Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Memo to Vegas Scouts: Sign Adam Lambert. Now.

America did Adam Lambert and Las Vegas a ginormous favor by crowning milquetoast, inoffensive, adorable but unmemorable Kris Allen tonight as this year's American Idol. Now, if Las Vegas talent scouts are smart, they'll Terry Fatorize the liberated, beholden-to-none runner-up. Lambert defines the next-gen Vegas megastar: He's got the costumes, the pizzazz and, although this is hardly necessary in these parts, that brilliant voice.

Millions of fans -- and especially the gays and the cougars -- would flock here to see the new superstar. No need to build up the name cred; the biggest TV show of our time just took care in a few months of what would otherwise take years of touring to accomplish. Bring in Thierry Mugler for costumes, Dave LaChapelle to direct. Start Adam off singing big-voice rock standards, let him work his new material in. Give audiences a sense of discovery.

Paris and Wynn have empty showrooms. The Joint is now in the resident-act market. The Hilton has turned toward this demo with Monster Circus.

Show Lambert the money. Do it as quickly as possible. He's a one-man multiplier effect. AI's given us Oscar winners, Tony nominees, country music superstars. Why not a new Strip headliner?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have 2 former Idols on the Las Vegas Strip... PEEPSHOW is home to semi-finalists Josh Strickland and Katie Weber!! Adam would be a very welcomed addition to the headlines!

THE STRIP PODCAST said...

didn't know that, actually. that's pretty cool. thanks for the info.

jazzinger said...

Very well done overview of what just happened on AI...and you are so right. Let's bring him to Vegas ASAP. Adam is multi-talented and is a real professional...not only all that, but humble and appreciative. He's perfect for Vegas. He could have his gig here which would give him the monetary foundation to develope his many creative dimensions. I'm excited about the possibilities.

Anonymous said...

Who?

THE STRIP PODCAST said...

humble and appreciative...i may have to rethink his suitability for Vegas after all! LOL

jinx said...

While I like the thinking here, Adam isn't going to be signed by anyone, as he's contractually bound to American Idol. Regardless of winning or losing, the top 10 wind up locked into production deals. While it's a shame he lost, in the long run it likely means nothing as they are going to promote the heck out of his album and he'll do just fine.

patty/brian/jack/anne said...

I would think he could -- and should -- go to Broadway. More money, more recognition, etc. Why go to Vegas?

THE STRIP PODCAST said...

Brian/Patty... NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!!! But...if you want to be a major pop music star, you don't go to Broadway. Mainstream America doesn't know anything about who stars in Bwy shows. Very few of them become household names and that only happens after they've done movies (Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates) or TV (Kristen Chenoweth, Bebe Neuwirth). Also, there's no evidence Adam Lambert is necessarily a good actor, just that he's got that voice and that unusual, very flashy and out-there stage presence.

Also, also -- why can't he earn respect as an artist in Vegas? Most of the greats of the 50s and 60s sure did.

briguy said...

This is a good idea, especially considering that Broadway will snap up Adam for a show sooner or later, as such past contestants as Diana DeGarmo ("Hairspray")and Clay Aiken ("Spamalot")have shown that Idols can really help at the box office. However, it will never happen. First Adam has to go on the Idol summer tour before he puts out an album around Thanksgiving. Then if he does well enough, he'll probably go on his own solo tour. As he was accused of being too Broadway during his run on the show and will want to preserve his rock credibility, it will certainly be a while before he settles down in a run in a single theater anywhere.