardy number featuring a grinning skull).

"Hey, Danny, in case you're looking for a Polar Express kind of look," Allen says, handing Gokey a white leather jacket with a high collar and long sleeves, something more suited to Star Trek than American Idol.

Gokey laughs, but picks up on the leather suggestion.

"I think leather would be really cool for Dance, no?" he asks his couture guru Siggins, who nods and starts riffling through hangers laden with black and brown coats.

But Gokey has a second thought. "You know, we only have $800 and I don't want to spend, like, $1,000 just on a jacket," he says.

Siggins wheels on his heels. "Danny, if you're ever going to do just that, it's now," he says firmly, eyeball to eyeball. "At this point, this contest is anyone's game."

Gokey looks away. "I hear you," he mutters.

A brown leather Dolce & Gabbana coat comes and goes, followed by a deep-green Juicy Couture motorcycle jacket. A black formal jacket with pinstripes slips on and off, then a mustard-colored number. Gokey frowns. Wasteland is just that for him today.

Allen is faring no better. Conn has found a tight-collared shirt that's dark green with a lighter green cross intersecting the chest. Allen puts it on, but his grimace makes Conn's smile disappear.

"I don't like to worry about my look so much," says Allen. "If I had my choice, I'd just wear this."

He flips an index finger at his chest. It's a worn white T-shirt with the legend: "I'd trade my girlfriend for a Coke."

"Then again," he says, "my wife might not like it."

Gokey checks the time. Less than two hours until the afternoon's show rehearsal. Which will be followed 24 hours later by the real show. Then tonight's results show. Then preparations for the finale.

As quietly as they entered Wasteland — where, once again, not one customer made so much as a minor fuss over their presence — the two Idols exit, vanishing into the hot L.A. sunlight.

Some say Idol represents a short cut into the mainstream of popular culture, turning unknowns into celebrities overnight.

True enough. But at least let it be known that for those making this end run into the homes and hearts of the American public, it's a journey with a detour through the salt mines.

[4Ms]

08. Elber, Lynn. "Adam Lambert GetS His Hometown Hurrah"
The Huffington Post 8 May 2009.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/08/adam-lambert-get-his-home_n_200359.html
Adam Lambert goes back to San Diego and visits his alma mater,
Mt. Carmel High School.

SAN DIEGO — Adam Lambert's old high school put on a show Friday for the "American Idol" finalist, with cheerleaders, a marching band and thousands of fans and students celebrating their hometown music hero.

In return, Lambert, 27, offered the crowd at Mt. Carmel High School two songs and a few words of appreciation.

"This is so weird," he said, thanking the crowd from a makeshift stage on the packed stadium's field. He advised students to "believe in yourself" no matter what others may say.

His entrance _ in a cherry-red convertible _ was heralded by the screams of cheerleaders. The marching band played as Lambert slowly cruised the stadium track, drawing shouts from the bleachers.

Lambert's renditions of Michael Jackson's "Black or White" and "Mad World" won applause despite a tinny sound system.

His "American Idol" competitors, Danny Gokey of Milwaukee and Kris Allen of Conway, Ark., were also feted by their towns Friday, with Fox taping the events to air next week on "Idol."

The winner of Fox TV's singing contest will be announced on the May 20 "American Idol" finale.

In San Diego, a woman wearing a sports bra but sans blouse rushed the stage to get closer to Lambert and was quickly hustled off. When Mayor Jerry Sanders stepped up to declare Friday "Adam Lambert Day" in San Diego, he jokingly vowed to keep his shirt on.

The stadium was draped with banners reading, "Mt. Carmel (Hearts) Adam!" and, "You're Our American Idol." A poster toted by a fan proclaimed, "Adam, You're a Rock God" _ echoing show judge Kara DioGuardi's assessment of Lambert, who has performed in musical theater.


He's been a consistent favorite with the "Idol" judges, even the tough-minded Simon Cowell.

Lambert was a standout in high school, too, said Bryan Clark, 26, of San Diego who graduated in the class of 2000 with him and attended the celebration Friday.

"He was definitely good," said Clark, who recalled seeing Lambert perform at pep rallies and other school events. "I'm proud of the guy. It's always good to see people making their dreams happen."

Geri Johnson, along with granddaughter Olivia Mercado and her young friends, had been on Lambert's trail since 5 a.m. Friday, when he visited local radio and TV stations.

"It was pretty rowdy," Johnson, of nearby El Cajon, said of the early morning crowd. So why did they make the effort?

"He's really cute," said 12-year-old Mercado. Friend Quiana McMorris, 15, who brought along a stuffed animal as a gift for Lambert, offered her view: "He's a really good singer."

Robin Andersen came to Mt. Carmel High from nearby Carlsbad with her 13-year-old daughter, d'Lainey Forrester, because "you always have to support hometown people. Plus, I think he's going to win."

Asked if she thought Lambert _ who favors black leather and matching nail polish _ might prove too bold for the American audience, Andersen had a quick response: "My 88-year-old mother thinks he should win. And she's as conservative as they come."

[4Ms]

09. Ebron, Angela. "An American Idol Mom
WD talks to Adam Lambert’s #1 fan—his mom, Leila"
Womans Day 29 December 2009
www.womansday.com/Articles/Lifestyle/Family-Fun/An-American-Idol-Mom.html
Leila Lambert talks about her son's childhood, his voice and
American Idol.

What was Adam like as a little boy?
He was very precocious. I took him to a lot of plays and concerts when he was small, and he always found a deeper meaning in them while I always took things literally. One time we went to see Les Miserables when Adam was 8. Afterward, he went into this elaborate discussion about how things were staged. He was so inquisitive, always asking questions. When he was about 5 years old he asked, “If God is in the sky, how does he see through the roof?” I had to tell him, “I’ll get back to you on that.”


What was your reaction the first time you realized Adam had such an incredible voice?
I remember he was in a children’s production of Fiddler on the Roof when he was about 10 years old. I’d never watched the rehearsals. So during the show when he got on top of a table and let out this note, I just looked at his dad and said, “Where’d that come from?”

Did you always believe that your son would make it in the music business one day?
Adam has always said that you don’t get discovered, you have to work for it. I thought his hard work would be what would pay off for him—and it has.

How has life changed since American Idol?
It’s very surreal. I have a hard time realizing that my son is now a household name to many people. The beauty is he’s still living in the same town he’s lived in for the last nine years and he still has the same friends. But the amount of work he’s doing has changed. Although he can’t always go places and he has to try to be more inconspicuous, he really appreciates the love and support of his fans. They have touched his life. Once when we were at a restaurant, a woman from another table came up and asked if he’d sing “Happy Birthday” to her daughter. I said, “No, we’re eating,” but Adam said, “It’s OK, Mom,” and told the woman that he’d stop by after we’d finished. He went over in a little bit and sang to her daughter. It was a wakeup call for me.

