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Tag: Herbie Hancock

  • 51st Grammy Awards Play By Play – I May Need A Caffeine IV

    Money Mike and Paul live blogged the Grammy Awards earlier today. I’m on the West Coast so I get to watch the show on the dreaded tape delay. And just to make sure we have that West Coast point of view on the show, I’m going to give you the play by play as well.

    The last few years that I’ve blogged this show, I’ve mentioned the need for coffee. Last year I made it all the way through without coffee. I’m going for two years in a row. But I may need toothpicks to hold my eye lids open by the end of this thing.

    What’s this story that’s out about Chris Brown and Rihanna in a domestic dispute? I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but if any of this is true, it just shows that he has more in common with Papa Joe Jackson than Michael Jackson.

    • U2 opens up the show and I think Fat Albert should sue for gimmick infringement. Hey, hey, hey.
    • Whitty Houton is the first presenter for Best R&B Album and she has those boobs pushed up just about as far as they can go.
    • Jennifer Hudson won the award for her very bland debut album. I think people forgot that And I’m Telling You… was actually on the Dreamgirls album first.
    • There’s no better hype man than the Rock. I was waiting for him to say, “Uh huh, yeah!”
    • I wonder if in 1992, Boyz II Men would’ve thought they’d be relegated to singing back up for Rev Al Green and Justin Timberlake in 2009? Well, maybe Wanya.
    • The only thing I got out of that Chris Martin/Jay-Z duet is that both of them dudes need haircuts. Since when was fuzzy in?
    • There was a Diddy sighting! I think he said, “Uh huh yeah!”
    • Carrie Underwood is performing Last Name and for some reason, she didn’t know his last name. Uh, sweetie, his last name was Romo.
    • I think she’s also decided to get even skinnier for this performance as a last second dig at Jessica Simpson. Word to Jess – don’t wear high waist jeans.
    • LeAnn Rimes’s cheeks are so sunken in, she could be the third Olsen twin.
    • I wonder if when Al Green saw Duffy while waiting to present with her said, “So that’s what Duffy looks like.”
    Duffy at Hovefestivalen 2008
    Duffy at Hovefestivalen 2008
    • Viva La Vida won for Song Of The Year, which is deserving even though I liked nearly every other song on the list better. They were all pretty decent songs.
    • Hey, Kid Rock’s here. Wait, I thought he was directing Ice Cube movies. Whoops! That’s Fred Durst. Sorry.
    • Taylor Swift! Miley Cyrus! Together for the first time! When Average Happens!
    • Miley slanted her eyes for the song, but only because she was trying to hit some notes and had to squint.
    • Even though the song was entirely bland, Jennifer Hudson pulled through. With all that she’s been through, she definitely has a ton of charisma and is going to stick around. That Dreamgirls thing was no fluke y’all. She’s the real deal.
    • Wait, was that Stevie Wonder with the Jonas Brothers? So my favorite artist of all time with my kids’ favorite band? Only in America.
    • I think if the hip hop heads knew how much I was enjoying this, I’d get my card taken away.
    • Ok, I didn’t enjoy the Jonas’ doing Stevie’s Superstition as much as I enjoyed him doing Burnin’ Up.
    • Also, what’s the over/under on how many times Stevie’s performed this song at the Grammys or American Music Awards? 25?

    • Speaking of over/unders – where do we set how many more albums Katy Perry records that anyone ever listens to? One?
    • Since when did Kanye West get the same haircut as Apollo Creed from Rocky III? If the back was a little juicy, I’d have said the dude from Full Force.
    • Is it me or does Estelle look like Venus Williams? I bet she hits a helluva forehead. I mean forehand.
    • I want to apologize to Kenny Chesney for fast forwarding through his performance. I’m trying to catch up to live TV. I’ll get you next time Ken.
    • Diddy, Herbie Hancock, and Natalie Cole are together on screen to present for Record Of The Year. Hancock doesn’t look too happy. I think Diddy just told him he was going to remix Rock It.
    • Alison Krauss’ cleavage and Robert Plant won for I’ve Never Heard This Song In My Life.
    • I’m very uncertain about the Swagga Like Us performance. I think I need like an entire book to state my thoughts. From M.I.A. performing with that basketball underneath her sheer outfit to the black and white look, to T.I. eating the mic, to Jay-Z looking old enough to be everyone’s dad except for Kanye. I’m just really confused right now.
    • “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?” That is the question.
    • Gwen Paltrow is much better spokeswoman for the no food and diuretics diet than Whitty Houton.
    • I’m unsure how I feel about Jamie Foxx, Smokedog Robinson, and Ne-Yo being a part of the Four Tops. Would any of the Four Tops have made a song with Adina Howard called T-Shirt & Panties?
    • I know, I haven’t written anything in the last 20 minutes. John Mayer, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, and Gary Sinese. They do all the crazy stuff early in the show.
    • The only way Robin Thicke gets on the Grammys is as a hook singer? Well, it is a helluva hook.
    • Jeez Lil’ Wayne is short. I guess that’s just not a clever name.
    • Who is that sitting next to T.I.? Wait, that’s the light skinded chick from Xscape. Is that one of his baby mamas?
      Xscape publicity shot
      Xscape publicity shot
    • I bet you the last thing you thought you’d see in a 2009 Grammy Awards post was a picture of Xscape.
    • Alison Krauss’ corset and Robert Plant just won Album Of The Year.
    • Wait, this is it? They’re not going an hour over like usual? Well, they just said Stevie Wonder is going to end the show. Steve might go for a half hour himself if they let him.
    • By the way, my favorite album and performer of the year, Ne-Yo was shut out of the big categories. I think they docked him for having that terrible thin mustache.
    • If I was too harsh, I apologize, and you can blame Money Mike. It’s his site. Ha!
    • Photo of Duffy by NRK_P3 and shared via creative commons
      Photo of Xscape by wikipedia

