I've kinda gotten over the whole MTV Video Music Awards thing, I'm not sure why a channel that shows approximately one hours worth of music videos a week is celebrating music videos. But I guess they have to have somewhere to show commercials for "The Hills."
The noms were fairly benign, I didn't even bother posting them this year. But, the promos are pretty cool. MTV is paying tribute to the VMAs returning to New York City this year by incorporating the most New York of Broadway shows into the commercials.
Nominees Cobra Starship, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry perform the "West Side Story" classic "Tonight" with altered lyrics. As much as I would rather hear it sung straight, I can't hate on a revival of the song in any way, shape or form. It's really cool that a classic Broadway song is making it on MTV, even just in promos. Even if Taylor Swift's voice sucked... (Did I just say that out loud?)
Showing posts with label MTV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MTV. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
MTV Unplugged Returns With Adele, Who Should Go Acoustic Next?
British retro-soul/pop songbird Adele marks the return of MTV's Unplugged series today on MTV.com. Clips will air during MTV's morning block of videos, but the show itself is only available at the website and On Demand.
Adele is perfect choice to reopen the seminal 1990s program that revived Eric Clapton's career and cemented Nirvana's status as rock icons. Her smoky vocals hold so much power, songs like "Hometown Glory" and her Grammy-nominated single "Chasing Pavements" sound even better than the originals. I fear Katy Perry might not fare as well in her upcoming episode, her live vocals often feel strained. But she may surprise us, that's the beauty of Unplugged.
I am loving Adele, and while my knowledge of Silversun Pickups is limited I think they may be awesome. But it's time for me and my readers to play casting directors and pick the artists that need to show up on the new Unplugged stage.
Kelly Clarkson - As soon as I heard MTV Unplugged was returning I thought: "Kelly needs to do this." Can you imagine an acoustic play list of "Since U Been Gone", "Because Of You", "Irvine", "The Trouble With Love Is", "I Do Not Hook Up" and a cover, maybe "Piece Of My Heart"? I can, and I am creaming my panties at the thought.
Destiny's Child - The girls would so bring the house down with an all acoustic reunion. I would die to hear "Survivor" or "Lose My Breath" given new spins as acoustic soul, and I think the trio still has desire to work together again.
Fall Out Boy - The group is in desperate need of revival after the marketing disaster surrounding the latest release, Folie A Duex. And while Patrick's vocals may not be the prettiest thing, slowed down and revised versions of singles "Dance, Dance" and "This Ain't A Scene" and album tracks like "The (After) Life Of Party" would shed light on the clever and emotional lyrics.
What about y'all? Who should show up on MTV Unplugged to rock out, acoustically? Fantasy casts are always allowed, if we could bring Mama Cass back for one more performance of "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" I think we all would...
Adele is perfect choice to reopen the seminal 1990s program that revived Eric Clapton's career and cemented Nirvana's status as rock icons. Her smoky vocals hold so much power, songs like "Hometown Glory" and her Grammy-nominated single "Chasing Pavements" sound even better than the originals. I fear Katy Perry might not fare as well in her upcoming episode, her live vocals often feel strained. But she may surprise us, that's the beauty of Unplugged.
I am loving Adele, and while my knowledge of Silversun Pickups is limited I think they may be awesome. But it's time for me and my readers to play casting directors and pick the artists that need to show up on the new Unplugged stage.
Kelly Clarkson - As soon as I heard MTV Unplugged was returning I thought: "Kelly needs to do this." Can you imagine an acoustic play list of "Since U Been Gone", "Because Of You", "Irvine", "The Trouble With Love Is", "I Do Not Hook Up" and a cover, maybe "Piece Of My Heart"? I can, and I am creaming my panties at the thought.
Destiny's Child - The girls would so bring the house down with an all acoustic reunion. I would die to hear "Survivor" or "Lose My Breath" given new spins as acoustic soul, and I think the trio still has desire to work together again.