Many people thought Adam should have won American Idol. Do you think not winning may actually be better, given the success of other Idol alums like Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry?
I really don’t think it matters. Being first, second or third—one isn’t any better than the other. I think Adam would be in the same position if he’d won.

What was your favorite American Idol performance by Adam?
I loved when he performed “Satisfaction.” And “Black or White.” And “One.” I can’t pick a favorite!

What do you think of Simon Cowell?
I never really met him. Paula was the one who’d take the time after every show to come over and talk. She was so supportive. But Simon’s critiques were right a lot of the time. He knows what he’s talking about.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about Adam?
A lot of people think he’s caught up in the business, but when I see him with his friends he doesn’t even talk about his career.

If you had to describe your son in one word, what would it be?
Honest.

What was your favorite Mother’s Day present from Adam?
A card he made for me when he was 15. There was a flower on the front and each petal was cut out from foil. Inside he’d written a poem about how much he loved and appreciated me. I still have that card.

What do you think of Adam’s For Your Entertainment album cover?
It’s not my favorite. I don’t tend to go outside the box, but Adam is a free spirit. He was just being himself. He liked it and thought it was fun. It’s an expression of his creativity.

Did all the media speculation about Adam’s sexuality (before he confirmed that he is gay) bother you?
It didn’t bother me at all because it’s who Adam is. He didn’t want his being gay to be the focus. He wanted to address it when the time was right.

You moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco to help Adam; what’s your role in his career now?
I’m so happy and thrilled to be a part of what’s going on, but I don’t have a huge role. I’m not managing him. I’ll give you an example of what I do. He called me late one night from rehearsal while he was recording the album. He needed a shirt for an appearance the next morning and asked me to iron one for him. That’s my role. I’m here for him when he needs me. I’m just his mom.

What’s your hope for your son?
To be surrounded by people who love him. That’s what I want for him more than anything—to enjoy life and be surrounded by love.

[4Ms]

10. Frehsée, Nicole. "Lambert Rocks 'Idol' Revue.
Up early, out late with Adam Lambert, Kris Allen on their big summer tour"
Rolling Stone issue #1086, 3 September 2009: 15, 18.
Atop Link: atop.proboards.com/post/89953/thread
community.livejournal.com/ontd_ai/1905356.html
ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/38458487.html
Rolling Stone follows Adam Lambert and Kris Allen on the road for
a day on August 7, 2009.
www.mediabistro.com/portfolios/samples_files/1440311_m4oDh8YXP0_gl5YHMMsF4gtUh.pdf

It’s noon, and Adam Lambert is on the floor of a van en route to Atlantic City, trying to nap. “I’m fucking exhausted,” says the American Idol runner-up, who rose at 5 a.m. to apply black eyeliner and slick his hair into a pompadour for a Good Morning America performance with Idol winner Kris Allen. “I’m gonna need a Red Bull tonight.”
For the past month, Lambert has been performing almost nightly with American Idols Live, the 52-date, three - hour extravaganza starring this season’s top 10 contestants. Lambert performs an intense 20-minute set, which features a duet with Idol number four, Allison Iraheta, on Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” and a David Bowie medley of “Life on Mars? ” “Fame” and “Let’s Dance.” “I hope I pull it off tonight,” he says, seconds before hitting the stage in a faux-lizard-skin trench coat covered with spikes. Though Lambert came in second to Allen, he’s clearly the show’s star: When he kicks into Led Zeppelin’s “ Whole Lotta Love,” singing, “I’m gonna give you every inch of my love” and thrusting his pelvis, a group of cleavage-flashing cougars jump onto their chairs.
When he rips off his coat during “Fame,” someone lobs a lacy pink bra onstage; Lambert picks it up and swings it like a lasso. “I love that the girls go nuts,” says the singer, who came out to Rolling Stone in June. “ When I’m getting nasty with the microphone stand, it doesn’t matter if I’m gay or straight–it’s just sexy and fun.” The other Idols are more family-friendly, though they try to mimic Lambert’s vibe(sometimes to comic effect): Anoop Desai swivels his hips while singing, “I see nothin’ wrong in spreading myself around,” during his gawky rendition of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”
Allen, however, exudes clean-cut all-American charm during his covers of the Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” “I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to make this good,” he says before the show. “America is the most ADD country in the world – who knows if people will still like me next year? All the Idols feel like we have to prove that we belong in the music industry, that we’re not just the product of some TV show.”
Pre-concert, the Idols shuffle to fan meet-and-greets, during which they sit behind a banquet table snacking on cheese cubes and chicken fingers – like some kind of Idol Last Supper–while moms snap photos of their kids getting autographs. There’s a bar with Coronas and wine in the room, but the singers can’t drink: “That’s what days off are for,” says the tour manager. “There’s a part of me that’s a little itchy to call my own shots,” Lambert says later. “I’m not a control freak, but I want to say,‘OK, I’m going to do this before a show.’ ”
The opportunity is coming: The singer’s debut drops in November (so do LPs from Allen and Iraheta). “It’s music that makes you feel sexy, makes you dance,” says Lambert, who worked with Lady Gaga producer RedOne and Linda Perry. “I like anthems that say, ‘I’m a badass,’ ” he adds. “I’m not a big fan of feel-sorry-for yourself-type music. Right now, I’m getting everything I want.”

atop.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=idolpreformances&thread=23&page=16#89953
11. GATECRASHER, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER. "Holy
combo: Adam as Judas, Kris as Jesus!"
NYDailyNews.com 01 June 2009
articles.nydailynews.com/2009-06-01/gossip/29435878_1_adam-lambert-kris-allen-glambert

Adam Lambert has big plans for Broadway. Although the "American Idol" runnerup is currently focusing on his music, he'd love to appear in "Jesus Christ Superstar."

After an appearance on the "Today" show, Lambert told us, "I'd love to play Judas - that's my dream role."

And perhaps "AI" winner Kris Allen will star alongside Lambert on the Great White Way one day.

"Kris," the rocker told us of his churchgoing pal, "he could play Jesus!"

As for the rumors that "Glambert" may be Queen's newest front man, don't believe everything you hear.

