Adam Lambert
Photo: David Livingston/ Getty Images

Adam Lambert clearly likes to have fun with his image. He loves the glamorous worlds of rock and roll and disco. He's not afraid to wear makeup and glitter. Plus, he likes to poke fun at people's perceptions of him, as he does on the kitschy cover for his forthcoming debut album, For Your Entertainment. But when it comes to his music, Lambert isn't shy about shedding his pop-star persona and singing about deeper emotions.

"The dress-up supports that; the fantasy element supports it. People want to talk about whether I have rock cred, whether I'm selling out, the theatricality, the gay stuff. ... Chill out! And just enjoy yourself," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's not that deep. ... Sometimes it is deep. Some of the songs on the album are."

He said songs like the unreleased Muse track "Soaked" and the ballad "Broken Open" are examples of being vulnerable. But there are definitely fun tracks on the album as well. "Sometimes it's just, 'This is hot, I feel good, this song makes me want to go get a drink and flirt with somebody and have a good time.' Good energy is just as credible as the cathartic, dark, heavy stuff," he said. "It's just as important!"

Lambert also talks about how his image, which he says is of a gay man pushing the straight boundaries, is more like something Beyoncé is doing than other male "American Idol" alumni like Chris Daughtry and David Cook. "People look at me and immediately say, 'Oh, he's doing the musical-theater thing,' " he explained. "But if you look at most female pop stars right now, how are they any less theater? Beyoncé is doing 'Single Ladies' with two girls in character shoes and leotards, doing [Bob] Fosse choreography from 'Sweet Charity' and 'West Side Story.' "

The album is a reflection of Lambert's overwhelming musical influences ranging from rock to pop to dance music. In the interview he cites Christina Aguilera's rise to fame.

"I listen to crazy, robust rock music where they sing their faces off, and soul music, which can be similar," he said. "But I also listen to a lot of dance music. I love that style. I was a Paula Abdul fan, a Michael Jackson fan, a Madonna fan. When Christina Aguilera came out when I was in high school, that was a great example of someone taking the pop-dance feel but who could really sing. Pop stars have done it; it's just not a lot of guys have done it. Maybe it's a question of masculine persona."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Beyoncé accepts an award at the EMAs
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ Getty Images

Bowler caps, bow ties, corsets, crystals, "boobie thingies" — no, these are not the remnants of last weekend's Halloween rave but rather the accoutrements returning host Katy Perry flounced around in at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards. Together with the theme "Katy Kat Club," the Sally Bowles-inspired garb was only appropriate as the 16th annual EMAs returned to its inaugural location of Berlin, just days before the 20th anniversary of when the Berlin wall came tumbling down.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé, U2, Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, David Hasselhoff, Juliette Lewis, Shakira, the Jonas Brothers and Tokio Hotel were just some of the stars that turned up on the red carpet to commence the largest awards show in MTV Europe's history. A staggering 17,000 audience members congregated at Berlin's O2 Arena and Brandenburg Gate, while an estimated 2 billion people tuned in from home.

It was a night contrasted by both the old and new, bad jokes on the German language and crackling political overtones. Veteran act Green Day opened up the show with a blistering two-song performance that had lead singer Billie Joe pogoing his way through the crowd and ending in shooting flames and fireworks as "Minority" slowed to its last four-note chord. (Proving why the group was once synonymous with teenage angst, Joe later returned to the stage after winning for Best Rock with these wise words: "Great that we got the best co-- band — I mean, rock band. Pardon my German.")

A slithering and glittering Katy Perry then took the stage, bellowing out "Herzlich wilkommen meine damen und herren!" and performed a raw-vocal medley that included the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Curiously, Perry then ribbed Lady Gaga later during the show when she emerged from a set design involving a giant ruby-red shoe. "They say that if a guy has big shoes, then he has ... the funny thing is, I think this belongs to Lady Gaga!"

The first award of the night went to U2 for Best Live Act. Taking the stage, Bono introduced the Edge, who in an emotional speech expressed how the recording of "One" in Berlin — inspired by Germany's then-recent reunification and symbol as the new Europe — "brought the band together." More East/West references abounded. Upon winning the award for Best Urban, Jay-Z, donning sunglasses and a black leather jacket, succinctly said, "The will come a day when the only walls that come down are just music," then said something about the Jonas Brothers.