Fall Out Boy - The group is in desperate need of revival after the marketing disaster surrounding the latest release, Folie A Duex. And while Patrick's vocals may not be the prettiest thing, slowed down and revised versions of singles "Dance, Dance" and "This Ain't A Scene" and album tracks like "The (After) Life Of Party" would shed light on the clever and emotional lyrics.
What about y'all? Who should show up on MTV Unplugged to rock out, acoustically? Fantasy casts are always allowed, if we could bring Mama Cass back for one more performance of "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" I think we all would...
Monday, September 8, 2008
VMA Breakdown: Snarking On Britney's Big Night!
Last night Britney won three MTV Video Music Awards, her first ever. Linkin Park, Chris Brown and Tokio Hotel also picked up moon men. But you know the awards always take a backseat to the performances, outfits and red carpet shenanigans.
Let's start with the arrivals. On any other award show, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus showing up together would be the biggest shocker. But no, Tokio Hotel shows up in a monster truck decorated with their own faces, T-Pain sets this circus down and Paramore shows up in little baby Smart Cars. Seriously, T-Pain on a elephant was far more insane than the Tokio Hotel stunt, no matter what MTV voters thought during the pre-show.Other than that, it was alot of the usual: Christina looked drag-y, Slipknot looked Slipknot-y and the the Jo Bros were super polite. They even told Sway to be safe in his helicopter overseeing the entrances. So cute!
But then the show starts! Britney and Superbad's Jonah Hill had a modestly humorous video bit, in which Jonah continually attempts to mack on the resurgent pop star. Then Britney walks out on stage, breezes through the teleprompted lines and opens the 25th Annual VMAs!
With that, Rihanna kicks off the show with a Thriller-inspired performance of current hit "Disturbia" with zombie dancers and a breakdown of The White Stripes' "Seven nation Army" and if I'm not mistaken, some "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)" synth lines. Despite the fact she can't really sing, she is truly a major pop force. This captivating performance was repeated when she guest on T.I's "Live Your Life" later in the evening.
Russell Brand made his entrance afterwards, being extremely funny in his opening monologue. He joked on his lack of US fame ("Without fame this haircut could look like mental illness." As if the two were mutually exclusive) and politics. The riff on Sarah Palin's daughter's baby daddy was priceless. "Use a condom or become a Republican." And I actually liked the Jo Bros/promise ring jokes. Mostly cause it gave Jordin Sparks a chance to call everybody a slut. Go girl!
During Jamie Foxx's obnoxious turn a presenter for the Best Female Video award, he made mention of giving it up for the ladies. Cut to a bored Zac Efron. Best camera cut all night!
Next The Jonas Brothers perform the follow-up single to "Burnin' Up" called "Lovebug." It's pretty awful, in that fake-Juno-soundtrack kind of way. But the screaming girls couldn't get enough!
The house band for this year's VMAs was DJ AM and Travis Barker. By house band, they mean maker of thirty-second snippets of music to play the commercials in and out. Katy Perry performed "Like A Virgin" with them and with two peels of her banana peel shoulder strap, she proved you don't need major stunts to create a fabulous performance. But alas, she only got a half-minute of screen time.
Yay! Zillion-time gold medalist (and male butterface) Micheal Phelps introducing his playlist king Lil' Wayne. Now, I'm not really a Lil' Wayne fan. But I've heard his Nina Simone sampling "Don't Get It" and was impressed. By the sample more than the song. So I was pleased to see brill pop diva Leona Lewis recreate Nina's legendary version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" for Weezy's performance. But his ass hanging out of his britches was less legendary.
Ugh. The Pussycat Doll's "When I Grow Up" needs to go away now. It's not a song, it's a cacophony of horrible squelches and the fact that is was nominated, let alone won, is sad.
