Friday, August 28, 2009

American Idol Adam Lambert Halfway Done with "Eclectic" Debut Album

He’s in the midst of the hectic Idols Live tour, dodging “provocative items” tossed on stage by hysterical fans, but Adam Lambert has been hard at work on his debut album, which he says is well underway.

“We did a lot of work on it right before the tour started. I wrote a lot with various producers and writers and recorded a handful of songs,” he told PEOPLE on a call during a tour stop. “We’ve been doing a lot of work on it during the tour as well … We’re still gathering material and we’re scheduling more recording sessions for when it’s over, so we’re about halfway done.”

Lambert, who’s already done a photo shoot for the album, promises it will be “quite eclectic.”

“There are songs on there that are anthems; there are song that make you want to dance; there are songs that make you feel sexy; there are songs that touch you, hopefully, with more emotional, insightful, deeper lyrics,” he says. “There are songs that are more in the line with a rock sound. There are some that are really pop-oriented.”

There’s something for everyone, according to American Idol’s reigning runner-up, which “I’m really proud of,” he says. “I can’t wait to see people’s reaction. It’s just going to be fun.”

Something else to be proud of: His recent partnership with DonorsChoose.org, an online charity effort aimed at getting high-need public school classrooms the resources and supplies they need.

After the Idol finale, “I started getting gifts like crazy and people really starting to spend a lot of money on things for me,” Lambert says. “I don’t need them to spend money on me. I’d rather they spend money on people in need, so I thought I would redirect that energy.”

At DonorsChoose.org/adamlambert, teachers post exactly what students need for specific educational projects and donors can choose the projects they want to support.

“I know that the people that are throwing things up on the stage are getting as much a kick out of it as I am,” he says. “It makes me laugh. When they actually throw it at me, though, that’s a little scary.”

From People's TVWatch

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Adam Lambert: Idolatry interview, part 5

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert interviewed for Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry".

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Adam Lambert, Idolatry interview, part 4

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert interviewed for Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry".


Adam Lambert: Idolatry interview, part 3

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert interviewed for Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry".


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Adam Idolatry: Idolatry interview, part 2

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert interviewed for Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry". Part 2.


Adam Lambert: Idolatry interview, part 1

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert interviewed for Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry".


Monday, August 24, 2009

Why Cougars Crave American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert

Let's talk images. A snake. A butterfly. A young man with his shirt unbuttoned to his waist, pouting at the camera. Lots of chest stubble. Alone, each image is rather boring. Put them together, and what you have is a hotter-than-Johnny Depp new Rolling Stone cover of American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert. The 27-year-old dude who made guyliner fashionable again gave an interview to the magazine confirming—big surprise—that he's gay. What's really surprising: I can't stop thinking about him. And neither can any of my cougar-aged friends. We love Adam, truly, madly, deeply, in a kind of weirdly Mrs. Robinson sexual way. And the reason doesn't just have to do with our past lives as professional groupies. It also has something to do with biology.

Just a few short months ago, most of my female friends and I were clueless about Adam Lambert. We're busy, professional women, some of us with demanding families and children, all of us with demanding jobs. We never spent our Tuesday nights in front of the TV. Yet this year, for slightly more than two months, phone calls went unanswered and any type of social or familial interactions were put on hold on so we could plop ourselves in front of our sets at 8 p.m. to watch American Idol, the No. 1 rated show on TV, which none of us had ever bothered with before. It started innocently enough: A friend, waylaid by a flu bug, was channel-surfing from the comfort of her couch one Tuesday evening and saw a bejeweled young thing singing a scorching rendition of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." She left us phone messages and tweets, saying, and I quote, "ohmygawdyouhavetoseethisemoglambowielovechildonAmericanIdol." We went, "Huh," but we tuned in the following week. And then we were gone.

My seemingly well-adjusted posse, myself included, morphed into archetypal Adam Lambert fangirls. We became Glamberts, besotted with the leather and rhinestones, the perfectly smudgy guyliner, the emo coal-colored coif and, oh, yeah, the preternatural vocal range. When we got together, we no longer talked about good books, North Korea or the recession. We talked about all things Lambert. We became the thing that we normally despise: a cougar court that fell into a gentle loin lust with a man young enough to be our son. And a gay one, to boot.

Read the full Newsweek blog entry

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Adam Lambert and the Citizen Vein perform "Chalice"

Adam Lambert and the Citizen Vein sing "Chalice". Sorry only part of the song, but thought you might like it.


Friday, August 21, 2009

Adam Lambert sings Mad World at Mt. Carmel High School

American Idol Adam Lambert sings Mad World at Mt. Carmel High School, and gets a surprise visit from crazy fan girl.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Adam Lambert sings The National Anthem

American Idol Adam Lambert performs The National Anthem at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar on May 8th, 2009. The Mayor of San Diego also called May 8th "Adam Lambert day"

Monday, August 17, 2009

Adam Lambert to have song on the "2012" movie soundtrack

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert will have a song for the soundtrack of what promises to be the biggest movie of the fall, "2012."

