I’m on record stating how much I dislike the Oscars. I have little regard for preening, pampered poseurs showing off their borrowed frocks and bling-bling as a prelude to a three-hour show — only six minutes of which anyone really cares about (i.e., the time it takes to present Oscars for actor and actress in a leading role, actor and actress in a supporting role, best director, and best picture)…
And, remarkably enough, the host comedians do little to relieve the boredom of the interludes between these carefully spread-out moments.
(“My Review of the 2008 Oscars,” The iPINIONS Journal, February 25, 2008)
The above explains why I stopped watching the Oscars years ago. But it also pertains to other shows like the Grammys, American Music Awards, and Video Music Awards (VMAs).
I felt vindicated in this respect on August 31, 2015, when entertainment chronicler TMZ dismissed the most recent VMAs as “dumb people doing dumb things while wearing dumb outfits and talking about dumb stuff.” In fact, TMZ’s review compelled me to write a commentary titled “Why Is Any Self-Respecting Adult Still Watching the VMAs,” September 18, 2015.
Instead of watching, I amuse myself by reading morning-after reviews. In this case, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar were the headline performers. They were also the biggest winners.
But raves for the best performance of the night went to Hamilton, whose cast performed via satellite from their theatre 2,500 miles away on Broadway. No doubt Taylor flubbing high notes and Kendrick spewing ebonic lyrics made raves for Hamilton easy.
Perhaps most telling, though, were the technical difficulties that made Adele’s performance of “All I Ask” sound like a scratching-vinyl version by a drunken DJ. Viral images of her despairing, WTF-is-happening expression will live on Grammy infamy.
Frankly, everything I read indicated that the highlights of Monday night’s 58th Grammy Awards were more cringeworthy than exciting. Alas, like all awards shows, it now features more shameless self-promotion than unadulterated talent.
Hence, my suggestion that Adele should not even dignify these shows with her performance:
Most performers seem to think the key to success is looking and behaving in a way off stage that makes what they do on stage seem almost irrelevant: Exhibits A and B are Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj, respectively.
By sterling contrast, Adele not only sings like an angel, she might just be the music industry’s saving grace. Unfortunately, this industry has so little to do with musical talent these days, Adele performing on any music awards show is rather like Andrea Bocelli performing on So You Think You Can Dance.
(“2011 MTV Video Music Awards,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 30, 2011)
Incidentally, regarding the VMAs I referenced above, Salon magazine chimed in with an instructive morning-after rant titled “The insipid hell of the VMAs: Why pop culture’s obsession with ‘Big Moments’ is cynical, stupid & deeply boring. What are we doing still watching this thing?”
In a similar vein, one should ask why any self-respecting adult is still watching the Grammys. But I suspect, where Adele performing is concerned, it shall be nevermore.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga reportedly turned her tribute to David Bowie into an infomercial for her corporate sponsor, Intel.
People are giving white rapper Macklemore lots of props for his rap against White Privilege in the music industry. But, with all due respect to him, Bowie was doing this before Macklemore was born. Perhaps you’ve seen the clip of Bowie calling out MTV programmers in 1983 for refusing to feature black artists.
Given this, that Grammy producers refused to pay tribute to Natalie Cole speaks volumes. Especially considering that it would only have required limiting Gaga’s self-indulgent, ten-song tribute to Bowie to, say, nine, and having someone like Alicia Keys sing a one-song tribute to Cole. But I suppose that would have been too much in Bowie’s enlightened racial spirit.
Yet, of everything I read about this Grammy night, nothing was more cringeworthy than this:
He’s been recognized as one of the most successful composers and performers of all time.
However, that apparently wasn’t enough for Paul McCartney to gain access to Argyle nightclub in Hollywood on Monday evening after the Grammy Awards.
As reported by TMZ, The Beatles star, 73, was turned away from Tyga’s after-party twice before giving in and heading over to the Republic Records party at Hyde.
(London Daily Mail, February 16, 2016)
Mind you, the problem was not so much Tyga dissing McCartney – if that is in fact what happened. Rather, it was a legendary rocker like McCartney playing starry-eyed groupie to a mediocre rapper like Tyga.
This would’ve made a little sense if he were attempting to crash a Pharrell Williams or even a Jay Z after-party. Of course, in that case, Pharrell or Jay Z’s people would have laid out the red carpet for him.
But let’s face it, the only thing Tyga is famous for is molesting the youngest Kardashian-Jenner, which explains the arrogant ignorance that radiates from and orbits around his so-called thug life.
But talk about a WTF-is-happening moment. At long last, Sir Paul, have you no shame?
Related commentaries:
VMAs…
2008 Oscars…
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