Both Lady Gaga (Best New Act) and Eminem (Best Male) accepted their awards remotely through televised acceptance speeches.

	EMA 2009 Show Highlights

And what is an awards show in Germany without the Hoff? Clad in a dazzling chrome silver dinner jacket, David Hasselhoff returned the country's seemingly undying love for him by flashing his select knowledge of the native language. "Yo! Twenty years! Alles klar! I am not responsible for the wall falling down," the former "Baywatch" actor announced with an apparent slur. "Wie gehts? Alles klar! Gut!"

But it was three-time winner Beyoncé (Best Song, "Halo"; Best Female; Best Video, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)") who had the best line of the night. Having performed earlier in a silken red set straight out of a Daphne du Maurier novel, the visibly weary singer simply said upon receiving her final award: "There is one person I want to thank, and that is Jay — for putting a ring on it!" then shot her fist into the air to loud cheers. "You go, B!" Katy Perry shouted from the sidelines.

Despite other spirited performances from Jay-Z, Shakira and overwhelmingly popular local androgynoids Tokio Hotel, the true stage spectacle of the night came from Leona Lewis. What started off as a rather standard rendition of "Happy," set against a starry background, experienced a jaw-dropping special effect as a green vortex whirred around the singer then dramatically vanished into glittering stardust.

In the much-publicized highlight of the evening, Dublin rockers U2 performed a free 20-minute set in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate for the rabid 10,000 fans who had secured a spot online. Shot several hours earlier and beamed into the arena, the concert moved the audience even remotely as the giant pillars were emblazoned with the words "One Love" and "Freedom." "Happy birthday, Berlin!" frontman Bono crowed during a performance of "One," his voice both soaring and sage.

U2 returned to the big screen to close out the show, this time with Jay-Z freestyling over a performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Jay-Z rapped in the lyrics from Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." The gates behind them lit up in the holiday colors of green and red, like an early present. Bono leaned in to hold to Jay-Z's hand as the duo raised them up triumphantly in the air.

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Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV News

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé have apparently found a quite a kinship in one another and have become good friends quickly. While it might seem that the two superstars would be worlds apart it terms of image, sound and vibe, but at the end of the day there's no question that they're two of the hardest working women in pop music today.

And perhaps those personality traits made it easy for the two of them to bond and collaborate with one another. Since the 2009 Video Music Awards, where both women won awards, their paths have been crossing quite frequently — and they've worked together on two projects so far.

The first to appear will be Beyoncé's clip for "Video Phone." Not many details have emerged about the Hype Williams-helmed video, which was shot in Brooklyn, New York, last month.

The pair also collaborated on a new song, "Telephone," that will appear on the forthcoming deluxe reissue of Gaga's debut LP, dubbed The Fame Monster, which includes eight new songs and is slated for release on November 23 (Gaga's Monster Ball Tour launches in Montreal four days later).

Gaga had nothing but praise for B when she sat down with MTV News for a long interview on Tuesday.

"You know she is such a beautiful person, and I gotta tell you, I just adore her," she said. "I had kind of lost faith a little bit in meeting artists in the business — and then I met Beyoncé."

She also spoke briefly about how much fun the two of them have together. "She is a real, real woman," Gaga said. "I have never laughed so hard on a video set in my life. We had the best time doing 'Video Phone.' "

MTV News will have lots more from our sitdown with Lady Gaga in the coming days!

• MTV News Extended Play: Lady Gaga

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Beyonce's <i>I Am ... Yours</i> Deluxe Edition
Photo: SONY

Look for a whole lotta Beyoncé under the tree this year. The R&B diva will be hitting fans with a pair of major releases and a TV special just in time for the holiday season. First up is the November 23 release of I Am ... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, a two-disc live CD/DVD compilation recorded earlier this year at the hotel/casino.

That same day will also see the release of a deluxe edition of the singer's multiplatinum I Am ... Sasha Fierce double album. The reissue will come with two bonus tracks, including "Video Phone (Extended Remix)," which features Lady Gaga. The video for that song will premiere exclusively on MTV on air and online this Thursday.

The new in-concert CD/DVD was filmed during a show at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas on August 2 during a sold-out four-night stint, according to a press release announcing the album. The package contains more than 30 songs from throughout the singer's career, including four from her three solo albums ("Halo," "Sweet Dreams," "Single Ladies [Put a Ring on It]," "Get Me Bodied"), as well as the Destiny's Child catalog and some surprising covers.

