Fan Fare

Wild child Adam Lambert sheds his family friendly “Idol” glow

“American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert built a broad base of support during his run on the show this year. After all, “Idol” got to be the top-rated program on U.S. television by appealing to moms, dads, teens, doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs and everyone in between.

So when he took the stage on Sunday night at the American Music Awards and simulated oral sex with a back-up dancer, kissed a male keybordist on the mouth and gestured to the audience with his middle finger, he was bound to lose some of that broad “Idol” audience. Lambert all but said as much when he told Rolling Stone magazine that if his performance “offends (people), then maybe I’m not for them.”

But was it right for Lambert to put on such a sexually charged performance at the AMAs on network television, shortly before 11 p.m. on the East and West Coast and before 10 p.m. Central Time, when some teens and younger viewers might still have been watching the show? Does Lambert bear a special responsibility to reign in his sexual provocation, since he presumably has many young fans from his “Idol” days?

ABC on Tuesday canceled Lambert’s scheduled appearance on its “Good Morning America” as a result of his performance at the AMAs, after it received more than 1,500 complaints about his stage antics, but the singer has other TV appearances lined up.

Of course, the fact that Lambert is openly gay plays a significant role in the controversy. Last week, Aaron Hicklin, the editor-in-chief of gay magazine “Out” posted an open letter to Lambert after the singer posed for a cover shot. In the letter, Hicklin said that Lambert’s record label and management insisted that the magazine “must avoid making (Lambert) look ‘too gay’” and that they insisted he only appear on the cover in a group shot, not by himself.

Hicklin also criticized Lambert’s appearance in the magazine Details, in which he was photographed cupping the breast of a statuesque, nude female model. Hicklin suggested it would have been more radical to pose with a guy.

Lambert responded to Hicklin’s criticism by telling Entertainment Weekly magazine that Hicklin “has his agenda and has his opinions, which I respect, but they’re not necessarily my opinions” and that the editor “really crossed a line” with his criticism.

Heidi Montag claims her “Miss Universe” performance was live

Her “reality” TV show “The Hills” may be largely fake, but current Playboy covergirl Heidi Montag says her recent musical performance at the “Miss Universe” pageant was the real deal, denying the plethora of reports that she was lip-synching her new song “Body Language.”

Getting into a limousine at Los Angeles International Airport, Montag responded with a smile when a paparazzo asked if Sunday’s performance was lip-synched. “I was as live as live can be,” Montag said.

Her husband Spencer Pratt also had a grin on his face as he said, “It was the livest performance in history.” And with that he rolled up the tinted window on his limousine. The whole exchange can be seen on video on the celebrity website TMZ.com.

But apparently, TMZ is not convinced. The news outlet’s headline reads, “Heidi Montag — Biggest Lie in the Universe.”

Montag also told the paparazzo that performing at the “Miss Universe” show was the “best experience” of her life. That is probably true, but what about her claim to have performed live? Was she just joking? Does she count dancing to a recorded vocal as performing live? Or, in the words of John Lennon, are Montag and Pratt just playing “mind games forever” on the public?

Heidi Montag fails to win universal praise at Miss Universe

Hollywood’s resident reality TV villain Heidi Montag performed her song “Body Language” at the “Miss Universe” pageant on Sunday, as several critics reacted by saying it was bad — but could have been worse.

Montag, 22, gained fame for appearing on MTV reality show “The Hills,” becoming a TV celebrity before she made her mark with anything resembling what celebrities normally do to get famous, like singing or acting. On “The Hills” and on subsequent TV appearances, Montag has earned a reputation for being a personality whom TV viewers don’t really like, but can’t keep their eyes off.

Of late, Montag has tried to make a name for herself as a singer. She also appeared in the September issue of Playboy, as her husband, fellow reality TV “bad boy” Spencer Pratt, interviewed her for the piece. Among other things, Montag told her husband that she experienced great sex with him and she might want another boob job.

As for Montag’s performance at the Miss Universe pageant, a writer at Entertainment Weekly said it featured “moderately competent lip-syncing, some Britney-wannabe choreography … and that’s about it.”

But celebrity blogger Perez Hilton wrote, “while it was most definitely bad — it wasn’t EMBARRASSINGLY bad!”

Ditto for paparazzi website X17, an outfit that is very familiar with Montag. They wrote, “you have to admit that it could have been way worse!”

Check out the video of her performance below.