"They've never actually offered me anything," the rocker said, adding, "They expressed interest in working together, but just said they'd like to have a meaningful conversation and that's it. It could have meant they wanted me to come to dinner with them, it could have meant they wanted to talk about the meaning of life. I don't know if joining the band permanently is in the cards for me right now. They're legends; I'm just the new kid on the block."

[4Ms]

12. Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "The Liberation of Adam Lambert."
Rolling Stone issue #1081, 25 June 2009: 52-57.
www.vanessagrigoriadis.com/images/pdfs/lambert.pdf
www.mr-l.org/category/evergreens/text-of-rolling-stone-interview/
atop.proboards.com/post/89964/thread


Adam's candid and controversial cover story interview where he
shares details about his private life, his experience on American
Idol and his sexual orientation.






Related Rolling Stone Links:

"The New Issue of Rolling Stone: The Liberation of Adam Lambert"
9 June 2009
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-the-liberation-of-adam-lambert-20090609

"Adam Lambert: The Early Years
Family photos of the budding superstar before he hit American Idol"
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/adam-lambert-the-early-years-20090610

"Adam Lambert in His Own Words: Sexuality, Kris Allen and Life After Idol"
10 June 2009
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-lambert-in-his-own-words-sexuality-kris-allen-and-life-after-idol-20090610

Adam Lambert: "American Idol" 's Glam-Rock Sex God
The Season Eight singer who single-handedly saved "American Idol" Photo Gallery
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/adam-lambert-american-idol-s-glam-rock-sex-god-20090608

The 'American Idol' 2009 Finale: Kris Allen and Adam Lambert's
Final Face-Off
Photos from Season Eight's star-packed conclusion featuring Kiss,
Queen, Black Eyed Peas and more
www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-american-idol-2009-finale-kris-allen-and-adam-lamberts-final-face-off-20090521

"The Liberation of Adam Lambert." TRANSCRIPT
Grigoriadis, Vanessa
Rolling Stone issue #1081, 25 June 2009: 52-57

Sometimes, in the desert, you can figure things out. That's what Adam Lambert discovered a couple years ago at Burning Man, the annual utopian festival in Nevada. AT the time, he had been hanging out in the nightclub scene in Los Angeles, at Hyde and other celebrity spots -- "It was negative, and really dark, all about cocaine and synthetic-ego bullshit," he says -- and he felt a little bit lost, not sure of what he wanted to do with his life. "I was getting bitter," he says. "I was looking for something, and I wasn't sure what it was." At Burning Man, he drove around in a bus with a flamethrower welded on top, performed in an impromptu musical revue called the "Big Black Man Show" and experimented with "certain funguses." Then it happened: "I had a psychedelic experience where I looked up at the clouds and went, 'Oh!'" he says. "I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen." And what he
wanted to do was try out for American Idol.

These are not the kind of stories that one expects to hear from the average American Idol contestant. And there are many other aspects to Lambert that people don't know, even after 30 million viewers spent four months thinking they were getting close to him. For example, he's Jewish, though he was never bar mitzvahed and hated Hebrew school, mostly because he got a bloody nose in front of class the first day. His parents split up when he was 19, while he was in Europe performing in a cheesy six-person musical revue on a cruise ship. He admits to having spent a lot of his life partying, obsessively chasing love, though at his core he is the hardest thing to come by in pop culture: a genuinely free-spirited, easygoing flower child who prizes love over money, peace over power. And there's one more thing, something you probably know already, but he hasn't been explicit about until now: "I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I’m gay," he says.

This information -- again, not a surprise -- is passed along at 11pm, two nights after the Idol finale, when Lambert bounds into the waiting area of 19 Entertainment's chic office on Sunset Boulevard, with a view of the Los Angeles lights sparkling in the distance ("Is it smog that makes everything look that way?" Lambert muses, gazing into the distance. "Or is it glitter?"). In two weeks, he'll begin rehearing for the Idol national tour, which starts July 5th, but tonight he met with Simon Fuller, the creator of the Idol franchise, about his new recording contract. "He's so confident and self-assured," says Fuller. "He's like Marc Bolan meets Bowie, with a touch of Freddie Mercury and the sexiness of Prince." This may all be the case, but right now Lambert is running on fumes. After the finale, he celebrated the show's wrap up until 3am, then woke up for a batch of Fox-affiliate TV interviews an hour later. "The first thing I did in the morning was crack a Red Bull," he says, laughing. "For a little while, I felt I was at a race. Then I went from 'Oh my god, who has glow sticks?' to 'Stick a pacifier in me, I'm done.'" Nevertheless, he pops open a bottle of Vueve Clicquot, a present from Fuller, pouring glasses for his new retinue: a publicist, a day-to-day manager, and a bodyguard. "Ain’t going to say no to booze," he says. "You've got me in rare form: no filter."

It certainly seems that way over late-night dinner next door at the Sunset Marquis hotel, where -- in the face of a grotesque media circuit with such paragons of virtue as Bill O'Reilly and Perez Hilton trying to beat his homosexuality into public consciousness on a daily basis -- Lambert eagerly shares details about his private life and his rationale for having kept many of them to himself. "Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for Rolling Stone, that would be cooler,'" he says. "I didn't want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context." Later, he adds, "I find it very important to be in control of the situation. I feel like everyone has an opinion of me, and I want a chance to say, 'Well, do you want to hear how I really feel about all this?"

This is a question easier posed than answered, because Lambert has a lot of thoughts on his newfound role as American's new gay runner-up Idol, and many of them are somewhat contradictory. But there's one point on which he is completely sure: "I'm proud of my sexuality," he says. "I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Let's return, for a moment, to the other parts of Lambert, the 27-year-old from San Diego who captured many hearts in this season of American Idol for reasons that have little to do with his sexual preference and everything to do with his show-pony voice, silky presence and explosive performances. After all, this is the guy who upstaged Kiss on the finale. "I was so excited," he says of the segment. "I was like, 'I'm going to glue rhinestones on my eyelids, bitch! That's right, American Idol in platform boots. You ain't voting anymore.'" The same electricity that he projected onstage is abundantly available in person, coupled with the triple-snap sense of humor, relentlessly sunny disposition and a knack for quickly assessing the best way to work everything he comes across. Lambert is handsome -- six feet one and 165 pounds, with patrician features and sky-blue eyes -- and he's unrepentant about flirting with both sexes. Even when you know that he's gay, it's hard not to find him physically attractive. And that's the way he likes it. "I loved it this season when girls went crazy for me," he says. "As far as I'm concerned, it's all hot. Just because I'm not sticking it in there doesn't mean that I don't find it beautiful."

