Adam is a singer first and foremost, and initially it was his voice that drew me to him. His range, falsetto, and his ability to hold high notes were amazing. On “American Idol,” his choices in music, clothes, lighting and sets, always made his performances entertaining.  Indeed, I liked his whole performance package. Additionally, I was intrigued by his display of emotion, including the angry snarls and the steaming sexuality. I’m a Broadway and hard rock girl, and I liked the fact that he was over-the-top. 

Some of the exact things I liked about his performances, also probably made me biased against him personally.  I can’t really say I felt the kind of attraction to him that so many others professed.  And, his Goth look — the pitch black hair, black eyeliner and nail polish, coupled with his unabashed sexuality, didn’t exactly lead me, conservative Debbie, to believe that he’s the kind of guy I’d want to be friends with or whose values I would share.  Fortunately, I’m open minded, and as in my politics, I try to form conclusions based on fact, not superficial impressions.  

I started listening to Adam’s confessionals during “American Idol” and was first struck by how focused, ambitious, articulate, and intelligent he seemed.  Other “Idol” contestants talked about how fun it was to live in the mansion and how they liked to goof off with other house-mates. Adam talked about his musical influences, his goals and career path.  Perhaps unwittingly, he built up a following.  OK, so he’s smart.  But still, a liberal guy from California?  Probably not my type. 

Yet, as time went on I found myself reading and listening to all his interviews via TV, radio, blogs and print.  Now I admit, I don’t quite understand the sex and the drugs, but putting that aside, I was surprised to find out what a good head he has on his shoulders.  I would go as far as to say that some might learn a lesson or two from listening to his perspective. Does he get upset when criticized?  No, he takes it with a grain of salt. Conceal who he is when being honest might cause rejection? Well, maybe he’s better off without people who feel that way. Take off his guyliner to conform to society and possibly increase “AI” votes?  No, it’s more important to be who he really is. Advice to future contestants?  Take risks. Things not working out in your life?  Don’t give up; step it up.  See others who don’t fit in?  Embrace them. Feel outcast?  Try to accept yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. Lead the banner for gay rights? Nah, he’s focused on singing. It’s all about the music and he’s not going to get side-tracked. Whom he sleeps with is just coincidental. 

Adam goes all out during his performances. I saw the American Idol Concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC in August.  His twenty minute stint has got to be exhausting:  he holds back nothing.  And unlike the other performers, during his “free time” during the tour, between meet and greets, interviews, and sleeping on a bus going from city to city, he’s recording his debut album (to be released November 24, 2009). 

We all have our favorite singers as well as those we dislike.  And, for each of us it will undoubtedly be based on different underlying factors.  For some, it’s based purely on the type of music and the voice, for others presentation might make a difference.  Yet others will seek out those whose values or lifestyle they can admire or relate to. 

Still, every performer in the “American Idol” concert is doing his or her best to put on a good show.  In this regard, Adam is no different from his fellow performers. 

Despite this fact, there have been protests outside the concert halls, lambasting Adam and “American Idol” producers for permitting Adam to perform.  The protesters, all in the name of Christianity, evidently thought it was important enough to take time out of their day to rally outside the concerts holding venomous signs and screaming epithets.  Some of the signs read, “God hates fags” and “fags doom nations”.  On Sunday, August 30, 2009, Adam had to endure the second of such protests, held in Kansas and conducted by members of a Baptist church. The first protest was in San Jose on July 12, 2009, also by members of a Baptist church. 

In a YouTube interview, one of the Kansas City protesters spewed forth contempt and hatred….yes, hatred.  She insisted that her views were rooted in the Bible and explained that her pastor gave a sermon stating why she should feel hatred in her heart toward Adam and gays, as she’s sure God does.  She argued that Adam is a sinner and that “American Idol” is glorifying sin by allowing Adam to perform. 

