People: ABC draws fire for canceling Adam Lambert but booking Chris Brown

ABC and its "Good Morning America" show has sparked controversy with recent decisions to cancel a scheduled performance by Adam Lambert while going ahead with a planned appearance by R&B star Chris Brown.

Lambert's scheduled "GMA" performance this week was canceled the morning after he delivered a controversial, sexually charged performance on the American Music Awards, which included the singer kissing his male keyboard player and simulating oral sex with a male dancer.

Brown, who was convicted in August of assaulting then-girldfriend Rihanna, is scheduled to do a pretaped "tell-all" interview with co-anchor Robin Roberts, and then will perform live in the studio, though the details of the studio are still being worked out. The appearance will reportedly air as early as next week, though no date has been announced.

Gay rights groups are among those blasting ABC for suggesting that domestic violence is preferable to openly gay behavior. Even some ABC staffers are uncomfortable with the decisions.

"The network is giving a mixed message," one employee told the New York Post. "It doesn't trust someone who shocked with an unpredictable show and a gay kiss, but then it is happy to go ahead with Chris Brown, who was convicted of felony assault."

ABC has not officially commented on the matter. But sources within the network insist that Lambert's sexuality did not influence the decision to cancel his "GMA" gig, that it was

simply a matter of the singer proving he's "too unpredictable" to be booked on a morning show (Lambert did appear on CBS's morning show this week). As for Brown, ABC sources said he was booked before Lambert was, and the interview was seen as offering his response to Rihanna's recent interview with Diane Sawyer on "20/20" (which, coincidentally, drew huge ratings).

SPEAKING OF ALLEGED DOUBLE STANDARDS ... : When CBS' "Early Show" hosted Adam Lambert earlier this week, the network blurred out the singer's American Music Awards same-sex kiss. Seconds later, it showed Madonna and Britney Spears' now-infamous smooch at the MTV Video Music Awards, with no blurring. The segment prompted some critics to accuse CBS of digital homophobia.

A CBS rep told the ExtraTV Web site this was not the case.

"We gave this some real thought," the rep said. " The Madonna image is very familiar and has appeared countless times including many times on morning television. The Adam Lambert image is a subject of great current controversy, has not been nearly as widely disseminated, and for all we know, may still lead to legal consequences."

Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD, says CBS' explanation smells like a substance that comes out of the wrong end of a large animal with horns.

"I would have hoped that CBS would provide the same treatment for images of gay and lesbian people and not create an unfair double standard that treats our community differently," Barrios said.

HALF A WHO IS STILL BETTER THAN A WHOLE DAUGHTRY, RIGHT?: The Who, or what's left of the real Who, will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl this season. The NFL announced the booking during Thursday's game between the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, obviously clueless to the wicked humor inherent in announcing anything connected to the Super Bowl during a game that has the Raiders in it.

The Who still includes original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry. Drummer Keith Moon died in 1978 and bassist John Entwistle died in 2002.

SUSAN BOYLE HAS ANOTHER MELTDOWN: Shortly after performing on the "Today" show, Susan Boyle Boyle broke down in tears and began sucking her thumb in front of the cameras, reports Britain's Daily Mail.

The Scottish singer, who became a sudden sensation after performing on "Britain's Got Talent," was lunching with a few fans in New York's Rockefeller Center. When she was presented with a gift quilt knitted by hundreds of fans from 28 countries, Boyle started sobbing, trembling and sucking her thumb, the Mail reported. But after a few minutes, the singer regained her composure and performed a lively dance for onlookers.

Boyle's occasionally emotional and irrational behavior since her "Britain's Got Talent" breakthrough has led some to question whether she can handle the pressures of instant stardom.