These are the kind of lines that Lambert loves to throw off, a glint in his eye as he savors the shock value. Some of it is gratuitous, meant to provoke; most of it seems genuine, stemming from a sense of confidence that comes from having staked his claim in Hollywood for almost a decade. Before the show, Lambert was a working singer, making $1,800 a week as an Actor's Equity chorus member in the Los Angeles production of the musical Wicked. But he wasn't happen. "I'd finally gotten a part in a Broadway show and suddenly it wasn't what I wanted," he says. "Musical theater was too static, in a way, and too thankless. I was so over being a chorus boy." Backstage, in Wicked's dressing room, the guys liked to chatter about American Idol. "Everyone had an opinion, like, 'Oh, Jason Castro is so cute, but can he really sing?' or 'Carly Smithson, she's so fierce,'" he says. When he shared his Burning Man epiphany with them, they cheered him on: "They were like, 'You have to go, bitch!' I knew that it was my only shot to be taken seriously in the recording industry, because it's fast and broad."

So, in July, he drove up to the Idol auditions in San Francisco -- and soon catapulted into the Top 36, whereupon he got his first tattoo, the Eye of Horus, an Egyptian god, to keep him safe. He tried to keep calm, dig into his own pocket for stage costumes and agonized over every song choice. "I saw what David Cook did last year, and it was cool," he says. "He thought, 'I have to sing something everybody knows, but I'm going to make it work for me, and I am not going to give a fuck about what the theme is that week -- and, most of all, I'm going to just ignore the pageantry of the whole thing." He snorts a little. "It's so pageant," he says. "That's why it's hard for people like Allison [Iraheta], who won't stand there and smile, say what they want her to say. I was on my best behavior, but it wasn't fake. That's really was my best self."

When Lambert hit the top 13, he sublet his studio apartment in a 1920s Hollywood building and moved into the show's Bel-Air mansion with a new roommate: eventual winner Kris Allen. "I was like, 'Oh, shit, they put me with the cute guy,'" he says. "Distracting! He's the one guy I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type -- except that he has a wife. I mean, he's open-minded and liberal, but he's definitely 100 percent straight." Danny Gokey, a worship director from Milwaukee, was not quite as progressive as Allen, and Lambert says they discussed religion a few times. "Danny is by the book, and the book is the Word," he says diplomatically. "And I respect that. Just don't try to push it on me and we're good."

Gokey wasn't in Lambert's clique on the show, which was made up primarily of Allen and 17-year-old Iraheta. "Two bros and a sis!" says Iraheta, giggling. They encouraged Iraheta to pick up a guitar, express herself. "One of the vocal coaches once said to me, 'Stop giving everybody such good advice. No one else is doing it for them,'" says Lambert. "But it was good karma, you know?" Allen didn't need any of his help, and Lambert isn't upset about losing the competition to him. "I wasn't after the title," he says. "I was after staying on the platform as long as I could, and I did that." Allen has been unceasingly gracious about grabbing the crown. "Adam was consistent through the competition, and I was really shocked to win," he says.

Backstage at Idol, Lambert was out to everybody, but America wasn't completely clued in. Then, one day in March, pictures of him dressed in drag and tonguing his ex-boyfriend hit the internet. It was his fault: Before Idol, he took down his Myspace and Facebook pages but forgot to remove photos from his profile on Tribe.net, a social-networking community of Burning Man attendees. "I thought, 'Fuck, I'm screwed, possibly,'" he says. "Going into Idol, I assumed, 'OK, people are going to talk.' I mean, I've been living in Los Angeles for eight years as a gay man, I've been at clubs, drunk, making out with somebody in the corner. But photographic evidence?" He shakes his head ruefully. "Didn't count on that. Wasn't ready for that." He was particularly nervous about the drag photos, worried that people might think it was his true nature. "I've only dressed in drag three or four times -- and of course I took pictures, because I looked amazing -- but I don't tuck and wear breasts, that's not me," he says. "Sucking my boy's face? Yes, that I will own."

The decision then was to keep the matter quiet -- a choice made for him in part because the Top 13 contestants are usually banned from speaking to the media until they are voted off the show. "The head of Idol public relations asked me what I wanted to do about it," says Lambert. "They were completely supportive of any decision I made." He thought about coming out in the press, but he didn't want audiences to focus on the issue. "I was worried that [coming out] would be so sensationalized that it would overshadow what I was there to do, which was sing," he says. "I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing. It shouldn't matter." He sighs. "Except it does." He shakes his head. "It's really confusing."

Way back, before he went on Idol, and definitely before the revelation at Burning Man, Lambert wasn't sure that he liked being that different. When he was little, he enjoyed spending afternoons in a cape, singing or lip-syncing songs in front of the mirror. "The box with the Halloween costumes stayed out all year," says his mom, Leila, who worked as a children's dental hygienist. "He was so precocious and thirsty for everything." His parents, a liberal couple who met at the University of Vermont in the late seventies, didn't mind that he didn't like sports; instead, they joined a children's theatre group to cultivate Adam's talent. His dad, Ever, who worked as a DJ in college and followed the Grateful Dead throughout the eighties, let Adam mess around with his record collection. "I'm not a huge Dead fan, though I did love the community and art around them," says Adam. Instead, he gravitated to Diamond Dogs, Jesus Christ Superstar, and theatrical rock like Queen (although it was widely reported that Lambert might tour with the band, it seems that this is no longer in the cards). "Once, someone gave Adam a two-CD set of seventies disco, the era that I hate the most, and I came home to him playing 'Brick House' at full volume," says his father. "I was like, 'Man, it's so depressing that I have to live through this music twice."

The cape, it turns out, remained a fixture at home through middle school, when he suddenly began to feel awkward around his classmates. "I started to realize that I wasn't like every other boy, and I was just in my own head about it, tripping myself out," he says. PE classes stoked his anxiety. "I didn't want to be naked and vulnerable," he says. "I was so scared of my sexuality." He found solace onstage, double-booking himself as the lead actor in school plays and semi-professional plays in San Diego, and inserting himself into a tight-knit circle of theater kids, many of whom were Mormons. "We were such goody-goodies," he says. "When I was young, I never got in trouble at all." His parents asked a gay friend whether they should talk to Adam about his sexuality, but he advised them to wait for their some to come to them with the news. When Adam was 13, Eber caught him looking at gay porn on the family computer. "I went to my ex-wife and said, 'It's official,'" he says. "She said, 'He's just curious.' I said, 'Let me tell you about heterosexual men and homosexual pornography -- this isn't curiosity!'"

