CBS 'Hypocritical' for Blurring Adam Lambert Kiss

adam lambert kiss

An editor at The Advocate is slamming the CBS "Early Show" for blurring a kiss between Adam Lambert and his male bandmate in a Wednesday segment -- moments before showing unedited footage of Madonna and Britney Spears making out.

"I think there's obviously a double standard when it comes to gay male entertainers," Jeremy Kinser, the magazine's Arts and Entertainment Editor, tells "Extra."

"It's ridiculous they can show two women but can't show two men," Kinser adds. "I think it makes them look kind of silly. That's what's so ironic: they decided to put him on after 'Good Morning America' canceled him, and they seem really hypocritical to blur the moment that has everybody talking."

See photos of Adam Lambert's performance

A rep for CBS tells "Extra": "We gave this some real thought. The Madonna image is very familiar and has appeared countless times including many times on morning television. The Adam Lambert image is a subject of great current controversy, has not been nearly as widely disseminated, and for all we know, may still lead to legal consequences."

Kinser understands how Lambert simulating oral sex during his Sunday night American Music Awards performance could offend some because "it's on network television, there probably were young people watching, parents didn't have a warning."

But a kiss between two men?

"Most children are aware of gay people," Kinser says.

The discussion surrounding Lambert's controversial performance is a good thing, Kinser says.

"It's things like this that move the movement forward. I was a teenager during the Madonna years, and I was just thrilled every time she got people talking," he says. "So maybe he's the next provocateur."

Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD, also released a statement to "Extra": "The Early Show's decision this morning to blur Adam Lambert's kiss from the American Music Awards reinforces an unfortunate double standard that is applied to openly gay performers. I would have hoped CBS would provide the same treatment for images of gay and lesbian people and not create an unfair double standard that treats our community differently."

Barrios continued, "CBS regularly shows kisses throughout every daypart. The kiss was not blurred on ABC nor in news coverage on other networks. While we continue to applaud The Early Show for featuring Adam Lambert today, we have reached out to the show's producers to express our concerns about their decision and offer ways they can make their coverage of gay and transgender people more fair."

comments

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onlinehealthmedicine
February 1, 2011

i just like adam!!!
and i love him

jumian
February 17, 2010

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kkvazar
December 25, 2009

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RadioBg
December 3, 2009

I guarantee his carrer will go no where. Man,woman kissing,naked,half naked is not a place for national TV. It’s not cable. I was totally turned off by the sexaul performances and of course the inappropriate kiss. Like it or not society DOES NOT accpet homosexuality.

jae
November 29, 2009

I don’t want to see either two women or two men. I didn’t want to see Rihannia half naked behind either. I love Adam but he was way out of line I would feel the same way if it was Halle tonguing Jamie Foxx it’s inappropriate when you have young people watching tv. Come on people let’s find some moral standards any and everything does not go. I’m lost respect for Adam Lambert what you do in the privacy of your home is your business but it has not business being aired on prime time TV.

Samantha
November 27, 2009

GOD IS COMING REAL SOON. THERE IS TO MUCH SIN LIKE THIS AND OTHER THINGS GOING ON THAT GOD’S NOT GONNA LET KEEP HAPPEN. IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT SO BE IT BUT JUDGMENT DAY IS GOING TO HAPPEN. BETTER GET READY, IF NOT THEN YOU BETTER BE PREPARED FOR HELL ON EARTH WITH THE DEVIL. THIS SHOULD’VE NEVER BEEN SHOWN ON TV PERIOD.

keisha
November 27, 2009

The homophobes are alive and well. Personally I couldn’t care less if I saw 20 men standing in front of me kissing each other. Isn’t that better than the violence children are seeing every day in video games and on tv? I’m a female and I can tell you from experience, gay men make wonderful friends. The gay males I know are sensitive, actually are interested in what a woman has to say, and are very respectful of women.
It’s hatred like homophobia that makes this world a sad place at times. Hats off to CBS for bringing Adam on. What a crock of BS it is that ABC cancelled Adam, but brought on Chris Brown, a known woman beater. Adam must be just shaking his head at the insanity of that move. Show your support for Adam..get on over to iTunes and buy his CD.

Sas
November 26, 2009

Jesse,

Do you, by chance, live in a shack in the mountains??? Very creepy! Please do the woman (and female children) in your life a favor and unchain them, let them put on some shoes and allow them to freely walk out that wooded, isolated shack and into civiliation and hopefully the nearest educational institution! A mind is a terrible thing to waste! Does it EVER cross your mind that women may actually want MORE out of life (and more from themselves) than a man and some children??? Getting oneself an education, a career, and ultimately a life does wonders for one’s outlook, socialability, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Or are those just the precise things you are trying to stifle!!??

Mary,

Remember Genesis??? It was “BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN” when the “Original Sin” happened that brought on the FALL OF MAN!!! NOT between “Adam and Steve”, much less “Adam and his keyboardist”!!! BTW, I think it is “perverted” and “immoral” for you (or anyone) to think up such a thought (much less write it down for the viewing public) such as insinuating some “sick” and “twisted” act with “goats and children” for ANYONE’S “viewing pleasure”!!! ARE YOU OK!!!??? I have to say that a thought such as that NEVER crossed my mind. But then again, maybe that’s just indicative of “the kind of sick, twisted, perverted, immoral” person that “YOU are”!!!

