Stylesnooper pays homage to Beyonce this month, from her fashion, hairstyles and music so enjoy!!!!! Queen Bee wowed the O2 Arena in London last week with her spectacular, high energised performances, dance routines and did i mention her note perfect voice?! The graceful star took to the stage belting hits from her latest album I am ..Sasha fierce as well as performing hits from her earlier work, as well as a destiny’s child melody with all their bootylicious anthems. Beyonce aka Sasha Fierce’s concert was truly amazing and Kanye West also made a special appearance rapping to the hit “EGO” as well as Jay Z -who  joined her on the stage for “crazy in love”

Beyonce also paid tribute to the late great Michael Jackson dedicating her song “halo” to him which was a touching and powerful performance.   Honestly-Beyonce is in a league of her own- period. No other entertainer I know other than Michael Jackson and Prince can sing and dance and deliver live at the same time and has an impact on the modern music world like she does. In  Beyonce’s second date with the 02 she  jumped into the crowd and did a “crowd surf” whilst singing- in heels may i mention!- it was impromptu but exciting moment -letting her fans carry her around and back on to the stage.

 Here are some pics I took from the concert enjoy!!!

$2500 grand prize for the winner. Nice bonus for your day after Thanksgiving shopping spree. If you are interested in registering please contact Chris Parisi at 703-929-5374.

Today I visited the The Voice Online  website and came across the funniest quote ever via Jasmine’s Juice column.

Jasmine disclosed that Jay-Z’s manager always scolds her when she refers to his client as being a rapper.  

According to Jay’s manager/camp, the RAPPER is NOT a rapper.  “He’s an icon on a level with Bono and the rest”.

I spat out my Ginger Beer when I first read this.

If Jay’s manager had said that to me I would have laughed out loud and then followed that up with ” You obviously smoke crack. Get out of my sight!”.

Do you know who I consider icons? Prince, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson (Rest In Peace).  These artists have been in the game for over 25 years (including Bono). They have earned the right to be called icons.

Jay-Z hit the big time 11/12 years ago, he put in the work and is a talented artist. But no way has he reached iconic status yet. Give it another 30 years and then maybe we can talk!

So what if  post 2002 Jay’s profile has SUSPICIOUSLY sky rocketed all over the world. That doesn’t make him an icon! 

Members from Jay’s camp will probably go as far as telling us to refer to him as GOD next.

No wait! That’s already happening as we speak!

*rolls eyes*

The Soul Train Awards are back!!!

While many are still talking about how much better the American Music Awards were, I was checking out footage from the Soul Train Awards…
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The following are the nominees and BOLD are the winners I think will get it.

BEST NEW ARTIST

• DRAKE (I think he’ll get it)
• Jazmine Sullivan
• Keri Hilson
• Ryan Leslie (I’d like to see him get it)
• Solange

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST FEMALE

• BEYONCE (As usual, they’ll give it to her)
• Chrisette Michelle (I think she deserves it)
• Jennifer Hudson
• Ledisi
• Whitney Houston

BEST MALE R&B/SOUL MALE

• Charlie Wilson
• MAXWELL (I think he’ll get it AND deserves it!!!)
• Musiq Soulchild
• Raphael Saadiq
• Robin Thicke

SONG OF THE YEAR

• “God in Me” – MARY MARY (It was big and a close second!)
• “Pretty Wings” – Maxwell (I’d like to see this late entry win)
• “Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)” – BEYONCE (She’ll win but not by much!)
• “Spotlight” – Jennifer Hudson
• “Turnin Me On” – Keri Hilson/ ft Lil Wayne

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Beyonce – I am… Sasha Fierce (Platinum) Sony Music
• Jamie Foxx – Intuition (Platinum) J Records
• Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak (Platinum) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
• MAXWELL – Blacksummer’s Night (Gold) Sony Music
(My choice to win although Kanye’s album minus his personal drama was superb if you are just talking about music!)
• Ne-Yo – Year of the Gentleman

RECORD OF THE YEAR (SONGWRITER AWARD)

• Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)”
• Drake – “Best I ever had”
• Jamie Foxx Ft/T-Pain – “Blame it”
• Keri Hilson – “Knock You Down”
• MAXWELL – “Pretty Wings” (Hands DOWN if you are talking about the QUALITY of writing)