Ok, we have a couple of meh performances. Pink "rocked" her new single "So What" in a very safe rah-rah kind of way. Which is not to say I won't be love with this song at some point. It's just taking longer than usual for a Pink song to grow on me. But I don't know if it's her face, or her new hair, or what, but she looks weird. Oh, I got it! She looks like Jackie from Workout. Also, not a fan of this new T.I. joint "Whatever You Like" but I'm kinda feeling the Rihanna collabo, "Live Your Life." But as much as a love Paramore and "Misery Business" the way Russell totally telegraphed the big lame reveal during the performance was stupid.
But then we come to Christina Aguilera's performance! Her reworking of debut single "Genie In A Bottle", (which she was reportedly not satisfied with the original mix ten years ago) and the new single "Keeps Getting Better" both had a glossy euro-disco sound, similar to the Chris Brown/Ne-Yo/Rihanna sound we've been hearing lately. Actually, the new track sounds very much like UK sensation Sam Sparro's "Black And Gold" a major club hit across the pond. I'm very excited about this song, and I'm hoping the new version of "Genie" is the one slated to appear on Christina's greatest hits package coming out in November. I fucking love it!
Britney was so cool and sane in her first acceptance speech, and the I figured out why during the second one. She must have had a script, cause it was the same speech both times. But I'm just happy she's sane enough to remember to thank anybody! Welcome back Brit!
I hated Kid Rock's performance, except Lil' Wayne's killer outfit. I'm loving the vest!
Then Kanye closed the show! This new song, which surprisingly did not leak before his unveiling, was a strange funk-dirge with a killer drum line and old-school soul vocals vocoded over. It's called "Love Lockdown" and I'm think I love it.
So that was the VMAs! Maybe next year I'll get my act together and live-blog the thing. There is nothing better than snarking on shit as it goes down! But thanks to Rachel and Beth for live-texting with me. We snarked together from different zip codes.
Let's start with the arrivals. On any other award show, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus showing up together would be the biggest shocker. But no, Tokio Hotel shows up in a monster truck decorated with their own faces, T-Pain sets this circus down and Paramore shows up in little baby Smart Cars. Seriously, T-Pain on a elephant was far more insane than the Tokio Hotel stunt, no matter what MTV voters thought during the pre-show.Other than that, it was alot of the usual: Christina looked drag-y, Slipknot looked Slipknot-y and the the Jo Bros were super polite. They even told Sway to be safe in his helicopter overseeing the entrances. So cute!
But then the show starts! Britney and Superbad's Jonah Hill had a modestly humorous video bit, in which Jonah continually attempts to mack on the resurgent pop star. Then Britney walks out on stage, breezes through the teleprompted lines and opens the 25th Annual VMAs!
With that, Rihanna kicks off the show with a Thriller-inspired performance of current hit "Disturbia" with zombie dancers and a breakdown of The White Stripes' "Seven nation Army" and if I'm not mistaken, some "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)" synth lines. Despite the fact she can't really sing, she is truly a major pop force. This captivating performance was repeated when she guest on T.I's "Live Your Life" later in the evening.
Russell Brand made his entrance afterwards, being extremely funny in his opening monologue. He joked on his lack of US fame ("Without fame this haircut could look like mental illness." As if the two were mutually exclusive) and politics. The riff on Sarah Palin's daughter's baby daddy was priceless. "Use a condom or become a Republican." And I actually liked the Jo Bros/promise ring jokes. Mostly cause it gave Jordin Sparks a chance to call everybody a slut. Go girl!
During Jamie Foxx's obnoxious turn a presenter for the Best Female Video award, he made mention of giving it up for the ladies. Cut to a bored Zac Efron. Best camera cut all night!
Next The Jonas Brothers perform the follow-up single to "Burnin' Up" called "Lovebug." It's pretty awful, in that fake-Juno-soundtrack kind of way. But the screaming girls couldn't get enough!
The house band for this year's VMAs was DJ AM and Travis Barker. By house band, they mean maker of thirty-second snippets of music to play the commercials in and out. Katy Perry performed "Like A Virgin" with them and with two peels of her banana peel shoulder strap, she proved you don't need major stunts to create a fabulous performance. But alas, she only got a half-minute of screen time.
