WATCH ALL 5 AOL SESSIONS SONGS BY AMERICAN IDOL FAVORITE ADAM LAMBERT PLUS ALL 7 AOL Q AND A (QUESTION AND ANSWER) INTERVIEW VIDEOS! 39 CABO MEXICO VACATION PHOTOS TWEAKED! MORE CANADA INTERVIEWS! 24 VIDEOS 39 PICTURES IMAGES!February 15, 2010
Adam Lambert came back from his Cabo San Lucas Mexico vacation energized and ready to go back to work, which he did almost immediately. On Friday, February 12, 2010, he joined American Idol alums Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta for the long-planned Rock My Town Concert, sponsored by Ryan Seacrest, in New York, the city that won the honor in a contest by Ryan. MTV noted that Adam honored the late Alexander McQueen, by wearing a shirt created by the openly gay design icon, who committed suicide in England Thursday. For all those videos and photos, visit our last post: ADAM LAMBERT ROCKS NEW YORK CITY IN ROCK MY TOWN AMERICAN IDOL CONCERT WITH KRIS ALLEN, ALLISON IRAHETA (KRADISON)! 16 VIDEOs 37 PHOTOS! RYAN SEACREST.
Picture of Adam Lambert arriving in Cabo San Lucas Mexico for a much-needed vacation with friends Sutan Amrull (Los Angeles drag personality) and Tommy Joe Ratliff (Adam's bassist, keyboardist). 2-6-10 photo.
Picture of Adam Lambert working on his AOL Sessions songs. Video capture photo by Vicky aka VickStix.
Image of Adam Lambert arriving in Toronto, Canada incognito for his media blitz, where he went from radio/TV station to radio/TV station promoting his debut album For Your Entertainment. 1-25-10 photo.
Today, we bring you the rest of Adam Lambert’s Cabo San Lucas Mexican holiday pictures, as well as the final videos from Adam’s promotional excursion into Canada January 25 and 26, 2010. For awhile, it seemed as though the interviews Adam did in Canada would never stop flowing in, but we think these are probably the last of them. For the ones we already posted, visit our earlier page: ADAM LAMBERT STORMS TORONTO CANADA IN MEDIA BLITZ! 40 NEW PHOTOS! 28 NEW VIDEOS! AMERICAN IDOL’S NUMBER TWO MAN is NUMBER ONE ON iTunes!
Photo of Adam Lambert out and about in Toronto, Canada, bundled up to ward off the cold. 1-26-10 picture.
It took some time to tweak the camera phone images of Adam Lambert in Mexico, as they were not top quality, but we think the results were well worth it. They show Adam having a lot of fun with friends, including Tommy Joe Ratliff, Adam’s keyboard and base player, along with Sutan Amrull, an LA drag performer. The pictures depict the group having dinner, riding in a boat, swimming, playing on the beach, ski-boating, drinking, and in general having a gay old time! Enjoy the pics!
Image of Adam Lambert with stylist Suzzi, previously erroneously tagged as the owner of the Parlour Salon in Toronto, Canada where Adam had his nails done and gave a number of interviews, including the slice.ca video with Terry Wong, Canada's "Urban Fasionista," which you can watch at the base of this page. BTW, the true owners of the Parlour Salon are Tyler Mark and Franz David. 1-26-10 photo.
Macleans.ca of Toronto, Canada published this article online February 8, 2010 and in the February 15, 2010 issue of Macleans Magazine: SHY ADAM LAMBERT COMES TO TOWN by Elio Iannacci, wherein “The American Idol runner-up shares his views on gays on TV and the closed-minded,” as follows:
Photo of the article about Adam Lambert in the February 15, 2010 issue of Canada's Maclean's Magazine, entitled "Shy Adam Lambert Comes to Town," which is reprinted here in its entirely. Click image to enlarge.
Adam Lambert is not a fan of the phrase “less is more.” Sitting in an office at a Toronto radio station, the 28-year-old American Idol runner-up has just undergone his seventh makeup application for the day, and is wrapped in a grey scarf that is the size of a small comforter.
Photo of Adam Lambert in Mexico, where he went for some rest after his whirlwind visit to Canada. 2-9-10 picture.
