2023 Grammy Awards – Best and Worst

Admittedly, I initially did not plan on making this post. Because honestly, my overall reaction to this year’s Grammy Awards was – “I mean, I guess…” Plus, at first, I honestly could not think of five moments from the night that I genuinely loved. The worst definitely outpaced the best for me. But I persevered and managed to pull together five things about this year’s Grammy Awards that I didn’t hate. Read on for the full list of best and worst.

BEST 

1. Everyone’s a Winner – Well, almost everyone. I did appreciate that there was no sweep, like the last time Adele was nominated for example, for 25, and she won AOTY, SOTY, and ROTY, along with the pop categories. This year, Grammy voters definitely spread the wealth. Multiple people went home with at least one or two awards. 

2. Queer Representation – Kim Petras made history as the first openly transgender woman to win a Grammy for her collaboration with Sam Smith before the duo served up one of the few memorable performances of the night. It was also sweet to have Brandi Carlile’s wife and their two adorable children introduce her performance. 

3. 50 Years of Hip-Hop/Rap Celebration – I’ll avoid my rant about how Grammy voters obviously have little to no respect for Hip-Hop/Rap (more on that below) and appreciate this brilliantly assembled celebration of the genre. From old-school legends like Rakim and Run DMC to artists who defined the early ‘00s like Missy Elliot and Nelly, and the new talent on the rise, like Da Baby and GloRilla – it was a fitting celebration of one of the most beloved, yet misunderstood art forms. It would have been nice to see some legends like Nas and Eminem, though it was understandable why the latter was not present, considering his feelings about the Grammys. 

4. Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican Celebration – It was certainly not my favorite opening performance at the Grammys – not even close. Admittedly I’m not the biggest or, honestly, even a mild fan of Bad Bunny’s music. However, I appreciated the high energy of the performance and its tribute to Bad Bunny’s cultural heritage. And it certainly got the audience on their feet, which is always a win. 

5. In Memoriam – Unless it is the Academy Awards, which for some reason, cannot seem to get something as simple as an In Memoriam tribute right, the In Memoriam segments are usually one of my favorite parts of an award show. I know that may seem a bit morbid, however, it’s more an appreciation of the celebration of the talented artists who left an indelible impact on the industry. And this year’s In Memoriam segment struck the perfect chord from Kacey Musgraves’ tender cover of Loretta Lynn’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, Quavo’s emotional tribute to Takeoff and culminating in Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood’s pitch-perfect performance of Songbird, in tribute of Christine McVie. 

Honorable Mention – Taylor Swift NOT winning Song of the Year for a more than decade-plus song originally from a decade-plus old album that was already nominated for Album of the Year years ago. I don’t care that it is a re-recording that was expanded to 10 minutes, complete with an accompanying insufferable video. It is an old song that should not have been nominated. 

WORST 

1. The Show that Wouldn’t End – Four hours! Four long hours. It was like a bad date that seemingly would not end. And for the record, by the third hour, it felt like five. Grammy producers need to do better. There is simply no reason why this show has to be so long. Especially when it is not like most of the performances were particularly interesting or memorable. 

2. Lackluster Performances – Outside of a few that I have already referenced – Bad Bunny’s opening performance, In Memoriam segment, Hip-Hop/Rap tribute – many of the performances ranged from serviceable to unmemorable, to plain boring. And that just made an already very long night feel a lot longer. 

3. No Adele, Beyoncé or Kendrick Performance – It probably should have been a sign that this was not going to be a great night when three of the biggest names in music, with the most nominations, all declined to perform. With Adele, one can argue that it may have been down to logistics, as she was still wrapping up her residency show. But with Kendrick and Beyoncé, the cynic in me almost wonders if it was because they knew exactly how this night would go and did not want to give Grammy producers another chance to use their appearance for ratings, all while they never win the big awards. 

4. Is a Host Necessary – In fairness to Trevor Noah, he wasn’t awful by any means. Certainly not the worse I have seen in terms of award show hosts. However, even while serviceable, I was left with the feeling all night that the show would have lost nothing if there was no host. 
5. Beyoncé Loses AOTY (Again) – *Sigh* Get comfortable, this one is going to be a little long. A few disclaimers before I start. One, I did not hate Harry Styles’ album. I thought it was a perfectly fine pop album. Two, I am not a Beyoncé stan or one of the Beyhive. I like and respect her as an artist, but that’s it. Three, I didn’t initially love Renaissance. It was an album that had to grow on me over several months. That said, her loss for AOTY this past Sunday night was frustrating because of the many layers and nuances of the situation. It is easy to say, “it’s just an award,” and it is. But it also represents a much larger and deeper conversation. The Grammys were first handed out in 1959. In its 63-year history, only 11 black artists have won AOTY – 11, as in the number after 10. Now stop and think about how many legendary, impactful black artists you can list in a minute. And yet, only 11 have won AOTY. And of that 11, only three were women – the last in 1999. So yes, that means it has also been 24 years since a black woman won AOTY. That’s issue number one. But this year’s ceremony also significantly piggy-backed off Beyonce ́ s popularity by regularly promoting that she could become the most-winning artist ever. And that she did. Except for the quiet part that was left unsaid – that only one of those wins was in the big categories. A SOTY win for Single Ladies. So no AOTY awards, ever. But touting this “most winning artist” narrative allowed them to pat themselves on the back and play, “see, we award black artists. She’s won a lot.” And the narrative extended to some Grammy voters, who in an anonymous voter article, declared how she “won all the time.” See how that manipulative psychology works? Play up her breaking a record so once again, many can insist how, “she always wins,” except for how that never seems to extend to the major categories. Mind you, for all the, “she wins all the time,” voters seem to have no such issue regarding Taylor Swift who currently sits at a record-breaking three Album of the Year awards and is very likely, poised to make it a fourth, come next year. That is okay. That is acceptable and deserving, even. But suddenly Beyoncé, “wins too much.” Issue number two. The bottom line is that a white artist can make a good album that is critically well-received and they will win AOTY. See Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, etc. Yet black artists almost need to be perfect and they STILL don’t win. My friend commented after this year’s show that she’s not sure what else Beyoncé can do. And I warily responded to her that the answer is nothing. Because it’s not that she needs to make an amazing album – she has, multiple times. It’s not that she needs to be culturally relevant and have a musical impact – she has. And repeatedly the voters decided it simply wasn’t good enough – issue number three. And I haven’t even touched on issues regarding the Academy’s attitude towards Hip-Hop/Rap – a genre that is continuously treated as the barely tolerated step-child. It is clear that most recording academy voters, still one, do not understand Hip-Hop/Rap and two, don’t have much respect for the genre. And until they do, we will continue to have situations where Eminem wins an Academy Award for the record-breaking Lose Yourself but loses ROTY for the same song and Kendrick Lamar will win a Pulitzer Prize for his album DAMN. and yet the award that supposedly represents the best of the music industry decides said album is not worthy of Album of the Year.

10 Biggest Grammy Awards Upsets of the 2000s

While working on my article about the biggest snubs of this year’s Grammy Awards nominations, it got me thinking about the multiple moments of the last two decades in the show’s history that have made me go “WTF”. And trust me, there were quite a few. But for the sake of brevity, I’m limiting this list to only ten.

Like many award shows, there are times The Grammys get it so right – Adele winning Best New Artist (BNA), Outkast winning Album of the Year (AOTY) for Speakerboxx/The Love Below (the last time a rap album won AOTY though certainly not the last time the genre deserved to win…more on that in a second) and other times when they get it so wrong that it just leaves you baffled.

As is always the case, let me be clear that these were moments that stood out for me. Naturally, I’m sure there are those who don’t think some of these moments were upsets or who felt other moments were bigger upsets. Fair enough.

And let me also add that I wasn’t necessarily angry or even disappointed by all of these moments. Some of these were just moments that based on various factors – biggest hit that year, critical acclaim, etc. – the winner was surprising and so yes, would be considered an upset. So without further ado, here are my top 10 Grammy Awards upsets of the last two decades.

1989 Beats To Pimp a Butterfly for Album of the Year – No, just no. And before any of the Swifties come with the argument of, “Taylor had five Billboard Top 10 hits from the album”, I will remind all that one Katy Perry had five Number 1 Billboard hits off her Teenage Dream album. The only artist to do so since Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And by my last count, Katy Perry not only did not win AOTY for Teenage Dream, she still doesn’t have a single Grammy Award. So let’s get that weak argument out of the way. And then the next go-to is of course, “1989 sold a lot…” Yes, yes it did. But if we were basing quality and awards only on what sold a lot, there would be some very questionable winners over the years. Popularity does not always equal good. That said, I want to be very clear that I believed then and still do that 1989 was a good pop album and it deserved to be nominated for Album of the Year. What it didn’t deserve, in my opinion, was to win. 1989 was a good, solid album – To Pimp a Butterfly was a masterpiece. Lyrically, thematically and musically, it was stellar and career-defining from beginning to end. There will never be any argument that will convince me this was the right call.