BEST REGGAE ARTIST AWARD
• Movado (He had a fairly good year but may not stand out compared to Sean)
• SEAN PAUL (because the people who choose them always go to the guy most popular they’ll probably choose him)
• Serani
• Taurus Riley
• Ziggy Marley

CENTRIC AWARD – SOUL APPROVED/UNDERGROUND

• Corneille
• Eric Roberson
• LAURA IZABOR (I think she’ll win as the most visible, held up and I have not stopped playing this album. Great work musically though I wouldn’t say “underground.” Atlantic just didn’t promoter her)
• Maysa
• The Knux

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE MALE, FEMALE OR GROUP

• BeBe and CeCe Winans – “Close To You”
• Fred Hammond f/John P Kee – “They That Wait”
• Marvin Sapp – “Praise Him in Advance”
• MARY MARY – “God In Me” (As the biggest crossover they’ll win hands down…and I happen to think it’s a great song anyway with a greater message)
• Smokie Norful – “Justified”

BEST COLLABORATION

• Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo – “Knock you Down”
• Keyshia Cole featuring Monica – “Trust”
• MARIO featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett – “Break up” (I choose this song although it may be too street for some tastes…but the combination of flows made for an engaging journey into downtempo Rhythm & Beats aka R&B)
• Mary Mary featuring Kierra (KiKi) Sheard – “God In Me”
• Trey Songz featuring Drake – “Successful” (People like this dude Drake right now and Trey finally got some hits out this year beyond New York and ATL…This was a good second place mention)

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Michael Jackson

Since there weren’t any choices, it goes to Michael. It goes to him not because he was the best this year but because he died this year, let’s keep it real. This music industry is so politically inclined they couldn’t just say we are giving MJ the accolades we haven’t given out of guilt…maybe if more of us were supportive and loving toward one of the greatest to ever do it then maybe the people closer to him would have done more to protect and take care of him.

Looking forward to seeing who actually wins! Maybe the industry can take notes from the AMAs by giving awards based on sales and not politics since sales mean PEOPLE chose the winners! *Pardon me Grammys* but the voters are not necessarily in tune with the music…I’ll get on their case in another blog coming soon!

*Freedom*
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The AMA’s are actually one of my favorite award shows due towards all of the performances. Last night had some great performance and also had some pretty BAD.  So i decided to ask you which was your favorite and worse from last night? if you missed last night, i have the link for you to watch all the performances and see pics inside.

Click link below to WATCH all the performances from AMA’s

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2009/11/american-music-awards-2009-performances/

and here are some pic from the event (note: please watch the Black eyed peas performance at above link and look at Will I Am outfit! LMAO, This boy really brought it back! I tried to find a pic but couldnt so you will just have to watch video of it)

Lady Gaga

Jay-z & A. Keys

So this is your initiation huh Beans? This is what its come to? Times are that hard? I thought Mr. Bentley was a “faggot”(insert name calling video) Beans? Isn’t the saying once a faggot always a faggot Beans? Kanye’s still a faggot, why not Mr Bentley Beans? Smh… I kinda hoped there was some validity to your claims and you weren’t just doing this to help 50 push his shit sandwich w/sprinkles(strikethru) album Before I Self destruct, but now I see what this is all about…
You wanna join the illuminati huh Beans? You feel left out Beans? Can’t beat em join em Beans? You feel some kind of way that Puff didn’t invite you to his party? Wish you were standing next to Rick Ross? Thought you were “Muslim scrappy”(insert youtube of beans powerhouse freestyle)? What’s this really about Beans? You can give up on your fallback plan that Jay is gonna bribe you to shut up because judging by this(Meiple), he doesn’t seem to care that you know whatever it is that you know.

So either release it or release what we’ve really been waiting for, the new Beans album. We kinda like 50 for the beef more than the music but for you its been about the lyrics and never the beef. And really, in 2009 beef is corny and over used so this marketing plan is about 4 yrs too late…..

Do what you want with that.

The god MC, Jay-Z,  scooped an award for the Best Rap/HipHop Male last night at the America Music Awards, coming on top of Eminem and the king of the south, T.I. His latest album, The BLUEPRINT 3, is his 11th # 1 album with big records like “Empire State Of Mind“, ” Run This Town” and “D.O.A“. He later got on stage for a phenomenal performance with Alicia Keys, and her piano lol, which had everyone on their feet and singing along. Even Perez Hilton seemed to have been caught up in the moment so much that i thought she, i mean he, was gonna do the Lil’ Mama. On Jigga’s acceptance speech he thanked Miss Keys in helping with the big record and ended the speech by saying “Men lie, Women lie, Numbers Don’t hahaha”, i wonder who that was directed to!  