“It’s a gift from Oprah,” he explains, as he starts to take off the fabric—which covers his six-foot-one frame like a sari—“she’s such a sweetie.” Although today’s schedule does not include any live performances, Lambert is completely stage-ready, sporting his signature black guyliner, spiked raven-coloured hair, and a face fully coated with a heavy dose of beige concealer.
Image of Adam Lambert and friends, including Tommy Joe Ratliff, getting some sun on a boat in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. 2-9-10 photo.
“I’ve never been that guy . . . ” the singer nicknamed “Glambert” says, before untangling the nest of silver necklaces and feathers hanging down his chest. “You know, the one who’s always wanted to have a quiet, subtle life.”
Photo of the front page of Toronto, Canada's Metro newspaper, showing Adam Lambert at MuchMusic's MuchOnDemand (MOD) TV program congratulating a fan who had just won a singing contest. Published 1-26-10. Watch the five part video set of the fantastic show on our ADAM LAMBERT STORMS TORONTO page. Picture taken 1-25-10.
The past few months for the openly gay singer have been anything but quiet. On Nov. 22, a day before the release of his disc, For Your Entertainment, Lambert performed at the American Music Awards, broadcast on ABC. During his number, he proceeded to grind one of his dancer’s faces into his pelvis, grab the crotch of another, and passionately kiss his male keyboardist. ABC got over 1,500 complaint calls and subsequently reneged on its offer to have him perform on Good Morning America.
Photo of MOD (MuchOnDemand) DJ's Sarah Taylor and Jesse Giddings flanking Adam Lambert during Adam's much-hyped television appearance, for which tons of fans gathered in droves. 1-25-10 picture.
Looking back, Lambert is surprisingly upbeat about the fallout. “My performance is something I’m extremely proud of and I wouldn’t change a thing. I am glad it facilitated a conversation about what kind of double standards there are out there, since Christina Aguilera, Britney and Madonna have kissed [on air] before without getting [banned].”
Lambert adds, “I do think it was ironic that I was replaced [on Good Morning America] with Chris Brown [convicted of assaulting girlfriend Rihanna].”
Image of Adam Lambert waving to a friend with a camera phone on a boat in Cabo, Mexico while on vacation. 2-9-10 photo.
What Lambert feels should be of more concern to TV networks is how gays are being represented on mainstream television shows. “All you see is the same type of gay stereotype on Glee, Ugly Betty and Entourage. There’s a clown element to them all. It’s always the sissy guy that’s passive and effeminate who gets it,” he clarifies. “I’ve seen a little bit of the polar extreme opposite too—the gay guy who’s a total butch dude—but we need to see [gay roles] that are much more human and complex. Showing diversity is a way of fighting discrimination. And it is still out there. If you go on iTunes, there are a ton of beautiful reviews of my music, but there is also a large portion of ignorant people posting things like ‘Gross, he’s gay.’ ”
Picture of Adam Lambert's kissable band member, Tommy Joe Ratliff, relaxing with a cocktail and a girl on a boat during their Mexican vacation. 2-9-10 photo.
According to Lambert, “closed-mindedness has made rock music become so conservative and filled with [macho] dudes when it should be filled with people like David Bowie,” who, he says, “challenged people’s perceptions with his work.” One musician Lambert feels is building on Bowie’s legacy is fellow popster Lady Gaga. “I swear, she is a gay man, and I mean that in the most affectionate way.
Photo of Adam Lambert and friends partying on a boat in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Check out Tommy Joe Ratliff's parasol! How butch can you get? 2-9-10 image.
Nobody else respects gay culture the way she does because she’s lived it, worked in the clubs, and has a close-knit family of guys who look out for her. She knows how to push the envelope in the right way.”
Picture of Tommy Joe Ratliff and the groups' caricature artist clowning around on a boat in Mexico. 2-9-20 photo.
Lambert was so impressed with Lady Gaga’s first album, The Fame, that he ended up recording a track she gave him called Fever. “The session was amazing,” he recalls. “She walked in wearing a costume—which is really day wear for her—and I loved it because I went totally costume-y that day too. Before cutting the track, we had a little listening party. She played songs off The Fame Monster—it hadn’t come out yet—and I played my demos. She gave her me two cents on my songs and we had a couple of whiskeys. Then we recorded the song.”