Maroon 5 Bests Kanye West for Best New Artist – This is one of the moments on this list that I wasn’t necessarily outraged about but would still categorize as an upset. To be clear, I was a fan of both Maroon 5 and Kanye West during their debut years. Songs About Jane still gets heavy rotation on my playlist. And in the interest of fairness, the album had significant commercial success, spawning multiple Billboard Top 20 hits. However, the critical and commercial response to The College Dropout was something significantly greater. That album positioned Kanye West as one of the most prolific and powerful voices in music.

Herbie Hancock Wins Album of the Year – This win would have been surprising if only because Jazz often gets slept on in the major categories. But what made it particularly shocking is that Hancock defeated both Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and Kanye West’s Graduation. To say this one came out of left-field for many would be an understatement.

Steely Dan Upsets Eminem and Radiohead for Album of the Year – Much like Herbie Hancock’s win, this would have been a surprising win for many regardless. But what made it particularly shocking is that it came at the expense of some of the most critically acclaimed albums and artists of the year. Unlike some, despite being a fan of Eminem’s, I never thought he would win. There was too much controversy around him and the album at the time. Not to mention he was still a relatively new artist and award shows sometimes like for artists to “pay their dues.” But with Beck, Radiohead, and hell Paul Simon in the mix, Steely Dan is not the name I expected to be called that night.

Esperanza Spaulding Wins Best New Artist – I feel like no one was more surprised when Esperanza Spaulding’s name was called that night, than Esperanza herself. As previously noted, Jazz isn’t often shown much love in the major categories (unless you are a phenomenon called Norah Jones) and that fact in itself made Esperanza seemingly a longshot. But then you considered who she was up against that year, and it seemed all but impossible that she’d have any chance of winning – i.e. Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence and The Machine and Mumford & Sons (they would win Album of the Year just two years later). But win she did.

Eminem’s Recovery Loses Album of the Year – So remember that thing I said about artists paying their due? Well, Eminem’s comeback year with Recovery was supposed to be that. After a few years of personal and emotional upheavals owing to his addiction, Eminem got things back on track, channeling all he’d been through into his best album since The Eminem Show. Recovery was a commercial and critical smash. The media and industry were no longer screaming about boycotting his music and how evil and dangerous he was to impressionable youths. In short, Eminem had earned the respect of many and solidified his legacy. All that was missing was a win for Album of the Year – and, it didn’t happen.

John Mayer’s Daughters Wins Song of the Year – There is nothing inherently wrong with John’s Mayer’s Daughters. Albeit it’s a bit maudlin and sleepy. However, it’s not an all-around awful song. It just wasn’t in my opinion, the song of the year. Especially not when it was competing against Kanye West’s Jesus Walks and even Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You.

Kendrick Lamar is 0-7 at 2014 Grammy Awards – Yes, you read that correctly. For the 2014 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar had seven nominations for his breakout debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. He lost in every category. And the losses might not have been so disappointing, were it not for who he lost to, particularly in the Rap categories. Yes, I am, of course, referring to the saga of Macklemore & Lewis sweeping the Rap categories. Here’s the thing – much like Maroon 5 versus Kanye West, I’m not going to argue that Macklemore & Lewis had a stellar year and The Heist was a good album. Kendrick’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City however, was better, which was a sentiment seemingly shared across the industry. And yet come Grammy night the votes went Macklemore & Lewis’ way.

Lose Yourself Loses Record & Song of the Year – Considered by many to be the best song of Eminem’s career, Lose Yourself was commercially and critically, an unquestionable smash. The song spent a whopping 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and was certified diamond in sales (that’s 10 million records sold, for those who don’t know). Oh, and there was also that whole Academy Award for Best Original Song. And yet, come Grammy Awards 2004, it lost ROTY and SOTY to Clocks by Coldplay and Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross, respectively. And it’s no shade to either of these songs that are both perfectly fine. And of course, Dance with My Father had, at the time, the additional emotional punch of Luther Vandross’ having passed away prior to the song’s release. But the plain truth is neither of these songs was in any way as exceptional and well-crafted as Lose Yourself, and time and distance have only furthered this belief. Lose Yourself has aged like fine wine and still holds up almost twenty years later. Case in point, even former President Barack Obama is talking about how Lose Yourself was one of the songs that inspired him during his 2008 presidential run.

O Brother Where Art Thou Wins Album of the Year – A certain person is going to agree with this one. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, a quirky, bluegrass-inspired soundtrack, perfect for the Coen Brothers film of the same name, O Brother, Where Art Thou? won the award for Album of the Year. There was one major problem with this – many assumed and deservedly so, that U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind was the forgone winner. All That You Can’t Leave Behind was unquestionably U2’s best album since 1991’s Achtung Baby. Just the previous year, on the strength of the lead single, Beautiful Day, the band won both Song and Record of the Year. So it just seemed inevitable that the album was going to win Album of the Year. Alas, it was not to be.

10 Essential Albums to Get Through Isolation

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything” (Plato) – isn’t that the truth. And as we all continue to make sense of our current reality and try to put our best foot forward, the healing power of music has never been more essential.

So if you’re looking for another playlist to add to your growing musical library, here is a suggested list of some essential albums to help get you through any mood you’re currently in. As an aside, most of these suggestions could fit multiple categories.

1. For Having a Dance Party – 24K Magic by Bruno Mars. Thirty-three minutes of just pure unadulterated fun. An eclectic mix of Pop, Soul, R&B, and Funk, Mars channeled all his musical idols to deliver a sound that was both retro yet modern, classic yet experimental. Arguably one of the best male artists out today, Bruno Mars has a way of giving you what you didn’t even know you wanted or needed. Good luck staying seated during the singles 24K Magic, Finesse, That’s What I Like… I could go on.

 

2. For Staying Calm and Easing Anxiety – Come Away With Me by Norah Jones. Seriously, I dare you to suggest a more calming musical voice than Norah Jones’. Subtle, yet powerful; listening to Norah Jones is like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold morning. There’s just a calm and a softness that envelopes you when listening to her music. And Come Away With Me is truly her magnum opus. Falling and being in love never sounded so good.

 

3. For Nostalgia – Legend by Bob Marley. The title of this greatest hits compilation is pretty apt. Because there really is no other word to describe what Bob Marley meant to reggae and music in general and the legacy he left behind. And whether you were alive or not during his years of success (I wasn’t), this album is a perfect representation of his musical legacy.

 

4. For Singing Along (Loudly) – 21 by Adele. Admit it, you probably already have, numerous times. I mean come on, who wasn’t singing along to every song on 21, back in 2011-2012. And yes, for anyone who’d ever had their heart broken, was going through a breakup, you probably dramatically sang along with tears streaming down your face as you reminisced about the one that got away or the asshole you hoped to never see again. So go on and let it rip once more, and belt out Someone Like You to your heart’s content.

 

5. For Introspection – To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. Against a backdrop of various musical styles that celebrates the black tradition, i.e. Funk, Jazz, Soul, R&B, and Spoken Word, Kendrick Lamar delivered a musical masterpiece that explores the themes of race, culture, discrimination, mental health, and self-identity. Jam along to I, pump your fists to Alright or contemplate your own socially conscious journey with The Blacker the Berry. From beginning to end, every song on To Pimp a Butterfly will make you feel something, make you question your own beliefs and values and those of the world around you. Not one song on this album is filler. It’s all part of a masterfully constructed dialogue between an artist and his audience.

 

6. For An Underrated Artist – Body Talk by Robyn. Chances are you’ve probably already heard and been singing along for years, to Dancing on My Own by Robyn. It was the unofficial theme song for Girls and in 2015, Calum Scott became a worldwide sensation for his beautiful cover, which he first performed on Britain’s Got Talent. But trust me when I say, Dancing on My Own is just a tease of how incredible Robyn’s music is. Body Talk is chock-full of her signature Pop/Dance infused ballads. A mix of electro-pop, reggae-funk, you never stop moving all the while you go through a roller coaster of emotions.

 

7. For Feeling Like a BOSS – Lemonade by Beyonce. Let’s face it, is there any other choice? From “middle fingers up” to “fucking up all his shit” to pushing and keeping on no matter what because “a winner don’t quit on themselves”, Queen Bey will have you booty popping while feeling like you have the strength and power to conquer the whole damn world.

 

8. For a Classic – Purple Rain by Prince. All hail his majesty. Still one of the greatest albums of all time. Just a solid collection of pop perfection from beginning to end. What could the man not do? Singer, songwriter, musician – Prince did it all and did it all brilliantly. And Purple Rain is without question the seminal album of his illustrious career. So go on and get crazy and have a Prince Party.

