Wednesday was a day full of Adam Lambert sightings and events for Carol& Lila, admins of theAdam Lambert Official Unofficial Fan Club, and a few others of us who were lucky enough to join them.We were high on excitement, anticipating seeing Adam livetwiceon Wednesday, February 9, 2011, as members of the audience on televisionsThe TalkandExtra.
Ihadnt attended an audience taping since I was a child, so the whole process interested me.We drove to the CBS lot at9 a.m., parked, and walked to where they were checking IDs, searching our purses for contraband, and walking everyone through a metal detector.Then we walked some more to a holding room simply a room filled with benches and chairs and lots of Adam Lambert fans.
The holding room already had a party atmosphere.Everyone was chatting, laughing, and taking pictures.No pictures, cameras, or visible cell phones were allowed on the set, so now was the time to take photos of each other.I saw some familiar faces from Adams concerts, and chatted with various people.People had flown in from all over just to see Adam Lambert onThe Talk.Chicago,MexicoCity,New Yorkno distance was too far for fans to go to see Adam even for just a few fleeting minutes.
A few CBS nannies dressed in red jackets and black pants babysat and entertained us with antics while we sat there and sat there and sat there.Finally, a more official, very funny guy showed up fromThe Talkitself.His job was to organize us, explain things to us about the show, and choose a few audience members to ask Adam questions and participate in the show.
All he would tell us about the latter was that the chosen few needed to be able to sing, should know Adams lyrics, and couldnt have met Adam before.All kinds of things ran through my head when they announced that.Was an audience member going to sing a duet with Adam?I tried to imagine what was going to happen.
Finally, after what seemed like forever (time magnified by Adam-nerves),The Talkshow funny guy escort led us through the streets of CBS studios past cottages and trailers reserved for the stars.We walked this way and that through a maze of cottages, trailers, and sound stages and walked and walked and walked.
Finally, we stopped.My heart beat a little faster as I realized we were at the sound stage forThe Talk.Adam was just on the other side of that wall!I got more excited, more full of nervous energy every moment.
Let me pause for a side note.I know all of this sounds a bit silly nervousness, heart palpitations, and anticipation running wild something a 14-year old might go through over her crush on Justin Bieber.Trust me, I am far, far away from 14 years of age.Why these feelings over a singerany singer I cant fully explain.No singer, no celebrity has ever affected me this way.Except Adam Lambert.
Yet here I was, in a crowd of women (and a few men) who completely understood how I was feeling about this singer called Adam Lambert.People in my daily life didnt understand.But here, somehow I felt at home with my Glamily fans who totally understood how I felt because they felt the same way.
Outside the sound stage our funny guy escort fromThe Talkpumped us up, got us excited by having us clap and whoop (as if we needed him to get us any more excited than we already were), and finally led us in to the studio, where we were all seated.
More getting us pumped up, more clapping and whooping followed I guess to get us animated enough for it to come across on camera.On camera, it was explained to us, everything needed to be magnified bigger gestures, louder clapping, and so on.Here I thought that those bigger, broader actions were reserved for the stage, not for the watchful eye of the camera that saw virtually every nuance in gestures and facial expressions.Nevertheless, we performed like a good audience should.
The Talkhosts - Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, and Leah Remini - finally came out on stage.The stage was set up almost like someones living room or den a book case and staircase stage left, couches and overstuffed chairs in the background.They chatted on about men doing manly things like breaking down doors, changing a car battery, and so on.We politely clapped and laughed.
One of the hosts (Sharon Osbourne I think) at last said, And coming up after the break Adam Lambert!The audience virtually exploded with cheers and clapping.The ladies ofThe Talkpanel just looked at us, the audience, a bit surprised and chuckled at how passionately we reacted to that announcement.
A panel member said something about never having had an audience quite like us we were the most enthusiastic crowd theyd ever had.Well, duh!They had never had a guest quite like Adam Lambert, either!The commercial break ended, and finally the reason for all the anticipation, all the nervous excitement walked through the doors onto the stage.
Adam Lambert entered, a broad white smile gleaming and blue eyes sparkling, the audience showering him with a roar of clapping no, a standing ovation!Whoops and cheers and fervent clapping rose in crescendo and threatened to never end.We waved the various posters we had which, by the way, they had given to us.I want to clarify that, because Ive seenfarbetter posters in concerts than we had onThe Talk.I know the Glamberts are capable of much more.But unfortunately, we were not allowed to create and bring our own.
