When William was 3 years old, he had this delightful thing he did. If he was out of the room from me for a little while, he'd bounce back in smiling, "Here I am, Daddy!" As if I had surely missed him, I had certainly wondered where he was and (most importantly) as if William fully expected that I was thrilled to see him.
There's a profound sense of vulnerability in that confidence. It would have been easy to inadvertently crush the tender petals of his spirit with just the turn of a head, stony look of a face, or mumbled words.
Leaving myself that unprotected is incomprehensible to me. Even in a more vulnerable moment, I'm bringing a picture with me I had just drawn, or showing how I can read words beyond my age level or telling how I just jumped farther than ever before. I am not having those expectations of joy about just me.
What if I left my drawings on the table, climbed down from the chair, took those steps around the corner and said, "Here I am." What if there is someone whose heart would nearly burst with delight at seeing just me step around the corner? Doesn't seem likely. Hardly even seems possible. But to be honest, I don't know because I can't remember ever trying. I keep distracted from the possibility with the Bang and the Clatter.
Today is Ash Wednesday. I can't say I'm stepping around the corner anytime soon, but I can say I am going to try to pare the Bang and the Clatter.
If you have any thoughts on Lent, plans of your own, or experience with your own Bang and Clatter, I'd love to hear.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
And the Oscar Goes to ...
There was a time, before children, when I had seen every movie nominated for Best Picture, nearly all the movies nominated for Best Actor, Actress, and Director, and many of the other nominated films.
This year I've seen only 1 of the Best Picture nominations (Slumdog Millionaire) and all 3 of the Best Animated Feature movies. That about sums it up.
I still get away for a few movies now and then and a few of those have nominations: The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, and Tropic Thunder (what the...). Other movies on the list that I’ve seen are Iron Man and Wanted, but technical nominations don't really count.
So even though I am behind on my movies these days, I watched the Oscars - with Sexiest Man Alive Hugh Jackman hosting, a live performance of Jai Ho and hopefully a speech by Mickey Rourke, I wouldn't miss it!
The Set
I loved the set. The stage and seating had a rather intimate feel - the presentation podium was right in the crowd. If you are going to put Brangelina on the front row, you may as well stand Jennifer Aniston only 6 feet from them! This year the sets were actually part of the presentation. Each one changed with the category of awards and related specifically to the category. A clever and artistic idea that worked.
The Host
Hugh Jackman is awfully excited that "the musical is back!" (but do NOT call him gay, his wife will get pissed). I kid. Overall I thought he did a good job, and seemed perhaps underused. His opening number was very good. I also liked his "musicals are back!" song and dance and feel affirmed that Wolverine also likes musicals (cuz, hey, I admit I loved Mamma Mia). Other than the opening and the dance number, I can’t remember anything Hugh did. Perhaps that’s a good host. But it seems he disappeared for long periods of time. I liked Will Smith’s joke that "Hugh is napping somewhere." So my review on Hugh hosting is mixed, though I attribute any poor marks more to him disappearing than anything he did.
The Presentations
The Actor awards this year were presented in the most personal manner that could have been imagined. I loved it. Each nominee was personally introduced by a past winner, and with the stage set-up the people were within feet of each other. More than any other award show, it seemed to actually honor the nominees and not just the winner. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s intro of Robert Downey Jr. was funny. Shirley Maclaine’s intro of Anne Hathaway seemed heartfelt. Overall, a good piece of the evening.
A few presenters were genuinely funny. Tina Fey and Steve Martin were naturals together and had funny material. I enjoyed the Seth Rogan and James Franco bit, but when they added Janusz Kaminski it was hilarious. Seth cracking up at James Franco mangling the winner’s name was so inappropriate and yet so funny. Ben Stiller tried an impression of Joaquin Phoenix and I was with it for awhile, but it went on too long.
The Political Theme of the Night
The Oscars tend to have a political theme most years. Without Bush to kick around, I wasn’t sure what the theme would be this year but it became obvious quickly: Gay and Lesbian Rights. The orginal screenplay winner was Dustin Lance Black for Milk and I found his acceptance speech moving. Sean Penn tried the "shame on you" tactic, but I believe Dustin’s approach will move far more people than copying the church’s usual tactic of shame. But I digress.