 

9. For a Comeback – Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple. For her first album in eight years, Apple delivers a collection of songs that continues down the whimsical and off the beaten path that’s been the cornerstone of her career. Listening to this album will leave you feeling confused (there are some very interesting sounds on there), amused, enchanted, and spellbound. Because no matter how weird it gets and it gets plenty weird, you can’t turn away from it.

 

10. For a Great Soundtrack – 8 Mile Soundtrack by Various Artists. I swear this is not because of Eminem’s surprise performance of Lose Yourself at this year’s Oscar ceremony – at least it’s not the sole reason. Because admittedly, that appearance reminded many, in case they’d forgotten, just how brilliant said song is. But here’s a little secret, the entire 8 Mile Soundtrack is brilliant. While Lose Yourself is understandably the standout, Eminem’s masterful wordplay and delivery in Rabbit Run and 8 Mile showcases him at his absolute best. Jay-Z’s appearance on 8 Miles and Runnin is Hov doing what Hov does best. Even the non-rap songs were amazing. So if you’re looking for a great movie soundtrack to jam to and not feeling Disney at the moment, get reacquainted with this classic.

And there you have it. Just a few musical suggestions for your next private listening party. What are some of your musical picks that you’ve been jamming to?

Best & Worst Grammys 2018

It was a good night for Bruno Mars. Another Grammy Awards ceremony came and went and the talented pint-sized crooner walked away the night’s big winner, completing the rare trifecta of Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year. While it may have been a good night for Mars, it wasn’t so much for the music industry and the show itself, with the following day’s ratings reflecting a significant drop from the previous year’s show. Here are a few of my best and worst moments of the night.

BEST

Kendrick Lamar’s Opening Performance – It almost feels a little redundant at this point to say that Kendrick Lamar gave an amazing Grammy performance, as he’s been doing it since his epic collaboration with Imagine Dragons at the 2014 ceremony. Some thought that performance couldn’t be topped – they were wrong. In 2016, K-Dot had viewers completely shook with an epic and jaw-dropping performance of his hits that included The Blacker the Berry and Alright. Raw, bold and in your face, viewers and audience members alike were left stunned and mesmerized. And that’s exactly what he did again this past Sunday, this time as the ceremony’s opening performer. Throwing everything into his performance, including cameos by U2 and Dave Chappelle, Lamar delivered another stirring and visually powerful number that evoked an intense reaction from those watching. Electrifying, bold, intense and unapologetic, the Compton native once again showed everyone why he’s one of the most powerful and talented voices in music today.

 

Ben Platt’s Soaring Performance of Somewhere – Sometimes, all you need is a voice. Especially when that voice is so beautiful and special. Dressed fairly casual for an award show, standing solo on a small stage and accompanied simply by a guitarist and cellist, Ben Platt (critically acclaimed for his performance in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen) delivered an absolutely gorgeous and stellar rendition of Somewhere, from West Side Story, in honor of Broadway’s legendary composer, Leonard Bernstein. Simple, tender and pitch perfect.

 

Kesha Sings Her Truth – Long before the New York Times’ explosive expose on Harvey Weinstein that not only brought down one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers but launched a full out attack on decades of systemic sexual and emotional abuse by men in the entertainment industry, singer Kesha was fighting her own battle against another powerful man, her former producer and mentor, Dr. Luke. The battle began in 2014, when Kesha sued to have all her contracts with Dr. Luke voided, on the grounds that he sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused her. The producer denied the claim and the Court ultimately sided with him, ruling against Kesha. As such, the singer is still tethered to Dr. Luke’s label, which means her most recent album Rainbow, was released through his label.  And that alone should make anyone understand the likely raging emotions Kesha experiences performing and promoting her new music. And all that emotion – the pain, anger, the hurt, sadness – was on full display as she belted out a powerful performance of her song Praying, flanked by numerous powerful female voices in music, including legend Cyndi Lauper. It wasn’t always pitch perfect but it was raw, honest and real.

 

Logic’s Timely Performance of 1-800-273-8255 – It was only fitting. With a final image of Chester Bennington to end the In Memoriam slideshow, the producers wisely chose to transition into Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid’s performance of their social anthem on suicide prevention, 1-800-273-8255. With two iconic music stars lost this past year to suicide, it was the most fitting and one of the most emotionally powerful moments of the night.

 

Gary Clark Jr. and Jon Batiste Pay Their Respects – The only criticism was that it was too short. The always brilliant Gary Clark Jr., joined by Jon Batiste, performed a brief tribute to the late great Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. Fun, bluesy and oh so smooth, it was musical perfection.

 

WORST

Kendrick Lamar Loses AOTY (Again) – *Sigh* Well, I was wrong about him losing out to Jay-Z but I wasn’t wrong about his losing again. This is tough for me because I am a huge Bruno Mars fan and have been saying for the last few years that he is, in my opinion, the best male pop artist right now (sorry not sorry Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran). So I don’t want to entirely begrudge him his success and I felt bad for him with the slight booing that ensued when he was announced as the winner. However, I simply cannot agree that he deserved this win. Especially since as much as I loved 24K Magic, I don’t think that’s even his best work. But more importantly, as I stated in my predictions blog post, the simple truth is that Kendrick Lamar had the best album of 2017, just like he had the best album of 2015 and so once again, he was robbed.

 

Tribute to Victims of Concert Terror Attacks – It truly pains me to have to put this as a worst as the sentiment behind the performance was such a meaningful and beautiful one. But I am very curious as to why Grammy producers chose these specific artists for that tribute and that specific song. Don’t get me wrong, I love Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven. It was one of my favourite songs and in my opinion, one of the greatest songs of all time. And considering the meaning behind the performance, the song was a suitable choice but it very clearly did not go with the artists’ voices. And there are many other songs that are fitting for a tragedy. So if they had to go with these artists, they should have chosen another song. Or they could have gone with some other artists because again, no offense to Maren Morris and Eric Church and company, but this was just not the right song for their voices. And it made a moment that should have been incredibly moving and touching, one that I spent half the time cringing and the other half muting the television.

 

No Tribute for Chester Bennington/Chris Cornell/Delores O’Riordan – Yes, I know there was the tie-in performance of Logic’s 1-800-273-8255 but with three such iconic voices in music passing away last year, as well as Tom Petty of course, I feel like a separate tribute performance could and should have been done. After all, it’s not like the Grammys hasn’t done multiple musical tributes in one show before. Hell, last year’s show had Adele’s moving tribute to George Michael and Bruno Mars’ amazing tribute to Prince. And 2016 was like a show of musical tributes, including Lady Gaga’s, in honor of David Bowie, the Eagles’ tribute to Glenn Frey and the tribute to B.B. King. So I definitely think this trio of artists deserved a special performance.

 

Elton John/Sting/Sam Smith Performances – And to piggyback off my previous point, they especially could have thrown together a tribute for the above, since they had time for these three performances that were in my opinion, completely unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong, I love Elton John and Sting and I know Elton is starting a farewell tour and Sting is about to release a collaboration album with Shaggy (yes, you read that right) but the fact is they both just sang old hits of theirs that truthfully, really didn’t add much to the show. Again, don’t get me wrong, Englishman in New York is my jam and I totally grooved a bit to the performance but let’s be honest, nothing would have really been lost without it. And regarding Smith, not only did he look hideous in what looked like pajamas (did he crawl out of bed for this performance), the song and performance were both boring and underwhelming and he wasn’t nominated for anything. So again, this could have been left on the cutting room floor.

 

The Host Without the Most – Did James Corden serve any real purpose at this year’s ceremony? The Fire and Fury bit, as well as the subway sketch with Sting and Shaggy were decent enough but both were pre-taped. He didn’t have to be present for either of those two things to run. The fact is he was barely ever on the stage and when he was there, he wasn’t particularly funny or memorable. You know who was funny, Dave Chapelle. Just throwing it out there – Chapelle for Grammy Host 2019.

*All images courtesy Google Images*

Grammy Awards 2018 Predictions

With music’s biggest night, i.e. the 60^th Annual Grammy Awards, less than two days away, it’s only fitting that I make a predictions post of who I think will take home the night’s biggest awards. For the first time in fifteen years, the ceremony will take place in New York City, the beloved hometown of Jay-Z, who leads the night with the most nominations. Could it be a sign of things to come? We shall see but I can tell you what I think might happen come Sunday night and what I want to happen.

Album of the Year

DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar

4:44 – Jay-Z

Awaken My Love – Childish Gambino 

Melodrama – Lorde 

24K Magic – Bruno Mars 

It was the category that had everyone talking after the nominees were announced. For the first time in the history of the Grammy Awards, Hip Hop/Rap dominated the Album of the Year category with only Lorde, the sole female nominee in the group, representing Pop music. Some have speculated that Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar may cancel each other out with the voters, allowing for a surprise win by Lorde. I don’t think so. My prediction is that this is going to be a battle of East Coast (Jay-Z) vs. West Coast (Kendrick Lamar).