In high school, Lambert made out with a few girls, and even had oral sex with one during spring break, but for the most part, they were quick to realize he wasn't on their team. "During plays, Adam would hang out in the girls' dressing room while we were changing, and every once in a while a mom would walk by and ask him, 'What are you doing in there?'" says Danielle Stori, a singer-songwriter. "And we'd be like, 'C'mon, it's only Adam!"

After high school, he enrolled in college in Orange County but dropped out after five weeks to star in a play in San Diego. One night, he accompanied his mother to a high school speech-and-debate evening of fictional monologues. "One kid did a dramatic speech about his parents turning their backs on him because he was gay, and the kid almost got killed because of it," says Lambert. "I could tell my mom was getting upset. On the way home, she asked, 'Do you have a girlfriend?' I said, 'No.' She said, 'Do you have a boyfriend?' I said, 'No.' She was like, 'Well, do you want one?' I said, 'Yes, that would be nice.'" He laughs. "Suddenly, it was like a wall dropped and we started gabbing like crazy." But he still had maturing to do. "I didn't feel comfortable in my skin, didn't feel sexy," he says.

After spending a year on the cruise ships, he moved to Hollywood, where he lost his virginity on his 21st birthday. "I was drunk, and it was awkward," he says. "I was like 'Wow, that was bad.'" Intimidated by the notion of moving to New York to pursue a job on Broadway, he took roles in small productions in California, including a musical version of Debbie Does Dallas in Lake Tahoe. "In high school, I got everything I wanted as far as performing was concerned, but in the real world, it was really hard," he says.

When he couldn't pay the rent, his parents usually bailed him out, but sometimes his cell phone would get cut off, and he wouldn't have money for gas. As 21, he was cast in a European tour of Hair for six months. In Germany, he started smoking pot and tried ecstasy for the first time; dyed his hair black and went to his first sex club. "I was always obsessed with the sixties, and this experience was like living through it for me," he says. "I wanted so badly to be the hippie in the show."

That's the lifestyle he sought out upon his return to America, immersing himself in the West Coast neohippie underground around the Burning Man festival -- a mix of psychedelics, astrology, left-leaning politics, dub-step DJs and free expression (some might call it "oversharing"). An after-hours musical revue based on the zodiac? Sign him up. A Monday-night bacchanalia in grimy downtown L.A.? He's so there. In this crowd, being different wasn't only OK -- it was to be revered. "Having so much extra is a difficult journey," says one of his best friends, Scarlett (she goes by one name). "Sometimes if you're too fabulous, people react in a weird way, and I think that was part of Adam's path."

Friends like Allan Louis, an actor on the CW's Privileged, encouraged him to expand as an artist, and he took up songwriting on GarageBand with Monte Pittman, a guitarist for Madonna and Prong, and even fronting a metal band for Pittman briefly. He also fell in love for the first time, with another Burner. "I expanded a lot spiritually with him," Lambert says. "We treated our relationship like a workshop, talking to each other about the ways we wanted to grow." ("I'm trying to get Zac Efron to come to Burning Man," he says later. "He says he really wants to go!")

Now he feels creatively awakened and personally fulfilled. "Everything that I always thought was a fantasy is actually happening, and it's a testament to imagination and doing whatever the fuck comes to my mind," he says. He even met his own idol, Madonna: Pittman invited Lambert over to her apartment after he gave her a guitar lesson. "She had her guard up a little at first, like anyone would in that situation, but after she realized I had good intentions she was so playful," gushes Lambert. "I told her that I loved her and was intimated by her, and she was like, 'Oh, so love equals intimidation for you?'" Madonna hadn't watched American Idol, but the two of them did talk astrology, and they discussed his moon sign, Aries. "She said, 'You don't like anyone telling you what to do, do you?'" he says. "It's so cool, because she gets it, you know?"

He smiles. "I'm finally checked in to my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it has coincided with Idol is so sweet," he says. "I mean, I still have moments where I think, 'Oh, my skin is terrible, and I'm a little fat, and I should really go to the gym more.' But for the most part, when I look in the mirror now, I finally see somebody who can do something cool." Then he laughs a little. "Don't they say that you dream more when there are things you aren't attaining, that you are repressing? Well, I haven't been having any dreams lately. Now I'm in a waking dream."

The day after the dinner at the Marquis, Lambert arrives at his hotel in Beverly Hills around 10:30pm, after a long photo shoot, taking a seat in the second-floor lounge. We talk about his likes and dislikes: on the side of likes, we have the Twilight book series, Bret Easton Ellis, Thievery Corporation, Goldfrapp and President Obama. "I voted for the first time, for Obama," he says. "Traveling in Europe was so depressing when Bush was in office: People were always asking, 'Why'd you elect him?' And I guess I let it happen, in a way." The dislikes list is topped by Nickelback, Creed, cameras ("Why can't you have the experience without taking a picture of it?") and cocaine. "That drug is such a reflection of the lack of self-esteem and control people have over themselves and their lives," he says. "I'd much rather smoke a bowl, chill out and listen to music." We start talking about his fears, and the only one on this list is worry about his parents dying and, later, growing old alone himself. "I believe that whatever happens after death is really great," he says. "I don't believe in hell. Maybe you're rewarded for being a good person, but I don't think you're punished."

This is the usual kicked-back attitude one expects from Lambert, but when the conversation turns to his newfound role as a gay icon, he begins to pick the polish off his nails, which is what he does when he feels anxious -- it's clearly an argument he's spent a lot of time having with himself, in his own head. On one hand, he wants to support gay rights at a moment when same-sex marriage is in legal limbo in many states. He enjoyed performing Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" on the show for a reason: "This civil rights movement is near to my heart, and it felt really good to sing that," he says. "I'm not asking to get married in your church, but you don't have any right to tell me I can't do it."

Discrimination, though it's usually minor, is a fact of his life: Just the other day, an American Idol chauffeur told him that he had no problem with him, "'because at least you're not girly.'" Lambert shudders. "Man, it's so ignorant," he says. "Why can't some men have strong feminine sides? Does that make them less of a man? I don't know why our society has such an emphasis on masculinity and femininity -- it's really gross. I don't think you're truly sexy until you don't care about that."

On the other hand, Lambert doesn't want to be the poster child for gay rights. "I'm trying to be a singer, not a civil rights leader," he says. Also, he's uncomfortable with some of the ways that gay culture has evolved. "Middle America may think that what I am is gay, but here in Hollywood, gay guys are all about looking and acting hetero," he says. "Clay Aiken's gay, and I'm gay, and we couldn't be more different. The only thing that's the same about everyone in the gay community is that we're gay. Do we have anything in common besides the fact that we like dick? Why can't we talk about a human community?"

