MaroonMondays Awards Reviews: MTV Video Music Awards 2014

Hi, MTV. I’m Andrew for Maroon Mondays.
You may have read my review of the Video Music Awards last year, snarking about how terrible it was and how dull and dimly-lit it was. Here’s what I said:

Next year, MTV, do better. Get a host. Make it brighter. And stop making those trashy moments; they now seem forced and sad. The BET Awards are kicking your ass, and they are more entertaining. And yet I thought they were the bad one.

Mr. MTV, I’m so sorry. You kind did get better. I was angry at the Miley fiasco, how (intentionally) strange it was, and how questionably tiny her ass was. Because of that it, spread to the entire show. I thought the rest was really good. I honestly enjoyed it. All the other performances were awesome and the winners (some of them, anyway) were well-chosen ones indeed. So, please forgive me.

Anywho...
Hey, everyone. Andrew here welcoming you to my review of the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. And of course this show is known (and very-well remembered) for its shocking and controversial moments, one of them happened last year during Miley Cyrus’ performance. And boy, do I remember it very well. pink teddy bears, Chuck E. Cheese swimsuit/costume, foam finger (*shudder*), Robin Thicke coming out and then she twerked on his meat (I think he felt anything when she was all over him, if you know what I mean.)
If you want to know what was all about, here it is:


This years’ show took place at the Forum (remembered previously as The Great Western Forum; seen Space Jam? Yeah.) in Inglewood, CA, continuing MTV’s trek of putting the VMAs in places that aren’t New York City, LA, or Vegas (although they went to Miami once). Probably they might go to Chicago, Charlotte or even Galveston, TX in a few years. As with last year, there was no host. I can understand this given how huge and lavish the sets are and how amazing the graphics look every year (you readin’ this, BET?), but it’s odd how they don’t spend some money on a host. Hell, I could be the host and do it for FREE if they asked me. Oh well.

Okay, enough with the technical crap, let’s get with the review.

We begin with catastrophic star Ariana Grande performing what can be her next hit of many, “Break Free”. Her voice sounds deeper and breathier than her last performances. And a little scratched. Outside of her great voice, her stage presence was wooden and robotic; all she did was stand and walk. No emotion in that And another thing, I thought this song was about love and stuff, like that song with a similar name from High School Musical. Nope, it one of the many pop songs with the beat of electronic music (God, these things annoy the fuck outta me, like outsourcing music from to DJs with turntables and computers). Anyway, the performance was mixed; voice was great but everything else was dull.
--

Straight after that, Nicki Minaj (and her co-star, her colossal ass) perform "Anaconda". I song I HATE...with a passion. The song’s about the desire a man has of having some chick’s fat ass on his dick. It’s obnoxious, forced and all-the-way annoying. She was lip-synching, and I didn’t have time for the strip sequence. Although, this was more--umm--exciting than Ari’s performance.
--

Straight after THAT, Jessie J slayed it with her single “Bang Bang”. This third of the set was the hands-down best of them all. Just her standing there with her voice can beat Ari and Nicki clean. And her legs (DAY-Yum). This part was the Best Performance by a female so far.

Taylor Swift took the stage and shook some of herself off on it, performing the song that’s not going to NOT reach the Top 40, “Shake It Off”. It’s a really good song with a very good beat. And even though it’s about how pissy she is about some boy who messed her up (and there IS the subtext about this too.), this song is one I actually like from the jump. Her dancing skills was... One part of the performance was really funny. During the bridge, Taylor was on top of this setup of 1989 (the name of her latest album), signaling to us she was going to jump from it and into the arms of her male dancers. She then thought “Fuck this!” and decided against it, saying and went downstairs to continue the performance. This was one of my favorites of the night.

Next up, Sam Smith sings the song that made him a star overnight, and a superstar at the end of the year, “Stay with Me”. his voice is perfect in every way. And when he sings it live, it’s a different kind of perfect. This one for me was the Best Performance by a Male of the night. I don’t care if the dude has to move around and dance, he must have a voice to back that up. And Sam has the voice that overpowers everything else. He deserves to be a star, and I’m glad to watch his star rise.