Yay! Zillion-time gold medalist (and male butterface) Micheal Phelps introducing his playlist king Lil' Wayne. Now, I'm not really a Lil' Wayne fan. But I've heard his Nina Simone sampling "Don't Get It" and was impressed. By the sample more than the song. So I was pleased to see brill pop diva Leona Lewis recreate Nina's legendary version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" for Weezy's performance. But his ass hanging out of his britches was less legendary.
Ugh. The Pussycat Doll's "When I Grow Up" needs to go away now. It's not a song, it's a cacophony of horrible squelches and the fact that is was nominated, let alone won, is sad.
Ok, we have a couple of meh performances. Pink "rocked" her new single "So What" in a very safe rah-rah kind of way. Which is not to say I won't be love with this song at some point. It's just taking longer than usual for a Pink song to grow on me. But I don't know if it's her face, or her new hair, or what, but she looks weird. Oh, I got it! She looks like Jackie from Workout. Also, not a fan of this new T.I. joint "Whatever You Like" but I'm kinda feeling the Rihanna collabo, "Live Your Life." But as much as a love Paramore and "Misery Business" the way Russell totally telegraphed the big lame reveal during the performance was stupid.
But then we come to Christina Aguilera's performance! Her reworking of debut single "Genie In A Bottle", (which she was reportedly not satisfied with the original mix ten years ago) and the new single "Keeps Getting Better" both had a glossy euro-disco sound, similar to the Chris Brown/Ne-Yo/Rihanna sound we've been hearing lately. Actually, the new track sounds very much like UK sensation Sam Sparro's "Black And Gold" a major club hit across the pond. I'm very excited about this song, and I'm hoping the new version of "Genie" is the one slated to appear on Christina's greatest hits package coming out in November. I fucking love it!
Britney was so cool and sane in her first acceptance speech, and the I figured out why during the second one. She must have had a script, cause it was the same speech both times. But I'm just happy she's sane enough to remember to thank anybody! Welcome back Brit!
I hated Kid Rock's performance, except Lil' Wayne's killer outfit. I'm loving the vest!
Then Kanye closed the show! This new song, which surprisingly did not leak before his unveiling, was a strange funk-dirge with a killer drum line and old-school soul vocals vocoded over. It's called "Love Lockdown" and I'm think I love it.
So that was the VMAs! Maybe next year I'll get my act together and live-blog the thing. There is nothing better than snarking on shit as it goes down! But thanks to Rachel and Beth for live-texting with me. We snarked together from different zip codes.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Those Are The Videos Of The Year?
It's true, I am an old person trapped in an almost 25-year-old body. I will freely admit this. But please tell me I'm not the only one disappointed in the 2008 Video Of The Year nominees! Check out the noms here.
First off, the Pussycat Dolls had some hot videos off their first disc, I'm not gonna lie. I loved "Buttons" and "Beep." But "When I Grow Up" is the dumbest "song" I've heard in ages, and the video does absolutely nothing for me. They dance on top of cars (just like in "Wait a Minute") and on scaffolding (just like Paula Abdul) and on the sidewalk (just like "Singing In The Rain") The shot of them dancing in front of a lit-up "PUSSYCAT DOLLS" features some decent dancing, but I've seen better in a Danity Kane video. And the Day-Glo outfits? That pink jacket worn by Nicole should be reason enough to bar this video from being seen by people who are not legally blind.
The Jonas Brothers are an unstoppable force, I get it. I heard "Burning Up" played twice at a gay bar this weekend, which makes me think the DJ was a Boy Scout going for his pedophile badge. But the video treatment that's nominated is NOT the one they are playing on MTV. I've seen the JoBros way too many times on the MTV and all they do is play by the pool. But the version on the Nominees page is cut between the poolside pickups and some goofy fake action movie scenes. It's cute, but it should hardly stand next to "Video Of The Year" winners like "Nothing Compares 2 U" or "Work It"
I'm in love with "Forever" by Chris Brown. The video is pretty meh, but I can't hate on the amazing song. Never gonna win, though. And Britney's surprisingly self-aware look at the tabloids that she toys with and engages in a torrid love/hate affair with in "Piece Of Me" would be my pick for "Video Of The Year" if it weren't for the stunning Chic-meets-White Stripes fun of The Ting Tings' "Shut Up And Let Me Go." That song is catchy, quirky, new and worthy of being nominated. The video is cool, too...