What They Wore
Not much to talk about with wardrobe this year. There was no Bjork Swan Disaster, but no one seemed to dazzle either. I’m not sure what Philip Seymour Hoffman was wearing on his head, but it looked like a stocking cap and I thought that a poor choice. My quick pick for worst dressed was Tilda Swinton. If you are going to wear a dress that looks like a bag, you should at least pick a color other than the exact shade of your skin.
Musical Performances
I was highly disappointed in the performances of the 3 nominated original songs. I correctly predicted the winner a couple weeks ago, and maybe I expected too much in its performance. All the right elements were there: the artists, the drummers, the dancers, moving through the crowd, etc. But it seemed flat, uninspiring and the sound through the television was very poor. I’m a John Legend fan, and even his song just seemed off.
The Winners
Mickey Rourke was robbed. When the self-centered Sean Penn gives you a nod in his speech, I think you know you were robbed. Okay, I haven’t seen Milk so I can’t say for sure, but I was shocked that Mickey didn’t get the win. In The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke gave what I would call a complete performance. I’m pretty sure Mickey is in every scene of the movie, he portrays nearly every basic human emotion in a realistic and consistent way, and created a complex character of someone you genuinely like and root for even as he destroys himself with his inability to pull away from his self-destructive choices. I am disappointed he didn’t win. I was going to see Milk anyway, and when I do Sean better be good!
Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor was such a forgone conclusion that they left him out of the In Memoriam montage. It was a sad occasion and I believe he would have had a good shot at winning even without his death.
Slumdog Millionaire won the most Oscars and that seemed appropriate to me. If you’ve seen the movie, the sight of those children actors onstage at the final award was a great moment.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won so many awards that I am, well, curious because that movie just looks strange to me. I look forward to seeing the movie.
Quote of the Night
"Suck on that, Anthony Dod Mantle!" - by Janusz Kaminski, the first cinematographer to ever present an Oscar to the cinematographer that had just won an Oscar.
"You are beautiful, wonderful creatures that have value. And no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you." - Dustin Lance Black speaking to gays and lesbians. Sincere words of love are always powerful.
This year I've seen only 1 of the Best Picture nominations (Slumdog Millionaire) and all 3 of the Best Animated Feature movies. That about sums it up.
I still get away for a few movies now and then and a few of those have nominations: The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, and Tropic Thunder (what the...). Other movies on the list that I’ve seen are Iron Man and Wanted, but technical nominations don't really count.
So even though I am behind on my movies these days, I watched the Oscars - with Sexiest Man Alive Hugh Jackman hosting, a live performance of Jai Ho and hopefully a speech by Mickey Rourke, I wouldn't miss it!
The Set
I loved the set. The stage and seating had a rather intimate feel - the presentation podium was right in the crowd. If you are going to put Brangelina on the front row, you may as well stand Jennifer Aniston only 6 feet from them! This year the sets were actually part of the presentation. Each one changed with the category of awards and related specifically to the category. A clever and artistic idea that worked.
The Host
Hugh Jackman is awfully excited that "the musical is back!" (but do NOT call him gay, his wife will get pissed). I kid. Overall I thought he did a good job, and seemed perhaps underused. His opening number was very good. I also liked his "musicals are back!" song and dance and feel affirmed that Wolverine also likes musicals (cuz, hey, I admit I loved Mamma Mia). Other than the opening and the dance number, I can’t remember anything Hugh did. Perhaps that’s a good host. But it seems he disappeared for long periods of time. I liked Will Smith’s joke that "Hugh is napping somewhere." So my review on Hugh hosting is mixed, though I attribute any poor marks more to him disappearing than anything he did.
The Presentations
The Actor awards this year were presented in the most personal manner that could have been imagined. I loved it. Each nominee was personally introduced by a past winner, and with the stage set-up the people were within feet of each other. More than any other award show, it seemed to actually honor the nominees and not just the winner. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s intro of Robert Downey Jr. was funny. Shirley Maclaine’s intro of Anne Hathaway seemed heartfelt. Overall, a good piece of the evening.
