The advocacy group Parents Television Council is asking its members to contact ABC, Dick Clark Productions, and the show’s advertisers to complain about the “tasteless and vulgar” content of the AMAs, aired Sunday night on the network—specifically, Adam Lambert’s finale performance, which featured S&M costumes, dancers on leashes, and simulated oral sex.
“American teenagers – and especially teenaged girls – are literally under siege by the entertainment media,” said PTC president Tim Winter in a statement. “It is outrageous that children today cannot watch a televised awards program for an industry that is built squarely on their backs. Teens comprise a huge portion of music sales, yet this is how they are treated? It is beyond contemptible.”
“ABC and Dick Clark Productions had every reason to know what to expect,” he continued, “as Lambert himself proclaimed that his performance would be ‘very sexy’ and would include leather and chains. But the producers and the network chose to bury their heads in the sand.”
The show aired live at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT with a TV-14 L rating; the oral sex scene was edited out of the West Coast broadcast.
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Oh, PTC, I am so tired of hearing you complain
Yet the PTC remarkably has no problem with all the viagra and cialis commercials that air Sunday afternoons during NFL games.
Good point! Same with all those lady issue commercials with mother nature… those commercials gross me out more than Lambert’s performance did.
Cris? Can’t ya see it now? “Mommy? What is erectile dysfunction?”, LMAO! PTC=Parents Totally Clueless.
They need to own responsibility! AMAs were rated PG-14. Duh…do they not know that the “PG” stands for “Parental Guidence”?? Not Sociatal guidence!Thanks! XD
you would think it would be more appropriate for the PTC to slam parents for not taking more responsiblity for what their kids watch.
if i’m not mistaken a rating of TV14 means that your young kids shouldn’t have been watching it alone in the first place. parents who aren’t even educated about TV ratings have no right to complain. those ratings are there for a reason, its not meant to just take up space on the tv screen. nevertheless, people still think they have the right to complain even after they were warned.
hey parents: take more responsiblity for what your kids watch. Adam’s performance was on for a good 3-5 minutes, so if you thought the beginning of the performance was inappropriate, it was up to YOU to change to channel. don’t blame the network for your inaction!
You misunderstand the purpose of the PTC. They are all about parents NOT taking responsibility for their children. It’s always someone else’s fault!
Ah, just how are parents supposed to “take control” of a show that is being aired live? In this case, that’s not possible. It’s not like it’s a movie where there is at least some guidance ahead of time. It’s not like Dick Clark Productions indicated that, oh by the way, you’ll get to see a simulated blow job during one of the performances tonight. Frankly, it doesn’t matter on bit whether it was gay or straight oriented, Adam did exactly what he intended, made himself into a talking point.
Maddy: The rating of TV14 at the beginning of the program is the warning for parents. As for control? HELLO…turn the bloody tv off!
RIGHT YOU ARE sARA! hIGH FIVE!! ^5!Plus, where was the parental concern when the first performer, Janet Jackson, grabbed the crotch of one of her male dancers?? Shouldn’t THAT have rung a few bells?? Hellooo??? Sara is right and parents must take the responsibility and stop trying to police everyone else just because they have kids! To me, that is a form of discrimination against people who have no children whether by choice or circumstance. Adam is right, he is not a babysitter and his performance was after 10:45 PM, definitely NOT primetime! Get a life people and while you’re at it, take responsibility for your own kids!Watch Disney!
who lets there young kid stay up late on a school night. at 10:55 to watch tv let start blaming the parents. you knew what you were getting in to when you let your kid watch this.
If they took more personal resposibility for their children and less time in church, then there would be no problem. Millions of people through history have been vilified in the name of morality. They need not speak for me. My kids were in bed way before Adam went on. While I didnt personally enjoy his performance, I grant him the freedom to pursue his artistry. Just as I give the PTC their right to religious zealotry. The difference is they wish to take my own right away.
Let them slam all they want but I am so sorry the HATERS have decided to bring their kids into this! I have said this before – did you know that kids as YOUNG AS 13 are HAVING SEX THESE DAYS???? Get a life – what Adam did is nothing to be concerned about! If the parents are worried they should not let their kids attend school!!!
