Had enough of the Dixie Chicks yet? Tired of Joan Rivers sound bytes and poorly written jokes? What about forced dialogue between estranged presenters or thank you lists longer than Mary J. Blige?s lung capacity? Well, don?t throw in your hat yet because the fat lady is about to sing? that is, if Oscar were female. Oh, the begrudged and beloved Awards Season!
The 49th Grammy Awards Ceremony, while being the largest waste of any attendees? time (nominees included), was lifted out of the doldrums of mediocrity and self adornment on Sunday, February 11th, by some remarkably heartfelt vocal performances. Christina Aguilera belted her heart out of her tiny frame in a captivating presentation of the late James Brown?s ?It?s a Man?s Man?s Man?s World.? A buff and beaming Sting reunited with The Police, and John Mayer blessed the audience with his eloquence.
On the B-side, the musical selection of the evening as a whole felt like a blast from the past without promise for the future. The countless covers of the evening were as uninspired as Gnarls Barkley?s slow and symphonic rendition of 'Crazy' or the tragic Timberlake/Robyn Troup duo. To give J.T. credit, he solely proved his musical worth that evening with poignant piano, vocal and guitar performances.
But Wait, There's More!
| Had enough of the Dixie Chicks yet? Tired of Joan Rivers sound bytes and poorly written jokes? What about forced dialogue between estranged presenters or thank you lists longer than Mary J. Blige?s lung capacity? Well, don't throw in your hat yet because the fat lady is about to sing? that is, if Oscar were female. Oh, the begrudged and beloved Awards Season! The 49th Grammy Awards Ceremony, while being the largest waste of any attendees? time (nominees included), was lifted out of the doldrums of mediocrity and self adornment on Sunday, February 11th, by some remarkably heartfelt vocal performances. Christina Aguilera belted her heart out of her tiny frame in a captivating presentation of the late James Brown?s ?It?s a Man?s Man?s Man?s World.? A buff and beaming Sting reunited with The Police, and John Mayer blessed the audience with his eloquence. On the B-side, the musical selection of the evening as a whole felt like a blast from the past without promise for the future. The countless covers of the evening were as uninspired as Gnarls Barkley?s slow and symphonic rendition of 'Crazy' or the tragic Timberlake/Robyn Troup duo. To give J.T. credit, he solely proved his musical worth that evening with poignant piano, vocal and guitar performances. |
| But Wait, There's More! We know, you just did not get your fix of hollow humor during the Golden Globes or perhaps you are still waiting to catch another Faith Hill-esque ugly-moment-caught-on-camera. Lucky for you, the Academy Awards is just around the corner with only 30 categories as opposed to a watered-down 108 for the Grammys (because who wants to see the Scientific and Technical Awards, right?). For better or worse, Ellen DeGeneres will host the 79th Oscars at the Kodak Theater this Sunday, February 25th on ABC. For worse, Celine Dion is leaving Las Vegas for the evening to be a musical guest at the Academy Awards, along with Beyonce Knowles and James Taylor. Motion picture favorites include Babel and Dreamgirls, while United 93 and Borat seem strange, if not unlikely nominations. Clint Eastwood makes his appearance as a director this year with two remarkable films, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, while Peter O'Toole takes us deep inside the complexity and frustrations of an aging youthful mind in Venus. Perhaps the Oscar producer, Laura Zinkin, has found a way to push the envelope this year to liven up the aren't-we-fabulous-fanfare and commercial-laden segments. But who are we to judge? What better way to know what we are thinking than tuning in to the opinions of a highly elite club of voters, eh? All in all, an evening without Britney, Lindsay or Paris defiling the T.V. screen is an evening well spent. Stay tuned for our Oscar recap next week! Oh, and for all you club-destined this weekend: don't forget that Hollywood will be one big traffic jam once the Kodak Theater lays down the red carpet and erects bleachers early on Friday. review by Erika Leigh |
Join our mailing list and receive weekly highlights