Jay-Z won best male hip hop artist at the AMA’s Sunday for his work on the BluePrint 3 album.

He was so gracious and heartfelt in how he acknowledge and thanked the outstanding Alicia Keys for loaning him some of her courage and talent, to get there this year. What a true gentleman of hip hop music.

Go Jigger and congratulations!

[Image courtesy of Wenn.Com]

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA 11.23.09~

Lady Gaga – Bad Romance & Speechless

Jay Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind

Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway & Boom Boom Pow

Estas foram as minhas performances favoritas dos AMA’s. Adorei principalmente a da Lady Gaga claro! É que apesar de tudo ela ainda me consegue realmente surpreender com aquele estilo tão próprio. E tão bom…

Apesar de não ser minimamente o meu género de música devo admitir que está música do Jay Z com a Alicia a acompanhar é simplesmente brutal! E desde que tive o prazer de a ouvir ao vivo posso dizer que ainda gostei mais.

Quanto aos BEP é exactamente o mesmo que o Jay Z. Não é aquele album que arranjo para ouvir mas quando passa acabo por até gostar principalmente se for num sítio para dançar x) Acho que eles conseguem ser originais tendo em conta o estilo de música que fazem e que têm uma energia incrível. As roupas que usaram nesta actuação,os “robots ” na última música e o bocadinho de nirvana que misturaram.. gostei mesmo!

No.. I didn’t watch the awards on television although I heard it was quite hilarious… but why would I waste my time doing that when I could watch football instead.  Besides.. all the good stuff was guaranteed to be on the net anyway thanks to the quickest with the rips.  Hit the jump for more.

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys Live @ The AMA’s

Rihanna Live @ The AMA’s

Alicia Keys Live @ The AMA’s

Major shouts 2 yardie… If you want to see the rest of the performances.. check him out.

Precise, concise and witty commentary from the good J Smooth over at The Ill Doctrine regarding all the beef shammery. Beans is on disgruntled mailroom worker status. 50 Cent is talking in circles. And Jay “I eat quail” Z pretty much wins by default.

To quote Mos Def, “Beef don’t come with a radio edit.”

RELATED:

How I Can Kill Jigga Man – Beanie Sigel (CDQ) (No Tags)

The Weekend in Music Feuds [Vulture]

Beanie Sigel Continues to Profess His Undying Love for Jay-Z [The Rap Up]

Beans Lost [XXL]

Many of you probably watched the AMAs (American Music Awards) last night but there were plenty of offenses last night that stuck out to me.  Lets start with the biggest fail of the night and that being Adam Lambert’s performance of “For Your Entertainment”.  Now I never heard the song until last night and I’m sure it sounds great on the radio, but his performance was god awful.  He shoved faces in his crotch area and kissed the keyboardist as though he’s into girls like that….or maybe that was a guy, to which would explain why he was into that.  Anyways, here’s the performance.

Next up is my two favorite entertainers, Shakira and J LO.  First, Shakira couldn’t catch a break as she arrived on the red carpet wearing the same dress J LO wore recently.  This isn’t the first time it happened as she was also wearing the same dress as Pink during the VMAs.  I demand a firing of her stylist.  Also, I wasn’t impressed by her performance.  She looked cute though, it’s not cool to be wearing stuff other celebs rocked,

Then, J Lo fell on her ass during the performance.  That’s what she get for stepping all over her dancers’ backs.  I knew, since I listened to the song off-rip, that I didn’t like the song but I thought it’d be a good performance and you know, it wasn’t that bad til she fell, but at least she got up like a pro.  Considering how big her ass is, I highly doubt she was hurt.  Here’s the video,

There there was Whitney Houston, crack really killed her voice.  I won’t even bore you with a video, just Google it.  Then Jay Z came on stage with some cornball 1990s comeback line saying “men lie, women lie but numbers don’t”, I gave that a *side eye*, supposedly a rip at 50 cent but he’s also irrelevant, so whatever.