Photo of Adam Lambert during one of his many interviews in Canada on January 25 and 26, 2010.
Following in Gaga’s platformed footsteps, Lambert’s next career move will be planning a soon-to-be-announced tour as well as releasing an EP, which will contain remixes of his first two singles plus a brand new track. In terms of staging his next slew of concerts, Lambert says he wants to keep everything “really simple—a bunch of hot dancers, arty video graphics, a lot of costume changes and fire. You know, just the basics.”
Picture of Adam Lambert's caricature artist showing off his images of Adam's vacationing friends while on a boat in Cabo. 2-9-20 photo.
As for the show that launched him, “I hope my success on Idol can be seen as a symbol of ongoing change,” he says. “They’ve had contestants on the show who have either been gay or seemed gay but they didn’t get very far, but I don’t think that will be the case anymore. If they’d ask me to be a judge, I would definitely say yes.” END
Closeup photo of the caricatures Adam Lambert's artist friend did of the vacationing partiers. 2-9-20 picture.
Then there was an Interview by Lea Collins of Canada's Dose.ca entitled, ADAM LAMBERT JUST ANOTHER FAN. Published January 28, 2010. Watch the video at the bottom of this page. In the meantime, read the article as follows (after the pic):
Image of Adam Lambert, Tommy Joe Ratliff, and others laid out on a boat in Cabo, getting some sun. 2-9-10 photo.
Though he was in Toronto this week solely to talk up his album, For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert says that "there will be tour plans this year—in some capacity." Sorry kids, that's all the info he has for now.
Picture of Adam Lambert having fun on a ski boat in the ocean during his Mexican vacation. 2-9-10 photo.
Even in an anonymous office boardroom, far removed from downtown Toronto—never mind Hollywood—Adam Lambert still finds himself followed by fans. Granted, today’s faithful happen to be Entertainment Tonight Canada staffers who’ve tracked the singer down as he shuffles between interviews. (Not that he’s hard to spot: heaped with silver necklaces and kitted in distressed leather, he’s likely the most glamorous person in the Toronto suburbs at this given moment—and that record-label video camera that’s constantly trained on him? It’s a sorta-kinda giveaway.)
Photo of Adam Lambert answering questions on slice.com with Terry Wong, Canada's Urban Fashionista, at the Parlour Salon. Check out the two-part video at the bottom of this page. 1-26-10 image.
Casually chatting from his seat as he preps for another interview, Lambert cheerfully jots his sharpied John Hancock on a copy of his CD, For Your Entertainment, as it’s handed to him.
Picture of Adam Lambert being flanked by MTV Canada's Jessi Cruickshank and Aliya Jasmine Sovani. Scroll down to watch the hilarious videos! 1-25-10 photo by Aliya jasmine Sovani.
A year ago, Adam Lambert wouldn’t have been flown to Canada to do a promo blitz in suburban Toronto. That was pre-American Idol – the show that took him from being a hoofer in touring Broadway shows to pop stardom. And long before he’d earned a snappy nickname (“Glambert”), inspired a rash of Avatar slash-fiction fan-art or incensed several thousand delicate television viewers with a sexually-aggressive performance at the American Music Awards.
Photo of Adam Lambert and his buddies in Mexico posing for a picture before having dinner in Cabo. 2-9-20 image.
Schmoozing with people who get as much (if not less) media attention than he does is also still a novelty. The morning of our interview, People Magazine ran a picture of Lambert chilling with Justin Timberlake at a luxe Screen Actors Guild Awards after party. That sort of thing, says Lambert, “that’s pretty surreal.”
Picture of Justin Timberlake and Adam Lambert at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. We've published this before, but we reprint it here because dose.ca talks about it in the article reprinted here. 1-23-10 photo.