The news was broken by a high-profile admirer, Brian May, guitarist for the rock band Queen. Adam met May for the first time when he performed with Queen during American Idol's Season 8 finale.

"I was privileged to hear a track that the guys have finished for Adam Lambert ... a song for a forthcoming film, 2012. I have to say I was completely blown away ... it's truly sensational. In fact it's so obviously a number one smash, any bookie would be mad to take bets on it. I am not kidding. I'm not easily moved to jelly by male vocalists ... but Adam's voice reaches out with sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop all around the world. Its an awesome performance. No doubt about it. The world of Rock has a bright new star," May said on his blog, brianmay.com.

The top secret song was recorded by rock producer Rob Cavallo for the sci-fi disaster flick directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow." "2012" is set for release on November 13, so Adam fans should be on the lookout for the soundtrack in October. The official website describes the movie as follows,

"Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. '2012' is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings and end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors."

Lambert had been saying for a few weeks that he had recorded a song for a movie soundtrack, but had refused to give details. May says he heard the song while visiting Cavallo at his Calabasas, California home where Cavallo is working on tracks for Adam Lambert and on a new Meatloaf album.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Friday, August 14, 2009

Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part 4

LAT: 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.

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

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

AL: 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.”

LAT: How did you work with the stylists?

AL: 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.

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

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

LAT: 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?

AL: 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.

Read all of Part Four

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Kris Allen's Secret Songwriting Weapon? Adam Lambert

Every "American Idol" champ's debut disc is a make-or-break affair. For every David Cook, there's a Taylor Hicks. The stakes are high, and the odds of success are slim, which is why, for his post-"Idol" debut, season-eight champ Kris Allen is hoping to increase his chances by getting a little help from his friend Adam Lambert.

"Adam will get a song, and he'll be like, 'Listen to this,' and I'll tell him what I think about it, whether I like it or not. And we were actually doing that last night. ... He was listening to some things of mine," Allen told MTV News. "He had some good things to say, some critiques to say as well. We do that to each other. ... We're just trying to help each other out."

And Allen has needed the help. By his own admission, he's struggled while balancing writing and recording with all the duties that come with being "Idol" champ. But every day, he's getting a bit better at it.

"The time thing is crazy. When you dream of making your first album, you don't dream of making it on tour. ... It's nuts, but we're finding the time to write, and writing is putting my stamp on [my album], so it's happening," he said. "To be honest, at first it was hard, because they stuck me in these co-writing sessions, and I was like, 'I've never done this before.' It was weird. I'd get in there, and I'd be like 'I don't know what to do. ... I'm sorry.' But I've gotten used to it, and it's good to bounce ideas off each other, and so I've been writing a lot with other people, and writing some stuff on my own too."

Allen has already worked with Fray guitarist Joe King, hip-hop producer Salaam Remi and famed songwriter Claude Kelly on the album, which is due in the fall. And while he's still not sure of just how many of those collaborations will actually end up on the record, he's already made one track-list decision: "No Boundaries" — the clunky, Kara DioGuardi-penned "Idol" victory single he's already stopped performing live — won't be on the album. Probably.

"I doubt it'll end up on there," Allen said. "But who knows? Maybe as a Wal-Mart bonus track or something. I love Wal-Mart."

Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part 3

LAT: When did you first watch the show?

AL: 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.

LAT: You are a little out there!

AL: 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.

LAT: Where did you audition?

AL: 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.

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

AL: 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.

LAT: What did you sing at your first audition?

AL: 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” (by Queen) and that’s the one they ended up showing on TV.

Read all of Part Three

Monday, August 10, 2009

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Beyond The Sky"

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Beyond The Sky". if anyone has the video of a whole performance, please let us know.


Jonas Brothers host, Miley Cyrus sings on the Teen Choice Awards! Watch tonight

Miley Cyrus is doing her newest single, "Party in the U.S.A.," at TC 09. That's right, the pop Mega Star is all set to sing for you!

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are up for the Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star award, and Adam is up for the Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon: Male award.

And, of course, you won't want to miss Dare the Jonas Brothers! That's going to be hilarious!

And, it's official. The casts of "Twilight" (Robert Pattison, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Kellan Lutz) and FOX's new comedy series GLEE (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Jenna Ushkowitz, Chris Colver, Amber Riley and Kevin McHale) will appear on the show too!

Also... David Beckham, Zac Efron, Megan Fox, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Morrison, Keke Palmer, Alexis Bledel, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester, Ellen DeGeneres and Ashley Tisdale all be there- so you'd better be there too!

Your votes pick the winners of the Teen Choice 2009 so be sure to tune in Monday, Aug. 10 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX and see how your favorites did.