A few presenters were genuinely funny. Tina Fey and Steve Martin were naturals together and had funny material. I enjoyed the Seth Rogan and James Franco bit, but when they added Janusz Kaminski it was hilarious. Seth cracking up at James Franco mangling the winner’s name was so inappropriate and yet so funny. Ben Stiller tried an impression of Joaquin Phoenix and I was with it for awhile, but it went on too long.
The Political Theme of the Night
The Oscars tend to have a political theme most years. Without Bush to kick around, I wasn’t sure what the theme would be this year but it became obvious quickly: Gay and Lesbian Rights. The orginal screenplay winner was Dustin Lance Black for Milk and I found his acceptance speech moving. Sean Penn tried the "shame on you" tactic, but I believe Dustin’s approach will move far more people than copying the church’s usual tactic of shame. But I digress.
What They Wore
Not much to talk about with wardrobe this year. There was no Bjork Swan Disaster, but no one seemed to dazzle either. I’m not sure what Philip Seymour Hoffman was wearing on his head, but it looked like a stocking cap and I thought that a poor choice. My quick pick for worst dressed was Tilda Swinton. If you are going to wear a dress that looks like a bag, you should at least pick a color other than the exact shade of your skin.
Musical Performances
I was highly disappointed in the performances of the 3 nominated original songs. I correctly predicted the winner a couple weeks ago, and maybe I expected too much in its performance. All the right elements were there: the artists, the drummers, the dancers, moving through the crowd, etc. But it seemed flat, uninspiring and the sound through the television was very poor. I’m a John Legend fan, and even his song just seemed off.
The Winners
Mickey Rourke was robbed. When the self-centered Sean Penn gives you a nod in his speech, I think you know you were robbed. Okay, I haven’t seen Milk so I can’t say for sure, but I was shocked that Mickey didn’t get the win. In The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke gave what I would call a complete performance. I’m pretty sure Mickey is in every scene of the movie, he portrays nearly every basic human emotion in a realistic and consistent way, and created a complex character of someone you genuinely like and root for even as he destroys himself with his inability to pull away from his self-destructive choices. I am disappointed he didn’t win. I was going to see Milk anyway, and when I do Sean better be good!
Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor was such a forgone conclusion that they left him out of the In Memoriam montage. It was a sad occasion and I believe he would have had a good shot at winning even without his death.
Slumdog Millionaire won the most Oscars and that seemed appropriate to me. If you’ve seen the movie, the sight of those children actors onstage at the final award was a great moment.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won so many awards that I am, well, curious because that movie just looks strange to me. I look forward to seeing the movie.
Quote of the Night
"Suck on that, Anthony Dod Mantle!" - by Janusz Kaminski, the first cinematographer to ever present an Oscar to the cinematographer that had just won an Oscar.
"You are beautiful, wonderful creatures that have value. And no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you." - Dustin Lance Black speaking to gays and lesbians. Sincere words of love are always powerful.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
"Slumdog Millionaire"
Some time last year I read this interesting article on the slums of Mumbai, India. A fascinating read because of the paradox of the vibrant yet destitute nature of the slum's subculture. The recent movie "Slumdog Millionaire" captures that paradox. The movie has gathered considerable attention and mega award nominations. In my opinion, the movie earns the praise by delivering an original-feeling, creatively-told story of the ancient struggle of the human spirit against the human condition.
The creative centerpiece of the film is a unique story-telling device centered on Jamal Malik playing the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," but the heart is the story of unconditional love. The movie manages to show an unblinking portrait of life in the slum and yet retain the humanity of its characters, for better and worse. I found it a truly remarkable movie weaving together elements of classic tales (an unwavering hero and unconditional love) with modern tales (a conflicted antagonist, brushes of religion, geopolitical reality) with necessary movie elements (memorable acting, excellent cinematography and editing, not to mention a great soundtrack).
I'm probably drawn to it because at its essence it is the story of grace: the unrelenting pursuit of someone and never doubting the infinite value of that person.
