Sonic Youth wrote:Best performances of the night were Bruno Mars ...
And truth be told - and I know we're still in the "Too Soon" period - the non-stop elevation of Whitney Houston to sainthood has made me a little nauseous. I know she meant the world to millions of people, but let's not do a complete whitewash. There's not a rug big enough to sweep all her dirt under. She was a sick, mentally deteriorating woman, and all these people lecturing to us that by mentioning any of this is a desecration of her memory worthy of tabloid journalism is mass-delusion of the highest order.
I agree about Bruno Mars. That performance was a highlight.
I also agree with you about Ms. Houston, to an extent. The adulation expressed after her death reminds me a lot of Michael Jackson. Both had major personal problems and both turned to drugs. Yet, it is understandable that people want to remember their considerable talents rather than their destructive behavior.
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021
My bad. I also muted Clarkson/Aldean...I don't like country music, Sonic, that's why I turned them off...at least modern country music. I like older stuff, but mostly in the Glen Campbell, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton eras.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Big Magilla wrote:And the classy Brits never applaud the In Memoriam segment unlike the gauche stateside audiences.
I always thought that the BAFTA producers just turn off the audience sound, while the producers of American shows leave it running. I mean, a lot of the audiences for the Oscars and the BAFTAs are the same, so why would they behave differently at a British awards show than they do for an American one?
You may be right. But it's also possible that they're admonished off-camera or that it's done in the editing. The BAFTAs are never sown live.
Not since the post-9/11 Oscars have I seen an awards show so death-obsessed. Besides the tributes to "the greatest singer in the world" Whitney Houston and better singer Etta James, there was also the spectre of death hanging over Glenn Campbell's farewell performance (which I found quite touching anyway) and The Beach Boys barely-there reunion, not to mention the final guitar jam with Sir Paul which seemed to herald rock and roll's last hurrah. Very depressing (although I had no idea Bruce Springsteen was such a good lead soloist), although not as depressing as the group of nominees for Best Rock Performance. Coldplay, The Decemberists, The Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons and Radiohead... if this is the best Rock has to offer, let it die.
Best performances of the night were Bruce's intro, Bruno Mars (the first I've ever seen of him, and he's a natural born entertainer if I've evern seen one), and the act that Oscar Guy proudly muted. People seem to have their minds set on poor Taylor and I was set to join them, but I thought her song and performance were quite good. I mean really, what's not to like?
I'm one of the miniscule few not enamoured by Adele's voice or music, but I like her backstory and public persona and I was considerably impressed by the audience reception she received. You'd think she saved the world, and in a way she has. What pop music needs is an artist who brings together all ages and demographics across the board, something pop music hasn't had in many years. I'm glad she's somehow managed to pull it off. And I enjoyed her performance as well, although she was (understandably) holding herself back.
On the other hand, there was also the dross... I'm a sort-of fan of Minaj and I was really looking forward to her segment, but let's be real. It was a disaster. Worse, it probably had the effect of justifiying the dreadful Bon Iver's win for Best New Artist in everyone's minds. I never thought I'd ever feel sorry for Kelly Clarkson, but Jason Aldean managed to force me to do just that. I was never a full-bore Coldplay hater, but I've finally seen the light. Reba McIntyre should really shut off the bubble machine. And on and on and on. But not even Minaj's misbegotten performance art achieved levels of rancidness as dire as the industry's forgiveness of untalented woman-beater Chris Brown.
And truth be told - and I know we're still in the "Too Soon" period - the non-stop elevation of Whitney Houston to sainthood has made me a little nauseous. I know she meant the world to millions of people, but let's not do a complete whitewash. There's not a rug big enough to sweep all her dirt under. She was a sick, mentally deteriorating woman, and all these people lecturing to us that by mentioning any of this is a desecration of her memory worthy of tabloid journalism is mass-delusion of the highest order.
Big Magilla wrote:And the classy Brits never applaud the In Memoriam segment unlike the gauche stateside audiences.
I always thought that the BAFTA producers just turn off the audience sound, while the producers of American shows leave it running. I mean, a lot of the audiences for the Oscars and the BAFTAs are the same, so why would they behave differently at a British awards show than they do for an American one?
Since Kanye wasn't nominated in Album of the Year, I approve of the Adele sweep. "Rolling in the Deep" may be overplayed and overexposed but I think it's a great song and a great record.
Adele's wins are absolutely amazing and I was so happy to see her win all these. She has a genuine blues-y sound that easily translates to pop. We don't get good artists like this anymore. We're stuck with songs like "Stupid Hoe" and "Sexy and I Know It" by horrendous artists. Adele is changing popular music as we know it and changing it for the better.