The DVD of the concert is also sprinkled with biographical vignettes woven between the songs, some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and a bonus feature titled "What Happens in Vegas. ..."

That release will be followed by a one-hour TV special on ABC on November 26. The show, "Beyoncé — I Am ... Yours," is the first-ever prime-time network special by Beyoncé. It will air at 9 p.m. and feature behind-the-scenes and concert footage from the DVD.

The track list for I Am ... Yours, according to Columbia Records:

Disc One: "Hello," "Halo," "Irreplaceable," "Sweet Dream Medley," "If I Were a Boy," "Scared of Lonely," "That's Why You're Beautiful," "Satellites," "Resentment," "Déjà Vu Jazz Medley/Déjà Vu"

Disc Two: "I Wanna Be Where You Are," "Destiny's Child Medley," "Work It Out," " '03 Bonnie & Clyde," "Crazy in Love," "Naughty Girl," "Get Me Bodied," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Finale"

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Lady Gaga
Photo: George Napolitano/ WireImage

Although details are still scarce about just what Beyoncé and Lady Gaga will be doing to in the clip for B's song "Video Phone," Gaga did talk about the clip in a new interview.

"When I was doing her video with her, she called me and she said, 'What do you want to do?' " Gaga explained in an interview with New York's Z100 radio station on Tuesday morning (October 27). "And I'm like, 'I don't want to show up in some frickin' hair bow and be fashion Gaga in your video.' I said, 'I want to do you.' "

In a photo that emerged from the video shoot, Gaga was seen wearing a white strapless leotard with matching opera gloves, and her long hair is loose and flowing — the look is definitely more Beyoncé than Gaga. In fact, Gaga even scored a new nickname while on set. "I want to do my version of Beyoncé," she said. "So the whole time I was learning the choreography they were calling me Gee-yoncé."

As if fans weren't psyched enough about the video, Gaga did say that she and Beyoncé are working on music together. No additional details were given, however.

"We did collaborate recently," she said, referencing the "Video Phone" video, adding, "And we are collaborating on my album, as well." It was unclear whether Gaga was referring to the forthcoming expanded edition of her debut LP, The Fame: Monster, or her still-in-the-works second album.

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Beyoncé
Photo: Soul Brother/FilmMagic

Although Beyoncé agreed to tone down her show for her debut performance in Malaysia, the concert has been postponed in the wake of accusations by Islamic conservatives that the show would be "immoral," according to The Associated Press.

B was scheduled to perform at the Kuala Lumpur stadium on October 25, but Malaysian promoter Marctensia said in a statement, "The show has been postponed to a future date to be announced shortly. The postponement is solely (the) decision of the artist and has nothing to with other external reasons." Another representative declined to comment on whether the show was postponed due to the heavy criticism it was receiving from religious leaders in the country.

Beyoncé's long road to her Malaysian debut has faced many obstacles. Two years ago, she was on the verge of staging a show in Malaysia but backed out due to similar protests regarding her performance. Last month, a spokesperson for the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party stated, "We are against Western sexy performances; we don't think our people need that." But a rep for the concert's Malaysian organizer told the AP that "all parties have reached an amicable understanding" about the performance.

The Marctensia rep said last month that Beyoncé should be regarded as a "role model" and an "embodiment of success" because of her philanthropic work, including campaigns against poverty and domestic violence, according to the AP.

Other artists, including Rihanna, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne, have toned down their shows for Malaysian dates in recent years.

• Beyoncé

Beyoncé
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images

All week, gossip sites have been abuzz with rumors that two of the fiercest divas in the game — Beyoncé and Lady Gaga — had joined forces on a super-secret video for B's "Video Phone."

It was a fairly big deal, and accordingly there's been much quoting of "insider" sources and "my boy [who] worked as a stylist for [Gaga's] dancers," but no confirmation from any major contributor to the project — until now.

On Thursday (October 15), a spokesperson for director Hype Williams confirmed to MTV News that that both Beyoncé and Gaga appear in the "Video Phone" clip, which Williams shot last weekend in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood.

Williams' spokesperson would not confirm any additional information about the "Video Phone" shoot, but, according to Life and Style magazine, security on set was extremely tight, and the video is shaping up to be a fashion bonanza, with Beyoncé wearing "a feathered dress" and Gaga sporting "something wild ... the fashion is sick and insane."