Next, some unknown country group that Talyor Swift brought on tour beat out Lady Gaga for some award voted on by the fans, proving that Lady Gaga fans aren’t as obsessive as they appear to be, seriously, they were too “cool” to send in a text message to vote for her.  Another failure was the Timberland performance with Nelly Fortado and some girl named Soshy both of which I didn’t recognize at first.  Timberland looked exahusted after the performance and I had no idea what was going on in this song but whatever here’s the performance,

On to the things that went right.  I’m not fan of Gaga but I love her song Bad Romance.  She had a weird performance and even though I put it under weird, and overly dramatic with breaking the glass and some weird bird dance she was doing, she at least sang the song good enough,

Rihanna had a great performance, check it out, just happy she didn’t blind anyone when pointing lazers towards the audience,

Also the Jay Z/Alicia Keys song “New York” performance was good, as well as Alicia Key’s separate performance, though her background dancer looked like he was trying to battle dance with her.  Another big thing was that security around the stage must have been good.  No interruptions from Lil Mama or Kanye West…MTV could learn a thing or two about security.  The artists not in this post, I either didn’t watch or thought they did their usual thing.  Ok, now I’m for real this time, see you after Thanksgiving

Como es costumbre, no pueden importarnos menos los galardones de una gala en la que Michael Jackson ganó Best pop y Best r&b con un disco recopilatorio, y sobre todo en la que una maceta como Taylor Swift puede ser la protagonista de la noche.

Pero estas galas eternas siempre ofrecen actuaciones que, por ridículas o gloriosas, repetimos una y otra vez en youtube para sentirnos como si nos hubieran invitado a asistir. Así que pongámonos nuestras mejores galas, ensayemos nuestra cara de perdedores y vamos a aplaudir todo lo que podamos a la impresionante

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire state of mind

Sin duda una de las canciones del año y con mucho potencial además de convertirse en clásico, a pesar de su desaprovechadísimo videoclip (matar a gente como Hype Williams no debería estar considerado un delito). Con una intro del New York New york de Sinatra esta actuación ya quedó llena de clase y elegancia… hasta que Alicia Keys se levantó del piano. Jay-Z no podía moverse bien con el traje, y estaba como con ganas de irse a casa, pero ella no podía estar más a tope, a pesar de su propio peinado. Si obviamos que Alicia anda como un fontanero y que la emoción del momento provocó algún que otro gallo, Empire state of mind fue sin duda uno de los momentos más emocionantes de la gala y levantó a todo el público.

Rihanna – Wait your turn/Hard

Es curioso como algunas actuaciones tenían intro y otras no. En la suya (quizá grabada para la ocasión) Rihanna salía convertida en un maniquí que iban moldeando para prepararla para salir a escena. Supongo que ese mismo científico loco fue quién le aconsejó que saliera vestida como el Pingüino de Batman vuelve. Empezar con una canción tan desagradable como Wait your turn arruinó la performance, pero vamos, que si no ya estaba la voz de Rihanna para asesinar cualquier atisbo de espectáculo.

No entendemos las críticas al uso del playback, si gracias a él nos evitamos momentos tan bochornosos como el de esta actuación. Janet y J.Lo metieron el cd directamente y nos dejaron extasiados, creyendo firmemente que las estrellas del pop no respiran.

Whitney Houston – I didn’t know my own strength

En serio, ¿quién le coloca las pelucas a Whitney? ¿Stevie Wonder? Cuando la enfocaron entre el público estaba peinada (y riéndose de Shakira, por cierto), pero cuando salió a cantar parecía que acababa de caerse por las escaleras. La actuación fue decente, las ha tenido mejores y mucho, mucho peores. El problema es que Whitney pasa total de la melodía de las canciones, y decide ponerse a hablar, para convertirse en una arrabalera durante el tramo final. Lo que es cantar, poco. Eso es como si pides una pizza y el repartidor decide alicatarte el baño. “Gracias, pero eres pizzero”. Pues lo mismo con Whitney.

El vestido no podía ser más 1996, muy Titanic todo, y el premio que le compró Clive Davis le otorgaron es muy bonito (Internacional artist award) si no fuera porque entre el selecto grupo de galardonados está Beyonce, que tiene como un tercio de carrera que los otros cinco ganadores. Matthew Knowles no da tregua.