It's hard to predict Oscars, but I'll say Song and Screenplay for sure.
The creative centerpiece of the film is a unique story-telling device centered on Jamal Malik playing the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," but the heart is the story of unconditional love. The movie manages to show an unblinking portrait of life in the slum and yet retain the humanity of its characters, for better and worse. I found it a truly remarkable movie weaving together elements of classic tales (an unwavering hero and unconditional love) with modern tales (a conflicted antagonist, brushes of religion, geopolitical reality) with necessary movie elements (memorable acting, excellent cinematography and editing, not to mention a great soundtrack).
I'm probably drawn to it because at its essence it is the story of grace: the unrelenting pursuit of someone and never doubting the infinite value of that person.
It's hard to predict Oscars, but I'll say Song and Screenplay for sure.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Grammy Goes to ...
I love the Grammys. I watch the Oscars to see who wins, but not really anything else. I am interested in who wins the various Grammy awards, but mostly I watch the Grammys for the music performances. Tonight I will try some blogging as the Grammys roll.
The show kicked off with The Greatest Rock Band in History. The performance was not the greatest, but hey I'll never complain about an opportunity to see the boys from Ireland perform, and they do rock. Bono takes off his glasses just to show us he's wearing guyliner. Having worn guyliner before, I have no comment. "Thanks, Walter. Can we get Whitney Houston on the show?"
Whatever Bono asks for, Bono gets. Whitney presents next. Best thing I can say for her: she appeared sober. And trying to stretch her minute on the stage out as loooooong as possible. Jennifer Hudson wins the first Grammy of the night. Great girl and seems to be on a roll with the Super Bowl national anthem and now a Grammy for R&B album of the year. I believe her brother was killed recently, so her acknowledgment of family in heaven was poignant.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bombed. Not funny and Katy Perry seemed embarrassed to be mentioned by him.
I'm a Justin Timberlake fan, but even he bombs in trying to say something funny here. The crowd seems a little dull.
Al Green is classic and can still sing, Justin does a nice job singing with Al. Casey says, "Al Green makes me smile." We love that song too. Justin advertised Keith Urban and Boys 2 Men would be involved with this number. Keith must be the white guy and B2M the backing vocals. Wow, how B2M have fallen.
Coldplay. Great band. Nice jacket on Chris Martin (if you've seen my new one you'll know why). Jay-Z steps into "Lost" with Chris Martin?! Uh-oh, Coldplay's performance is now the coolest of the night. Chris wore himself there in "Viva la Vida."
Sorry, I've never gotten into Carrie Underwood and tonight is more of the same. Ugly dress and a country song written by a committee. Sugarland just won a Grammy for something. They're a country band that sang a song one time I liked. Best I can do there.
[BTW, DVRs rock. Boys to bed without missing a thing and now I can start skipping the ridiculous commercials anyway]
Song of the Year already? An eclectic choice of songs! All good ones, but it's apples and oranges, really. By the way, the video for that "Chasing Pavements" song is really cool if you've never seen it. Another little tidbit about a song nominee here, I heard Sara say one time that the target of her song "I'm not going to write you a love song cause you ask for it" is not a guy - it was her recording studio who told her that her album needed a love song. Nice one, Sara. "Viva la Vida" wins. More incentive for Joe Satriani to pursue his lawsuit. It's a good song, but not sure I'd call it the song of the year. That album was phenomenal music but just "okay" lyrically. Could have been so much better, oh well. Moving on.
Kid Rock. "Amen." Change really has come to America when white trash is singing about race relations, poverty and war. [FYI, I use the term white trash here in the non-pejorative as used self-referentially by white north Americans with higher socioeconomic status to jokingly describe limitations they sense in their culture] Welcome to the cause, Kid!
Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana!!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!
Taylor kicks Hannah's ass. Pop Collaboration is yet another difficult choice, but the right one is made here. I heard that song only once or twice ever, but I loved it.
Jennifer Hudson is singing. I hope she doesn't make me cry (I'm only on my 2nd beer, I should be okay). Oh no, she's singing "You Pull me Through" - I am verklempt...