Mirroring the Life and Style report, another source posted on Pulse Music Board that the "Video Phone" clip was shot on a "closed set [with] no cameras or video phones" allowed. Apparently, the video version of the song — which is from Beyoncé's 2008 I Am ... Sasha Fierce album — features B and Gaga trading up-tempo verses, and sees Gaga adding an extra verse to the tune. The clip also features "lots of choreography" and "more dancers than the two girls [Beyoncé is] always with."

At press time, spokespeople for Beyoncé and Lady Gaga could not be reached or would not comment on the video.

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Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Beyoncé was the inspiration behind Kanye West's now-infamous onstage antics at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, but the "Single Ladies" singer had avoided making any comment on the matter — until Friday.

At Billboard magazine's annual Women in Music event (where she was named Woman of the Year), Beyoncé finally broke her silence on West's stage storming — which, at this point, has been commented on by everyone from Green Day and Jay-Z to former President Jimmy Carter and current President Barack Obama. Though she understood the rapper's intentions, B said she was mortified by his actions.

"Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art; and he told me before, when they said the nominees, he's like, 'You have this award,'" Beyoncé told O: The Oprah Magazine editor Gayle King after accepting her award. "And when they didn't call my name he was, like, completely shocked. And when he walked on the stage, I was like, 'No, no, no!' and then he spoke, and I was like, 'Oh, no, no, no!'

"But in the end, it ended up being a great night, and Taylor Swift did get her moment — and I didn't have to make an acceptance speech," she added, laughing.

West has repeatedly apologized for his actions on his blog, on "The Jay Leno" show and to Swift herself. And late last week, it was announced that his Fame Kills tour with Lady Gaga had been canceled, a move that seemed to be in keeping West's "Leno" show pledge that he will be taking time away from the public eye "to analyze how I'm gonna make it through the rest of this life and improve."

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Beyoncé
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Beyoncé will be bringing her show to Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur, on October 25, but it will be without some of her usual tricks. After encountering what has become familiar opposition from religious groups in the world's most-populous Muslim country, the singer has agreed to tone down some parts of her act, according to The Associated Press.

"We are against Western sexy performances; we don't think our people need that," a spokesperson for the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party stated. But a rep for the concert's Malaysian organizer told the AP that "all parties have reached an amicable understanding" about the performance.

The rep said that Beyoncé should be regarded as a "role model" and an "embodiment of success" because of her philanthropic work, including campaigns against poverty and domestic violence, according to the AP.

Two years ago, Beyoncé was on the verge of doing a show in Malaysia but backed out due to similar protests regarding the singer's performance. But now, the Marctensia rep told the AP, "We are confident that Beyoncé's concert will once and for all silence international critics and put Malaysia back on track and move up the ranks in presenting A-list international pop concerts in this region and further boost tourism."

Other artists, including Rihanna, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne, have toned down their shows for Malaysian dates in recent years.

• Beyoncé

Sara Paxton at <i>Us Weekly</i>'s fashion week part in New York City on Wednesday
Photo: Bennett Raglin/ WireImage

"The Beautiful Life: TBL" star Sara Paxton wasn't amused by Kanye West's stage invasion during Taylor Swift's Best Female Video acceptance speech. But Paxton does think it was quite gracious of Beyoncé to give Swift a second chance to thank her fans for her Moonman.

"I feel bad for Tay Tay Swift," Paxton told MTV News on the red carpet at an Us Weekly party on Wednesday. "Why do I keep calling her that? No, we're not [friends], but I just call her that 'cause I love her so much. She's so cute I want to put her in my pocket. But Beyoncé, what a classy lady. She's classy. What a class act."

At the same Us Weekly party, Cobra Starship, who were at the VMAs when the whole incident went down, said that they are still trying to process just what happened that night. "I totally stopped tweeting for about 30 seconds and paid attention," frontman Gabe Saporta said about the incident. "It was kind of surreal. I thought it was planned for a minute."

Guitarist Ryland Blackinton, however, was less surprised, since it wasn't the first time Kanye's acted up at an awards show. "I wondered if it was going to happen, because he did it at the [MTV Europe Music] Awards too, and I've watched that video a couple times when Justice won the award," he explained. "And I wasn't as surprised, but it was surreal to see it happen right in front of you."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

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