Adam smiled ear to ear as we continued clapping; then after acknowledging all the applause, he finally sat down.The loud applause continued along with the cheers.But we could see he was about to talk.Immediately we grew so quiet you could hear our hearts beat.
No behind-the-camera prompting was necessary for us to quiet down.The audience monitor who told us when to clap and when to be quiet eventually gave up trying to direct us.We were doing everything perfectly in fact, probably better and more than they ever expected.
Adam talked about being nominated for a Grammy, and the audience again burst into applause. He talked with the panel members about what kinds of manly things he could do, and we learned he could break down doors, change a car battery, and do all sorts of things.Asked if he could do a firemans carry, he didnt just say yes he picked up Sara Gilbert and demonstrated it for us!
Then Adam talked about his charitable contributions.For Adam Lamberts29th birthday on January 29th, he asked fans to donate toCharity:waterinstead of sending him gifts.In the first few hours his fans met the original goal of $29,000.On his birthday itself his fans raised $115,000 in just one day!Finally, shortly after his birthday, Adams fans reached the new goal he had challenged us with - $290,000.
A few members of the audience asked Adam some insightful questions, then later on duringThe Talk, three women participated in a game called Silence of the Lambert.They were shown an Adam Lambert video, and then it was stopped after a minute or so.
The audience member then had to sing the lyrics that came after that point for a few bars.It was funny, fun, and Adam was gracious and smiling, as usual.Kudos to the brave women who got up there to sing Adams lyrics.I would have been so nervous just being that close to Adam I doubt I could speak, much less sing!
Regardless of what was going on during the show, I sat in rapt attention, watching every move Adam made, listening to every word he spoke.Before I knew it, the show was over.The time went by in a flash.It was way too short.
I had never sat in an audience where Adam was just talking live.Before, the only times I had seen Adam was in concerts.But atThe TalkI could have sat there for hours, just listening to Adam talk.Heck, he could have simply read the telephone book, and I would have been happy.But all good things must come to an end, and all too soon the show ended.
After the show was over, Carol, Lila, some friends, and I walked back to our cars and then drove across Los Angeles, straight for The Grove an outdoor mall near Farmers Market whereExtra!was being shot that day.
We had a long wait before Adam came out to be interviewed but none of us minded one bit.Adam Lamberts fans will literally wait for days to see him.When I attended the Music Box concert onDecember 15, 2010, I met some fans who had literally waited for over 24 hours to get into this general admission concert.And they waited with laughter, camaraderie, and eager anticipation, sharing stories about Adam.
Thats one thing that is so very special about being an Adam Lambert fan spending time with other fans that can totally relate to how you feel about Adam.For minutes, hours, or days I feel totally at home with complete strangers the Glamily when I go to Adams events.
Adam finally walked toward theExtra!cameras at about 2 p.m., where in an interview he talked about his nomination for a Grammy and about how excited he was to go to the Grammies.He answered questions about how he felt about American Idols new judges, and continued to answer other questions posed to him.
We fans hung on Adams every word.If you look at the video ofExtra, just notice some of the faces in the crowd.It isnt hard to tell who is thoroughly smitten with Adam.
Even though I was too far to hear what Adam was saying, I still sent adoring looks toward him as did all of his fans there.Just having a whole day that was all about Adam Lambert was such a treat.Carol, Lila, some friends and I had started Adamizing our lives at dinner the night before we went toThe TalkandExtra!Then the day of the shoots we continued talking about Adam, watching him, listening to him, and trying to thoroughly absorb every single Adam-minute we could.
For a few glorious moments we could forget about the Adam-withdrawal we had been going through since the Glam Nation Tour.That dose of Adam we got onFebruary 9, 2011, should sustain us for awhile until once again we grow hungry for more of Adam Lambert.
- Sandra Essary
To watch Adam Lambert on The Talk, clickhere.
While reading Entertainment Weeklys Oscar Edition (Feb. 4, 2011), I came across Life After Idol by Tanner Stransky. Of course my pulse quickened, hoping theyre heaping praise on Adam Lambert. Yes, hes pictured in the main photo so I know its going to be good!