Thankfully I now have the Jonas Brothers to drain all emotion from me. Soulless Disney, I ain't feelin' it. The parts where they aren't singing and only the band and Stevie Wonder are playing are okay, as long as I'm not actually looking at three 15-year old, home-schooled white bread boys.
Rock Album Grammy always throws me. I never know what they mean by "rock." Coldplay wins over Metallica, see what I mean?
Katy "bicurious" Perry performs. She's come a long way since her christian artist days, that's all I can say about that. Don't bother kissing a girl on stage, Katy, you'll never top Madonna and Britney a few years ago.
10-time Grammy winner Kanye West? I thought he was always angry that he never wins? Kanye's hair is totally Lionel Richie from the "Hello" video, dude! Well, not curled but that same shape. Not his best work, but I like Kanye. Best New Artist Grammy? Anyone but Jonas Brothers, please... Yeah! Good song, I don't know if her other stuff is good.
Does Morgan Freeman have a fake arm? Miming Michael Jackson? He's friends with Kenny Chesney?! WTF?! I never knew Morgan was gay... I kid! Just because he's friends with a gay guy doesn't make Morgan gay. About 10 years ago Kenny won me over with a song about his grandpa, I give him grace since then.
Record of the Year already? I like spreading these big Grammys throughout like this. Same song that won Song of the Year, right? So it won for the song writers earlier and now the performers and producers. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus are 2 great artists so I guess you can't go wrong there.
The next performance is a great example of something that sounded great in planning but wow what a mess on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love a pregnant rapper as much as the next person, but wow. Kanye, Jay-Z, et al. At least I just realized that MIA's song is on the Slumdog soundtrack.
Paul McCartney takes Kurt Cobain's spot in front of Dave Grohl. Can't be worse than what we just saw. Note to Bono, stop singing before age 66.
Pop Male Vocal. "Say" by John Mayer. Excellent choice.
I'm reminded what I liked about Sugarland, this is that song I couldn't remember earlier, nice song and emotion for "Stay." Hey, the last song was only one letter different. Say now Stay. Wild.
That "Chasing Pavements" song is good. That's one of the funny things about the Grammys. I heard this song a lot a long time ago, haven't heard it in a long time, now I've heard it 3 times tonight.
Radiohead and the USC marching band. Awe. Some. (I wonder what Thom has against wireless mics?)
TI and Justin Timberlake. We kinda like TI around here, the boys are fans of "Whatever You Like" (radio edit, people, please). Ooh, soon as I said that, TI got censored by the live delay. Believe it or not, the song has a positive message and is really good.
Neil Portnow. Every year this guy gets up there and wastes our time. This year he tops that by trying to ride on Barack Obama's coattails. What a douche.
Four Tops' music. 50 years from now, a botoxed Kanye West will be reliving his glory days. Out of respect for that possibility, I don't fast forward.
Josh Groban introduces Neil Diamond. I'd rather hear Josh. Will Ferrell will always be Neil Diamond to me ("my heart and my ass hurt!"). I had a friend who sang "Sweet Caroline" at every karaoke opportunity, and did a great job actually. The crowd acts like they're at karaoke.
RIP, Eddie Arnold. Isaac Hayes died? What did South Park do with Chef?
I really, really like John Mayer. He has respect for music and plays new stuff that sounds like old stuff.
Lil Wayne and Robin "Alan" Thicke. Interesting experiment: will the combination bring up Thicke's cool more than it drags down Wayne's? I believe the result cancels each other out. It's not cool and it doesn't suck. The New Orleans stuff (Terence Blanchard) is cool. I was in New Orleans less than a year before Katrina, and I'd love to go back.
You know Will.i.am wasn't going to NOT mention Obama. Rap Album Grammy to Lil Wayne. How'd he beat the Godfather Jay-Z? Congrats, Lil.
[an aside regarding the new Pepsi commercial, they stole Obama's campaign symbol and now his songwriter?]
Alison and Robert Plant finally perform live for us. I remember Alison Kraus from her bluegrass circuit days in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. I first heard her live when she opened for Garth Brooks in about 1993. She looks better every year. Alison Buttons?