Who Will Win – So who do I think will prevail? Well as much as I’m not going to like it, my gut says this may be Jay-Z’s crowning moment. Without question 4:44 is his best work in years, revealing a maturity and wisdom not evident in his other works. It is a wonderfully crafted album, showcasing vulnerability and unflinching honesty. In another time or place, I would happily co-sign 4:44 as the best Album of the Year. But I can’t this year. However, I can see Grammy voters leaning in his direction for a number of reasons. As crazy as it may sound, Jay-Z, as the older statesman if you will, is now the “safe” choice in the world of Hip Hop/Rap. A win for him would allow voters to pat themselves on the back that they’ve finally rewarded a Rap album, without their having to go too far outside their comfort zone. And then there’s the Beyonce factor. As ridiculous as it sounds (but crazier things have happened), I can see voters leaning towards Jay-Z in some misguided attempt to make up for what many felt was the egregious act of Adele’s 25 winning AOTY over Beyonce’s Lemonade.

Who Should Win – It’s so obvious, it seems silly that there should even be a debate about this category. And yet, Grammy voters prove year after year that they sometimes do anything but what is expected and obvious. Kendrick Lamar had one of the best-selling, highly acclaimed albums of 2017, with one of the singles, Humble, topping the charts. This is Lamar’s third consecutive album to be hailed by fans and critics alike as one of the best Hip Hop/Rap albums ever. And yet, there is still a possibility that voters will not give him his due. While many declared Adele’s triumph over Beyonce last year as one of the biggest blunders in Grammy history, for me, that’s still Taylor Swift’s 1989 besting Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. And here we are again, where like 2015, he delivered an album of brilliant storytelling, masterful flow and rhyme and enough conflicting metaphors and imagery to have you pondering the meaning of it all, even a year later. Kendrick Lamar had the best album of 2017, just like he had the best album in 2015 and just like the 2016 Grammy Awards, he deserves to win Album of the Year.

Record of the Year

Redbone – Childish Gambino

Despacito – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber

The Story of OJ – Jay Z

Humble – Kendrick Lamar 

24K Magic – Bruno Mars 

Who Will Win – 2017 was the year of Despacito. Whether you liked the song or not, you couldn’t escape it and probably found yourself humming or singing along to it once or twice, without even realizing. It was without question, THE song of the summer and a bonafide smash. So it is reasonable to think that it has a more than likely shot at taking home the prize.

Who Should Win – I’m torn on this one. I can’t say Despacito would be an undeserving winner but I also think a strong case can be made for Kendrick Lamar’s Humble. You can count on Kung Fu Kenny to deliver a banger that still educates, hitting listeners with some very important themes. Humble is unquestionably Kendrick Lamar’s most successful single, giving the rapper his first solo Billboard Hot 100 Number One. The video for the song went on to win big at last summer’s VMA Awards, including the top prize of Video of the Year. A win in this category would not be undeserved, but as we know, a Hip Hop/Rap song has never won in this category.

Song of the Year

Despacito – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber 

4:44 – Jay Z

Issues – Julia Michaels 

1-800-273-8255 – Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid 

That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars

Who Will Win – This one is tough to call. There is no Hello type hit this year – a song that was both a critical and commercial smash across the board. While Despacito was one of the biggest hits 2017, Song of the Year is a songwriter’s award and lyrically, the song isn’t exactly a standout. Then there’s Jay-Z’s open letter of apology to Beyonce for all his years of infidelity. It’s a powerful statement on male/female relationships, particularly black male/black female relationships, love and forgiveness. As he leads the charge with the most nominations, making it clear that the voters were feeling the love for 4:44, a possible win here would not be surprising. But Grammy voters also love Bruno Mars and this may be the one major category he could prevail in.

Who Should Win – Again, tough to call. Logic’s 1-888-273-8255 delivered a very important statement on suicide awareness and was one of the biggest songs of the year. The song also features two of the Best New Artist nominees. That said, if I personally had to pick, I’d give my vote to Jay Z for a brilliantly crafted and emotionally resonant statement that not only journeys through his personal failures as a husband and partner but our own failures as individuals, in relationships.

Best New Artist

SZA

Alessia Cara 

Khalid

Julia Michaels 

Lil Uzi Vert 

Who Will Win – The buzz among the critics is all about SZA. The soulful chanteuse had the attention of many in 2017 and her name seemed to be on every critic’s lips. However, some think a possible upset may be in the works in the form of one Alessia Cara. This despite the fact that Cara clearly should have been nominated last year. My gut says voters will make the critics happy and it will be a good night for SZA.

Who Should Win – I have to admit that while I recognize SZA’s talent, I’m not a huge fan of her work and in truth am mostly underwhelmed by it. So I can’t say I share the critics’ excitement over her. My personal pick for this category is Khalid who I think is one of the most brilliantly underrated artists. His American Teen album was, in my opinion, one of the best albums of 2017. Soulful, bluesy, intelligent, fun and just all around great music.

Let’s see if any of my predictions come true this Sunday night.

Grammy Awards 2016

The 58^th annual Grammy Awards were held last night, and while this year’s ceremony was certainly not as boring as last year’s, that may not be saying much. The night saw its fair share of great performances, some not-so great performances, some “why is this happening” performances, sound and technical issues, deserving and some not-so deserving wins. And in keeping with the past few years, it was for the most part just a very long concert, with only 8 categories being awarded on air. So without further ado, here are my best and worst moments from the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Best

Kendrick Lamar’s Performance – There are so many adjectives and superlatives I can think of to describe this performance, many of which I’m sure other more experienced entertainment writers have used, but the words that come to mind as I think about how I felt watching it are heart-pounding intensity. This was a performance that both mesmerized and disturbed you, moved you and made you uncomfortable in the best way possible. In conclusion it was powerful, genius and brilliant.

Adele, The True Professional – It went wrong right from the start. Many viewers sitting and watching at home were wondering if something was wrong with their television sets when it was clear that for a few seconds we couldn’t hear Adele’s singing. And then there was the very loud, very awkward clanging. Basically, this was a bit of a disaster technically but being a true professional, not to mention a freaking out of this world singer, Adele persevered and powered through one of the most amazing ballads on her new album, not to mention one of the most difficult vocally. After the show, she tweeted about the situation, admitting that a mic in the piano dropped onto the keys which caused it to go off key and create the weird clanging sound we were hearing. In typical Adele fashion though she shrugged it off and stated she was going to treat herself to an In ‘N Out burger for having to deal with the situation. And that’s why we love her.

Uptown Funk Wins ROTY – Let me just say that for the most part, I was okay with most of the wins at this year’s awards, except for one obvious notable exception that I will get to later. That said, I was particularly thrilled about this win because one, I adore Bruno Mars and think he is one of the best male artists currently in music and two, I just think this song is pure genius and one of the best damn pop songs in years. Kudos to Mark Ronson, who we all already knew was a genius producer just from the late Amy Winehouse’s brilliant Back to Black album, for constructing a sound  so infectious and ear wormy that even when you didn’t want to dance and sing along, you were almost powerless not to.

Amazing Fresh Faces – This year’s Grammy ceremony saw a number of stellar performances from a few fresh faces making their Grammy debut. The standouts for me were James Bay and Tori Kelly, both nominated for Best New Artist and Andra Day and Ellie Goulding. While Goulding may not necessarily be a complete unknown to many, this was her first time performing on the Grammy stage and she held her own beautifully, especially against someone with as stellar a voice as Day. The name Andra Day may not have been instantly recognizable to many when she first took the stage but by the end, she made sure viewers were paying attention with a performance of pure and gorgeous vocals. James Bay and Tori Kelly also acquitted themselves beautifully, their voices blending perfectly as they delivered a gorgeous duet of their songs.

Musical Tributes – This year’s ceremony was a bit heavy on the musical tributes but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact I quite enjoyed many, but the standouts for me were definitely the tribute to Lionel Ritchie who was MusicCares Artist of the Year; the tribute to Glen Frey of The Eagles, who recently passed away and the tribute to B.B. King. If I have to make a few quibbles, I thought the Lionel Ritchie tribute could have done without Demi Lovato who seemed to be trying way too hard to have a “moment”. I get that this was her first time ever performing on the Grammy stage and every artist wants to have that moment that all the media will be talking about the next day, but this just wasn’t the time and place for it because the performance wasn’t about her. It was about honoring Lionel Ritchie and not trying to show off how much she can over-sing and scream a song. Also, while I loved the B.B. King tribute and thought Gary Clark Jr., Bonnie Raitt and Chris Stapleton were all incredible, I wish that Chris had gotten the chance to sing a little of one of his own songs, just because he had so many nominations and so much praise for his album and I feel like those who didn’t know who he was coming into the show, may still not truly know just how amazing his own music is. And trust me, it’s really freaking amazing.