"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
I have no opinion on the winners as I don't pay much attention to current popular music, but Adele looks like she could become a genuine multi-media star with long-lasting potential.
Between switiching back and forth between this and the Baftas and dozing off I didn't catch a lot of the show, but I did catch the In Memoriam segment. I don't like the way they do it with multiple images of the decedants rushing by three at a time, although I suppose that's the only way to do it with so many to cover. I was surprised to see that Andrew Gold had died. The once upon a time rock star whose "Thank You for Being a Friend" became the theme song of The Golden Girls ws only 59. His father was Oscar winner Ernest Gold (Exodus) and his mother is golden voiced Marni Nixon.
Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Witney was nicely done, although I have to give props to BAFTA for seemlessly incorporating both Whitney and Ben Gazzara into their montage. And the classy Brits never applaud the In Memoriam segment unlike the gauche stateside audiences.
I didnt catch too much of the musical numbers, but I thought the Glen Campbell tribute was fantastic. For someone with Alzheimer's, Campbell did exceptionally well even if "Rhinestnen Cowboy" is not among my favorites of his songs.
I thought the exorcism bit was truly bizarre. But what's up with Tony Bennett? For one thing, he seems to have lost power in his singing voice, but not his speaking voice. On the other hand, what the hell was he talking about?
Does Katy Perry really need to dye her hair ridiculous colors to get attentioin? And hasn't Lady Gaga reached the point where she can dress like a normal person? What was the point of the fishnetting over her head?
I missed the Beach Boys reunion but from what I've read I didn't miss much. I gather Bruce Springsteen (who I also missed) and Paul Mccartney were the big hits among the old-timers, but I have to say Mccartney adds nothing to the classic tunes he's signing on his new album.
Everything pretty much went as expected. Lady Gaga's former production assistant proves she's a bitch doing her best trying to one-up her former boss. Yet, I still loved the Nicki Minaj number. Just the right bit of sacrilege (though, I'm a bit surprised the Grammys let that one through).
I thought the In Memorian tribute was wonderful. No applause during the montage and a beautiful tribute to Whitney at the end by Jennifer Hudson with a gorgeous pictorial set in the background.
LL Cool J is a shitty host and his opening call for a prayer for Whitney Houston wasn't followed up well and partly felt crass (probably because LL Cool J is a shitty host). I was very excited for Adele and seeing her multiple standing ovations just shows how much the audience loves her. Bruno Mars and Paul McCartney were both caught on camera absolutely ecstatic over her wins. Some great performances, though I muted the Taylor Swift performance; However, looking at the ugly, backwoods attire they wore for the number made me want to punch her. It was the only performance I actually muted, leaving everything on for the Glen Campbell tribute and a few other artists I wasn't particularly enthused about watching (Bruno Mars is too old school for moi).
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Big Magilla wrote:There's a dance song called "Barbra Streisand"?
Yes, and it is a very good one...
All in all, one of the easiest years to predict, which ain't a good thing. I predicted 4 out of 5 record of the year nominees (Bon Iver wasn't in my radar range at all) and by that I mean it was obviously a year of recycled material (Mars and Perry, specially after the Mtv VMA). Adele's presence was a no-brainer. What I'm the most happy for is Mumford & Sons getting all that attention for "The Cave", a song I instantly loved back in the previous ceremony (the best performance of that night) and I kept rooting for through the whole year.
And yes, Kanye's snub at album of the year seems like the news of the day...
La Vida Bohéme, Los Amigos Invisibles and Gustavo Dudamel are Grammy nominees, so Venezuela is in a thin celebration.
I expected Foster The People in the Best New Artist category. It is weird not to find Björk's "Biophilia" up for Best Alternative Album. I had a tiny/distant hope os seeing "King of Limbs" up for Album of the Year. My WTF moment while checking the nods was finding Coldplay's "Every teardrop..." in the Rock categories!
"If you place an object in a museum, does that make this object a piece of art?" - The Square (2017)
Haha, well, either way - my key word is hardly. Some producers are artists when you consider hip-hop and electronic producers make the actual music. Some just tell the recording artist to reign it in and focus. Others are just there to make money. Skrillex fits into the first category. As a musician and performer? No. There are hardworking DJs who are constantly moving and mixing during a live set. Skrillex clicks play and jumps around for the remainder. But I can't deny he has a growing presence in the club scene. Dubstep's popularity is increasing daily. It's only a matter of time before it backfires and falls into the same lingering obscurity Prodigy and Chemical Brothers did after the 90s.
