Now that Adam Lambert is finished competing for the pole position in America's biggest (and often blandest) popularity contest, the powers that be -- and feverishly police their potential stars' reputations -- have deemed it a good time to unlock and unload all the secret Internet goodies they've kept hidden for the past four months.
The most talented American Idol contestant to ever grace the show's stage (except maybe Kelly -- I still count her performance of "Since U Been Gone" at the MTV Video Music Awards as a life changing experience) had his MySpace, Friendster, and other social networking profiles set to private until recently and now that everything is out in the open fans have gone to great lengths to find out exactly what Lambert has been up to -- and mixed up in -- over the past few years.
Here's a few of my favorite things that have been revealed:
- The above comment Lambert left on a friend's MySpace page proves that he was sassy, sexually deviant (just how I like 'em) and Rock 'n Roll way before he started shaking his hips and belting out Queen in front of millions of people.
- Another comment on a MySpace profile reads "hi doll... leave me messages when you call! :) Sorry i couldn't pick up, I was tied up. Literally. haha"
- Adam's Friendster profile's main pic shows the then purple-haired singer making out with his then boyfriend and features the following from his "about me" section: "I sing...all types...all the time...and loudly. (deal.) I'm an eccentric AQUARIUS. I love to sleep in. Visually and verbally expressive. 6'1" 170lbs 24 yrs. Openly Gay. Honest. Anylitical."
- He's apparently friends with Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (at least Friendster friends).
None of it is anything I didn't already know, but somehow finally seeing it there on my screen -- and said so plainly -- gets me just as excited as I did when I thought he had a chance of actually winning that stupid show. Social networking sites give us a little glimpse into people's lives -- and it's especially titilating when we come across profiles of people who weren't yet famous and didn't have any reason to suspect they should censor themselves (not that I'm convinced Adam would censor himself now. He seems pretty OK with who he is and what he's trying to represent). Here's hoping that AI was just the beginning for him and that at some point there won't be the need for secrecy or locking MySpace profiles -- even if the big reveal is always kind of fun.
Finally -- if you haven't checked out the great American Idol Op-Ed Out's Editor in Chief Aaron Hicklin wrote for the Washington Post this past weekend, get on it.
-- NOAH MICHELSON
Previously > American Idol: Upset 2009
This is a really thoughtful piece, especially the hope that there won't be need for secrecy.
Sadly, today, actually, his personal MySpace and all that queer virtual ephemera did disappear into the ether. I hope that armchair pop culturists, both Adam's fans and his detractors, will think of the position he is in, as you have, and give him some leeway in his communications, especially in these early days. His life is no longer his own, and what may seem like "choices" may not be choices at all.
He is such a big bright queer star - I truly hope they let him shine.
Posted by: vampicorn | May 26, 2009 at 08:30 PM
I saw some personal comments made to Adam's Myspace, before it was taken away(several days ago). It made me love Adam more. There's a real person behind all of this media crap and he is sweet, talented and beautiful! I luv you Adam!!!
Oh yeah, and he's very funny!
Posted by: caitie | May 29, 2009 at 09:59 PM
He makes all the nice (not actually that freaky) freaks like me happy.
Posted by: Ink | June 04, 2009 at 03:39 PM
LOL, I love the comment Neil posted back in Feb on Adam's page:
http://topidol.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/0037zcp79889880.png
He's hilarious: http://negativeneil.com/
Adam's entire family win at life.
Posted by: Zebra | June 04, 2009 at 03:48 PM