Worst

Taylor Swift Wins AOTY – With her win last night, Taylor Swift became the first female artist to ever win two Album of the Year awards in Grammy history (a fact she was quick to point out in her “humble” speech). Seriously, I would like us to all just ponder that for a second. That in the entire history of the Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift; a decent to okay songwriter with a good ear for a catchy hook and below average vocal ability is the first woman to win two Album of the Year awards. Let me be very clear, before the accusations of being a hater are slung, that I have liked much of Taylor’s music for years. As I have written before on this blog, I’ve been aware of and listening to Taylor’s music since her first album and her first single. And as one of my close friends will attest to, I fervently defended her AOTY win for Fearless and I stand by that even today. Against the competition she had that year, I do still believe her album was critically and commercially the strongest. However, in my opinion, that was most definitely not the case this year. Don’t get me wrong – was 1989 a pretty damn good pop album, absolutely. And did it deserve to be nominated for AOTY, absolutely. But there is simply no conceivable way that this album – cohesively, lyrically, musically and artistically – was better than Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly or hell even Chris Stapleton’s Traveller. Some critics claimed that Taylor went somewhere new on this album and I disagree. All she did was complete the pop transformation she’d been on since Red. Her subject matter hasn’t truly changed or evolved and she did not revolutionize pop music in the way Michael Jackson’s Thriller, for example, did. And just to be clear, I’m not saying every AOTY has to do those things. But what I am saying is that ultimately 1989 was merely a good pop album with some decent songs and rewarding it with the music industry’s highest honor was the definition of rewarding basic and safe. There is also the fact that I cannot think of an artist who needed to have their ego stroked some more, less than Taylor Swift. Again, when truly examining the full quality and history Taylor Swift’s discography, not to mention her barely there vocals, the fact that she is now as critically rewarded and lauded as she is, is truly absurd.

Kendrick Lamar Loses AOTY – Here are a few facts to think about. No Rap/Hip Hop song has ever won Song or Record of the Year. And in terms of the Album of the Year, some point to Outkast and Lauryn Hill’s wins but Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was placed in the R&B categories the year she won and Outkast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below feature an entire CD with just R&B songs (the album was a double disc). So in other words, it’s kind of a toss-up to say that any true Rap/Hip Hop album has won AOTY. And in my opinion, it hasn’t and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. At least not until the Grammy voters stop treating the genre as the stepchild that’s just being tolerated. The fact of the matter is, in my opinion, rap music still makes a lot of people uncomfortable and people don’t like to feel uncomfortable.  And so because of that, the music and artists will continue to get invited to the party but never be at the head of the table. And Kendrick, so raw and intense in his music really makes some people uncomfortable. Some of the comments I read online right after his performance and today have been quite telling – predictable of course but so telling. Because as moved as many, including myself, were by his brilliant performance, for some, all they saw was a “scary” black guy up there in chains rapping about how  “My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide/You hate me don’t you?/You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture. /You’re fuckin’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey”….  Yeah that kind of honesty makes a lot of people squirm, including Grammy voters. So when it was all said and done, voters went with what was safe and comfortable. The world is shitty enough and most people don’t like to be reminded of the awful. I truly believe that the Grammy voters have never fully respected rap and last night just further cemented that. I’m sure many are telling themselves, “well he swept the Rap categories and hell won the most awards, so what’s the big deal…” And just to be clear, I don’t think Kendrick should have won to make some statement and just to reward a rap album simply because they haven’t before. I truly believe he should have won because he deserved it and among the nominees, had the best album of the year. It may not have light, fun pop songs that topped the Billboard charts because millions of young people could sing along to it but what it is, is an honest and gritty portrait of the African American male story. It is an album that is in parts despairing yet hopeful, angry yet joyful, lost yet finding one’s self and in a word, brilliant.

Lady Gaga’s Tribute To David Bowie – I like Lady Gaga and yes, while I will admit I thought this tribute should have been a medley of artists and was bothered that she alone was doing it, I was willing to keep an open mind and give her a chance. And I also never questioned her authenticity in what Bowie meant to her as an artist. I mean Bowie was performance art to the very core of the term, long before Gaga even existed much less emerged onto the music scene. So I went into this with no bias but sad to say, when it was all said and done, I was very disappointed. I felt like the performance very quickly veered from tribute into parody. Midway through I didn’t feel like I was watching Lady Gaga honoring David Bowie but rather doing a parody of him, right down to the fake British accent while singing, weird teeth, weird walk, etc. And Bowie deserved way better than that in my opinion. Yes, Bowie was conceptual and out there but that worked for him and for whatever era he was performing in. Lady Gaga putting on some costume and mimicking everything about a performance of Bowie’s just made the whole thing cheesy and the bad kind of camp, as opposed to the brilliant camp that defined Bowie’s career.

PitBull’s Finale Performance – I found most of the choices for the last hour of the show very questionable. From placing Alabama Shakes that late into the night, who while an amazing group is still virtually unknown to the larger public, which means it would be hard for them to grab the attention of a mostly checked out audience at this point; to the random performance of The Hollywood Vampires, the so called rock super-group that in my opinion just seems like a makeup of random aging rock singers and Johnny Depp. But nothing was more random and wtf to me than Pitbull’s being chosen to give the night’s final performance. I am not trying to be a music snob here but I could not have been the only one wondering why Pitbull aka Mr. Worldwide was closing out the music industry’s biggest night, especially as he was not nominated for any major award and doesn’t currently have some hit that is tearing up the airwaves that everyone is loving and so just had to be performed last night. It just didn’t seem fitting of the moment. And then he delivered whatever that was. First he bastardizes the classic that is Murder She Wrote by Chaka Demus and Pliers, then Sofia Vergara shows up in the most embarrassing fashion and proceeds to do whatever she was doing and then it morphed into some number with Robin Thicke that was just as bad. It truly felt like the show had morphed into The American Music Awards. The whole thing just seemed way too low brow for The Grammys.

Musical Tributes – Yes, I know I’ve mentioned this as a best and no, I promise I’m not losing my mind. The music industry lost a number of amazing talent and legends this past year and already in the first two months of the year. And of course I realize that not everyone can get a special tribute. That said, I definitely believe that Natalie Cole warranted a special tribute. This was a woman who had one of the most successful albums, with Unforgettable…With Love, where she re-recorded a number of her late father, the great Nat King Cole’s classic standards, as duets with him. The album went on to sell over 30 million copies and won Cole an Album of the Year Grammy.  That she got nothing more than a minute glance in the In Memoriam segment was shameful, especially when the show clearly had enough time to include that hot mess of a finale performance. The time that was wasted on that could have been used to help pay a proper tribute to Cole. Finally, I would prefer a tribute not be done at all, rather than what seems to be a last minute, half-assed thrown together number that seemed like a way to appease some public outcry. I am of course talking about the Stevie Wonder and Pentatonix “tribute” to Maurice White, the late member of legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire. I know the audience loved it and I’m not saying it was necessarily bad. I just feel like it felt thrown together last minute and I would have rather the producers do nothing at all than do that.

2015 Pop Culture Year-End Review

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Per the usual, it was certainly a dramatic year in pop culture and entertainment. From the amazing, to the tragic to the WTF…this year had it all. It would take forever to list all the things that wowed, amused, annoyed or just plain baffled me. And so, in the spirit of being more positive in 2016 (yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts…), I decided to focus on the 10 moments/events, etc. in entertainment, I loved the most this year.

Adele 25 – We had to wait almost four years, but it was well worth the wait. After taking some time away from the spotlight in the wake of her astonishing success with the album 21, Adele returned this year, picking up right where she left off by delivering an album of heartbreaking, soaring ballads and gut wrenching honest emotion. I have certainly made no secret of my Adele-love, so this one should come as no surprise. And just to be clear, this is not about jumping on a bandwagon. I have been a fan of Adele’s ever since I randomly stumbled on the video for her song Chasing Pavements and that love was cemented when I heard Hometown Glory and saw her perform To Feel My Love live. And I will continue to be a fan as long as she delivers such tender and heartfelt honesty in her music.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II – I know the reviews were mixed and many fans (especially non-book readers) were not too happy with this film. However, as a fan of the book series, I thought the film was a fitting end to the franchise. Could some things have been better, of course; which is often the case with any film adaptation. However, as she has done since the first film, I thought Jennifer Lawrence was perfect in her portrayal of Katniss. She was helped by a strong and impressive supporting cast. As always, Liam Hemsworth remained uneventful but at least he wasn’t “ruin the movie” awful. He was more or less just bland and uninteresting.  Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of President Snow remained absolute perfection, as was Elizabeth Banks who made Effie such a scene stealing character that they kept her around longer in the movies than she actually was in the books. And of course, Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson, who while the writing may not have always been there for the latter, did great with what he was given. So a great franchise that I’m sure I’ll get the box set when it’s released.

