'islandgirljams' date='Mar 6th 2010, 11:32 AM'
Nat Murray Blog *based on interview to come out fro Sky News late*
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010
(always wanted to say this): Me and Adam Lambert
So my whirlwind trip to Sydney has pivoted to a full stop and, suddenly, here I am back in Hong Kong - almost as if I never left.
For the first time since moving here I feel a bit out of place in this country, sort of like dipping out and dipping in again muddied up the waters; crudely reminding me that I don't really belong here and am living in a very foreign place.
But that's another story, and another post.
Today I'm here to talk about Adam Lambert.
Disclaimer: If you have no interest in Adam Lambert, please skip this post, as you will find it exceptionally un-engaging.
I did some work for Sky News while I was back in Oz, slipping back into my old role of entertainment reporter for the network. That was the awesome job I had to give up to move to Hong Kong with my boyfriend; you can read all about it here.
It's bittersweet, falling back into a role - a part of yourself - that you weren't quite ready to give up... sort of like running into an 'it's complicated' ex: you are glad to see them, yet it burns at the same time.
Last week I heard Adam Lambert was in Sydney, and abruptly besieged my old entertainment colleague at Sky, begging to do the interview. She was head-high in pre-Oscars hell, and gladly pushed it my way with an 'Adam who??? Knock yourself out'.
Why thank you, I will.
I will confess, I'm a big fan of Adam Lambert. After interviewing the likes of Elton John, Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson, Cameron Diaz, Jerry Seinfeld, and squillions more, I don't really get star struck anymore... (insert a too-cool-for-school nonchalont throw back of head) "See darling... It's not that easy to impress me anymore".
Oh yeah, but Adam Lambert does.
Like many of his fans, I discovered 'Glambert' whilst casually switching to last year's American Idol, between ad breaks of something I was far more interested in. My boyfriend, who is not re exactly the 'artsy' type, whined and nagged about the whole thing - until Adam started singing. Yes, it was 'love at first hearing' with Mr Lambert - as week to week he belted out those sky-high notes, with a Mick Jagger swagger and Elvis Presley cute-as-a-button face.
I mean, how much sex appeal can one man have??? It's really quite criminal isn't it.
Don't worry, I'm very in love with my boyfriend, and am hardly Adam's type.
But nonetheless, somehow, Adam Lambert got me and my creatively-challenged other half into American Idol. And now we are dedicated fans, watching the new season with a faint look of despair as we realise wistfully 'no.... no... it can't be... there's no Adam?? No one that seems even as close to him in talent???'
So back to my interview with Glambert.
Here are the facts without giving a transcript, which I not only cannot do due to my inability to retain people's word-for-word responses, but am also unable to do as the footage belongs to Sky News.
He was very late. Well no, not that late, not by Rihanna standards, who left our crew waiting for several hours last time. But our interview kicked off an hour later than our scheduled time, which is definitely later than average. But a ton of media all chipped in for their fifteen minutes with Glambert, so we hardly blame him for that.
Plus, it's very 'rock star' to keep a TV network waiting.
He (blush, splutter, CPR, etc) was incredibly attractive... like really, really ridiculously good looking. Tall, lovely skin, cute rocky outfit, punky hair (with a guy stepping in to 'zsush' before we started) and those eyes. I don't think he wears contacts (I've seen many and can usually spot them) and the black hair and eyeliner really set them off... are they blue or green? Somewhere in between? A pale aqua? Tahitian blue, perhaps. Stunning. Did I mention CPR?
Anyhoo, onto more important things. Like what he actually said.
He was really keen for a chat, despite the fact that he'd had an early start on radio and had been on TV the night before... I also heard he'd gone out on the town after the show, so I suspect he was in need of some shut-eye. But he was still full of energy and gave 100 per cent of his attention during the interview, really stopping and thinking about the questions before answering them, and being completely honest and generous with his responses. This is truly a rarity in celebrity interviews and much admired by a reporter. All you ask of an artist is for something... Adam gave a lot. More than many.
He talked about the album and how pleased he is with the quality of the songs, despite having pressure to 'get it out there' before the Idol hype subsided. He addressed criticisms about the album being such a mix of styles, explaining that he loves so many flavours of music and wants to portray each of them, with every song having a different vibe - he didn't want For Your Entertainment to be anything other than an honest reflection of him.
One gets the impression early on: You either like it, or you buy someone else's album.
The man knows who he is and has nothing to hide.
Adam also said it doesn't matter to him at all that Kris Allen won Idol, and in the end they both got a recording contract with the same label anyway. He said he was even expecting not to win, after Danny Gokey's more conservative voters were tipped to revert back to Kris when he was knocked out. He was prepared.
Of course we talked about his sexuality - after all, he was in Sydney to perform at the Mardi Gras this weekend. He was really looking forward to it, and when I said 'aren't you scared you'll get mobbed onstage?' He cheekily replied 'not at all, in fact I hope I do!'
I asked him about the pressures of suddenly being labelled a spokesperson for the gay community, and he said it's an interesting challenge, although not one he signed up for. He wants to be known as a singer first and foremost and worries that the gay thing will overshadow his possibilities as a recording artist - but he also said he is an extreme person and loves 'hamming it up for the crowd' and flaunting his heart and soul to the world... so at least we know we're getting the real Adam.
He's very brave, this young kid with tahitian blue eyes - talking openly and publicly about such controversial topics, while remaining faithful to his true self. I told him that will get him respect.
I asked Adam about love and romance, and get the drift that (like most of us) he's still navigating the balance between having an open heart and risking romantic opportunities with an overdose of cynicism. It's hard to love, especially when you become world-famous overnight, and Adam's working it out like everybody else.
But with the world at his feet for a change - who has time for ordinary love?
Adam also gave me his hot tip for Idol this season (albeit premature!) however it was off-record, as he knows as soon as he says a name it will appear everywhere and could even swing votes. So Adam's secret remains safe with me. All I'll say is I'm now watching this person a lot closer than I was!
Overall Adam Lambert was exceptionally polite, and very gracious when copping a barrage of compliments from me and my cameraman (who is also a big fan). He kept smiling and humbly repeating 'thank you, that's so nice of you do say, that's really kind of you', etc. Swoon! This boy was raised right. He was also thrilled when I told him he looked like Elvis Presley and said he thought that was a big compliment.
I rushed off to board a plane to Hong Kong and Adam said goodbye to me twice. He cupped both my hands in his and affectionately squeezed them, whilst looking right into my eyes and thanking me. I just about died on the spot.
For the Hong Kongers, hate to drop the bad news, but Adam has no plans to come here as yet... Hong Kong was scheduled for this trip, however his management changed it to Singapore, which I can understand - American Idol is much bigger there.
So we lay in wait!
And I can't believe, despite giving up my great job to move to Hong Kong with the love of my life - I still got to interview Adam Lambert on the one week we were both in town. Our timing is truly excellent.
And it also inspired me to get back into entertainment reporting again from over here.
Now I just gotta learn who Andy Lau, Bibianna Yip Cho-Yan and Bobo Chan is! :-)
Gorgeous.