Usher performed “She Needs to Give it to You” with Nicki Minaj. Everyone was wearing white like they were in a Got Milk? commercial. I don't know the song, but Usher sung it very good. Then Nicki Minaj came out looking like she sheared Lamb Chop’s family for that fur she wore. She was--well, I really could care less about Nicki, but that fur stuck out to me. This performance was Meh, along with the song. The beat is really good, the whole “I’m gonna give it to you” is getting really old. I mean, saying “give it to me” is like yelling at someone to give you a cookie, not your desire to cum.

Later on, that band I still barely know existed, 5 Seconds of Summer sang “Amnesia”. It was a good performance, but, to be honest (and I don’t wanna sound mean), I don’t care for or about them. They’re good musicians, but I’m not a fan of them. And all I can say is these guys should be grateful to MTV for putting them in a stage of this caliber because there will be a time when they wouldn’t be popular and famous and that they’ll be just an obscure thing in music. Remember Young the Giant? Yeah.

Iggy Azalea performed her song “Black Widow” with featured artist Rita Ora. Both ladies brought the sex appeal to this one. both looking sexy in black skin-tight body. This one, though was kinda dull, despite the "spider and its web" concept.

Next, Maroon 5 performed “Maps” from a concert stage outside the Forum. And MTV made it look like a damn concert, too. The song is really good, and the beat is the same. Although I’m not much of a fan of Adam Levine’s voice, he does make the song sound good this time. I really enjoyed this one.


Finally (the woman BET only got on tape, but MTV got in the flesh), Beyoncé. She performed a medley of her songs from her surprise Self-Titled album. AND. SHE. SLAUGHTERED. IT. I MEAN COME ON. Who thought she WOULDN’T?! She sang every song live (and not lip-synched), looked smoking-hot sexy doing it, and each song somehow got more visually better than the last. The dancers were great, the backgrounds were awesome and fit the songs perfectly and her vocals were just...***Flawless. Plus, during shots of medley, her and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy is seen dancing to Mommy’s songs and cuteness was on overload. And then when the medley ended, the whole stadium was on their feet (cheering her), and Jay came to his superstar wife, their offspring in hand. And I just cried. It was just...MTV saved her for last and made a smart move doing it.

Even though no one else cares about it, the camera angles and production work really work in every performance. The people who produced the show (Den of Thieves) really knew what they were doing in those departments. So I’m one of the every few people of the internet to say this: Den of Thieves, you are a bunch of geniuses. Your production of the VMAs make it more visually amazing and beautiful to look at. Thanks for taking the VMAs to new heights.

And now some Random Thoughts from the show:
--That moment when Nicki Minaj held her dress tight during “Bang Bang”. Some people thought it was a “Wardrobe Malfunction”, but my sister (who was watching we me at the time) thought it was because of the quick timing because of the medley format, which makes much more sense. Ari had plenty of time to change, while Nicki had only two verses and a cut-up version of the chorus to wear the dress and change the fact that she used to wear something that highlighted her ass.

--Sam Smith is a star, needs to be a star, and will be a superstar when his next record comes out. Oh, and he needs to work with Adele SOON. because if I need to have my heart skip a few beats, this would be the perfect reason. These two artists changed music for the better, and this record they could make can blow all of music for the better.
By the way, during his performance, there were many cutaways to Kim Kardashian and Kendall & Kylie Jenner; more than what I ever really wanted (NONE). And don’t get me started about them texting during the heartfelt tribute to Michael Brown. Speaking of that…

--It was very nice of MTV to shed a few minutes for the tribute of the slain Ferguson, MO teenager, and having Common be the voice of the tribute was a great touch. He kept it short, sweet and classy.

--Honestly, in hindsight, having Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels present an award on the show was a BAAAADD move. Jim acted like he was in character as every other character he played in his films, while Jeff tried hard to toe the line between sane and strange. So, in short, it was weird.