The Affair: Season 2 – Like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, this was a little divisive. A lot of the critics have been less than thrilled with the direction the season took and to be honest, I’m not sure I am completely in love with the season finale, especially the reveal of how Scotty Lockhart really died. But that said, looking back on the season as a whole, there was a lot I did love and enjoyed about it and I found it as compelling, if not more so, than the first season. I will note that it probably helped that I have never really cared for the show’s lead characters, Alison and Noah, especially the latter. Therefore they weren’t really ruined for me this season, which is a problem many had with the season, because I already thought they were plenty awful in the first place. In my opinion, Noah continued being a selfish, self-centered jerk and Alison a whiny bore who did very well at playing the victim even when she wasn’t. The whole season felt for me like the ending of Descent (Noah’s fictional bestseller he wrote based on his affair with Alison), coming to fruition. That is, the man realizing that this woman he blew up his family and life for wasn’t who he thought she was and wasn’t worth it and in the end, in a fit of anger and bitterness, he kills her. I don’t think the killing Alison part will happen but I have a feeling the show will end on Noah’s original ending for the book – that is, the couple sitting down quietly to dinner with this big secret between them. Basically in my opinion, I see The Affair as a tragedy. It isn’t a love story but a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy of how one decision, one choice, can tragically change the course of so many lives. And that is what made the season so compelling.

Survivor: Season 31 – Survivor had a milestone season this year – the show about outwitting, outplaying and outlasting, turned 30. Unfortunately, the landmark season turned out to be VERY dull and uninspiring. The only semi-interesting aspect to the whole season was watching Mike immunity win his way to the final tribal council and ultimately the win. Especially as this REALLY annoyed and stuck in Dan’s craw. But aside from that, it was a season of jerks, little strategic play and uninspiring tribal councils. Not so for Season 31 which, for the first time in the show’s history, saw of cast of players who had played once before, voted to play again by the viewers of the show. Many of the cast members viewed the second chance as a huge gift, particularly because the fans voted them in and were determined to make the most of it. Season 31 turned out be one of the most unpredictable and exciting seasons in years – blindside after blindside, awesome immunity idol plays, you never knew who was really aligned with whom, etc. In the end, nice guy Jeremy who was completely blindsided by his alliance in his original season, took home the million in a complete sweep. I will admit that much as I liked Jeremy and was happy for his win, I was sad for Spencer who I really came to like in his original season. It wasn’t just that he lost, but that he lost because he completely missed Jeremy’s obviously being a huge threat, the jury eviscerated him and his character and he just looked so sad and disappointed at the reunion show. Still, a great season that hopefully Season 32 can live up to.

Jon Stewart’s Final Daily Show Season – After 16 years at the helm, Jon Stewart signed off from The Daily Show this year in perfect fashion. He remained consistently funny and insightful, with brilliant biting wit and sarcasm. I shared my feelings on what the show and Jon Stewart meant to me personally after his last episode and while Trevor Noah has acquitted himself well enough as Stewart’s replacement, the sting of the loss is still being felt and likely will for a little while longer. But after almost two decades, I understood Jon’s desire to leave and move on to something else. After all, as the old adage goes, “best to leave before they kick you out.”

Katy Perry’s Superbowl Half-Time Show – I am not the biggest fan of Katy Perry’s. In fact, there are really only a handful of her songs that I truly love. That said, while this was certainly not my favorite halftime show of all time (that honor still belongs to Prince), I think she did a pretty damn good job. The inclusion of Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot, who probably both seemed random when first announced, was a stroke of genius; particularly Missy’s appearance which helped rejuvenate the hip hop star’s career and remind so many of just how awesome she is. You can check out my original review of the performance here.

Mr. Robot: Episode 6 – If you aren’t watching USA’s Mr. Robot, you need to. The show is a dark, twisted, complex and mind-bending ball of crazy that makes you feel like you’re on a never-ending acid trip. And it is freaking fantastic. At the core of the show’s success is the brilliantly understated performance by the enigmatic Rami Malek, who plays lead character Eliot Alderson. If you’ve read my most recent blog post, you probably know how thrilled I am at all the award show love he and the show have gotten. While the entire season is amazing, if I would suggest one episode that encapsulates the dark and disturbing brilliance of the show perfectly, and where Malek just absolutely shines from beginning to end, it would be Episode 6. Racing against the clock to help a very dangerous criminal, whose associates are holding his neighbor and sometimes love interest hostage, escape from prison, Malek expertly delivers a range of emotion, from fear, panic and gut-wrenching sadness with a quiet subtlety and grace that’s just mesmerizing to watch.

Bates Motel: Season 3 – If you have ever watched the classic horror film Psycho or at the least heard about the plot, you probably already know how completely bat-shit crazy Norman Bates is. Bates Motel, the criminally under-appreciated A&E drama is a prequel that tells the story of who Norman Bates was before he became completely bat-shit crazy and murdered Marion Crane, while dressed as his dead mother. In other words, we’re already spoiled as to where the show is going and essentially have just been waiting for that big moment. The moment where Norman and Mother truly start to become one. Season 3 of the show, which aired earlier this year, finally delivered that moment. Played to absolute perfection by Freddie Highmore (seriously, that he has never even been nominated for this role is beyond absurd), the season saw the continued inevitable decline of Norman’s mental state as he fell deeper and deeper into his psychosis. It all culminated in the brutal murder of the emotionally lost Bradley by the hands of Norman as “Mother.” It was one of the most disturbing, horrific and spellbinding scenes I saw on television this year.

Kendrick Lamar’s Alright – Kendrick Lamar escaped the dreaded sophomore slump in absolutely brilliant fashion. Coming on the heels of his critically acclaimed good kid, m.A.A.d city, Lamar delivered one of, if not the best album of the year, To Pimp A Butterfly. Picking up where he left off on good kid, m.A.A.d city, the album is chock full of powerful messages and truths about the plight of the young African American male, inner city youth, white supremacy, the struggle to find and identify oneself, etc. And while many songs are powerful on their own, probably the stand out moment comes from the song Alright, which became a rallying cry for the #blacklivesmatter movement. It would be naïve to not see and understand why this song is currently as important and powerful as it is, with all that’s going around the U.S., particularly in regards to police brutality against African Americans. Certainly a powerful song in general but the added weight of the current socio-political climate makes it one of the most important songs in decades and a rallying cry for so many.

Top 5 Fashion Moments – If you’ve been reading my blog often or even occasionally, you know I’m always here for fashion and some great fashion moments. So I would be remiss to not include some type of fashion list in my review of my favorite pop culture moments of the year. And here they are:

Rihanna – Met Ball Gala

It was the dress that spawned hundreds of memes and sure, we can go on for days with the jokes about her looking like a human omelet. But as I noted in my recap about this year’s Gala, it is a costume ball for crying out loud. It is probably the one time celebrities should embrace the bold and daring and take crazy risks and just have fun. And I feel like Rihanna totally got that.

Diane Kruger – Venice International Film Festival

Some did not love the big bow on the side but I have to say, from the moment I saw this look, I fell in love with it. There is something just so timeless and classic yet bold about it.

Cate Blanchett – Cannes Film Festival 

This look just screams movie star and red carpet. I loved the bold print, the drama and simultaneously, the whimsical and softness of it. This is a movie star’s dress and Cate Blanchett who carries herself in such a regal and classic manner, was the perfect one to carry it off.

Lupita Nyong’o – Cannes Film Festival

After an amazing debut season on the red carpet on her way to winning her first Academy Award, things seemed to go VERY wrong with Lupita on the fashion front. I really started to believe her previous red carpet moments had merely been a stroke of luck. So thank goodness for this gorgeous green Grecian moment. Not only was the dress stunning but it matched her skin tone beautifully and she wore it very well.

Lady Gaga – The Primetime Emmy Awards 

 

There really isn’t anything that amazing about this dress. It’s your typical classic black evening dress. What made it such a memorable red carpet moment was who was wearing it. It was truly a jaw dropping moment when the woman who’d once worn a meat dress, showed up at the Emmys looking a classic old-Hollywood star. And she wore it so well.

2015 MTV Video Music Awards

As this is a pop culture blog, I almost feel compelled to comment on the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, which was held this past Sunday. After all, the VMA’s has been a standard in pop culture for more than three decades. However, it would probably help if I actually cared about this year’s show, which I kind of didn’t. Perhaps this is age catching up with me and I’m just not as cool as I once was…nah, this show just sucks now.

Two factors turned me off long before Sunday’s ceremony even aired – the choice of host (to say I’m not a fan is an understatement) and the list of performers (I can truly say that I had little to no desire to see Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj, etc.).  That said, as this is a pop culture blog, I would be remiss to not talk about some of the biggest moments from the night. And in fairness, I did enjoy The Weeknd and Tori Kelly’s performances.

