FU With a Loaded Smile - The Perfect Vindication

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The fall-out from the AMAs gave Adam plenty of publicity with the cancellation by GMA inadvertently giving him another huge boost and plenty of backing. That The Early Show immediately snapped him up just proves how much he is in demand. We were all curious as to how Adam would handle his first live TV appearance after the AMAs and I was eager for him to show the low-key side of him, reminiscent of the RoF-ToMT arc on AI. I wanted him to show everyone how well he could sing and that he wasn't a just gimmick meant to shock.

His morning look was great with light make-up and perfect imperfectly sculpted pompadour - very Elvis. He was still undoubtedly rockstar with his AMA red carpet jacket, some spray-on trousers with sparkle, clunky boots and fingerless leather gloves. There would no doubt be some questions about the awards show and Adam handled them with grace. Some of the questions were difficult and perhaps pushing for an apology or an admission of regret, but Adam seemed unflustered, speaking eloquently. He gave convincing and intelligent arguments, backing them up with valid examples and opened up a debate about sexist double-standards. He spoke with conviction and made me proud that he refused to back down.



Whataya Want From Me? was the ideal choice of song after all the controversy. The way it related to the situation gave it that extra poignancy. There was a slightly distracting plucky sound throughout the song but the arrangement stuck close to that of the album. Adam was pitch perfect in his heartfelt plea for patience and understanding. This was perfect answer and antidote to the criticism over his AMA performance. Bringing Leila on was a transparent attempt to turn him into sweet momma's boy Adam suitable for kids and daytime TV, but by doing that, it was also giving the finger to ABC for deeming him unsuitable for a morning show. And I loved the comment about the how shoulderpads help him bear the weight of the pressure.



Music Again had a completely different energy that was lively and fun. He did forget the lyrics by singing the betterer line twice and missed the first jump into falsetto but nailed everything else. I loved the interaction with Monte and the timbre of his vocals was beautiful. His interaction with the fans after leaving the studio only further endeared him.



Whataya Want From Me? on Letterman was filmed the day after the AMAs and Adam toned himself down to suit the occasion, looking smart in a satin jacket and tight sliver trousers. This wasn't as pitch perfect as the Early Show performance as some places could have done with a little fine tuning. The vibe was different though, being impassioned and angrier-sounding, reminding me much of his BoW performance. You could see that he meant every word of that song, which injected that extra intensity.

I think after these peformances, there may be people who will be revising their opinions on Adam after the AMA debacle, thinking they over-reacted. He's certainly proven that he can sing well live, he's shown himself to be articulate and charming under fire and demonstrated that he can tone it down to suit whatever platform he's on. As far as I'm concerned, Adam is the big winner out of this because he's rightly pointed out and made us question our hypocrisies while the networks have only further proven his point. He's expertly managed to deflect the bulk of the fire and remained consistently unapologetic for his actions. This was a measured 'Fuck You!' response to his critics delivered with a sweet and confident smile, earning even more respect from me. Well done Adam!