“It was just such a treat to be able to talk to him for a couple of minutes,” says Lambert of how Timberlake and “his people” came over to introduce themselves at a SAG party that past weekend. “He’s a really smart guy and I respect what he does as a musician and a creator so much, it was really cool. And he knew who I was! It was like, ‘I can’t believe Justin Timberlake knows who I am,’” he says, talking out of the side of his mouth, conspiratorially.
Photo of Adam Lambert and friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico toasting each other during dinner. 2-9-10 image.
Lambert’s debut, For Your Entertainment, doesn’t feature Timberlake, but the album credits are nevertheless extensive and eclectic—and stacked with bold-faced names. Theatrical British guitar heroes Muse contribute a song (“Soaked”), as does pop star P!nk ( “Whataya Want From Me”), camp-rock revivalist Justin Hawkins of The Darkness (“Music Again”), Lady Gaga (“Fever”) and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo (“Pick U Up”)—to name a few.
Picture of a barefoot Adam Lambert with Tommy Joe Ratliff, clowning around in the room after having a few cocktails during their Mexican vacation. Tommy's corset cries out for the parasol he was carrying on the boat, doesn't it? 2-9-20 photo.
Given the range, odds are you’re a fan of at least one of them. Lambert’s bananas for the whole pack – but in the rare instances where he had the opportunity to work with some of these idols in studio (Lady Gaga and Cuomo were among a small selection), he says his fandom wasn’t a liability.
Photo from Canada showing the huge crowd gathered outside MuchMusic's MuchOnDemand television (MOD) studios for Adam Lambert's appearance. January 25, 2010 picture.
“To be honest with you, I’m not that easily intimidated. I think that everybody’s human and I think that fame is kind of an illusion, to be honest,” he says—a reassuring fact considering he’s been recruited by Entertainment Tonight to be their red carpet style correspondent at the Grammys this weekend.
Close-up picture of Adam Lambert answering fan's questions during his MOD TV appearance in Toronto. 1-25-10
That much-repeated Oprah show anecdote about how he was “intimidated” upon meeting Madonna was a rare exception, he says. (“She’s someone who I grew up watching,” he says by way of explanation.) And, OK, maybe you could consider Christina Aguilera fanboy-spaz fodder, as well. “I think Christina Aguilera would be really interesting to perform with, and I think I might be a little starstruck by her because I respect her so much,” he admits.
Photo of Adam Lambert and buds on the beach in Cabo San Lucas dressed in spandex, preparing to scuba-dive. 2-9-20 picture.
But working alongside his favourite artists? Lambert says that was his cue to give’er, not gush.
Photo of Adam Lambert and his guy friend playing in the tropical Cabo San Lucas water. 2-9-10 image.
“I mean, Lady Gaga in particular—I’m a huge fan,” says Lambert, who included her song “Fever” on his album. “We just had a great day recording it together. She really pushed me to my limit. […] I was sitting there [in the studio] and Lady Gaga was on the other side of the glass going, ‘Go crazier!’ This is Lady Gaga telling me to go crazier. Go! It definitely is inspiring.”
Picture of Adam Lambert and Tommy Joe Ratliff splashing in the resort pool during their Mexico vacation. 2-9-10 photo.
The song is a dead ringer for a Scissor Sisters single – with the addition of the Lady’s signature sta-sta-sta-stuttering lyrics. And while it’s a bit more disco-inspired than some of the other pop confections on For Your Entertainment, the album is weighted with dance-pop fare—the sort that Britney Spears usually speak-sings in her baby voice, but instead is being sung by a 28-year-old guy with the ability to unleash multi-octave shrieking vocals.
Picture of Adam Lambert doing an interview with LA's AJ in the Morning radio just before the Grammys. Listen to the podcast here. 1-29-10 photo.
Lambert shares co-writing credit on a handful of tracks. And perhaps fittingly, they’re the “feelings” songs on the disc. “Especially the songs that I wrote, there were definitely messages I was trying to get across; empowerment messages are really important to me,” he says.
Image of Tommy Joe Ratliff in the Cabo hotel pool. He's never far from his cocktail! 2-9-10 photo.
“I like writing about feeling good, about feeling comfortable in your own skin, feeling beautiful from the inside and owning it,” he continues, citing the songs “Strut,” “Aftermath” and “Broken Open.”