He's right: Identity politics suck, and his situation is tricky. Plus, if he didn't want to come out publicly, wouldn't that be his prerogative? "I think I reserve the right to talk about my own sexuality," he says. He's faced a firing squad of entertainment reporters every day, desperate to know when he's going to answer the "question dangling over his head," as one of them put it. He shrugs. "I can either get irritated and let this drive me nuts, or laugh at it," he says, then smirks a little. "I kind of like things dangling over my head anyway." He leans in. "Lately, you know, there's part of me that's almost bi-curious the other way around. I've made out a few times with girls at nightclubs when I had way too many drinks. I don't know if it would ever happen, but I'm kind of interested. I don't think I'd want to do it with a groupie, though." He cocks his head. "Then again, maybe I'd rather it was with a stranger than someone I knew."

After an hour of talking in the hotel lounge, Lambert's bodyguard appears to escort him to his hotel room so he can pack for his trip to New York tomorrow, for a new round of TV interviews. At 9am the next day, he jumps into the back of an SUV, Karl Lagerfeld shades clapped on tight, gabbing about the new condo that he wants to buy. "I want a crash room, or a kind of hookah den with pillows on the floor, a sound system and lots of color therapy, sensual purples and reds," he says, then fiddles with his BlackBerry. "My brother Neil called me last night so drunk, with his friends," he says, giggling. "He said, 'We think you should do an album of covers called Doin' Hella Dudes: you'll cover some badass dudes, but it'll be like you're doin' dudes, you know?'" He lets out a loud guffaw from deep in his belly. "Then he said, 'It's cool if you can't thank us now, but when the album comes out, give us credit, because we love you.'"

In New York, Lambert dines at five-star restaurants, gets into a fight with a cab driver and bawls through Hair on Broadway. He meets with Barry Weiss, the head of RCA, the company distributing his album with 19 Recordings -- "He asked if I was a Jew, and I said I'd wear a yarmulke if he wanted, as long as it had rhinestones," he jokes. He's hopeful about his new album, which he classifies vaguely as pop-rock electro. "Everyone's so hung up on 'Are you pop?' or 'Are you rock?'" he says. "It's like, 'Um, does this song make you want to dance, or have sex, or remind you of something?' It's not that deep. Being a rockstar is just playing. It's Halloween, make-believe." He laughs. "I can't believe I get to play dress-up for a living now!"

On the morning of his return to L.A., he decides to drive up the coast with a guy he's dating to a resort in Santa Barbara (the dude, whom Lambert met while passing out fliers at a club, is "Cajun, voodoo-down, dreamy," but he doesn't want to talk about him too much for fear of jinxing the relationship). "I'm so excited to be almost on vacation," he says. "I ain't going to lie, I put Kahlua in my coffee this morning."

Before he leaves, he stops at a nail salon, where a dozen Korean attendants whip their heads around in unison at his appearance. After selection a gunmetal-black nail polish, he sinks into a massage chair, one attendant buffing his feet and another at his hands. He murmurs a little, then directs his attention to a flatscreen TV, set to a replay of the 2008 American Music Awards, with performances by the Pussycat Dolls ("my guilty pleasure"), the Jonas Brothers ("I like those laser lights more than them") and Justin Timberlake ("Yum").

Within minutes, a pair of bedraggled paparazzi appear at the salon's door, toting cameras. A manager lowers a gauzy white curtain for privacy, but they linger on the sidewalk, rising on their toes to peer through windows.

"Should I flip them off?" asks Lambert, a smile playing on his lips. "Is that too racy?"

He goes back and forth on this decision -- "Don't you think I want to make a storm?" he says. "Isn’t it fun to be cheeky?" -- before settling on showing off his pedicure for the cameras when the polish dries, but he gets impatient. He bounds out in bare feet, wiggling his foot like the hokeypokey, then slips into a waiting car.

It would've been fun to flip them off, though. "I would have done it with a big smile on my face, to show them I'm not actually mad," he says. "I'm only playing."

Rolling Stone
PHOTOS
Adam Lambert: The Early Years
Family photos of the budding superstar before he hit "American Idol"
www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/adam-lambert-the-early-years-20090610
www.1000fr.net/thread-273113-1-3.html


1.Adam Lambert photographed at 4 months old with his mom, Leila, in 1982.

2.Adam Lambert at two and a half years old in 1984.

3.A six-year-old Adam Lambert poses for a picture in 1988.

4.Adam at age 10 photographed with his younger brother, Neil, in Grass Valley, California, in 1992.

5.Adam Lambert poses for a portrait at age 12 in 1994.

6.A 14-year-old Adam Lambert after performing the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with both his grandmothers Annette and Ora Marie at San Diego's Lyceum Theatre in 1996.

7.Adam Lambert poses for his senior year portrait at Mount Carmel High School in San Diego, California, in 2000.

RollingStone
Adam Lambert in His Own Words: Sexuality, Kris Allen and Life After Idol
JUNE 10, 2009 9:00 AM ET
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-lambert-in-his-own-words-sexuality-kris-allen-and-life-after-idol-20090610



On why he auditioned for American Idol:
I looked at the music business, and realized it is nearly impossible to make it with the way it is right now. No one is going to take a chance with an artist who is somewhat out there. The only way you have a chance being looked at by a label right now is if you are what everyone else is. So I realized that I wouldn't be taken seriously as a recording artist unless I had a huge platform. I saw that and I knew that Idol was the only thing that would do it — if it worked.

On Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta:
[Kris Allen] has a good heart and a good spirit. He's so mellow, he's so kick-back. He and I have a lot of love with Allison Iraheta: It felt like this kind of sibling thing. Just good energy, the three of us together. Kris and I both got very protective of her. We encouraged her to pick up the guitar and take risks musically. It always felt very positive ... good karma, you know? Kris doesn't need any advice, clearly. Even though he's really kick-back, he's got a very strong sense of self in a non-aggressive, non-intense way. It's cool.

On his early attempts at songwriting:
My songs were like campy, sexy electro, like Peaches and Goldfrapp. I can look back now and realize I wasn't very good at it. I was trying to put in way too many words. I was trying to be way too melodramatic and serious, you know? It's like what a junior high student does with poetry. But over the course of a couple years, I started really trying to listen to what worked out there in music, like hooks — and realized that less is more. The simple idea is better in a song.

