Lambert Fallout: Disney Rewrites Rules

In the wake of the national controversy over Adam Lambert's performance on the American Music Awards, ABC parent Disney says they are rewriting their contracts for live performances to include promises from artists that their live shows will be the same as those seen in rehearsals.

Disney/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney told Reuters that in reaction to the Lambert performance, Disney was reviewing the steps it takes to vet live performances by getting assurances from artists that their stage shows will resemble their rehearsals, and using contractual obligations to hold them to that. "We certainly don't want to suppress artistry at any level, but we also have to be very cognizant of who our audience is," Sweeney said at the Reuters Media Summit on Monday. She added that it was the right decision for ABC to cancel Lambert's scheduled performance on "Good Morning America," noting that many children watch the morning news show. "We really had to take the decision very seriously and found that his performance was very unpredictable at night and (we) didn't know what to expect in the morning," she said.

Right-wing and Christianist groups have filed FCC complaints about Lambert's "indecent" performance. Meanwhile the controversy has been good for Lambert's wallet - his new album For Your Entertainment will debut tomorrow at #2 on Billboard's Hot 200, behind Susan Boyle's #1 debut with I Dreamed A Dream.