Who do I call to complain about those parents letting their kids stay up until 10:45 to watch television?
Exactly. I would not have been allowed to watch this until I was at least in high school. PTC would rather complain about what’s on TV instead of suggesting that parents actually, you know, PARENT.
You forgot about the time zones
It aired at 8pm on both coasts… regardless of time zone. I believe it started at 7pm in Mountain and Central, which means Lambert didn’t come on until 9:45.
Bullsh*t buddy. Even if my kid is in HS I don’t want them watching crap like this. You think HS kids aren’t up at 10:45? That is an adult performance he should save for his own tour not an awards show.
Oh, please! There was nothing remotely too risque for high school age kids. Your high school kids have seen far worse. News flash: your high school kids have probably had sex!
Hey blackirish…I call bulls!it on you. If you have a high school kid that doesn’t know how to process such a spectacle, you did a poor job of raising your child. Have you ever been to a high school and witnessed the teen parties and sex and debauchery? Adam would seem downright tame in comparison.
here’s a novel idea… change the channel.
I don’t know what highschool you went to that had parties that featured people on leashes and other S/M crap, but I’m glad I didn’t go there.
since it was thanksgiving, it wasn’t technically a school night so most children were up.
Not sure what school district you’re in but it’s more lenient than mine. School let out for Thanksgiving on Wednesday here so Sunday night? Most definitely a school night.
Exactly!!!!
While I (a fan of Adam’s) disliked his performance, I agree with you. Parents,take control of what goes on in your home!!
Hey chief, it’s Thanksgiving week. Schools are out. Kids stay up later. Also, the show is a family show that starts at 7pm in the central time zone. Ofcourse the tweens are going to stay up and watch the american idol runner up. All of you who act like it’s not a problem are incredibly obtuse.
I hate to get nit-picky, but since when did schools give kids a week off for Thanksgiving? How about I agree to get over that annoying detail and you agree to save your anger and energy for real problems.
Oh, there’s a problem. Crappy parents like yourself are the problem.
Plenty of schools have a week off for Thanksgiving, especially in the South. Personally, Lambert should have saved this for MTV, but if he wanted to get people talking about about him, he succeeded.
Nick, kids in Central Florida have had a full week off for Thanksgiving for the past three years… My teens were up at 10:45, during their vacation, and we had to turn off the TV because of this vulgar display!
Since when have children in the South been given a week off from school for Thanksgiving? In truth, it really doesn’t matter if they stayed up to watch the AMA’s or not. Kids can simply go to you tube and watch the entire performance.
Austin, Texas, here. And my teen has the whole week off. I didn’t like the performance, and my son hated it. But AL sure is getting publicity. I don’t think any parent would have thought they needed to monitor based on his AI performances. Now, they know better.
Raleigh: How can you say that you don’t think any parent would have thought they needed to monitor the AMAs? THE AMAs? Lady Gaga’s performance, while amazing, was still oddly risque with the weird outfit on…Shakira shaking her backside…Carrie Underwood wearing hotpants and gyrating like a pole dancer? Eminem and 50 Cent getting bleeped every so often? NONE of that warrants a monitor? Wow…so it really is just about the gays…
I’m sorry, but what do you expect from Adam Lambert, a Partridge Family reinactment? He’s not the only “vulgar” act ever in the history of MUSIC AWARD SHOWS. Artists push the envelope, and they do it on purpose, and they do it well. Obviously Elvis’ gyrating hips totally ruined a whole generation, right? Gee, why don’t we ever learn??? The PTC is absolute crap. I thought they were completely pointless as a teenager, and now it just makes me incredibly angry as an adult. If your kid can fight in a war in a couple years and vote, chances are they’ll be able to handle a music performance with a guy/guy kiss. Yeesh.