On life after Idol:
I'm hopeful. I have a great opportunity right now. There are a lot of people who want to work with me that I really respect. And hopefully it works. I'm not cocky because I've seen a lot of guys come off this show and bomb, so I recognize that I could crash and burn. But if I play it safe, it's not going to work, so I might as well go for it with the same intention that I had on the show.

On where he wants to go musically:
I want to do something that has theatricality, a nod to the glam rockers that I love, but is also contemporary. It's not all going to be happy-go-lucky because I think it's important to explore other emotional parts of yourself as an artist, but there's a time and place for it. I would love to work with Madonna. I'm a big fan. I just want to play dress up and be fabulous. When you're a kid, you do the make-believe thing — you play dress-up and pretend. That's the child mentality, and I feel like if you're an adult and you can adopt the child mentality to something cool, that's what being a "rock star" is. It's just playing. It's Halloween. It's make-believe. It's fun. And who doesn't want to do that? That's the kind of music that I want to make — music that encourages people to play make-believe, escape and have fun.

On experiencing discrimination:
A few years ago, I did a musical with Val Kilmer, The Ten Commandments at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. I was finally personally awakened, wearing nail-polish, feeling attractive and comfortable in my own skin for the first time. We'd go out sometimes with Val, and it was the first time I'd ever been around a celebrity — it felt really fabulous. One night, we hung out at his house and Sean Lennon came over to jam with us. I was like, John Lennon's son? This is the coolest thing I've done in my life. But I had a lot of problems with the people putting on the show. One day, the director pulled me aside and said, "Can you turn it down? The producers are a little uncomfortable. It's a little too ... gay." I was like, "Um, are we doing a musical here? I'm sorry, there are fags all over the place, dude." It was very upsetting.

On making his sexuality public:
There are so many old-fashioned ways of looking at things, and if we want to be a progressive society, we have to start thinking in a different way. There's the old industry idea that you should just make sexuality a non-issue, just say your private life's your private life, and not talk about it. But that's bullshit, because private lives don't exist anymore for celebrities: they just don't. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time, thinking I have to hide, being scared of being found out, putting on a front, having a beard, going down the red carpet with some chick who is posing as my girlfriend. That's not cool, that's not being a rock star. I can't do that.

Related Articles:

www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/adam-lamberts-rolling-stone-cover-shoot-the-wild-idol-lets-loose-20090612

Adam Lambert: 'American Idol''s Glam-Rock Sex God
The Season Eight singer who single-handedly saved the singing competition
www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/adam-lambert-american-idol-s-glam-rock-sex-god-20090608

[4Ms]

Broderick, Becky. "Adam Lambert: Destroyer of 'American Idol'"
June 4th, 2009 9:49am EDT
www.starpulse.com/news/Becky_Broderick/2009/06/04/adam_lambert_destroyer_of_american_idol_
atop.proboards.com/post/89971/thread

Those of you who hate "American Idol" should be down on your knees thanking one of its spawn right about now. Because the long running televised search for a superstar is on the slab. Cause of death: Blunt force trauma inflicted by runner-up Adam Lambert's glittery platform boots.

Those of you who love "American Idol" know I'm right.

Of course, Glambert didn't intend to kill the show. He just underestimated the strength of his fabulosity.

That this season was arguably the best in the show's history is due, in large part, to Adam. Going into Season 8, questionable format changes (including a universally scorned fourth judge) and an annoying, ever-increasing focus on contestants' backstories and commercial appeal over actual talent threatened to propel AI right over the proverbial shark. But then something unexpected happened. Adam Lambert took the stage during the semi-finals and blazed through a fierce and funky version of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." At that moment, he either completely won you over (as he did me) or had you wondering, "Who the hell was that…and what is he gonna do next??"

What he did next was consistently wow us with his fresh approach to a show that many believed was well past its expiration date. Adam wisely avoided the tired Idol standards ("Against All Odds," "Unchained Melody," insert your own most-hated), while strategically choosing songs that would stand out from what the other contestants were doing. He also had a knack for doing the opposite of what the audience might have expected, like camping it up on Movie Night, slowing it down on Disco Night, and using Country Night to completely freak middle America out.

After being force-fed mashed potatoes for seven years, the audience finally discovered French fries, and they couldn't get enough. Both lovers and haters of the show gobbled Adam up. Even those who weren't Adam fans couldn't stop talking about him. They couldn't stop wondering what his next move (or outfit) would be. People who never watched AI were suddenly tuning in to see what all the fuss was about. Water coolers across the U.S. were drained dry as co-workers debated the big issues: Singer or screecher? Gay or straight? Pencil or liquid (eyeliner)? Maybe it's powder! Maybe he's bi!! Should we get back to work?

In a season with lower ratings than it had suffered in years, Adam Lambert breathed new life into "American Idol." And it tried to hang on, really it did. But that poor show had no chance.

Remember when Glambert opened Rock 'n' Roll Night with a sexy, scorching rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love?" Simon Cowell declared that, although Adam had started the show off with a bang, the downside was that no one would be able to follow it. And he was right. In fact, the only one who came close to touching his performance was…well, Adam himself. (With the help of pint-sized, big-voiced rocker Allison Iraheta, he closed out the evening and brought the house down with a duet of Foghat's "Slow Ride.")

Perhaps Simon didn't realize it at the time, but he was also predicting the demise of the entire series. Because, really, who is going to be able to follow Adam Lambert? Ever?

Now, don't get me wrong. Although Adam may have the power to turn me into a babbling fangirl at times, I'm not suggesting that he is the greatest artist who ever lived. I know that there are plenty of underground club kids out there who could probably give Glambert a run for his money. But a lot of "American Idol" fans wouldn't know that. Because on a show that excels in creating family-friendly, safe "products" for its mainstream audience, a (not really) sexually ambiguous, guylinered, shrieking wild man with an anime haircut is something brand new. He's a game-changer.

But does "American Idol" WANT a new game? And is the audience ready to play?

I suppose we'll find out in January, when AI rises from the grave for a ninth season.

Of course, those questions were partially answered at this year's finale when Adam, the clear-cut star of the show and most buzzed-about contestant in Idol history, still somehow finished second to the safe boy-next-door, Kris Allen.

To Allen's credit, he showed much more creativity than most artists of his ilk. He also managed to quietly slide toward victory without the help of furious pimping or a sob story, so the public's unwavering support of him was certainly a step in the right direction. Had Glambert lost to Gokey, AI would have completely gone over to the dark side, doomed to return next year as Tuesday Night of the Living Dead Karaoke.