Top 5 Moments Social Media Was Talking About

Miley Cyrus’ Hosting Performance – Honestly, I don’t care. To be more accurate, I don’t care about her stupid, “desperately attention-seeking” barely there outfits, the constant “look how cool and bad-ass I am because I smoke weed and talk about it” drug references, the horrible, nasally, off-key “singing”, the horrible music…just all of it. I simply don’t care and that MTV clearly seems to think many of their viewers do, so much so that she practically dominated the show, was pathetic and embarrassing for all involved. The schtick is so old it’s moldy at this point – like go take a shower and try to find a note you can actually stay on key with.

Taylor Swift Dominates – Well of course she did. Right now the music world feels like a case of “it’s Taylor’s world and we’re all just living in it.” You know, I’ve already expounded on my love/hate feelings about Taylor. That said, while I don’t necessarily have any major issues with her wins, the one for Video of the Year in particular felt very much like voters went for the “bigger and more famous equal better” mentality. It was certainly an expensive looking video with many a famous cameo and things blowing up, elaborate machines and weapons, etc. However, it was also pretty much vintage Joseph Khan with a basic and frankly boring storyline – girl is betrayed by friend and develops her girl army to fight back. Okay and… In my opinion this award should have gone to Kendrick Lamar’s Alright. It is a powerful video for a brilliant song that in the current social climate of the US, may just be one of the most important songs of the year. Taylor Swift winning Video of the Year was the obvious and safe choice, much like Taylor herself. MTV had the chance to show that contrary to the criticisms of the last few years, they still represent an important voice in pop culture. And well let’s just say they failed.

Kanye West Has A Lot of Feelings – Okay, this is not exactly breaking news to anyone who has been paying attention to Yeezy in the last few years. He has had a lot of feelings about A LOT of things, much of it being Beyonce’s apparent greatness. But his speech, after accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, encompassed everything that is Kanye West for the last few years. It was in parts brilliant, cringe-worthy, uncomfortable and rambly. As a viewer you were simultaneously enthralled and very confused. And then he capped it off in the only way that could possibly top everything that had gone before it – an announcement that he would run for President in 2020. I’m not sure we know for a fact if he was joking or not and something tells me he doesn’t either. But it sure made for some great memes. And hey, if people can take that walking tool Trump seriously as a Presidential candidate, why not Kanye West. #Yeezyfor2020

Nicki Minaj Squashes One Beef and Starts Another – In what was supposed to be an “epic” moment I guess, Taylor Swift joined Nicki Minaj in her opening show performance, thus effectively squashing their little twitter feud. Seriously, you must have all heard about this considering it dominated headlines. Even Time magazine got in on the action. But while Nicki was ready to squash her beef with Taylor, she was just as ready to start a new one with Miley Cyrus. The drama started when Miley made some comments in an interview about Nicki’s attitude when complaining about her lack of a Video of the Year nomination for her song Anaconda. In accepting her award for Best Hip Hop Video, Nicki called out Miley for her comments in typical Nicki fashion and immediately, social media exploded with gifs and video clips of the moment. There has since been some debate about whether the whole thing was staged or not. I for one hope it wasn’t. Listen, I am no fan of Nicki Minaj, so I’m really Team No One on this. But I have to say, I kind of liked a celebrity saying “screw it” and just addressing their issue with another celebrity head on. No pussyfooting around, no passive aggressive videos or snide comments on Twitter – just an honest reaction.

Justin Bieber Cries On Stage – So this was the first time Justin Bieber performed at the VMA’s in a while, three years to be exact. It’s also been a while since he’s truly been seen performing and doing what he became famous for in the first place. So I guess that explained why the emotions overwhelmed him so much that he broke down into tears when he was done. Okay, I’m not completely cold so I didn’t totally roll my eyes or dismiss this as a publicity ploy. That said, even if the tears were real, I couldn’t care too much because much of the turmoil of the last few years in Bieber’s life has been of his own doing. So on one hand, it’s great that he’s back doing what he loves but it’s like “eh, you kind of screwed things up for yourself.” That said, I never wish bad for anyone, so hopefully he’s gotten things together and will fully get back on track with his career. As for the performance, it was okay. Nothing particularly spectacular but serviceable.

Pop Culture Rewind

2015 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations

The nominations for the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA’s) were announced earlier today and not surprisingly, Taylor Swift led the pack with nine nominations, including one for the biggie, Video of the Year, for her song Bad Blood featuring Kendrick Lamar. Some of her other nominations included Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for the song Blank Space.

It’s always amusing to me that the VMA’s even still exist, seeing as music videos virtually don’t exist anymore on MTV. Yes I know, if you get the whole cable package including MTV Hits, MTV 2 and who knows what else, they show videos but it’s still ridiculous that a channel that was created on the basis of music videos have all but eradicated it from said channel. And yet every year it has an award show that celebrates achievement in music videos.

But back to the nominations. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Kendrick Lamar’s Alright nominated for Video of the Year. Not only is the video amazing but that song is without question one of the best songs in any genre, of the year. Check it out if you haven’t heard it or seen the video.

Meanwhile, because MTV clearly believes it is mandatory to nominate Beyonce every year, the very mediocre 7/11 and equally mediocre video for it, somehow gained a Video of the Year nomination, as well as Best Pop Video and Best Female Video nominations. Other big nominees this year was Ed Sheeran who earned Video of the Year, Best Male Video and Best Pop Video nominations for his stunning song, as well as video, Thinking Out Loud. See the full list of nominees here.

However, let’s talk about what’s really important here – the twitter drama between Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift that erupted a few hours after the nominations were announced. It all started when Nicki sent out a few tweets expressing her unhappiness that her song and video Anaconda, did not get more nominations particularly one for Video of the Year (it was nominated for Best Female Video and Best Hip Hop Video)

If I was a different “kind” of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well. 😊😊😊

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

When the “other” girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

Apparently, likely due to Nicki’s tweet about videos celebrating women with slim bodies getting rewarded, Taylor Swift decided Nicki was throwing shade at her and responded with the following (incidentally the tweet has since been deleted as well as the folllow up):

 ✔ @taylorswift13

@NICKIMINAJ I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot. 

And it was on. Nicki basically responded by saying she said nothing about Taylor, who then quickly tried to backtrack, by inviting Minaj on stage with her if she wins (how magnanimous of her). Of course the media had already picked this up and ran with it, only inciting Minaj even more with some of their coverage.

I have to say, I’ve been waiting for a situation like this to occur with Taylor Swift. Let me be very clear that I’m no huge fan of Nicki Minaj and frankly I found the constant tweeting about nominations she didn’t get a bit whiny – like it’s a VMA for crying out loud. That said, I’ve already mentioned before my love/hate relationship with Taylor Swift and it’s exactly for stuff like this. I think Taylor Swift is an amazing songwriter, a great producer and probably one of the most intelligent women in the music industry (note I did not say good singer because um, well…no).

However, I have never seen someone that successful who is so overly defensive and quick to play the victim like her. Something is only a feminist issue and women fighting women down when she feels like her precious feelings are attacked. So she jumped on this without even properly reading Nicki’s tweets because I’m sure her blind stans rushed to tweet her with the assumption that Nicki was throwing shade. And god forbid one person in the industry not completely love and kiss her ass. And so a completely unnecessary drama occurred over something that wasn’t even directed at her. And of course some in the media ran to make it like Nicki was the angry black woman attacking poor innocent and delicate Taylor. Good times – I so look forward to the show. Although not really since Miley Cyrus is hosting and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather see less.

 

2015 ESPY Awards

American sports’ biggest night was held this past week. To be perfectly frank, I am by no means the biggest sports fan. Unless it’s tennis, I’m not really that knowledgeable about sports. That said, I did watch an hour or so of the show and did enjoy it for the most part. I also followed the results and discussion on social media.

My favorite moment of the night was probably Ben Affleck, true blue Boston boy and by that token a life-long Red Sox fan, showing up to pay tribute to New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. I thought that was a very sweet and classy gesture. And on a very shallow note, Derek Jeter looked gorgeous. I may not be a baseball expert, but I do know Derek Jeter and I thought the tribute, as well as his speech were both perfect.

Obviously though, the most buzzed about moment of the night, was Caitlyn Jenner being awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. Okay, let me preface what I’m about to say with a few things. One, I am in no way a fan of the Kardashian/Jenner “brand”. I don’t hate them because I don’t care enough about them to hate them but I’m simply completely and utterly uninterested in their entire “brand”.

This is why I have avoided speaking on the whole Caitlyn Jenner media blitz on this blog and frankly anything Kardashian related. It is also why you will NOT see posts about anything to do with that show, their relationships, magazines, etc. As I said, I don’t care about them and have little interest in the whole sideshow. So if you’re looking for gossip or posts about them here, then sorry, this is not the pop culture blog for you.