  • New Music In Stores & Online: 9/23/08: Kings of Leon, Pussycat Dolls, TV on the Radio and More!!!

    Kings of Leon's new album, "Only by the Night"

    This week’s lineup of releases includes a couple of bands right on the verge, a couple of vets returning after lengthy absences, and a couple of bands trying to capitalize on their first hit. Let’s take a look at the line-up.

    Kings of Leon “Only By The Night”

    I love Kings of Leon. I made that fairly clear in a post a while back. So “Only by the Night”, their fourth album, is highly anticipated by me…and I suppose quite a few other people too, since each album they’ve released has been progressively more buzzworthy than the one before it. The first single, “Sex on Fire” is awesome, so hopefully this’ll be yet another Southern-fried slab of funk/rock/swampy stuff that’s perfect to smoke a bowl to. If these guys and My Morning Jacket go on tour together, how much pot would be consumed at that concert?

    (more…)

  • Grammys 2008: Really?!? Herbie Hancock?!?!

    So, I braved the NYC elements (it’s 17 degrees over there), hopped on a plane West, checked into my hotel and cleared up some work so I could be back in my hotel room to view the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in their entirety. Considering I shut it off before it even finished, color me a little underwhelmed by a show (and a voting committee) that has gotten better than they were, but still leads all award shows in WTF decisions?

    First of all, I was a little upset by what didn’t happen at the show. A rumored Michael Jackson performance commemorating the 25th Anniversary of “Thriller” didn’t happen (presumably because Michael refused to perform unless he received some kind of award), and an expected fireworks fest between Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige didn’t happen due to Mary somehow not appearing on the show (despite wearing two Grammys last night). Not sure what happened, but it’s possible Aretha (who’s back to looking like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day float after losing a pretty decent amount of weight) ate her.

    The highlights were expected. No one that I didn’t expect to wow me already wowed me. Those “wow” moments? Kanye West’s futuristic performance of “Stronger” with Daft Punk followed by an emotional performance of “Hey Mama” that proved dude could potentially have a singing career as well, and Amy Winehouse’s excellent medley of “You Know I’m No Good” and the now completely ironic “Rehab”. Both also had the best acceptance speeches of the night. Winehouse was quite overwhelmed (and bringing her parents on stage with her was a nice touch), and West was deservedly surly as he started to get played off the stage in the middle of his speech. Vince Gill and Prince also provided chuckles (Prince DOES have a sense of humor) with subtle knocks on Kanye and Sinatra, respectively.

    Everything else was just kind of standard and boring, honestly. I hereby pronounce a future ban on all Beatles tribute unless John and George come back from the dead. I hereby pronounce a moratorium on ANY performances of “No One” by Alicia Keys (who performed the same song on the VMAs in September and the AMAs in November). I fell asleep during the performance by Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock. Musical virtuosity is great, folks. Now try to give us some excitement, k?

    While it was nice to see The Time together, I grinned at the irony of the band playing the instruments on “Jungle Love”, a song that no Time member (except guitarist Jesse Johnson and Morris Day) played on individually. Not to mention the fact that I thought Morris and co-performer Rihanna had no chemistry whatsoever. Ditto for Beyonce and 69-year old Tina Turner, although Tina surprised me by performing with the energy of a woman 1/3 her age.

    My personal biggest offense was this. Since the Grammys appeared on tape delay here at West, I decided to fight temptation and not check any news sites for a winners list. Curiosity got the best of me and I finally broke down and went to cnn.com, where I saw a picture of Herbie Hancock’s grinning mug accompanied by the words “Album Of The Year”. Don’t get me wrong, I dig Herbie Hancock. Although I’ve only heard parts of the winning album, “River” (a Joni Mitchell tribute), I don’t think it’s bad. Besides, how can you be mad at someone who played with Miles Davis? Still, though, in light of excellent albums by West and Winehouse being nominated, the night’s major prize went to the height of fuddy-duddyness, highlighting a problem that’s been Grammy’s Achilles heel for as long as I can remember.

    If you want to bring this show into the 21st century and resonate with music listeners today, it might be time to stop making this show a back-slapping fest for record executives and older artists (especially in light of slumping music sales), and figure out some way to get the voting and nominating committees a little more in step with the times.

    I had high hopes for this show, but in the end, the Grammys turned out to be just another tired award show, and this year’s show was one of the most boring ones I’ve ever had the misfortune to watch.