So who should have been nominated? First big snub is Leona Lewis, who may not have had a showstopper of a video in "Bleeding Love" but that song is so freaking major, I would have nominated it anyway. And Eryka Badu's "Honey" was one of the coolest things I've seen all year, with the recreation of classic album covers like Let It Be. Duffy got all emotional and real with her second single "Warwick Avenue" which deserves some love. Who can forget Robyn? Any one of her videos are miles ahead of the competition. Mariah Carey got silly with 30 Rock's Kenneth The Page in "Touch My Body"'s nerd-centric fantasy gags. And for giving even gay guy's wood with her lipstick lesbian ways, Katy Perry deserves a nod for "I Kissed A Girl."
First off, the Pussycat Dolls had some hot videos off their first disc, I'm not gonna lie. I loved "Buttons" and "Beep." But "When I Grow Up" is the dumbest "song" I've heard in ages, and the video does absolutely nothing for me. They dance on top of cars (just like in "Wait a Minute") and on scaffolding (just like Paula Abdul) and on the sidewalk (just like "Singing In The Rain") The shot of them dancing in front of a lit-up "PUSSYCAT DOLLS" features some decent dancing, but I've seen better in a Danity Kane video. And the Day-Glo outfits? That pink jacket worn by Nicole should be reason enough to bar this video from being seen by people who are not legally blind.
The Jonas Brothers are an unstoppable force, I get it. I heard "Burning Up" played twice at a gay bar this weekend, which makes me think the DJ was a Boy Scout going for his pedophile badge. But the video treatment that's nominated is NOT the one they are playing on MTV. I've seen the JoBros way too many times on the MTV and all they do is play by the pool. But the version on the Nominees page is cut between the poolside pickups and some goofy fake action movie scenes. It's cute, but it should hardly stand next to "Video Of The Year" winners like "Nothing Compares 2 U" or "Work It"
I'm in love with "Forever" by Chris Brown. The video is pretty meh, but I can't hate on the amazing song. Never gonna win, though. And Britney's surprisingly self-aware look at the tabloids that she toys with and engages in a torrid love/hate affair with in "Piece Of Me" would be my pick for "Video Of The Year" if it weren't for the stunning Chic-meets-White Stripes fun of The Ting Tings' "Shut Up And Let Me Go." That song is catchy, quirky, new and worthy of being nominated. The video is cool, too...
So who should have been nominated? First big snub is Leona Lewis, who may not have had a showstopper of a video in "Bleeding Love" but that song is so freaking major, I would have nominated it anyway. And Eryka Badu's "Honey" was one of the coolest things I've seen all year, with the recreation of classic album covers like Let It Be. Duffy got all emotional and real with her second single "Warwick Avenue" which deserves some love. Who can forget Robyn? Any one of her videos are miles ahead of the competition. Mariah Carey got silly with 30 Rock's Kenneth The Page in "Touch My Body"'s nerd-centric fantasy gags. And for giving even gay guy's wood with her lipstick lesbian ways, Katy Perry deserves a nod for "I Kissed A Girl."
Friday, April 4, 2008
Madonna Video Down... Until Sunday!
As expected, the new video for "4 Minutes" was taken off YouTube. The thing premieres on MTV.com at midnight EST Sunday, so set your alarms. (Unless you want to pay 1.99 to download it now at iTunes.) For now enjoy this legal sneak peek courtesy of the fine folks at MTV:
Did anybody else notice a lot more jiggle to the Material Girl's bosoms? She must've changed exercise plans, cause the girls were much flatter in the Confessions videos. Not that I'm dissing, she still looks hella good.
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