Album of the Year, the biggie. With so much love tonight, it's no surprise that it's "Raising Sand" by Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. I clearly need to listen to this album.
Well, that's it. I think the best performances were all in the 1st half. I didn't get that memorable performance we sometimes have at the Grammys, but a good music show nonetheless. We close the show with Stevie Wonder by himself singing his newest song "All About the Love Again." So on a night to celebrate the best musical art of 2008, we leave with this:
Good night!
The show kicked off with The Greatest Rock Band in History. The performance was not the greatest, but hey I'll never complain about an opportunity to see the boys from Ireland perform, and they do rock. Bono takes off his glasses just to show us he's wearing guyliner. Having worn guyliner before, I have no comment. "Thanks, Walter. Can we get Whitney Houston on the show?"
Whatever Bono asks for, Bono gets. Whitney presents next. Best thing I can say for her: she appeared sober. And trying to stretch her minute on the stage out as loooooong as possible. Jennifer Hudson wins the first Grammy of the night. Great girl and seems to be on a roll with the Super Bowl national anthem and now a Grammy for R&B album of the year. I believe her brother was killed recently, so her acknowledgment of family in heaven was poignant.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bombed. Not funny and Katy Perry seemed embarrassed to be mentioned by him.
I'm a Justin Timberlake fan, but even he bombs in trying to say something funny here. The crowd seems a little dull.
Al Green is classic and can still sing, Justin does a nice job singing with Al. Casey says, "Al Green makes me smile." We love that song too. Justin advertised Keith Urban and Boys 2 Men would be involved with this number. Keith must be the white guy and B2M the backing vocals. Wow, how B2M have fallen.
Coldplay. Great band. Nice jacket on Chris Martin (if you've seen my new one you'll know why). Jay-Z steps into "Lost" with Chris Martin?! Uh-oh, Coldplay's performance is now the coolest of the night. Chris wore himself there in "Viva la Vida."
Sorry, I've never gotten into Carrie Underwood and tonight is more of the same. Ugly dress and a country song written by a committee. Sugarland just won a Grammy for something. They're a country band that sang a song one time I liked. Best I can do there.
[BTW, DVRs rock. Boys to bed without missing a thing and now I can start skipping the ridiculous commercials anyway]
Song of the Year already? An eclectic choice of songs! All good ones, but it's apples and oranges, really. By the way, the video for that "Chasing Pavements" song is really cool if you've never seen it. Another little tidbit about a song nominee here, I heard Sara say one time that the target of her song "I'm not going to write you a love song cause you ask for it" is not a guy - it was her recording studio who told her that her album needed a love song. Nice one, Sara. "Viva la Vida" wins. More incentive for Joe Satriani to pursue his lawsuit. It's a good song, but not sure I'd call it the song of the year. That album was phenomenal music but just "okay" lyrically. Could have been so much better, oh well. Moving on.
Kid Rock. "Amen." Change really has come to America when white trash is singing about race relations, poverty and war. [FYI, I use the term white trash here in the non-pejorative as used self-referentially by white north Americans with higher socioeconomic status to jokingly describe limitations they sense in their culture] Welcome to the cause, Kid!
Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana!!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!
Taylor kicks Hannah's ass. Pop Collaboration is yet another difficult choice, but the right one is made here. I heard that song only once or twice ever, but I loved it.
Jennifer Hudson is singing. I hope she doesn't make me cry (I'm only on my 2nd beer, I should be okay). Oh no, she's singing "You Pull me Through" - I am verklempt...
Thankfully I now have the Jonas Brothers to drain all emotion from me. Soulless Disney, I ain't feelin' it. The parts where they aren't singing and only the band and Stevie Wonder are playing are okay, as long as I'm not actually looking at three 15-year old, home-schooled white bread boys.
Rock Album Grammy always throws me. I never know what they mean by "rock." Coldplay wins over Metallica, see what I mean?
Katy "bicurious" Perry performs. She's come a long way since her christian artist days, that's all I can say about that. Don't bother kissing a girl on stage, Katy, you'll never top Madonna and Britney a few years ago.