Jennifer Lopez – Louboutins

Ni una actuación tan decente y llena de explosiones de luz y color como la que ofreció anoche J.Lo consigue salvarnos del tedio y el aburrimiento extremos por una simple razón: la canción es un coñazo enorme y más mala que Josu Ternera. Jenny cielo, el rollito Million Dollar Baby nunca fue sorprendente ni desafiante y nos repele bastante porque hasta la fecha no somos fervientes seguidores de María del Monte. Que a Hilary Swank le diesen el Oscar (algo inaudito, ya que es la primera mujer que consigue dos Oscar haciendo de tortillera de suburbio en las dos películas. Queen Latifah debe de estar revolviéndose en su pocilga) sólo confirma algo que ya todos sabíamos de antemano (y si no que se lo digan a Reese Witherspoon): con cara de lerda y una pizca de tontería, colocas un Oscar en tu estantería. Niquelado.

Sólo rescatamos un instante para la posteridad de la performance de Jen: el HOSTIAZO que se mete en el minuto 3:00 después de subir por las espaldas de sus chulazos acompañantes y creerse Almudena Cid en un intento de triple salto mortal. El resto, más que olvidable, inexistente.

Black Eyed Peas – Meet me halfway/Boom boom pow

¿Es La Veneno? ¿Es Yola Berrocal con una nueva prótesis mamaria? ¿Es Kirstey Alley después de correr un triatlón? ¿O quizá el alto de Los Morancos con una peluca de los chinos? Pues ninguno de ellos. Es un travelo random al que pillaron vendiendo basuco en Sunset Boulevard Fergie, la otrora cantante de Wild Orchid y actualmente la única cara ¿bonita? de los Black Eyed Peas.

Fergie siempre supo que lo suyo eran las medias de rejilla e ir disfrazada de conejita de Playboy. Siempre fue consciente de cuál era su destino en este negocio y anoche en la entrega de los American Music Awards por fin se desnudó ante el mundo (nunca mejor dicho), se paseó por el escenario como quién se pasea por Rodeo Drive con 25 dólares en el bolsillo y se puso a graznar como un urogallo en época de apareamiento. La canción es bastante cuca, así que no entendimos por qué demonios Travelergie se puso a vociferar como si fuese la Callas vendiendo patatas en un mercadillo ambulante. Un HORROR. Siendo francos, el resto de componentes del grupo nos la pela bastante (otro gallo cantaría si Usher o Rafa Mora estuviesen entre sus filas): parecen un chiste de negros, indios y ecuatorianos. Y como los chistes de esa clase, no nos hacen ni la menor gracia. Así que pasaremos bastante de su cara anodina y a otra cosa, butterfly.

Janet Jackson – Control/What have you done for me lately/Miss you much/If/Together again/Make me

JANET IS BACK!! O sea, “back” a la Ruber Internacional una vez más. Si en el vídeo de Make me que publicamos la semana pasada ya advertimos que la imposibilidad que tenía Janet para gesticular era producto del bisturí y la anestesia local, en la actuación de anoche nos quedó claro que Janet regresó a la clínica para que le pinchasen todo el botox que quedaba en los contenedores de basura. Y el del resto de clínicas de la capital madrileña. Y el del resto de clínicas de todo el mundo. Ni el rostro de Tita Cervera brilla tanto como brillaba anoche el careto de Janet mientras las pasaba putas bailando durante ¡7 minutos! cinco de sus más grandes temazos: Control, What have you done for me lately, Miss you much, If y la inolvidable Together again, en la que pasó de cualquier tipo de coreografía y se puso a dar botes como una ravera más un domingo por la mañana. Le faltó el botellín de agua, que Janet ya no está para estos trotes.

También bailó (Janet no canta, para los neófitos en el universo del POP) Make me, pero en ese momento nos fuimos a por un piscolabis, así que no sabemos si se resbaló por el sudor o enfocaron por quincuagésima vez a su hermano Jermaine vestido, como no, de Michael. Llueven millones del cielo, ¿eh Jermie? Por otra parte, no entendimos muy bien de qué iba vestida Janet: ¿de duende verde ayudante de Santa Claus? ¿de higo chumbo? ¿de ensalada César? Janet, un despropósito tu indumentaria. Para la próxima llama a Miss Tina Knowles, ella sí que sabe lo que es ir elegante y de punto en blanco.

Lady Gaga – Bad romance/Speechless

Hay momentos en la vida en los que, apoltronado en tu cama de 2×2 mientras escuchas cualquier canción de Ani DiFranco, tu mente viaja hacia otros lugares más idílicos y sugerentes, diminutos paraísos que arrojan luz, color y, en definitiva, SENSACIONES POP que nos hacen creer que para ser como Madonna sólo necesitamos dos cosas: ilusión y chuparla de puta madre esfuerzo.