Adam’s response?  In a radio interview after the first protest, he stated that he respects their opinion, but has a different world view.  He added that he was pretty sure that “God hates hate” and pondered whether the protesters’ energy might be better spent on something more positive like feeding the homeless, if their goal was to make a difference. 

After the second protest, Adam didn’t comment (admirable in itself), but tweeted:  “Love overcomes hate.  Love knows no color.  Love knows no orientation.  Love is all. (:”.  

Wow. Now I consider myself fairly conservative politically. But I am also tolerant in the true sense of the word.  And what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their home is none of my business.  If people want to stand outside with signs that read “Adam’s singing sucks,” that’s fair game.  But whom he sleeps with should be off-limits. 

As to the protesters’ comments, they are not even theologically accurate.  First, we are all sinners, so to select out one type of sin and insinuate that it’s worse than adultery for example, is erroneous.  Second, are we not to love the sinner and hate the sin?  Third, didn’t Jesus say to overcome evil with good?  Judge not, lest you be judged?  Worry about the plank in your own eye…..?? 

I was struck by how Adam handled the barrage of hatred by people to whom he’s done nothing.  I think there are a lot of people who, similarly situated, would have cursed, told the protesters to drop dead, screw off, and generally returned their anger with more anger.  Instead, all the while, this guy-linered gay guy, ever gracious, has shown nothing but respect for those who would spit in his eye.  He has shown love toward those who hate him.  So who is really following the teachings of Jesus?  I believe that it is Adam Lambert, who has turned the other cheek……again.

Sure, she has a good voice….an excellent voice.  But you’ve heard great voices before, right?  Boyle’s voice was not out of the ordinary spectrum of good talent.  The real reason for her sudden rise to fame was the stark contrast between the low expectations placed on her due to her appearance, and the fact that her voice was dissonant with those preconceived notions. 

Previously, Boyle was chronically unemployed, never kissed by a man, and lived a mundane life caring for her cat Pebbles and her ailing mother who died two years ago.  Dubbed “the hairy angel” by the British press, Boyle was suddenly in the spotlight and catapulted into instant celebrity.  During round one of the competition, Boyle’s performance was watched by a television audience of 19 million, viewed 220 million times on YouTube, and had additional viewership on Twitter and Facebook.  During the season Boyle had two public meltdowns, threw a temper tantrum, and threatened to quit the show.  She was placed in a safehouse the night before the finale to help her maintain her equilibrium. 

After disappointing results in the finale, where Boyle placed second behind a dance troupe named “Diversity,” Boyle had an emotional breakdown.  The next day she was rushed by ambulance to Priory, a psychiatric hospital renowned for treating celebrities with drug and alcohol addiction, such as Kate Moss and Pete Doherty.  The hospital is estimated to cost 500 dollars per day.  Boyle saw a psychotherapist and was given medication.  She stayed at Priory for five days before being released.  Her emotional breakdown garnered sympathy from the public and psychology experts alike. 

Simon Cowell, a judge on both “American Idol” (AI) and “Britain’s Got Talent” (BGT), as well as co-producer of BGT, is footing Boyle’s bill.  On a CNN interview with Larry King, BGT judge Amanda Holden explained that the show’s producers take good care of their contestants because they really care about them.  But the more likely motivation for Cowell’s seeming generosity is one of a capitalist.  He has a financial investment in Boyle because his record label “SyCo Music,” a subsidiary of “Sony Music,” is planning to produce her debut album.  If record sales go as expected, he stands to make a profit of approximately 25 million dollars.  Additionally, Cowell offered to become Boyle’s manager.  However, she snubbed him in favor of finance honcho Ossie Kilkenny, who has worked with U2, Tina Turner and Van Morrison.  Despite this, after being released from Priory and proclaiming that she felt “bloody good,” Cowell put Boyle up in an expensive London flat and promised her brother Gerry to look after her.  