Adam Lambert talks about the American Idols Live Tour

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert is currently on tour with the rest of the Top 10 Idols. While he was traveling around the country, we had the opportunity to interview Adam and he opened up about his loyal fans, his upcoming album, and more.

Adam describes an average day on the Idols Summer Tour as "jam packed." They arrive at the venues at around 1pm, head to the dressing room for a snack, take part in press events every other day, attend meet and greets with the fans, prepare for the show, and have dinner. In addition to that busy schedule, Adam finds time to do his own makeup before every show. Adam said it wasn't his theater background that taught him how to do makeup, "I used to do my own makeup when I went to the clubs in Hollywood," Adam said.

Meeting his fans in 50 cities across the nation has "been a pleasant surprise," Adam said. "I have a diverse range of fans which is really cool. I've met fans that range from people in their late fifties to kids." Adam has a message for his large, diverse, and devoted fan base: "I love you guys so much. Thanks for coming out and supporting me on tour."

On a couple of the tour stops, fans have thrown some interesting objects and garments on the stage as Adam performs. "It's become a bit of a tradition for people to throw things on the stage while I'm performing 'Fame' during the Bowie medley. They've thrown bras, panties, handcuffs, a blue boa, and most recently a red leather tassled whip." Ever the performer, Adam doesn't just let the objects rest on the stage. "I have fun with it and I pick up the items and play with them. I hope none of the undergarments hit me in the face!"

from the American Idol site

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Bad Reputation"

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Bad Reputation" - again, sorry, only part of the song...


Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part Two

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.

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

AL: 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.

LAT: What was it like being away for so long?

AL: 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.

Read all of Part Two

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and David Cook sing "Little Lies"

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and David Cook sing Fleetwood Mac's "Little Lies", Live in Central Park on Good Morning America - August 7th, 2009.


Friday, August 7, 2009

Adam Lambert: The ultimate interview, Part One

"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.

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

AL: 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.

LAT: Where in San Diego did you grow up?

AL: 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.

LAT: What is your earliest memory of music?

AL: 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.

Read all of Part One

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Turning On"

Adam Lambert and Citizen Vein perform "Turning On" - unfortunately only part of the song...


Thursday, August 6, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Paula Abdul leaving "American Idol"

After much speculation, Paula Abdul will not be returning to “American Idol” next season.

The “Idol” judge hit her Twitter page on Tuesday night to break the news.

“With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #Idol,” she posted on her Twitter page. “I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.”

Following the announcement, FOX issued a statement of their own to Access Hollywood confirming Paula would not be in her judge’s chair next season for the first time since the show began in 2002.

“Paula Abdul has been an important part of the ‘American Idol’ family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best,” the statement from FOX said.

Paula’s negotiations with “Idol” producers reportedly came down to money. According to a previous report by Radar Online, the veteran reality judge was asking for $20 million to return to the show – “Idol” was reportedly willing to offer half of that amount.

Meanwhile, last week it was confirmed that the newest member to the “Idol” judging panel, Kara DioGuardi, would be returning to the show when Season Nine bows in January.

Adam Lambert visits "Hair"

Adam Lambert visits "Hair".

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and gang rock Charlotte

Taking the stage dressed in a studded blue leather tailcoat as the band cranked out the opening bars of Led Zeppelin's “Whole Lotta Love,” the emo-coiffed 27-year-old Adam Lambert unleashed his classic-rock howl and some PG-13 gyrating. Then, he dialed down to a sensitive croon for Muse's “Starlight” and Tears For Fears' “Mad World.”

Throughout his set, Lambert displayed an experienced performer's comfort and vocal control, hitting stratospheric notes with ease. Yet though he delivered, the thrilling “what will he do next” audacity that helped him electrify the TV show isn't as much of a factor in the tour, and his stage training appeared to coat him with a bit of a hardened sheen in a live setting, with good-natured personality emerging only in between-song banter.

Read the full Charlotte Observer story

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Time for Kids chats with Season 8's American Idols

The American Idol Top 10 contestants discuss life on the road, the importance of staying true to yourself and the lessons they have learned. Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre, and Michael Sarver interviewed by Time for Kids.


American Idols improve on tour, but the `As' -- Adam and Allison -- have it all

American Idol is easy to champion on TV. Yet its contestants are, all too often, just as easy to forget before the inevitable summer tour of the Top 10 finalists comes around just a couple months after a winner is crowned in May.

The formula was upset a bit in its eighth season -- a year forever to be known as Adam's World.

Of course, we mean Adam Lambert, 27, he of the rubbery pelvis, mascara and polarizing multi octave range and classic rock god moves that all combined in a perfect pop storm to land him on the covers of Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly even before Idol crowned the safer, Disney-approved Kris Allen its winner.

Adam, who finished second, was nonetheless the star of the eighth American Idols Live Tour Wednesday night at Sunrise's BankAtlantic Center.

Read the full Miami Herald review