In Pictures: Adam Lambert at the American Music Awards

By now, most fans have heard all about Adam Lambert's controversial, sex-themed performance at the 2009 American Music Awards.

The singer grinded up against back-up dancers, pushed one's head down to his crotch and played tonsil hockey with a band member.

It was a shocking rendition of "For Your Entertainment," even for those of us accustomed to Lambert's flamboyant, over-the-top American Idol auditions. These photos explains why:

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The performance was clearly meant to create buzz for the singer, whose debut album goes on sale today. As loyal Lambert followers, however, we wished he'd gone in the opposite direction.

For Adam, playing up his sexuality in such a showy manner is akin to Sarah Palin preaching about abstinence. Both strategies just play to each celebrity's base.

To Lambert's credit, he's always done his own thing. Last night's behavior was merely an extension to his American Idol acts, during the show's run this spring and its concerts this summer.

But if the singer's goal is to attract new fans and to move as many copies of his CD as possible, the performance was a failure. It went for shock value over vocal talent, the latter of which Lambert possesses in spades. He's not a gay Britney Spears. Adam can really sing.

Unfortunately, he wasted an opportunity to prove this to a new, national audience.

The talk today is all about Lambert's antics, not his voice. That's too bad because, as Adam himself said in an insightful interview last week, the man has a lot to offer America beyond his sexual preference and outlandish stage presence.

Do you agree with this critique? What did you think of Lambert's performance?