Still, some in the psychology profession are wondering what the effects of instant fame are and how it should be dealt with.  Dr. Drew Pinsky from the TV show “Celebrity Rehab” is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern California, and has a newly released book titled “The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America.”  During his interview with Larry King, he contemplated whether the BGT show had caused Boyle harm.  While he was glad that Boyle received her much-needed treatment, the question he posed was whether “we” have a duty to care for all reality show contestants to ensure that they are properly prepared for the pressures of celebrity. 

Other professionals are chiming in.  Psychologist David Moxon, who specializes in stress-related problems, cautions the public that “being famous is not all it’s cracked up to be” and that “fame comes at a price.”  According to Mike Cowell-White from Reuters, psychology experts wonder if shows like “Britain’s Got Talent” and “American Idol” are “unnecessarily cruel.” 

Andy Burnham, the UK’s Secretary of Culture has indicated that Ofcom will make an inquiry into the Susan Boyle situation, but doubts that a full investigation is necessary.  Ofcom is an independent agency in the UK that regulates and enforces legislation related to the broadcast and telecommunications sector.  The agency received 350 complaints from viewers of BGT during the last week of the show,  20 of them expressing concern over Boyle.  Another 50 were worried about the welfare of the ten year old co-finalist who burst into tears during her performance, begging for a chance to start over.  And, approximately 120 of the complaints were from viewers who were pissed off that the judges actually gave the 10-year-old a second chance. 

The UK Broadcast Code states that “[P]eople in a state of distress should not be put under pressure to take part in a program or provide interviews unless it is warranted.”  The issue is whether or not the code was violated when the TV show resulted in contestants having an emotional breakdown or otherwise bursting out in tears. 

Frank Feldinger, reporting for The Wrap, claims that the stress of being on a reality show is so great that 12 participants have attempted or committed suicide since 2005.  However, upon further investigation, it is clear that in each and every case the suicide coincided with other traumas such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job.  Alternatively, the person had severe pre-existing problems.  In some instances the person hadn’t even appeared on the show, but was merely scheduled to do so.  Virtually none of the cases demonstrated a causal relationship between the suicide attempts and the TV appearances.  Besides, what kind of people do you think go on the show “Survivor?”  Is it really the same thing as entering a talent contest like AI or BGT? 

When Dr. Pinsky suggested that “we” ought to make sure contestants are prepared for their road ahead,  it was unclear to whom he was referring.  Supposedly talent was screened by psychologists on BGT before being allowed to participate.  But records indicate that Boyle never received a psychological test.  The questions are:  who should make the decisions regarding the psychological eligibility of reality show contestants?  Should it be the TV producers?  Psychologists?  The government?  Adult individuals who participate on the show?  Second, if a participant is incorrectly assessed to be able to handle the pressure, who should be responsible for his or her subsequent mental health treatment?   

Britain is already a socialist country and America is rapidly in the process of becoming one.  The US government already owns a huge stake in car companies, banks, and potentially healthcare.  Perhaps Congress should also enact a federal program — taxpayer funded — to provide therapy for all up-and-coming stars, to help them cope with the stress of their impending fame and success. 

Susan Boyle will be performing with the BGT tour that begins this month.  Many in the entertainment industry anticipate that before the year’s end, it is likely that Boyle will have a number one hit on both the UK and US charts, appear in a West End musical, and perform for the President of the United States.  It all sounds soooo stressful.  However, Boyle will undoubtedly earn millions of dollars, rendering her capable of paying her own bills for all the therapy she might need.  Poor baby….

UPDATE: I don’t usually respond to comments on my articles, but in this case I feel compelled to do so as I am getting inundated with hate mail by Susan Boyle fans.  I don’t care if you agree with my piece or not, but it seems that most of you didn’t even get the point of the article.  Normally, I would think that means it wasn’t well-written.  But in this instance, I think you are such Boyle fans that you can’t see past my initial description of her to even listen to what I was saying. 