--I thought Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda performance was gonna put the censor on lock, but it was actually surprisingly tame, even for her. Not even her ass could make it really raunchy. I still don’t like it though; it’s still dull.

--I thought it was sweet during the moment when Miley Cyrus let an unknown guy accept the Video of the Year award for her. The message he gave was heartbreaking and then heartwarming. It made me want to help out for this cause he mentioned.

--Beyonce trended on Twitter overnight. And she deserved it. She later got out-trended by some guy named Frank Grimes.

--And finally, some good winners were chosen this year, although I thought better videos and musicians should’ve won.

Nevertheless, I liked this show, although I felt it was kinda dull, something I felt surprised by because it's the VMAs. Dull isn't its middle name. But it's survived by those strange and controversial moments, very few of which we got this year, probably even just one (if you count those vignettes with Jay Pharoah in them). Anyway, I really wouldn't mind if MTV made the VMAs much more upbeat and livelier next year; I want to feel happy when we're not watching a performer singing. I felt like I was about to die (you know, Beyonce killed me on the inside). If I can't do that, then I don't know why I should still watch the VMAs. I barely recognize names, it feels dull and dreary (Like Lorde's persona; unless she says "Thank you so much" in her beautiful New Zealand accent.) and it's the only thing I still watch on MTV anymore. Oh well.

Thank you guys for joining me for this review and join me...the next time an awards shoe comes up. But not the Emmys, because I'm winded. I Bark Fun--I mean, Bye-Bye!!

Robin Williams Has Died

Hi, everyone.

Do you feel a little shocked? Well, I do. And you will be, too.
Acclaimed actor and comedian Robin Williams has died today. He was 63 years old. He was known for his legendary career of stand-up comedy and quirky physical comedy. He later went to acting, guest starring in an episode of Happy Days as Mork, a strange alien from the planet Ork; He was sent to Earth to learn and record human life and activity. That would lead to him and co-star Pam Dawber starring in a spin-off entitled Mork & Mindy. That series would air from 1978 to 1982 and would become a huge hit, cementing Mr. Williams' career as the big thing in comedy.

He would later transition to acting starring in many iconic films such as Mrs' Doubtfire, Aladdin, Jack, Good Morning, Vietnam, One Hour Photo and many many others, winning an Academy Award from his role as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He would later get back into television in 2013, starring in The Crazy Ones, a sitcom about an advertising company created and run by his character Simon Roberts and his daughter Sydney. The series lasted only one season. This series' axing is what shocked me about his death; the fact that it ended not to long ago, and that he passed away just months after it ended its' run.

Although it's currently unknown just how he died, the Marin County Coroner has released word that he died from committing suicide. Whatever happens in the coming days is clear, we lost an icon of comedy...too damn soon. He has inspired many people to get into comedy and will never be forgotten. 
Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams. You are gone, but you are not forgotten.
(1951-2014)

100th POST of 2014--Maroon Mondays Awards Reviews: Teen Choice Awards 2014

OH MY GOD, I'M reviewing THE Teen Choice Awards AGAIN!!!! Ugh.

Anyway, I think this parody from Family Guy sums up how goofy, hyper-active and strange this show is. Plus, the names for the actors that come on the show is absolutely spot-on.
Brian definitely said it best:

"Every year I recognize fewer and fewer names."

Boy, was he right.