There's still a very real danger of that happening in Idol's post-Glambert world. If the powers that be just go back to business as usual, stacking the deck with pleasantly dull singers and Daughtry wannabes, its ninth life could be its last. But serving up a bunch of Adam Lambert clones (and believe me, there will be many) isn't the answer either. To stay relevant, the show needs to finally start delivering on its hollow promise that it is, first and foremost, a singing competition. It needs to throw away its formulas and cookie-cutters and embrace the unconventional.

Most importantly, the powers that be need to stop assuming that they know what we, the viewers, want more than we do. We just want talent. And we know America's got it.

SEE:
Sheffield, Rob. "How Adam Lambert Single-Handedly Saved 'American Idol'"
May 13, 2009 2:16 PM ET
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-adam-lambert-single-handedly-saved-american-idol-20090513
atop.proboards.com/post/91018/thread

[4Ms]

SOURCE 19 Entertainment
Kris Allen & Adam Lambert Dominate iTunes Charts With Record-Breaking 26 Singles and 29 Music Videos
May 22, 2009
www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kris-allen--adam-lambert-dominate-itunes-charts-with-record-breaking-26-singles-and-29-music-videos-61949767.html

LOS ANGELES, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than 24 hours after the eighth season finale, "American Idol" winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert have taken unprecedented control of the iTunes sales charts, holding down a history-making 26 positions on the top 100 chart as of 4pm PDT on Thursday, May 21. All 26 tracks are released by 19 Recordings, giving the label one of the biggest shares since iTunes first introduced its charts. The victorious Allen has moved up to No. 2 with his first single, "No Boundaries," and is also No. 5 with his acoustic version of Kanye West's "Heartless," while Lambert's impressive take on "Mad World" has soared to No. 7.

On the iTunes top 100 album chart, Adam's season eight performances collection is No. 3, Kris' season eight performances collection is No. 6, and an iTunes pass for Kris, which includes his forthcoming debut album, is No. 7. David Cook, who performed "Permanent" on the season finale, rebounds to No. 9 with his debut album.

Kris occupies 14 positions on the iTunes top 100 singles chart:
No. 2, "No Boundaries"
No. 5, "Heartless" (single)
No. 9, "Ain't No Sunshine (single)
No. 19, "Heartless" (track from season eight performances collection)
No. 27, "Apologize" (single)
No. 33, "What's Going On" (single)
No. 34, "Ain't No Sunshine" (track from season eight performances
collection)
No. 51, "Falling Slowly" (single)
No. 56, "Apologize" (track from season eight performances collection)
No. 68, "To Make You Feel My Love" (single)
No. 72, "What's Going On" (track from season eight performances
collection)
No. 83, "Falling Slowly" (track from season eight performances
collection)
No. 88, "Renegade" (Kris Allen & Danny Gokey)
No. 93, "To Make You Feel My Love" (track from season eight performances
collection)

Adam has a hold on 12 positions on that same chart with his "Idol" songs:
No. 7, "Mad World" (single)
No. 11, "A Change Is Gonna Come"
No. 20, "No Boundaries"
No. 32, "A Change Is Gonna Come" (track from season eight performances
collection)
No. 37, "Mad World" (track from season eight performances collection)
No. 40, "One"
No. 44, "Slow Ride" (Adam Lambert & Allison Iraheta)
No. 50, "Cryin'"
No. 81, "The Tracks Of My Tears"
No. 87, "Ring Of Fire"
No. 90, "Feeling Good"
No. 98, "Whole Lotta Love"

The "American Idol" chart domination continues on iTunes' Music Videos
chart, where Kris and Adam have a combined 29 videos in the top 100,
including eight of the top 10.


Those videos are:
No. 1, Kris Allen, "Heartless"
No. 3, Adam Lambert, "A Change Is Gonna Come"
No. 4, Adam Lambert, "Mad World" (top two performance)
No. 5, Adam Lambert, "Mad World"
No. 6, Kris Allen, "No Boundaries"
No. 8, Adam Lambert, "No Boundaries"
No. 9, Kris Allen, "Ain't No Sunshine" (top two performance)
No. 10, Adam Lambert, "The Tracks Of My Tears"
No. 13, Adam Lambert, "One"
No. 15, Adam Lambert, "Ring Of Fire"
No. 16, Adam Lambert & Allison Iraheta, "Slow Ride"
No. 17, Adam Lambert, "Cryin'"
No. 18, Kris Allen, "What's Going On"
No. 20, Adam Lambert, "Whole Lotta Love"
No. 21, Adam Lambert, "Feeling Good"
No. 22, Kris Allen, "Apologize"
No. 23, Kris Allen, "If I Can't Have You"
No. 24, Kris Allen, "Ain't No Sunshine"
No. 25, Adam Lambert, "Born To Be Wild"
No. 26, Adam Lambert, "Play That Funky Music"
No. 30, Kris Allen, "Falling Slowly"
No. 36, Adam Lambert, "Black Or White"
No. 39, Kris Allen, "To Make You Feel My Love"
No. 43, Kris Allen, "She Works Hard For The Money"
No. 54, Kris Allen, "Come Together"
No. 61, Kris Allen & Danny Gokey, "Renegade"
No. 65, Kris Allen, "The Way You Look Tonight"
No. 70, Adam Lambert, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
No. 85, Kris Allen, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"
There are other Idols appearing on the charts, making the domination of the iTunes tallies even more impressive.

On the singles chart, David Cook is No. 6 with "Permanent" and No. 70 with "Come Back To Me." Carrie Underwood's "Home Sweet Home," which she performed on "American Idol" this week, is No. 35. Kelly Clarkson is No. 38 with her new single, "I Do Not Hook Up." Daughtry is No. 49 with "No Surprise," the first single from their sophomore CD. Danny Gokey is No. 55 with "You Are So Beautiful." Jordin Sparks ranks No. 62 with "Battlefield." Kellie Pickler comes in at No. 76 with "Best Days Of Your Life." Adding these songs to the total rung up by Kris and Adam, there are 34 "Idol"-related titles in the top 100.

On the video chart, David Cook is No. 29 with "Come Back To Me" and No. 60 with "Light On." A season eight group performance of "Don't Stop Believin'" is No. 32, and a finale group performance of "I'm Yours" with Jason Mraz is No. 82. Jordin Sparks' "American Idol" performance of her new single, "Battlefield," is No. 47. Kellie Pickler is No. 50 with "Best Days Of Your Life." Season eight's Danny Gokey is No. 63 with "You Are So Beautiful." The very first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, is No. 93 with "I Do Not Hook Up" and season eight's Allison Iraheta is No. 94 with "Alone." That gives a grand total of 38 "Idol"-related titles on the iTunes Music Video top 100.