Two, I am not going to argue whether or not Jenner deserved the Arthur Ashe Award. As I’ve stated, I am no expert in sports and sports related events and so I do not think I know enough to speak on who may have been more deserving. I will say, the cynical side of me does think there may have been some element of going with something current and hot in pop culture right now, which would ensure big television ratings, on the part of the ESPY committee when they picked Jenner for the award. So that said, I see both sides of the argument and understand where both sides, whether you felt she deserved it or not, were coming from.

However, what I have an issue with, are the individuals who reduced their argument against Jenner receiving the award to hateful, transphobic, violent and angry rhetoric. There are many ways, many calm and intelligent ways to argue and state one’s feelings on why they disagree with something that does not include dehumanizing and debasing another person. Once you’ve done that, for me personally, any legitimate point or argument you may have had becomes null and void because I’ve stopped paying attention. Anger and hate is never the answer to dealing with and addressing anything. And this is the last I am going to speak on that. Coming off my soap box now.

2015 Primetime Emmy Awards

Nominations for the annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced this past Thursday. As usual, my favorite shows, specifically Hannibal and Bates Motel, were completely shut out. You would think by now I would give up the dream but hey, what can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment. Well that and I fervently believe that both Hugh Dancy and Freddie Highmore consistently deliver amazing performances every week on their respective shows and it is almost criminal that they keep being ignored in favor of the same tired, repetitive nominees.

Which speaking of, this has often been the biggest complaint about the Primetime Emmy Awards for years. That is, they rarely reward anything new. You tend to see the same shows and same familiar faces for years, often either until the show ends or it is on so long and the writing level drops so much that even the Emmy voters can no longer justify nominating them. But for the most part, watching the Emmys tend to create a strong feeling of déjà vu, as in “didn’t we see this last year?” A few more quick observations about this year’s nominees:

Big Bang Theory Almost Shut Out – I guess in an attempt to prove they’re not always so repetitive, Big Bang Theory, a perennial favorite in the Best Comedy category was left off the list this year. More shocking, was the exclusion of Jim Parsons, a constant favorite and last year’s winner, in the Best Actor – Comedy, category. The show’s only major acting nomination came via Mayim Bialik, who was nominated once again in the Best Supporting Actress – Comedy category.

Downton Abbey Again…Seriously – Lest we all get too excited about Big Bang Theory’s snub and start thinking the Emmys were really going to take chances this year, the inexplicable continued nomination for Downton Abbey in the Best Drama category eliminated that. I don’t get it – albeit I haven’t watched the last two seasons of this show but the first few seasons were enough to convince me that it’s nothing more than a glorified soap opera with characters in period pieces. There is no way that this show is one of the best dramas on television. I got the nomination love a few years ago – there was a lot of hype around the show and everyone was Downton Abbey obsessed and so the Emmy voters jumped on the bandwagon. But for crying out loud, most have moved on. You would think the voters would get a clue and do the same. What makes this nomination more frustrating is the following.

The Americans Snubbed Once Again – I don’t get it. You would think this show would be right up the Emmy voters’ alley, but for some reason they clearly are just not feeling this FX drama about two Soviet spies posing as a suburban American couple. Despite huge critical praise, this show continues to be criminally ignored both in the Drama category and lead acting categories for its stars Matthew Rys and Keri Russell. It’s so bad that even the mainstream media is taking notice and writing about it. See this brilliant piece from the New York Post about the snub. All I can say is the same thing I say every year about Hannibal and Bates Motel’s continued snubs – *sigh* maybe next year.

Tatiana Maslany Finally Gets Some Love – Proving that very vocal support and outrage can eventually force Emmy voters to do the right thing, Maslany, who had inexplicably been ignored in the Best Actress – Drama category the last few years, finally got a nod for her brilliantly complex and riveting performance in BBC America’s Orphan Black. So maybe the cast and producers of The Americans shouldn’t give up hope. Maslany was quick to thank the fans on twitter, for all their continued vocal support, in response to the nomination.

No Love for Empire – Without question, the biggest and most talked about show this year was FOX’s surprise mega hit Empire. Set in the world of hip hop music, the Taraji P. Henson/Terrance Howard driven drama was all the talk for its brilliant music, soap opera like drama and very high ratings. And a lot of that talk centered on its deserving award recognition. So going into last Thursday’s nomination announcement, many predicted at least a Best Drama nod, along with nods for Henson and Howard and possibly one for writing, for the show. In the end, the show’s sole nomination was for Taraji P. Henson in the Best Actress – Drama category.  Naturally there was some outrage among fans. However, I hold the possibly very unpopular opinion that I see nothing Emmy worthy about this show. Is it a fun, soapy hot mess in all the right ways with great music to boot – without question. However, award worthy, no, not in my opinion. And frankly, I’m equally baffled by the Taraji P. Henson love as well but something tells me comes September, she’ll win.

See here for all the nominees.

2015 Billboard Music Awards

So the 2015 Billboard Music Awards took place this past Sunday and I would like to say it was an amazing show that had me entertained for all of its long, very long (did I mention long) 3-hour telecast, but that would be a lie. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some nice moments, but I can’t say I was really entertained the whole night. I guess if I can say one good thing, it was slightly less boring than the Grammy Awards earlier this year. So after slogging through for three hours, the following are some of my general observations, in no particular order.

Is That All There Is – So after weeks or maybe it just felt like weeks, of Taylor Swift posting shots on her Instagram of everyone and their mother in her video for the song Bad Blood, the “much anticipated” video finally debuted as the opening for the show. And all I was left thinking was “that’s it? That’s what all the hype was about?” I mean I guess it’s great if one wanted to play a game of “spot the random female celebrity” for three minutes but if that didn’t particularly interest you, then there was not much left. Not even Kendrick could save this bore, not to mention he’s way too good for it, but hey, I’m sure it was a decent paycheck.

Fitting Tribute – Okay, maybe the name Imagine Dragons is not the first to come to mind for a tribute to the late, great Ben E. King, who passed away last month but kudos to the group who did a more than admirable job, performing King’s career defining song, Stand By Me. It was quiet, not overdone and by that token resonated far more deeply. Good job guys.

Giving Me What I Didn’t Know I Wanted – If you had asked me a week ago what two artists I most wanted to see perform together, the names Meghan Trainor and John Legend would not have been the first ones on my list. But damn if they didn’t deliver a stellar number at Sunday’s show, complimenting each other’s voices beautifully.

What Happened – So remember how once upon a time Mariah Carey was a stellar vocalist? I’m talking one of the greatest voices of not just her generation but would go down as one of the greatest voices of all time? Yeah that doesn’t seem to be happening anymore. I have no clue who that person was on Sunday who sounded so nasally and awkward. To her credit, there were a few moments that revealed shades of old school Mariah but they were far too few and far between. And no words on that last note. Also, that Infinity song – just awful.

That’s How You Make Your Debut – If you’ve been paying attention to the music charts this past year, then you have probably seen the name Tori Kelly. She’s slowly been climbing the charts with her hit Nobody Love. The Billboard Awards was her first major award show performance and rather than make the mistake that many up and coming artists have done, throwing everything and the kitchen sink at a performance to be remembered, she stripped it down to just her and her guitar and let her vocals do the talking. And it was a pitch perfect tale. Good job.

Almost Looked Familiar – So Britney Spears performed her latest song Pretty Girls with Iggy Azalea and let’s just get the obvious out of the way – the song is awful, she was clearly lip syncing and Iggy Azalea was horrible as usual. But all that being said, I didn’t completely hate this performance because I saw something I haven’t in a long time and never thought I would again – Britney looked like she was having fun, was engaged in the performance and almost, not exactly, but almost like her old self from many years ago. As a person who grew up with Britney in her hey days and by that token saw the epic career and emotional meltdown, it was nice to see a small glimpse of that old Britney again.

Was Anyone Else Competing – Anyone else feel like this was just three hours of honoring Taylor Swift with a couple of performances thrown in? Yes, yes I know Sam Smith and One Direction won at least once, but I swear she was like the only one who went up on that stage. I can’t complain though, since she deserved them all.

Remember When Kanye West Was Normal – Okay, maybe suggesting he was ever normal is a stretch as his ego has always been a source of great entertainment and amusement. That said, his antics were easier to ignore because he delivered amazing music and even more amazing performances. Yeah now, not so much. The music is still interesting, I will say that, but seriously, what was that performance? First of all, the conspiracy theorist in me almost thinks he wasn’t there at all and just sent some guy to stand in his place, hidden behind all the smoke, with the audience and viewers none the wiser. The songs were constantly being bleeped so often, it was hard to appreciate the lyrics or impact and honestly it felt like just watching five minutes of smoke. What happened to the Kanye West of this performance:

or this performance