Anyway, you know what the Teen Choice Awards are, so I won't get into it. Here's last year's review for more:
http://maroonmondays.blogspot.com/2013/08/teen-choice-awards-my-review.html


This years' show (held from the legendary Shrine Auditiorium in Los Angeles) was hosted by Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey and Modern Family star Sarah Hyland. I did not like it. At all.
Here are some highlights (as I would call them, Lowlights, because of how mind-numbingly painful they were):
-Tyler was painfully awkward and sweaty here and Sarah seemed doe-eyed dull, but she was better than Tyler at being funny because she stars in the most popular sitcom on TV. Whatever the writers wrote probably knew how corny it was and loved to see how many laughs it would get, so they sent them in anyway.
--Tyler shook his butt in front of Jennifer Lopez, who's known for her butt more than her music. He ought to be lucky he's not as much of an acclaimed actor, or else that would've been a huge embarrassment on his part. Oh, and it wasn't funny. Or enjoyable. And I have more of a butt than him.
---Keeping Up With the Kardashians has 10 SEASONS (!!!!); 8 more than I could EVER fathom. Cosmos was in the same category, but lost. No more can be said about this.
----And many more to mention, but I can't because I need my brain.

But just because most of the show was horrible, doesn't mean there weren't at least a few great moments. Here are the Highlights of the show:
--There was a brief reunion of cast members of Shake It Up when Bella Thorne presented the Candies' award to former co-star Zendaya. It was so sweet and heartwarming, and nice to see CeCe and Rocky together again. (And she looks so damn good.)

--When Ariana Grande accepted the award for Choice Female Artist, she gave a beautiful and touching speech, which mentioned the hard time her and her family suffered after the passing of her grandfather. She really kept it classy and sweet ending it by thanking her fans for the love and support she received from them and to never stop doing what you loved. That speech is the best part of the night for me.

--Donald Sutherland won the award for Choice Movie Villain for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Surpringly, he's not young with washboard abs, but what makes me happy is he's not young with washboard abs. The fact that he won showed that the teenagers voting (or the producers; still keeping an open mind, here) at least sometimes have an eye for true talent in some categories. The mention to his wife of 42 years (who agreed with their choice) were beautiful, and also, the salute some audience members made during the speech was pretty cool. The other best moment of the night, folks.


I'm gonna be honest: I've watched this show for many years. This is the first time ever that I've never heard of almost anyone who steps foot on stage or is mentioned during the opening credit. Literally, almost no one I recognize. It's like I'm grateful for the repeat offenders of these awards, just so I know at least half of the people appearing. So after 90 minutes of this, I just had to turn it off. I came in at least happy, but left disgusted, annoyed, and depressed. Maybe I was too hard on the BET Awards; sure their categories are predictable but at least they have surprises and great performances to make up for it, but this is sad, shameful and frustrating. If I were a girl, I'd sadly be just like them; screaming for whomever is hotter or has nicer hair or can take off their shirt. It's that terrible. And you know what? This said it best about one thing:

What I find sadder is that more people don't already realize that most awards shows are rigged #TeensDontHaveAChoiceAwards

— NICKandMORE (@nickandmore) August 11, 2014

It starts with the nominations. “They” select who “they” want (and by "who" I mean the names that will bring them the most attention).

— NICKandMORE (@nickandmore) August 11, 2014

If you haven’t noticed, people who are promoted to be at these awards are usually the ones that win. #itsnotacoincidence

— NICKandMORE (@nickandmore) August 11, 2014

Exactly. RT @nsideguy25 "yeah well most reality talent shows are too. But we still watch"

— NICKandMORE (@nickandmore) August 11, 2014

This gave me the wakeup call I needed to realize: The voting system is rigged to please the teenage girls who watch every year. And this works almost every time. And to get ratings. Basically, all you have to do is show up and you're given a surfboard. If it's that easy, maybe I should star in a TV show or movie catered to teenagers, be hot and popular and just show up at the show. I just might win one. So easy.

Let's get to the performances. 85% of which I hardly know of.

Demi Lovato kicked off the show with her latest hit "Really Don't Care". I really did enjoy this performance although the appearance of featured artist Cher Lloyd was more apathetic: I thought she was lip-synching. Plus my siblings (who were watching with me) were commenting that she was a little different in her appearance (i.e. She got bigger). I thought that was uncalled for and really didn't care. She is still her.

