(Possible) controversy alert! Idolatry, EW.com’s humble video series devoted to all things American Idol, is being sucked into the No-Spin Zone. That’s right, Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor will be excerpting our interview with Idol’s season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert for an episode airing tonight at 8 p.m. EDT (and repeating at 11 p.m.).
I’m not sure what to expect, exactly, but here’s a little context: During my freewheeling, candid Idolatry chat with Mr. Lambert, I had asked if he’d seen an O’Reilly Factor segment from earlier in the season during which host Bill O’Reilly blurred out photos of Adam kissing another man and called them "embarrassing." When I raised the question "embarrassing to who?" Adam replied, "I wasn’t embarrassed. I guess he was. Bill was embarrassed." So you know where we’re headed, right? Straight up Molehill Mountain, the land where narcissistic TV hosts grab onto any little soundbite that makes the news about them. And now, here I am, blogging about O’Reilly building a show around an interview I did with an Idol contestant that referenced an O’Reilly segment that was focused on said contestant. Coming soon to your dictionary, next to the word "meta": A picture of my ridiculous pink dye-job.
O’Reilly’s web site teases their story thusly: "’Idol’ runner-up Adam Lambert sounds off on Bill! We’ll play you the tape." Newsflash to fans of The O’Reilly Factor: The interview, in its entirety, is embedded after the jump! Guess there’s no need to tune in to O’Reilly after all!
UPDATE: Color me plum surprised! O’Reilly actually praised Adam for his Idolatry comment that TOF’s two female contributors gave him props during the telecast in question. But riddle me this: If O’Reilly wants us to believe he truly operates in a "no-spin" zone, how come he neglected to air any of Adam’s Idolatry quotes that could’ve been construed as critical or mocking of the Fox News host? Also, dude needs a serious education about First Amendment. Maybe he should start with this link?
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I love that you are going to be on O’Reilly in all of your Allison Iraheta Pink glory Slezak! Wow, Idolatry is really getting around…
wens the next idolatry interview coming? u promised on friday!
That was an awesome interview Michael. You brought up so many interesting topics and Adam was extremely revealing and engaging. O’Reilly is a tool.
Well atleast it’s good publicity for EW and Idoltatry. How many days has A.I been done again?
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/05/29/jon-kate-being-investigated-for-child-labor-complaint/
Michael, you conducted the BEST interview with Adam I’ve seen. Guess O’Reilly is missing his “Inside Edition” roots, popular culture being more interesting lately than politics. If he’s rude to Adam, Bill will be get a avalanche of nasty emails.
On a side note, Bill keeps saying he’s “never seen American Idol”. So Bill, WHY are you talking/reporting on something you have no first hand knowledge of?? Isn’t that journalism 101???
Slezak! Kris’ Idolatry episode was supposed to be up yesterday. We’re going crazy here! Can you give us any sort of updated time frame?
Bill is a joke and your interview with Adam was the best Adam interview yet. Thanks for it!
Now where’s Kris’s interview?? I am insatiable. (Also, I am awaiting Gokey’s with great glee.)
Look at it this way Michael…people will get to see your wonderful new hairdo!!!!
O’Reilly is a bigger tool than Gokey. Speaking of the Gokester, where’s his interview that was supposed to be up today? Heck, where’s the interview with Kris that was supposed to be up yesterday? We LOVE you guys and Idolatry, but WE NEED CLOSURE!!!
Amen to everything that Margie said. O’reilly is just way past his prime and he knows it. Trying to stay relevant by outing an awesomely talented new singer is low.
Mike, how much you wanna bet Billo makes a “comment” on your pink hair?
I still don’t know what Bill is going to be able to do with that portion of your (overall awesome) interview. All Adam said about it was that he wasn’t embarrassed by the pictures and that the O’Reilly segment on him wasn’t as bad as he though it might be. Oooh…controversial! O’Reilly just wants to cash in on Adam’s popularity at the moment (it seems to be a massive theme around the web).
Ok..so I totally initiated an eye roll as I read the headline..ugh Bill O’Reilly..but then I broke into laughter- heh, pink hair, heh. I am so going to watch the news tonight.
Allison Iraheta-hair <3 heh.
The best thing about this is we all know Adam doesn’t give a s**t what people say about him.
Slezak, I would be very happy for Idolatry to go on forever and never come to an end, but you are killing us by not putting up the Kris and Danny interviews!
I was reading a political site today about the Supreme Court nominee and it referenced Adam. I’ve come across so many non-Idol articles that reference him, that I’ve concluded it is at the moment obligatory to namedrop him so a website gets hits regardless of topic. As I’ve also seen my local TV news anchor also randomly talk about him (and I live nowhere near California), this is obviously holding true for TV as well. Although this is O’Reilly’s third time going after Adam. It’s starting to seem obsessive.