Beauty
November 26, 2009

Hi- Let’s move on. This story is stupid. It’s only music entertainment. It’s not like this Adam person killed anyone. The sun is still rising in the morning and setting in the evening. His team is probably loving this publicity and laughing all the way to the bank. And CBS what the heck kind of stupid is that? Legal consequences?? That is such bull caca. Honestly, people are getting worked up over an American Idol????

nnnn
November 26, 2009

Hey Candy/Anonymous… take a chill pill

Hot One
November 26, 2009

WOW, WHAT I ACTUALLY FIND ABOUT ADAM LAMBERT’S PERFORMANCE WAS THAT IT WAS AWSOME. HOWEVER, I FIND THAT MOST OF YOU HYPOCRITS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE DISCUSTING. YOU DROOL OVER WOMEN, BUT OH, NO, MEN CAN’T DO THAT. WE’VE BEEN WATCHING WOMEN STRIP, SHAKE, KISS, KINK, YOU NAME IT, BUT MEN CAN’T ESPECIALL ANYONE WHO IS GAY OR BI. WHAT HYPOCRITS THAT YOU ARE AND HATERS. ADAM YOUR AWESOME, I LOVED THE PERFORMANCE, YOUR GUYS AND GALS, AND OF COURSE, YOUR SEXY HOT KISS. OH, BY THE WAY, GET OVER IT LOOSERS. TRY SOME KINK YOU MAY LIKE IT, OH I SEE YOU ONLY DO THAT BEHIND DOORS. OH MY, MY MY.
CANDY

Anonymous
November 26, 2009

So, do you think what you did was great? who cares if you’re gay or bi? do your kinky stuff in your room, behind your blanket, where you and your partner have fun, no any kids watching you, and saying … what’s that? that’s gross! because you definitely are! keep your s.. out of the screen.

Marco
November 25, 2009

It is beyond belief that some viewers do not find Lambert’s actions disgusting. There seems to be a complete absence of decency and moral propriety. Lambert’s attitude is toxic. “Extra” is way over the line by repeatedly showing the Lambert clip. As a society we are doomed if our only sense of right and wrong is based on finding some behavior that can be claimed to be worse that that being justified. This sickness based on reformed and relativist theory that “there are no rules” will ruin our society.

Prickly Pete
November 25, 2009

They should have blurred both shots or blurred neither, it’s that simple. But to blur Adam’s kiss and not Madonna/Britney, aired right next to each other, only illustrated Adam’s point about a double standard— at the same time Maggie Rodriguez was sitting there trying to tell Adam he was wrong about a double standard. Makes all of CBS news look like idiots, and their excuse is pathetic. Even ABC didn’t blur the kiss on their news.

Jason
November 25, 2009

I originally Adam’s performance was hot. (I am NOT referring to the vocals or the music). When I found out the ‘crotch press’ and the ‘kiss’ were improvised and Adam referred to them as his artistic expression, it became offensive.
I don’t care if Adam is straight or gay or whether the other performers were straight or gay. Adam’s right to ‘artistic expression’ ends at the other person’s right to say ‘no’. I care that Adam did NOT give the other performers the opportunity to decide what THEY wanted. Adam had NO WAY of knowing what they wanted and his actions were so aggressive and forceful that THEY HAD NO CHOICE. (Maybe only the Stars are really people?) For someone who is so concerned about his own rights, how about some concern for the rights of others?

My point is that even though Adam is good looking, sexy, talented and has a potentially great voice he is not “more than” any other human. The second he imposes his ‘rights’ over another person’s, it’s not sexy. If the exact same performance was mutually agreed upon by all, I would not have a problem with it.

225
November 25, 2009

CBS saw a chance to grab ratings due to the whole media/ABC debacle over GMA canceling! If they were going to be censors, they shouldn’t have shown ANY footage of the “forbidden” kiss and should have just discussed the issue with Adam, sans these clips! Let’s move on, anyway - how about what counts here, Adam’s music/new CD…and the fact that all of this is pure stupidity/trivia, focusing on some kiss while we have soldiers dying in a war overseas!!

Ellen C.
November 25, 2009

This is a ridiculous double standard. As Lambert said, he’s a performer, not a babysitter, and parents who are keeping their kids up at 11 pm watching TV are the ones with a problem.

Mary, your example is what is known as a Straw Man argument - look it up.

Jesse, you are a conspiracy theorist. Your position is for inequality for women and gays, and that is truly un-American.

Larry-bob
November 25, 2009

I was impressed with CBS for stepping in after ABC let prejudice govern its programming decision, but I’m disappointed the CBS then simply perpetuated this double standard. At least people got to hear Adam sing beautifully this morning.

racbec
November 25, 2009

Mary, what is the reference to goats and children? will he be re-enacting a scene from Heidi? I don’t get what you mean? or are you insinuating that being gay means he’s a pedophile and/or into beastiality? stereotype much?

Do yourself and the world a favor and don’t breed Mary. We don’t need more ignorant people in the world, we’ve reached our quota.

CBS erred in blurring the kiss between the two men. I hope they acknowledge that fact and take steps to not treat male homosexuality as something disgusting and unworthy of their viewers to see.

tilly
November 25, 2009
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