CBS gave Adam Lambert a platform to address what he has said is a “double standard,” and in doing so they propagated one of their own.
Appearing on CBS’ “Early Show” Wednesday morning to discuss his controversial performance at Sunday’s American Music Awards, where he kissed a man and simulated oral sex, Lambert said that he thinks the controversy shows a double standard and that it wouldn’t be a story if he wasn’t a gay male.
Lending credibility to Lambert’s statement, CBS itself blurred footage of Lambert’s male-on-male kiss in the segment narrating the controversy, but seconds later did not blur the footage of Madonna kissing Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards, a move many are seeing as hypocritical.
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See for yourself… the “blurred” footage of Lambert appears 1:02 minutes into the clip; the un-blurred kiss between Madonna and Spears follows 18 seconds later.
CBS defended its decision, releasing the following statement:
“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.”
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Catch our earlier story with Lambert’s interview and performances on Wednesday’s “Early Show.”