Y es entonces cuando abrimos los ojos repentinamente, nos incorporamos en la cama, sacamos el cd de Ani del Hi-Fi (y lo tiramos a la basura) y, para ser sinceras con nosotras mismas, metemos The Fame Monster a tanto volumen que los viandantes se quedan locos de la peineta y llaman al timbre preguntando si pueden subir a menear el coxis con semajantes ritmos celestiales. La disco-party ha comenzado.

Pues bueno, GaGa anoche no se acordó de cuando era un pomelo con 20 kg de más que se echaba tanto eyeliner para que la gente no reparase en ese puerro que tenía (y tiene) como nariz. Se olvidó de la ilusión y el esfuerzo y nos brindó con BAD ROMANCE una actuación bastante un poco pasable. Nos faltó más fuego (el protagonista de la 2ª parte de la performance), echamos de menos más bailarines (¿dónde estaban los chulazos?), no le vimos la cara de loca (marca de la casa. Lady GaGa es a nivel mundial lo que Mónica Naranjo a nivel local: una histriónica que pone cara de “todavía me faltan tres letras para acabar de pagar mi pisito de Fuenlabrada” cuando la canción sube de tonalidad y es hora de pegar chillidos como una cerda el día de Nochebuena), el outfit era HORROROSO, propio de Nomi cuando todavía relamía barras de acero en el Cheetah’s… en fin, que nos temimos lo peor: GaGa se había desinflado. Y en los tiempos que corren o LO DAS TODO encima de un escenario (si es imprescindible que estalle una bomba atómica en el plató…HAZLO) o si te he visto no me acuerdo.

Qué lista es la jodía. Se dijo para sí misma maricones, vais a mojar más los boxers de lycra que cuando visteis Flashdance por vez primera y todas queríais ser la chica con el pelo vaginoforme, tetas aplastadas y mallas más negras que el tizón… y lo cumplió. Cuando Bad Romance llegó a su fin, GaGa sintió que el espíritu de La Negra se apoderaba de ella y, ni corta ni perezosa, se puso a romper los cristales del habitáculo donde le aguardaba su piano de cola como si de un escaparate de Prada se tratase. Y le prendió fuego a la tapa. Y se puso a tocar muy en su recién adquirido papel de Eltona LaJohnna. Y cuando ya el fuego estaba a punto de zozobrar al piano (y a GaGa misma, la pobre tuvo que comedirse a la hora de ponerse laca, si no aquello hubiese parecido Bola de Dragón), va y la muy desvergonzada se pone a romper botellas de Johnny Walker contra el teclado a sabiendas de que más de un cristalito se le iba a meter en la entrepierna, que la tenía abierta como el canal de Suez. Y quedó como una DIOSA. Una vez más, nos dejó con la boca abierta, la baba colgando, las bragas inundadas y las manos en el reproductor de cd’s: cualquier momento del día es idóneo para escuchar The Fame Monster.

Lady Gaga

I’m not a big fan of her music and her performances ( shocked can only describe my face watching blood spew out of her stomach during her performance at the 2009 VMA’s)

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Empire State of Mind is the new anthem for New York City, thought I’m not a new yorker I hope to be soon and this song if very inspiring for all those who love NYC.

Carrie Underwood

I’m not a big fan of country music, but Carrie can sing, I have respect for singers who chose not to lip sync their songs during live performances.

Shakira

Though I wish she didn’t lip sync during her performance, I liked the dancers/steppers that performed with her.

Rihanna

Her performance was good. I like that her songs have a mix of reggae and pop .

[Video] 2009 American Music Awards Performances

Last night’s American Music Awards was such a train wreck of unfulfilled expectations that I swear the Obama administration, not Dick Clark Productions, must have been responsible for it.

I say that (only partly) because I’m not exactly sure that Dick Clark is even still alive. But when dead people who released no music this year win 5 awards (Michael Jackson), being alive was kinda beside the point at this spectacle.

So, for the most part, was singing live.

Things got off to an ominous start when Paula Abdul welcomed the audience into a dead microphone.

