Adam Lambert on Early Show: I'm Not a Babysitter

After that controversial performance on the American Music Awards, American Idol runner-up reins it in for morning television

Turns out ABC had nothing to worry about. After all, it's hard to be raunchy when you can hardly move.

Adam Lambert managed to keep things pretty PG during his performance on CBS' The Early Show this morning, but there was really no way he could have sexualized his musicians and dancers when the stage was so teeny-tiny...and he had no dancers.

Still, the star said he has no intention of apologizing for his much-discussed performance at the American Music Awards and wants to get one thing straight: he and Elisabeth Shue don't have much in common.

For one thing, the American Idol runner-up is no babysitter.

"I'm not a babysitter. I'm a performer," he said.

He continued to discuss the "double standard" that exists between the reactions to him and other pop stars's performances Sunday night, listing Eminem's lyrics, Lady Gaga's antics and Janet Jackson's crotch-grabbing as arguably equally as shocking. He thinks his sexuality may have something to do with it.

"I don't think there'd be nearly as much of an outrage at all," he said. "I think it's because I'm a gay male and people haven't seen that before."

He also points out that perhaps, given the late hour of his number, parents should be more cautious.

"I suppose I could understand why they were upset. And honestly, it didn't cross my mind—children," he confessed. "It was almost 11, I was there in the audience full of mostly adults.  Sometimes I forget, oh, there's a camera on.  I come from the theater and I'm programmed to kind of look at who's in the live audience and that's kind of where I come from."

While he admits his adrenaline kicked in Sunday night and the excitement of the star-studded crowd "got the best of him," Lambert really only has one thing he would change if he had it to do all over again.

"I would sing a little better," he laughed. "I looked back and thought it wasn’t my best vocal performance."

And he did learn a valuable lesson. Next time, he says, he'll stick to what he did in rehearsal. After all, what got everyone talking were his improvised choices.

"Those kind of came from more of an impromptu place," he said. "I think ABC was taken a little by surprise, and that wasn't my intention. I wasn't being sneaky."

Unfortunately, he had nothing to say about Good Morning America's big diss. That, coupled with the performances that were about as controversial as Kris Allen strumming his guitar, made us really excited to see the baby panda they kept teasing all morning. Now that was cute!

(Originally published Nov. 25, 2009, at 6:28 a.m. PT)