4.10.11 Adam News & Info

I can’t help but draw a comparison to Adam’s AI performance during Michael Jackson week, which took place shortly after the infamous kissing pics leaked. In the intro segment, Adam talked about the struggle of making it in Hollywood, and put out his hope that “this is the big dream.” He did not tell us that if he was voted off, we were hateful jerks who couldn’t look past our prejudices to see his talent. You think Adam had some ~feelings about America that week? Damn right he did— look no further than his fierce performance of Black or White. Watch him tear up that stage and you are left with no doubt about his feelings about injustice, and about how he feels when you talk to him about “equality.”

But instead of calling out the viewers, Adam calls upon his inner resources to deliver a brave, put-it-all-on-the-line performance. He channels his emotions into the song, and lets us figure out the meaning for ourselves. Instead of making excuses, he fights to earn his stay on the show. He gives us ferocity and intensity and passion, and it is only afterwards, as he fights back tears during the judges’ praise, that you get a sense of how vulnerable it feels and the emotional toll that it takes to put yourself out there for everyone to judge.