Then out came Janet Jackson who is apparently so grief stricken over Michael’s  death that she was inspired/used it as an opportunity to revive her decade long moribund career by dropping 20 pounds and a new greatest hits CD so she could lip synch and show off dance moves so dated that they’re in clear danger of being eligible for a revival.

Later in the show Jeniffer Lopez took pretty much the same route considering her career has been on life support  since “Waiting for Tonight,” which in 1999 turned out to be the anthem for ushering in the new Millennium. Last night she sang about leaving an uncooperative lover as she puts on impossibly expensive and vertiginous red soled  heels (Louboutins). Only  problem: she fell flat on her fabled asset while attempting her Katie Holmes-like dance moves and this morning she’s suffering  from a bruised ego (if not also a hip).

The highly cloying Taylor Swift who won 4 awards last night was on hand only via satelite from London where she was rehearsing for a concert at Wembley Arena. Keeping her off stage was perhaps the smartest move the producers could have made, considering she undeservedly (again) won the evening’s biggest award. Now the smartest thing she should do is call Debbie Gibson for career advice. And swiftly, as she’s at about moment 13 on her fame trajectory.

In the battle of the country divas, Keith Urban won handily against Carrie Underwood because he’s prettier and he  showed more cleavage.  But he also fared better because he  didn’t scream his trite lyrics   and his performance didn’t look as if someone had shaken a backwoods snow globe so that the awkward  moving Ms. Underwood could appear as if she was engaged/engaging in some sort of dance number.

And herein lies the problem with much of last night’s telecast.  Most of the performers were overreaching for visual images instead of connecting to an audience– as if the overwrought visuals could possibly make up for  poorly written songs, the inability to carry a tune or just sheer lack of artistry.

That’s what music videos are for.

The  performers who acquitted themselves with any dignity were the ones who actually sang.  I mean live and into their working microphones, most notably  Kelly Clarkson, Jay Z with Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston.

Coincidentally these were the 3 performances which brought down the house before the kitchy  and already overexposed Adam Lambert failed–and let’s be clear–failed miserably to blow the roof (if not himself) off the place, as had been hyped.

Ms Clarkson got a standing ovation for her performance of “Already Gone,” a song essentially about knowing when to cut your losses. And boy does she. Although she didn’t sound as perfectly heartbreaking as she did on VH1’s “Divas Live,” she performed early enough in the show that by the time Jay Z came on to perform “Empire State of Mind,” an ode to New York City as much as to his own undeniable artistic empire, she had already set the standard for the evening.

And by the time Whitney Houston came out in a glorious Kaufman Franco white gown, with beatific white stage lighting and a bad wig, it was a good thing Ms Clarkson was already gone. There’s just no denying that Ms Houston has irreparably damaged her voice with years and years of drug abuse but she used that detritus last night to her advantage in “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” a song about discovering your inner strength in the face of adversity.

That performance, at once delusional and pathetic but emotionally raw and brutally honest, brought to mind both Billie Holiday and Marianne Faithfull, women whose drug ravaged voices still have more power than all the dead  on mellisima any youngster can throw away.

TheBestDressedList.com

TomKolovos.com

Last Nights 2009 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS were by far the most entertaining they have been in years! I mean, where do I start? At The Beginning …

JANET JACKSON, baby sister of the King Of Pop, opened the show with an eight minute medley of her most popular classic hits, including her New joint Make Me. As always, Janet’s performance was great to see. However, the extra pounds she’s carrying made it difficult for her to execute her dance routine with the same precision she once did back in the day. Not that all hope is lost. She just needs to tone it up a bit & she’ll be right back where she needs to be.

Shakira; I liked her performance. But at times I was confused trying to figure out whether or not she was trying to stomp the yard. I don’t know, whatever she does always seems to work for her.

Black Eyed Peas are always on that High Energy Shit! If you aint ready to get up & aerobicize with them, I don’t know. I just didn’t know what to make of Will.I.Am’s hair. He had this James Brown/Elvis Presley thing that seemed to work for him. He’s another one who ALWAYS makes it work for him. He’s eccentric & I love it & it exemplifies what real Hip-Hop is all about- Telling your truth in your Own skin.

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys were BRILLIANT! I’ve had a Love/Hate Relationship with Jay since the inception of his career. Which is actually great if you think about it because most artist don’t have the longevity to hold the public’s interest to even matter to them. But on this joint I really feel like Jay can usher us in to Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop. You know, where you can be a grown man & still rep & celebrate the culture you helped build, without having to imitate some adolescent school boy. And adding Alicia to this mix was nothing short of Genius, seeing how that’s what she is! She adds s gritty edge + ‘hood sophistication which is making this a Huge crossover success. No other singer could have pulled this off & come up with the same results.