Skip? It was still rated PG-14, meaning parents should have been expecting a little risque! Where is your outrage over Janet Jackson’s male-crotch grabbing?? Double standard again? Get real and grow a pair!While you’re at it, stop using your kids as an excuse for your own prudish/homophobic views! The same show as Gaga, Jackson, Shakira and Eminem/50 cent and you have the nuts to act outraged?? Would be laughable if it weren’t such a sad commentary on the complete idiocy of America nowadays.
This was not done in good taste. It was vulgar. It aired at 8:00 on the west coast and it use to be a good show to watch and not any more.
@Lette411
Actually thanks to Dick Clark Productions this video & all other related videos from the 2009 AMA’s were removed from Youtube due to violations of terms. Or something like that.
But on topic, I agree w/the whole if you don’t like it than turn it off deal. And if you don’t want your kids watching then do that parenting thing & change the channel or make them go to bed…you know parenting things.
The PTC sure are an annoying bunch.
Diana, do you have children? Watch out because they are probably having SEX once they reach 13. We are no longer in the 20th century open your eyes!!
thanks!!!!!
Yet nobody complains about the CSIs, with their impalements, decapitations, eye-gougings, dismemberments and other creatively graphic scenes. American society is pathetic…it’s ok to expose our kids to violence, death and cruelty, but a little sexiness, sex or affection is too much…
Spot on!
This is what I don’t get – a show like Criminal Minds, which while entertaining can be VERY depraved in the stories they tell – and not a peep. Murder, dismemberment, it’s all fine. Sex – particularly anything that suggests gay sex – makes people act like the world is coming to an end. In their eyes, it would have been better he come out and slash someone’s throat on stage.
I couldn’t have said it better,Mike.Well stated.
good call mike… agree 100%
Exactly. Violence is okay, but sexuality (a completely normal and natural part of life) is the end of the world.
I think the point is with a show like Criminal Minds and CSI you know what you are getting already, parents of young kids know that those shows contain inappropriate things that young viewers should not see, with the AMA’s most parents probably assumed it would be ok for their kids to watch with an awards show like that you don’t expect so see simulated oral sex.
Dana, I have to disagree. There is never a moment with music stars that people don’t find distasteful. Not only that, they were plugging Adam’s performance all throughout the broadcast as “outrageous” and the like. If you didn’t know what was coming, you simply weren’t paying attention.
And I don’t see the big deal about this anyway–aside from the horrid vocal performance. Young kids aren’t going to get the sexual references (especially the simulated oral sex), and older kids should know how to process and respond to this sort of thing already. The end.
Dana-Thank You! Award shows are suppose to be family friendly with the exception of the MTV Movie awards. Adam is using the fact that he is Gay to sell his album. There is nothing wrong with that but he should use better judgement. My guess is if he doesn’t change his appearance then he’ll just be another Idol who fell off the charts
You’re so right Danny since it was being plugged as “sexy” or “outrageous” I should have instantly equated that with simulated oral sex!
Danny, Seriously?? You don’t have kids do you? Even if the younger ones don’t understand it they tend to re-enact what they see. You think it’s ok for a 10-12 year old to go around school with their friends thrusting at each others faces??
I, didn’t see the performance, but just for morality sake. As an artist; someone trying to express himself and messege to his fans. He must maintain awareness of who hearts and minds he touch.
mikey- if your 10-12 year old is stupid enough to thrust their pelvis in another person’s face just because someone did it on TV, you have bigger problems than Adam Lambert.
Maybe try having an honest conversation with your kid about what they saw, if they were confused.
I don’t see how this is any worse than an average Madonna performance.
A+++
“Affection.” ha! The whole performance was contrived and horrible.
While you make a good point, PTC’s main charge is that the demographic of music shows is largely teenagers (moreso than that of CBS dramas). So it’s not just the content, but who it is being marketed to.
That’s one perspective. The other is that the CSI franchises are the latest in a long line of crime dramas that are doing what they need to do to keep the audience interested. The violence on the shows is comparable to what is seen in video games and movies. Those don’t even compare to what Lambert did in his performance. Violence, unfortunately, is part of our DNA. Watching it is better than performing it. Homosexuality isn’t apart of the mass audience’s DNA. Not everyone wants to see that.