So first, let me say that I have nothing against Susan Boyle.  She seems like a very nice lady and I think she has a nice voice.  Second, I have nothing against people who need to go to therapy….. for whatever reason. 

The article really had nothing to do with Susan.  I was prompted to write it when I heard the Larry King interview where people were saying that the producers are paying for her therapy because they really care, and the issue arose that “we” must make sure all contestants have therapy if they need it.  Upon research, I found a UK agency that spends taxpayer dollars monitoring how shows treat their contestants.  To me, this is all ridiculous!  The piece was supposed to be about personal responsibility.  Whose job is it to decide if you can go on a show?  Would you like it, if you were really talented and the show decided you’re not able to handle success so they didn’t let you on?  If that’s the standard, then all you Susan Boyle fans would never have heard of her, right?  She’d be deprived of fulfilling her dreams as she is now.  And, if they enter a show, do you think it is the responsibility of the show to pay for their therapy?  OK, if Simon wants to do it as a gift, good for him.  But as much as I like Simon, do you really think that if Susan Boyle’s voice sucked and she still needed therapy as a result of the show, that he’d still offer to foot the bill?  I think not, unless he was afraid of a lawsuit.  I spent a lot of time researching that crazy government agency in the UK.  It uses taxpayer dollars to monitor shows and investigate audience complaints about the comments of people like Simon Cowell to the contestants, and audience complaints made by those who are mad that the judges gave a 10 year old a chance to start over.  Is that what you want in America? 

Are you going to listen to claims that celebrity causes people to kill themselves without looking further into it?  As I said, all those effected had other issues — a previous bi-polar diagnosis, loss of a parent, or loss of  a job.  Does that mean success isn’t stressful?  Of course not!  Freud used the phrase “wrecked by success” and by the way, it is not just fame and celebrity that causes stress.  Any success, especially if overnight can do the trick, like winning the lottery for example.  My point was not to bash Boyle for getting therapy.  It was just to make a commentary on the role of the producers, psychologists and the government versus the role of the individual.  If you disagree and think government should pay, great. And you might have your wish with how things are becoming nationalized in this country.  Or maybe America should have a law that all reality shows offer free therapy for contestants.  

As to my “focus on Susan Boyle’s looks”, to all who wrote this, let me correct you.  In case you hadn’t noticed, it was not I who focused on her looks.  That’s all the media and everyone else has focused on and I was acknowledging it.  The description I gave was a little mean, yes, but my point was that the judges were LAUGHING at her before she sang based on her appearance — that they were focused on – and thus assumed she couldn’t sing, which is also ridiculous!  Even when I said “author excepted” I guess you missed the point.  I couldn’t care less about her looks.  I was saying that I , unlike the judges, did not prejudge her based on her looks and assume she couldn’t sing, so I wasn’t surprised when she could.  

As I said, I don’t care if you disagree with my points, but they were primarily political in nature….and apparently wasted on this audience.

Adam has an amazing vocal range and a falsetto so rich in quality that it is imperceptibly different from his chest voice.  His incredible ability to control his vocals enables him to hold his high notes seemingly forever.  His versatility is unmatched in “Idol” history.  With the arguable exception of country music (his rendition of “Ring of Fire” received strong emotional reactions both pro and con, as it was more like Johnny Cash doing Goth music with Middle Eastern undertones), Adam excels in every genre of music.  He sings soulful ballads to pop to heavy metal and glam rock, all with ease, style, and pitch-perfect tone.

Week in and week out, other “Idol” contestants appeared on stage in sneakers and T-shirts without sets or lighting design, all of which are in the contestants’ control.  But enter Adam, and the show began!  One could criticize his attire (and did!) but every week Adam came with an outfit, sets, lighting, and moves that fit his song choice and made his performances both unpredictable and more entertaining.  He’s not just a singer; he’s the whole performance package.