Rihanna made her “return” last night to the music scene, as ABC continually reminded us. She did great, she looked great ( I still could have done her hair), but I still feel as though she could have given us more. After her ordeal, she laid low in the cut and chilled. Then, when she finally spoke on it two weeks ago, I expected her to be able to move on in such a way that her return would be triumphant! Nah. She came with it, but something just didn’t connect. She needs to regroup, refocus, & REALLY come out swinging!

Lady Gaga- Man listen, I am really starting to feel her as an artist. But ya know, … I just never really know what to expect from her. Not that we should and that’s what sets her a part from the rest. She gives it 110% each & every time. But I must say that as a christian woman, I just always feel in the need of prayer around her. Grab your holy water & crucifix ’cause her presence makes me uneasy … but I like it!

J-Lo (crickets) (crickets) (crickets) Personally, I didn’t know she had anything New in rotation. The song is cute, but she just isn’t that “IT” girl any more. She used to be a “Fly Girl” on the hit Fox 5 variety show “In Living Color”. But last night, I saw her dancing with the stiff movements of someone battling arthritis. And when she fell …..
Good Night, that’s all she wrote.

Mary J. Blige- SUPERB! No propaganda, no frills, no bells & whistles. Just good old fashioned, solid, pure r&b singing. Mary has stood our test of time & has solidified her position as forever being the Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul!

Whitney Houston- LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! Whitney came back sounding Great & looked absolutely Stunning. May not have hit the high notes of her past, but she’s definitely not where the Haterz & NaySayers want her to be!

Eminem & 50 Cent performed, which was great to see … And that about it! I mean really, they did their thing. No Drama, No Extra Curricula Activity. They came to do what they promised, got their check & bounced.

Alicia Keys performed solo. Still BRILLIANT! Beautiful inside & out, nothing you can take away from her.

Timbaland ft. Nelly Furtado & So-Shy- (Takes Deep Breath) Tim, at one time was on some real health & fitness. Last Night, he looked like his cohort, Missy Elliott in her 1997 video “I Can’t Stand The Rain”. That’s about it. Nothing to see here. Keep it moving.

Adam Lambert- Okay, this SonBytch pissed me off. Gay or Straight, sometimes you just gotta know when to reel it in a little. Not everything is for everybody. Women & men Crawling around on the floor. Women in chains. For real Adam? For Real? He had this Elvis Presley meets Boy George thing going on that gave me a HeadAche. Totally inappropriate. Totally crossing a line. Small wonder “Boy Presley” did not win American Idol.

….. And that’s my recap. Good Day. God Bless. I’m Going Home.

-”The BklynBandette”. Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant!

The American Music Awards were last night on ABC, and a whole lotta question marks were going on. From Janet Jackson’s opening to Adam Lambert’s rather “Rated X” performance, the AMA’s were entertainment and comedy at its best.

Janet Jackson opened with a medley of her hits, good performance. Check the vid below…

Lady Gaga never disappoints in giving bizarre performances and outfits, check her performance of the song “Bad Romance”..

Rihanna performed the “The Wait is Ova” and “Hard”…

And J.Lo was quite hype for her new song”Louboutins”(produced by Tricky Stewart, womp 4 this song). Minus the song and her falling 3:04 mark, its good to see J.Lo back in the music game performing.

For all that missed the closing performance, peep Adam Lambert’s performance, and pay attention to the 1:10 mark because its clearly not made for ABC tv.

The AMA’s also featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Green Day, Jay-z and Alicia Keys performed “Empire State of Mind” (ugghh this song, we get it NY!), and Mary J. Blige had a very simple, yet strong performance.

By: Sarah J

What would be the point for jay? Everybody is hyping up a Jay & 50 beef too as if that would be good.

50 can’t even handle Rick Ross… His only real method in beef is outside of the studio. Fucking baby moms and taking pics with kids and such.

Jay is Richer then 50 so I can’t see him bribing any of Jays people to embarrass him with.

Except for maybe Beanie Siegel.. and the general consensus is it’s just sad. Everybody has respect for Beans but what he’s doing is only embarrassing himself.