10-time Grammy winner Kanye West? I thought he was always angry that he never wins? Kanye's hair is totally Lionel Richie from the "Hello" video, dude! Well, not curled but that same shape. Not his best work, but I like Kanye. Best New Artist Grammy? Anyone but Jonas Brothers, please... Yeah! Good song, I don't know if her other stuff is good.
Does Morgan Freeman have a fake arm? Miming Michael Jackson? He's friends with Kenny Chesney?! WTF?! I never knew Morgan was gay... I kid! Just because he's friends with a gay guy doesn't make Morgan gay. About 10 years ago Kenny won me over with a song about his grandpa, I give him grace since then.
Record of the Year already? I like spreading these big Grammys throughout like this. Same song that won Song of the Year, right? So it won for the song writers earlier and now the performers and producers. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus are 2 great artists so I guess you can't go wrong there.
The next performance is a great example of something that sounded great in planning but wow what a mess on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love a pregnant rapper as much as the next person, but wow. Kanye, Jay-Z, et al. At least I just realized that MIA's song is on the Slumdog soundtrack.
Paul McCartney takes Kurt Cobain's spot in front of Dave Grohl. Can't be worse than what we just saw. Note to Bono, stop singing before age 66.
Pop Male Vocal. "Say" by John Mayer. Excellent choice.
I'm reminded what I liked about Sugarland, this is that song I couldn't remember earlier, nice song and emotion for "Stay." Hey, the last song was only one letter different. Say now Stay. Wild.
That "Chasing Pavements" song is good. That's one of the funny things about the Grammys. I heard this song a lot a long time ago, haven't heard it in a long time, now I've heard it 3 times tonight.
Radiohead and the USC marching band. Awe. Some. (I wonder what Thom has against wireless mics?)
TI and Justin Timberlake. We kinda like TI around here, the boys are fans of "Whatever You Like" (radio edit, people, please). Ooh, soon as I said that, TI got censored by the live delay. Believe it or not, the song has a positive message and is really good.
Neil Portnow. Every year this guy gets up there and wastes our time. This year he tops that by trying to ride on Barack Obama's coattails. What a douche.
Four Tops' music. 50 years from now, a botoxed Kanye West will be reliving his glory days. Out of respect for that possibility, I don't fast forward.
Josh Groban introduces Neil Diamond. I'd rather hear Josh. Will Ferrell will always be Neil Diamond to me ("my heart and my ass hurt!"). I had a friend who sang "Sweet Caroline" at every karaoke opportunity, and did a great job actually. The crowd acts like they're at karaoke.
RIP, Eddie Arnold. Isaac Hayes died? What did South Park do with Chef?
I really, really like John Mayer. He has respect for music and plays new stuff that sounds like old stuff.
Lil Wayne and Robin "Alan" Thicke. Interesting experiment: will the combination bring up Thicke's cool more than it drags down Wayne's? I believe the result cancels each other out. It's not cool and it doesn't suck. The New Orleans stuff (Terence Blanchard) is cool. I was in New Orleans less than a year before Katrina, and I'd love to go back.
You know Will.i.am wasn't going to NOT mention Obama. Rap Album Grammy to Lil Wayne. How'd he beat the Godfather Jay-Z? Congrats, Lil.
[an aside regarding the new Pepsi commercial, they stole Obama's campaign symbol and now his songwriter?]
Alison and Robert Plant finally perform live for us. I remember Alison Kraus from her bluegrass circuit days in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. I first heard her live when she opened for Garth Brooks in about 1993. She looks better every year. Alison Buttons?
Album of the Year, the biggie. With so much love tonight, it's no surprise that it's "Raising Sand" by Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. I clearly need to listen to this album.
Well, that's it. I think the best performances were all in the 1st half. I didn't get that memorable performance we sometimes have at the Grammys, but a good music show nonetheless. We close the show with Stevie Wonder by himself singing his newest song "All About the Love Again." So on a night to celebrate the best musical art of 2008, we leave with this:
What if someone made a soda
That caused everyone to love each other
Good night!
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