Michael, good luck to you and Adam — you are both about to be “bill-o-fied”! I predict that it won’t be pleasant, since Bill can’t stand being criticized (assuming that Adam’s and your comments can even be considered criticism). If you decide to watch, please remember that you and your pink hair are awesome, whereas Bill is a desperate old fool grasping at relevance. I hope his antics backfire on him, so you and Adam can have the last laugh.
Michael – I’m sorry the season is over – I’ve enjoyed your articles and videos as much(if not sometimes more) than the show itself! So…I understand Kris’s Idolatry interview is coming soon. What happened to Danny’s? Is he reluctant to come to Idolatry after all the criticism? None of the others chickened out!!!! Though I’m and ADAM and KRIS fan, I’m curious about Danny’s interview – when will you have it?????????????
Scott – Be real…Bill O’Reilly, like him or not, and I assume you don’t, does not need to “cash in on Adam Lambert’s popularity”, which will not be as long lasting or as profitable as Bill O’Reilly. Honesty is the best policy, so you can respond to my post with all sorts of denial of its contents, but we both know that I am right.
Bill O’Reillly, of whom I am not a fan, but I do listen to him, never made any super derogatory remarks about Adam, but only told what is actually Adam. Is that bad? If anyone is trying to cash in on someone, thinking it will elevate the popularity, and hence career, of Adam (who lost and rightly so on AI), it is you fanatic adamaniacs. Getting O’Reilly to even reference Adam is a plus for Adam regardless of what was said. O’Reilly has more people listening to him daily than Adam will have in a lifetime (maybe a slight exaggeration, but I am sure you get it).
If I were Danny, I would not want to show my face again, after that childish and immature business of tearing up the kitchen in the hostess mansion, which allowed him and the others to use their beautiful facilities.. He was an ungrateful guest, an oaf. I know a 17 year old contestant was also involved, but really, a man of his age to do something so irresponsible and then expect AI to pay for it only confirms the fact that this guy is irresponsible, classless and it’s like putting a beggar on a horse and the beggar will subsequently run away with it. Who wants him as our AI? I really believe a lot of his former fans were turned off him after this vile act and withdrew their support.
reality – you really are a Bill O’Rielly fan. like him, you make absolutely no sense whatsoever.
hey Adam fans! check out http://adamordanny.blogspot.com :]
His style is okay but his voice is too high compared to a lot of the other classic male vocalists who had a certain power like Bono. http://www.cuteguysandgirls.com
Just saw it, and it was really much ado about nothing. He was actually complimentary of Adam’s reaction on “Idolatry”. While I don’t agree with O’Reilly on gay marriage, I’m glad he was fair to Adam.
To reality:
Sorry, but Bill O’Reilly isn’t as popular as you and he want to believe. According to Nielsen tv ratings, Bill-O is averaging about 3-3.5 million viewers per show through April in 2009. However, only about 500,000 viewers are under the age of 55. Given the average ratings per show for American Idol, Adam has already had more people listening to him than Bill-O this year, especially among younger people who are the core music consumers.
Bill-O isn’t doing Adam any favors. Bill-O keeps talking about Adam because he is trying to get more attention for his show and instead he just looks desperate.
@hazardgirl. You said it sister!! Right now, the press could announce some kind of cyclone in Sri Lanka and they’d figure some way to work “Adam Lambert” into the headline and key words. Hey I am in print and Web media and I know it’s all about getting people to click on that headline (though I hate when writers/web editors throw out complete red herring headlines just to get a “click”). Bill O’ Reilly, the complete ass that he is, is a Fox employee and he knows how to keep that money machine greased. Clever, Rupert Murdoch, very clever …
They will milk kris and danny’s idolatry.Its all about hits so kris will be sat-sun.danny mon-tue.
wow. too bad i don’t have cable. would have loved to watch the hilarity.
Loved your interview with Adam, although would it have KILLED you two gay men to say the word “gay”? “Social issues”? Sheesh.
@Ashley, O.M.G. I am a huge Adam fan and that is the BEST clip I’ve ever seen!!! I heard about the “Best Week Ever” footage, but had NO idea it would be that good. His talent is making JT’s evaporate (and I have to say, Timberlake is good). I wondered how Adam might do on SNL, well, this is it right there. HE KILLS!! Adam, as if you didn’t have EVERYTHING else going for you, your comic timing is epic! (I’m beginning to fear you have come here to take over the universe …) Oh well, I’m your loyal minion. Lead me.