Unfortunately, talent has not always been the focus of commentary on Adam.  Rumor has it that some on the Christian-right refused to vote for Adam because of his ambiguous sexual orientation.  Explicit photos of him making out with other men, attending the Burning Man (an annual event in Nevada which constitutes an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance), and occasionally dressing in drag, detracted from his deserved praise.  Supposedly, Kris Allen’s church pastor urged “all believers” to vote for Kris (though Kris emphatically objected to votes based on religion).  Additionally, “Idol” contestant Danny Gokey, who touted his Christianity, had a similar performance style to Kris’.  His devout following likely swung in favor of Kris once Danny was booted off the show.

Many deemed it unpalatable if not morally wrong to deny Adam his hard earned votes based on sexual orientation.  This should have no place in the “Idol” competition.  As Kris explained, this was supposed to be a competition about singing, not a vote for the presidency.

Yet, as soon as the winner was announced and the finale was over, the left-wing media started bashing Adam for not being gay enough.  Adam has admitted that the explicit photos were of him, and he has not been at all shy about anything including his sexuality. (To date, interviewers have beaten around the bush and have not put the “gay question” to him directly.)  But neither has Adam made his sexuality a political issue…at least thus far.  Still, the photos and Adam’s behavior, which are about as “out” as can be, still leave some dissatisfied.  As is often the case with leftists, words are more important than actions, and one isn’t truly “out” until he mouths the words “I’m gay.”  Adam hasn’t done this and thus will suffer the wrath of leftist activists.

No sooner had he walked off the stage than criticism has befallen him — not for his performances, which were controversial but fair game, but for his alleged “silence” on his sexuality.  Indeed, Entertainment Weekly Online dedicated four whole pages to chastising him for failing to announce his orientation.  But, making one’s private life fodder for public consumption seems to be something the gay community does often.  In the recently released film “Outrage,” the filmmaker assumed that if he outed gay Republicans, they would change their votes on gay marriage.  The presumption seems to be that gay marriage is the world’s most pressing issue, and everyone who is gay should prioritize this about all else.  To hell with national security, the arts, or whatever else one might be interested in.

Adam has acknowledged feeling pressure from some quarters to use his sexuality and “alternativeness” to influence how America views related social issues.  Contrary to helping those in the gay community, they are doing Adam and the gay community a disservice.  By pressuring Adam to act differently than his straight counterparts, they separate him out rather than allow him to integrate and be accepted as equal.  They are also denying him the right to define himself as he wants to be defined and decide for himself how his talents will be used.

It is unlikely that at age three when Adam starting singing around the house, or at age ten when he first began musical theater, that his goal was to achieve success as a vehicle for gay rights activism.  Why does everyone who is gay have to represent a political cause?  Why can’t Adam just be a singer and an entertainer like other artists?  Both those who withheld votes because Adam’s gay and those who are bashing him for not being gay enough, insist on defining Adam by his sexual orientation.  But Adam clearly defines himself by his music.

Politics aside, it is apparent that Adam is not going to be a flash-in-the-pan like previous “Idol” contenders.  Adam was the only reason to watch the cheesy show this season.  My prediction is that he is destined to be a national star, if not international.  Offers are already pouring in, and there’s talk of him touring with Queen, being courted for Broadway leads, and making his own CD’s.  Refusing to be boxed into a specific genre as most record labels demand, his first album promises to range from pop to rock to funk with innovative electronics.  Additionally, he hopes to do corollary theatrical performances.  His goal is to fill an artistic niche of theatrical pop music which is currently female-dominated on the scene, and largely devoid of male artists.  It is Adam’s artistic expression and personal style that make him notable, not his sexual orientation.  If he does have a political message, it’s one of personal empowerment for anyone who might not fit the mold…sexuality aside.

Those making social criticism of Adam based on his sexuality — one way or the other — should apologize.  I myself owe him an apology for using his orientation in the title of this article.  However, I doubt if he cares much about any of this.  Adam is all about the music, and I’m sure he’s too busy singing to pay this any mind.