GOOD BET ADAM LAMBERT WILL VISIT AMERICAN IDOL
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
Story By: G. H. HARDING
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| Adam Lambert |
BRIAN’S VIEW --- I attended yesterday’s taping of ABC‘s The View, where they had a fascinating and exclusive interview with Brian Wilson and his wife, Melinda.
I’ve been really knocked out by his most recent solo album, No Pier Pressure (it’s been immediately placed on my “Best of . . .” music list for this year, most assuredly) and I’m going to see the new movie, Love & Mercy, this weekend about Wilson and his Beach Boy brothers Carl and Dennis.
First off, this was the first time I’ve been to the new View studios, located a scant few blocks away from their old digs at 125 West End Avenue. An old-world cavernous studio, if there ever was one. I remember being there, with The Monkees and a Debbie Gibson/Tiffany appearance, and being amazed at the space. I mean, wow, you could have landed the Space Shuttle in there! But, that’s the way they did it back in the day.
The new space is decidedly smaller—tight, in fact—and Whoopi Goldberg firmly rules the roost. After the second coming (and going) of Rosie O’Donnell—where the two fought more than was necessary—Whoopi‘s more in control than ever and sets a really nice tone. She’s funny, poignant, terrific. I remain a huge fan.
Former View ‘er Joy Behar was present yesterday as well, and she was a hoot. She’s an old-school comic, and remains just drop-dead funny. Her lead story was how she and her husband fought over her driving. Think of her as the female version of Regis Phlbin. Funny . . . old-school, but funny.
Wilson and his wife were on the second segment. As soon as they came out, interviewed by Goldberg and Nicolle Wallace, you could sense Brian’s growing sense of unease. The hulking Wilson was a terrific interview, though, as an obviously-overwhelmed Goldberg peppered him with questions about the movie, as well as his new album.
Wilson wasn’t exactly chatty, but he did address her questions and you could sense that both the movie and the new album were important new works to him. Interestingly enough, when Goldberg was attempting to explain what his music has meant to her, she broke down . . . and co-host Wallace admirably stepped in.
I’ve seen Whoopi many times, and I know for a fact that this was a genuinely emotional moment for her.
A figure like Wilson can and should bring that out in anyone. His music is a vital part of the soundtrack of our lives.
It’ll be on today at 11:00 AM on ABC—check it out.
LAMBERT’S IDOL --- No matter the outcome of the final American Idol season, which will air in 2016, Adam Lambert will forever stand as the series’ most memorable showman. Still, six years removed from the show and with two albums under his belt, he’s finally ready to let the pressure of that impressive distinction go.
And, will he appear one last time on the show? I think you can bet on it!
In an interview with Next, for which Lambert appears on their June cover, the multi-octave belter mapped out the journey to his upcoming third album, The Original High, and, at 33, says he’s exactly where he wants to be.
“I wanted to take away a lot of the theatrics that I’m known for and just be a little bit more real—not so much of a character,” he told the magazine of his forthcoming collection of songs.
“Coming off of a show like Idol, I ended up being put in the category of the ‘rock ’n’ roll’ guy, so I was doing a lot of rock music. Then the second album I did kind of reflected this funk pop thing I was feeling at the time…[this time] I wanted it to feel authentic to my social life. It’s also nostalgic, in a way, for the ’90s.”
Lambert admitted that a new label and new co-workers have certainly changed his sound (“The people around you are the ones that make all these ideas come to life,” he noted), and added that he’s thrilled to see a certain collaborator—Tove Lo—making waves on charts.
“She’s the most down-to-earth, chill, fun-loving girl next door,” he said. “We wrote ["Rumors"] before “Habits” became a big hit, so getting to watch it climb the charts and her become a star is really exciting…She’s not trying to be P.C. about it. She’s just being honest and forthright. I really clicked with her on that."
The new album, The Original High, is out on June 12!
GLBT @ QPB: June is Gay Pride Month, and it turns out that Taking Woodstock author and gay rights icon Elliot Tiber gets to celebrate the occasion by seeing his brand-new memoir, After Woodstock, picked up by the popular Quality Paperback Book Club (QPB) as a top title for summer reading lists. Good things have happened for Tiber from the start of his now-three-book run with Long Island indie publisher Square One Publishers, including a fortuitous connection with PR pasha David Salidor on his first book back in 2007. Time will tell if Tiber's new GLBT-geared book is made into a feature film, as his first one was by director Ang Lee with James Schamus and the folks at Focus Features. In the meantime, though, every review for the book so far has been excellent and the fact that it has now been picked by one of the nation's strongest book clubs means that a lot more people are going to be embracing what looks to be Tiber's finest work to date. Having read it myself, I can say that After Woodstock stands as one of the best reads of this year - and that applies, whether you're gay or str8 . . .
CLOSING NOTES --- At yesterday’s View show; Raven Simone was also a guest host. First off, with her bleached-blond hair and Goth-like attire, I hardly recognized her. Also, she barely said anything during the show, save for a how-to segment with make-up queen Bobbi Brown. I felt a little bad for her . . .
Watching the new Netflix show Grace and Frankie (and, loving it). On episode number eleven, “The Secret,” the Lily Tomlin character confesses at the end that she made out once with a Monkee—Micky Dolenz. The episode ends with “She,” a song written by Boyce and Hart on which Dolenz sang lead back in late 1966. Terrific!
Watched ABC’s new show The Whispers, and really liked it. Based on a very early Ray Bradbury short story from 1951 (“Zero Hour”), its plot starts with a bunch of random children all with an imaginary friend named Drill . . . who has them do his evil bidding. Mysterious, right? Done very well, and with Steven Spielberg as executive producer (and who is also involved in CBS’ Under the Dome), you’d expect everything to be great . . . right? But, having invested so much time in shows like these (Flash Forward, Nowhere Man, The Event, Millennium), only to see them disappear after one summer season, I’m somewhat reluctant. This one has some great twists and Milo Ventimiglia (Batman, Heroes, Rocky Balboa) is there . . . so I’m compelled to keep watching. We’ll see.
Florence + The Machine on ABC’s Good Morning America later this morning. Great new album from her: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. It may be her best yet . .
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