All posts tagged as: Adam Lambert
Kris Allen and Mike Huckabee Cover "Yesterday"
Hello, Sir Paul McCartney here, writing from London. I don’t usually write much, unless we’re talking gold records. I’m more comfortable singing. I was in a band called The Beatles; ever heard of them? I am the most successful recording artist of all time. You can look it up.
It has been brought to my attention that a failed politician with a joke of a political talk show and a singing contest winner who everybody knows got lucky have covered one of my songs.
I wrote “Yesterday” in my friggin’ sleep. You can look that one up, too. I also wrote “Let It Be” while watching a movie and doing a crossword puzzle, and “Yellow Submarine” while waiting for my tea to steep because Ringo was begging me to write him a hit. Don’t bother looking those two up.
Anyhow, getting back to this performance of “Yesterday” on the Huckabee show. I can understand why they would play such a brilliant song. (It has been covered more than any other song in the history of the world, including that one that plays at the end of The Sopranos.) But if I may say this to Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Allen, please stop. First of all, Kelly Clarkson is the one and only American Idol. Second, this is the worst thing that has happened to a Beatles song since Michael Jackson purchased our catalog. You are a terrible bass player and a cheesy singer, respectively (this coming from the guy who sang and played bass in Wings).
No more Beatles songs, ok?
In Support of Glambert
I know, I know. I’ve been telling you all season long-”vote for Adam, the nice Jewish boy from San Diego with the voice that goes all the way from here to Jerusalem”. I’ve been trying to rally the tribe around his “Yid” status as an impetus to see our very first Jewish American Idol in 8 seasons of the show.
But, this week, as we head into the grand finale, I think you should ignore my pandering in the name of religion. Just vote for Adam because he is the most talented vocalist in this competition. Period. He has proven, every week, that he can seriously bring a dose of heavy metal to the shtetl (i.e. rock the Kodak Theatre with an assortment of leather accessories and verbal gymnastics). Although the show has been careful not to delve deeply into his personal life (note: NO family reunions during his trip back to his hometown), Adam consistently brings a unique, memorable, edgy and delightfully over-the-top flavor to the show. More than any other contestant this year, it has been his showmanship and musicality that have made AI water-cooler talk (or, if you work from home, Blackberry Messenger-worthy?) all season long. He is the antidote to the unintelligible drivel of Randy, the “package”-addicted Kara, the “will-she-or-won’t-she-fall-out-of-her-top-tonight?” Ms. Abdul and the sartorially-stagnant Simon.
And, oh yeah, Adam just happens to be Jewish. Again, this is not THE reason to vote for him 20 times on Tuesday night, but a mere added bonus, a chance to break new ground on the AI stage. If Adam were to win the whole ‘kibosh and kneydl’, it would further authenticate and validate the place of Jews in American popular culture. Another sign that we are not just funny men (e.g. Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen) nor descendants of the Borscht Belt (e.g. Barbra Streisand, Paul Anka) but relevant, game-changing artists.
So as we say at the close of reading any of the books of the Torah (as my husband reminds we did last week): “Chazak chazak v’nitchazek — Last Man Standing video Be strong, be strong and let us strengthen one another.” Time to be strong, pick up that phone, and strengthen the chances of our collective bashert, the incomparable Adam Lambert.
Betting against Israel's (Eurovision) Future
Dear Team JDub: Adam Lambert is not my Moses. I haven’t watched American Idol once since season two. I don’t even know what night of the week it’s on. The show just doesn’t hold a candle to the annual Eurovision Song Competition. Eurovision, whose final round occurs this Saturday night in Moscow, is a living graveyard of international kitch that’s hard to take your eyes off of. For the pop-Zionists among you, Israel has had a lot of ups & downs in recent Eurovision history. And my gut tells me we’re looking at another down year.
Despite Israel’s duet having advanced to the final, and my not having listened to any other country’s Eurovision entry this year, I’m going on the record with a prediction: Israel will not finish in the top ten in 2009. And just in case you thought this blog didn’t matter: if Israel miraculously exceeds my Eurovision expectations, my next post will feature a laughably inferior Eurovision song entry–recorded by yours truly–for you to mock me with. Read on to find out why you won’t be hearing me sing. Read More »
Save the Jew!
Dear reader,
Last week I shuddered at the possibility that my gay Jewish knight in leather armor was going to be a footnote in American Idol history. I contemplated a week without his 70-octave range, his dashing black eyeliner and that…oh, what’s the word I’m looking for…that mensch-y quality about him that seems to keep his ego from going into another stratosphere.
Yes, folks. It’s sad but it’s true. Adam Lambert was in the bottom two. Mad world, indeed.
American Idol Bingo
Ok folks…the title is pretty self-explanatory on this one. In keeping with my continued fascination with AI’s front-runner, MOT Adam Lambert (or “glambert” as many other bloggers affectionately call him), I thought we would participate with two favorite Jewish pastimes: drinking and gambling.
Underdog Millionaire?