The song isn’t about affection though… the lyrics are about violent sex, which needs to be explained as the fantasy it is. A song with lines like “I’ma hurt ya real good baby,” and “It’s alright, You’ll be fine, Baby I’m in control” is going to have a routine to match, but it is so important to understand that that kind of sexual encounter is a fantasy – completely alright to have, but not to be equated with all sexual experiences. My biggest worry is that young teenagers won’t grasp the distinction, particularly girls, who are not empowered by the impression that sex is something in which they will be told to “take the pain.”
Well, gee, thanks for the concern you and the PTC have for teenage girls. Obviously they’re so stupid they must be protected. Personally, I think they can think for themselves (just like guys can, imagine that!) and won’t take music lyrics literally. Just my theory, though. But thanks for the concern for teenagers, in particular teenage girls. As a woman, I am incredibly offended that we are something that must be ESPECIALLY protected — from ourselves, no less! Who knows that we might think about the world! The horror!
TellyB those shows are on at 10 pm at night. Most teens should be in bed by that time if the parents are parenting.
well, remember the Super Bowl and Janet Jackson. OMG…a boob. I love my country but hate that it is governed by a bunch of uptight morons ashamed of themselves. Long live Canada,
I slam it because it was laaaaaaaaaame
Where was the PTC when Brintney crawled around in a see through jumpsuit and g-string? How about her snake? At least Adam was fully clothed! Is it bad when a man makes himself a sex object, but somehow OK when a barely-legal girl does it? Or is it that we know the man in this case prefers other men?
PTC, your homophobia is showing…
Agree with Telly. Why are we so prudish about sex, but violence is perfectly permissible? In Australia they can show nudity, but not even so much as a sword fight. Really, what’s more damaging? American society is ridiculous sometimes. Also, if your child is awake at 10:45 on a school night watching this, then you have no right to complain about the content of the programming.
I slam PTC for reminding me of American Music Akwardness and its bunch of off-key singing, falls and so-called “fierce” dressing.
you mean lip-syncing – don’t think a single person really sang on that show
The Idols did, at least. Whitney and Alicia Keys, too.
You call what the Idols do singing – fine – it just moving the lips to me…
Gaga did. She always does. How dare you? How dare you?
You must have left the room when Kelly Clarkson came on.
Kelly Clarkson NEVER lip syncs. Her voice is AMAZING!!!!!
Were they not aware who was performing? I’ve got kids, including a teenager – pay attention to the programs they watch, and if it’s inappropriate, don’t let them watch. And if a show is going to have Eminem and 50 Cent on it (and they’re not even the ones you read about), it’s probably not going to be family-friendly. When they saw Carrie Underwood dressed nlike a cheap whore, they should have realized the less wholesome acts to folloe would be worse and turned the sets off then. Get lives PTC.
I must be getting old because I tend to agree with the too-hot-for-tv comment. Is something I expected to see on the MTV awards not AMA on ABC. It was a bit tasteless and if the audiance was homophobic then this would be considered vulgar. Ganted if he was a woman and the whole thing would just have been racy not obseen.
Sorry for typos – trying to type and walk at the same time.
Were they not aware who was performing? I’ve got kids, including a teenager – pay attention to the programs they watch, and if it’s inappropriate, don’t let them watch. And if a show is going to have Eminem and 50 Cent on it (and they’re not even the ones you read about), it’s probably not going to be family-friendly. When they saw Carrie Underwood dressed like a cheap whore, they should have realized the less wholesome acts to follow would be worse and turned the sets off then. Get lives PTC
Nothing new from the Peanut Gallery. Even if Adam Lambert did not do the libido performance, they still would have found something in the AMAs to complain to the FCC about. PTC reminds of that episode of the Simpsons where Ned Flanders sat attentively in front of the TV with a notepad looking for everything wrong on the program he was watching and it was a squeeky clean TV show. PTC IS what’s wrong with society.
Did you see last week’s Simpsons when Ned said he grounded Rod and Todd because Rod watched a one-minute commercial for Grey’s Anatomy and Todd took a day to tell him? Hilarious!
