Dick Clark Productions: Adam Lambert AMA Performance Offends Thousands

Complaints came literally pouring in to on Monday regarding Adam Lambert‘s sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards, including harsh criticism of the male-on-male kiss that Lambert planted on his male keyboard, a kiss that was omitted from rehearsals.

ABC also didn’t know that one of Lambert’s dancers was going to shove his face in the singer’s crotch during the S&M-themed performance of “For Your Entertainment.”  That moment was edited out when the awards show was aired on tape-delay on the west coast Sunday night.

“A lot of what I do is kind of freestyle,” Lambert said last week about his choreography routines. “That’s how it was on ‘Idol.’ That’s how I perform. I like to have a framework, and just do stuff. So that kind of came about because of the connection that I had with that dancer.”

Both negative and positive comments were posted online about Lambert’s performance. During the musical number, he also fondled one dancer and briefly guided two other dancers around on a leash.

“For Your Entertainment” is the first single from Lambert’s new album, which went on sale Monday.

He later said in an interview with CNN that the kiss was “in the moment” and that if it upset people, “That’s a form of discrimination and it’s too bad.”

ABC reports that, so far, over 1,500 people have complained.  That’s they consider to be a “moderate” response, and the Parents Television Council also said it had heard from upset members.

“They’re outraged,” said Timothy Winters, president of the Parents Television Council. “They just can’t believe the nature of the content, the explicit nature, and how much graphic content there was.”

Winter said it always seems that musicians who go on music award shows are competing to push the envelope.

“These programs are wholly unsuitable for children now and it’s pathetic, given the amount of economic support that children and teenagers bring to the industry today,” he said.

Lambert’s performance was even covered among the “hot topics” on ABC’s The View on Monday, but Barbara Walters said it was too racy to be shown on daytime television.

ABC spokeswoman Hope Hartman and Lynda Dorf, a representative of Dick Clark Productions, which orchestrated the show, didn’t have any comment on how the network felt about the performance. Dorf pointed out, however, that Adam Lambert hadn’t kissed any fellow performers during rehearsals.

You can view the video of the performance in our earlier post.

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