Today, we’re all about rooting for the underdog. Human interest stories, the people that shock and surprise us, display hidden talents and defy our communal stereotypes and expectations–those are the people we are most fascinated by and for whom we become cheerleaders. A perfect example? Susan Boyle. Although Simon seems to find a soft spot in his heart for judging his own people on Britain’s Got Talent, even he was rolling his eyes, raising his eyebrows and silently ridiculing Susan Boyle when she stepped on stage. The 47 year old, frumpy looking woman from “a collection of villages” looked laughable to him. And clearly to the rest of the audience as well. But then she opened her mouth to sing…..and shattered every pre-conceived notion floating around in Simon’s sarcastic little head
Jews. Underdogs.
These two words have historically been near synonyms for one another. Jews have never been much for dancing a victory lap or crushing a hapless opponent, but have rather been relegated, time and time again, to underdog status. (This is my husband’s rationale for why he believes that it’s unJewish to root for the New York Yankees.) Look at almost any chapter from Jewish history–the small band of Maccabees against the Greek Assyrians (Chanukah), Esther and her sackcloth-and-ashes wearing followers in Shushan (Purim), the Jews of Eastern Europe at ANY time, including the present–and you will discover a people destined to be eternal underdogs that were not supposed to survive, much less flourish. It’s just not part of our cultural DNA.
Which makes it all the more satisfying when one of our own (Adam Lambert!) is the odds-on-favorite to win the Holy Grail of televised singing competitions (mixed metaphor intended).
Born to be…..?
After a brief hiatus during which I have travelled to Vancouver and consumed way too much matzah, I have finally caught up with AI (thank goodness for DVR although, seriously, could the producers over at Fox PLEASE figure out how to time the show properly so we don’t keep missing the end??). This weeks theme, Movie Songs with Quentin Tarantino, provided additional fodder for the “Is Adam Lambert Gay?” question and, combined with last weekend’s Op-Ed in the New York Times
, seems to be the hottest topic of the year. My question is…why do we care?
In my last blog, I discussed the connection between Judaism and idolatry and there was a discussion about Adam’s connection to his Jewishness. I could discuss what Judaism has to say about homosexuality but, the truth is, I actually don’t think the opinions of the dudes who wrote the Torah before the time of the dinosaurs have a lot of relevance to today- especially in relation to sexual orientation. But, if you’re interested, you can look it up in Leviticus, 18:19.
In his rendition of Born to be Wild, I really couldn’t have cared less whether Adam was straight, gay, bi-sexual or transgendered. With Simon’s reference of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, it appears that Adam definitely appeals to wide and diverse base of music fans, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Another unbelievable performance that further confirms this guy has “superstardom” written all over him. So, in the same year, if a Jewish guy with questionable sexuality becomes the next American Idol and we put a black man in the White House, I would say that’s a pretty stellar year for America.
Adam Lambert is Jewish?!
My tribe has had a long, tumultuous relationship with idols. Abraham, the first Jew, delivered a smack-down to his father Terach’s idols as a symbol of rebellion. A mere 41 days after Moses went up Mt. Sinai to transcribe the Torah, he comes down to find his people dancing in a frenzied orgy around a copper cow (excuse me, “golden calf”). Our Top Ten Commandments devote prime placement to the fact that we should never bow down to graven images, statues, or anything else even remotely smelling like an idol. But anyone who thinks that Judaism has always basked in the sunshine of monotheism should go back and reread their history books. Whether picking up tips from their Egyptian taskmasters or the Canaanites with whom they would share zip codes, idol worship has always been a stone’s throw from the Jewish experience.
Coming out of the closet…
When I started working at JDub, I kept this dark, deep secret from my co-workers. I thought, if they knew, I would forever be banished, especially working at a record label. But, every year, I count down the days until January….until it starts….that’s right. You know it….American Idol! I’m a huge fan! Last year, I even dragged my husband to the American Idol 
tour in San Diego when I was eight months pregnant. It reminds me of when I was a kid and was a die hard fan of Star Search. Maybe I subconsciously wish I could sing or had the confidence to be on a stage. Either way, I might have to blog occasionally over the next ten weeks about the contestants in Season 8. If you’re a fan, feel free to make yourself known.
So, poor little Jasmine Murray (aka Barbie) got voted off this week, but followed by that performance by Kanye West-I forgot about her already! What a score for Idol to get Kanye on the show; usually their guest stars were HUGE–in 1972! In the choice between Jorge Nunez and Anoop Desai (aka ‘noop Dog), I couldn’t help but think that the show is in danger of losing all of its minority contestants. I really like Jorge but he chose a terrible cruise-ship song. But he might have a handicap: are they current with mainstream American pop culture in Puerto Rico? He should have sung in Spanglish.
I could comment on the mostly unintelligible comments of the judges but I will leave that to another Idol post. For now, it seems that Adam Lambert (whom my husband hates for screeching and chewing the scenery), Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds and Alexis Grace are still the frontrunners. Let’s hope the producers don’t pimp them too much over the next several weeks. Also, can we get a fashion consultant backstage to help these kids dress? Is that asking too much?