Aww… I missed the Simpsons on Sunday. Oh well, I’ll catch it on You Tube.
That was hilarious!
I agree – parents…don’t let your kids stay up on a school night until 11pm to watch TV. If you’re so concerned then watch the program before you let your children watch it. I’m so sick of people complaining when they let the TV babysit their children.
OK. Here it is. Lambert did a dress rehearsal that afternoon which I watched a clip of on U Tube before the LIVE show was on. If ABC had wanted to make changes to his act, they had plenty of time. Ryan Seacrest produced the show. That’s who should be taken out and whipped.
Yawn.
People just need to GET OVER IT, Adam was there to ENTERTAIN US, and that is exactly what he did. I think he did an excellent job and if people are that shallow they need to stop watching tv shows (especially award show) and bury there heads in the dirt because that is exactly where they belong. I SUPPORT ADAM 1 MILLION PERCENT!!!
How much were you paid to come to this post and say this???
My feelings about the PTC have little to do with Adam Lambert. He’s just the most recent catalyst. I love Adam, but he’s not infallible. He has nothing to do with the fact that the PTC can go gently caress themselves now.
This isn’t about Adam Lambert. This is about PTC once again trying to dictate to us, and the public en masse, on how we should conduct ourselves in our daily lives. Earth to PTC, mind your dang business.
Oh, I think PTC is just exercising its freedom of expression. You don’t have to like it, or read about it, or listen to it. Kind of like Adam, right?
Tina, like Very Annoyed Person said in another post, there is a big difference between the PTC saying “In my opinion Adam Lambert was inappropriate” and the PTC saying “Government I found Adam Lambert’s performance offensive and I want you to punish him and ABC.” That’s not Freedom of Expression, that’s Fascism.
Whoops!!! I meant to say “Like I said in another post.”
I support Adam 100% also. Has everyone forgot about Madonna humping a cross!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh I guess thats ok for kids to see. Or her planting a good one on Britney!!!!!!!!! Oh I guess thats ok for kids to see women being sexual. You go Adam. Love ur cd. Am listening to it right now. People should at least listen to his cd once before they say he cant sing. You are soooooooooooooooooo wrong about his ability to sing. He is awesome.
Listing the bazillions of other objectionable things that have been shown on television is silly. What makes you think those of us who thought Adam’s performance was inappropriate don’t think those things are, too, to one degree or another? Adam is the topic of this conversation. I think Adam has a fabulous voice – when he wants to – and he was really creative on AI, more than any other contestant. But this performance sucked in every way imaginable. Horrible vocals (love your voice Adam, don’t remember you having pitch problems on AI, but you sure did at the AMA’s, and would you PLEASE stop screaming?); mediocre song; gratuitous BDSM imagery that left nothing to the imagination and entirely overshadowed the song and his singing; not an ounce of nuance to the entire performance. It has nothing to do with his being gay or “the children”, who could find a way to watch the thing on You Tube even if their bedtime was 6:00 p.m. The performance was self-indulgent, disappointing, and clearly for HIS entertainment. It was a perfect chance for him to not only keep his AI fans but expand the fanbase with a knockout vocal. He blew it.
VAP-Like *I* said in another post, we are the government, each of us has every right to try to voice our opinion as to how it should be run. Otherwise we wouldn’t have elections. I’m sure the PTC knows it’s spitting in the wind, but they’re standing up for what they believe. I see nothing wrong with that.
Tina, like I said before, and in other posts, PTC has a right to their opinion, no one is saying they cannot spout their opinions to the public. But they should not be using government legislature to punish people because they were “offended”. Do you understand what I am saying? Using our government to punish people for freedom of speech, art or thought is wrong. It goes against everything our country stands for. It is the one freedom that sets us apart from even the most democratic societies like Britain and France. It’s because our government does not punish people for having an opinion, expressing their thoughts, or performing art in good or bad taste. That is what makes this nation great.
I didn’t know that BJ is a art form. It is porn. If you think this is entertaining, then why don’t you just rent an adult vedio.
I didnt know that naked men was art either yet Michaelangelo and David is revered everyday.