After sitting down with Barbara Walters for her "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009" special on Wednesday night, Adam Lambert returned to ABC on Thursday to chat with the ladies of "The View." It was only his second appearance on the network since his American Music Awards performance.

Although "The View" is usually a live show, Lambert's interview and performance were pre-taped. The "American Idol" runner-up said he wasn't exactly hurt that the network didn't trust him to do a live broadcast. "I'm surprised," he said. "I'm like, 'Really? Is it really that big of a deal?' "

Earlier on the show, Walters guessed that there was a chance that Lambert could perform on the Oscars (also on ABC) with his "2012" song, "Time for Miracles." Lambert didn't address her speculation, but he did say he learned his lesson about live TV performances. "I think now I'm a little more conscious of it," he said. "I wasn't up there on stage like, 'Oh, this is going to get them.' I'll probably stay more consistent in rehearsal to performance."

Lambert was much more toned down when he performed "Whataya Want From Me" on the show. Joy Behar joked that Lambert wasn't exactly a nice Jewish boy, to which he responded, laughing, "Well, I'm a little different. My dreidel spins the other way."

As the conversation stayed mostly on Lambert's image in the wake of the performance, and he said that if anything, the controversy helped put a spotlight on a double standard for homosexual artists. "I brought awareness and visibility," he said, but added, "It may not have been the exact visibility I was looking for, and they're not focusing on [my music], which is what I'm about."