But the song that seems the most loaded is one he didn’t touch: his current single, which was provided by P!nk.
Picture of Tommy Joe Ratliff and Adam Lambert laughing while getting their spandex outfits together for scuba-diving during their Mexican holiday. 2-9-10 photo.
“‘Whataya Want From Me’ took on a whole new meaning after the AMA controversy,” says Lambert. “At first, it was about a relationship to me … but then after everything happened I thought, ‘This is funny, because the double meaning here is to the public, and to the fans, like ‘What do you want from me?’ Do you want me to be this guy, or do you want me to this guy? Or do you want me to just be me?’”
Image of Adam Lambert and Tommy Joe Ratliff, wearing tank tops and shorts, looking out from their Cabo hotel patio on the last day of their Mexico vacation. 2-10-10 photo.
“I’d like to choose to just be me!” he says impishly. “But the question still stands, ‘What do you guys want?’”
The pressure of public expectations has started to wane since that AMA media storm – which led to ABC cancelling a scheduled appearance on Good Morning America. “At the beginning—especially right after that controversy with the AMAs it was like ‘Ah! What am I supposed to do?’ But now I feel more grounded.
And so all good things must come to an end. Picture of Adam Lambert, Tommy Joe Ratliff, and Sutan Amrull waving goodbye to their Mexican hosts. 2-10-10 photo.
“It’s great to be talked about, and visible, when you have an album out, of course. But some of the negative attention I wasn’t too fond of. I was like, ‘Really, is it that big of a deal?’ And apparently to some people it was. But the good news is, to some people it was kind of cool, so I’ll just try to pay attention to the positive side.” END.
Photo of Adam Lambert taken for his AOL Sessions videos, which you can now watch in their entirety at the base of this post. Video screen capture image by Vicky aka VickStiX.
Good news! Adam has gone GOLD in FIVE countries: the United States, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and China! It appears his record label is finally on the ball in getting his album For Your Entertainment into other countries. It’s about time they got their act together. Adam is clearly on his way to becoming the international superstar he was always destined to be!
Picture of Adam Lambert belting out Lady Gaga's "Fever" during his much-anticipated AOL Sessions recordings. Scroll down to watch the video, along with the other four, plus all seven AOL Q&A interview videos. Photo by Vicky aka VickStiX.
Check out this Valentine’s Day tweet from @TommyJoeRatliff 2-14-10 “Valentines day is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap" (eternal sunshine of the spotless mind).
Photo of Adam Lambert at the F Word bar in New York City after his Rock My Town Concert. Apparently, he had a few too many! But we all need a break now and then, don't we? Picture by Eric Halliwell.
Visit Adam Lambert’s official website, Music Store, MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter pages.
And check out a new Adam Lambert Fan Club Facebook Page while you're at it!
RADIO INTERVIEWS AND MUSIC AUDIO PLAYER
Listen to Ryan Seacrest’s January 22, 2010 interview of Adam Lambert on KIIS Radio in New York City and interviews by other radio stations (including the Canadian Chum FM interview from Monday, January 25, 2010), as well as songs by Adam via this Audio Player filled with Adam Lambert’s Radio Interviews and Music, courtesy of Vicky aka VickStiX and the Adam Lambert Network. It automatically updates as more items are added, so bookmark this page and check back often:
Find more music like this on Adam Lambert Network
Watch this video: Adam Lambert: Reality Rocks: The Front Porch Interview, Pt. 1:
Adam Lambert: Reality Rocks' Front Porch Interview, Pt. 1 from Yahoo! Music on Vimeo.
Adam Lambert: The Front Porch Interview, Pt. 2 from Yahoo! Music on Vimeo.
Adam Lambert on The Daily Fix Pt 1 of 2 1-26-10
Adam Lambert on The Daily Fix Pt 2 of 2 1-26-10
Adam Lambert from Joe Keenan on Vimeo.
Photo of orange-cupped yellow-petaled Ceylon Daffodil Narcissus Jonquil growing in Oklahoma's Zone 7 from the author's free flower photo website http://www.freefishcaretips.com/photos28
No comments:
Post a Comment