Next, our latest Canadian export, MAGIC!, took us to Reggae-town with their monster debut "Rude". Which is about some guy asking a father for his blessing to marry his daughter, and ends up a whiny pussy when he says No, calling him Rude, that he's the one who's Rude. There could be a reason why the Dad doesn't want to give his little girl to this dude, the chorus telling what it is. He wants to start a family with her, whether the dad likes it or not. And just because he's human, he expects everything to go his way. Outside of the authentic beat, which is fantastic, the lyrics are terrible and shows how dickish the guy is.

The performance was great, however, and the band plays very well live.

RIXTON (a British band I've never heard of before last night), performed two songs. Double the less recognition. They are "Wait on Me" and "Me and My Broken Heart" (a song I heard on Rising Star by contestant Macy Kate; I thought it was a song she recorded).

I thought they were a really good band. Those are very upbeat with some nice lyrics so I'll give them a listen sometime.

Becky G perfomed her hit (God, I need to listen to radio a little bit more) "Shower". At first I thought the song is about a guy she wanted to date, but didn't, because he stinks. Anyway, it's just a typical "white girl acting like hip hip" song--Oh wait, she's Latina? Oh. My dearest apologies. I barely heard any lyrics from her because she spoke so fast and it's kinda funny that way. The beat is really nice, though; I give her that.



And finally, Jason Derulo performed "Wiggle" and "Talk Dirty", the two song that involve a woman's backside and what he wants to do with it later on. Surprisingly, I think I like this one better than Demi's. It's bouncy, amazing and fun from start to finish. The dancing was awesome, his vocals were killer and the songs aren't that hated to me anymore. The segue was awesome. The beat from "Wiggke" is irritating to many, but I enjoyed it. Although, I did say to myself when the female dancers came out, "There is no way those are real. They look more like pillows."
Anyway I enjoyed this performance so much, I wish I were there. The screaming and corny humor would be totally worth it.

On an overall scale, I thought the performances were really good. They were wonderful to listen to and the performers were perfect for the show and the teen demographic. The producers knew what they were doing and did a great job with it. I comment them for that half of the show...the other half, however...

And now, this years WINNERS:
Choice Summer Music Star: Female
Demi Lovato
Choice TV Actress: Drama
Lucy Hale, “Pretty Little Liars”
Candie’s Choice Style Icon
Zendaya
Choice TV Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Nina Dobrev-“The Vampire Diaries”
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Shailene Woodley-“Divergent”
Choice Summer TV Star: Male
Tyler Blackburn-“Pretty Little Liars”
Choice Break-Up Song
“Amnesia” -5 Seconds of Summer
Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Josh Hutcherson-“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Choice TV Show: Drama
“Pretty Little Liars”
Choice TV: Reality Show
“Keeping Up With The Kardashians"--
Choice Movie Breakout Star
Ansel Elgort, “Divergent” and “The Fault in Our Stars”
Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Ansel Elgort-“The Fault in Our Stars”
Choice Female Country Artist
Taylor Swift--STILL?!
Choice Summer Song
“Really Don’t Care”-Demi Lovato featuring Cher Lloyd
Choice Movie: Drama
“The Fault in Our Stars”
Choice TV Reality Personality – Female
Cat Deeley-“So You Think You Can Dance”
Choice Twit
One Direction
Choice Movie Chemistry
Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff and Shailene Woodley, “The Fault in Our Stars”
Choice Movie Liplock
Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort-“The Fault In Our Stars”
Choice Movie Scene Stealer
Nat Wolff-“The Fault In Our Stars”
Choice Web Star: Female
Bethany Mota
Choice Web Star: Male
Tyler Oakley
Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Lea Michele, “Glee”
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Kevin Hart-“Ride Along”
Choice Comedian
Kevin Hart
Choice Movie Villain
Donald Sutherland-“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Olay Fresh Effects Breakout Star Award
Odeya Rush
Choice Viner
Cameron Dallas
Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty
Zoe Sugg (“Zoella”)
Choice Web Star: Comedy
Our2ndLife
Choice Web Star: Music
Shawn Mendes

Now that that's finally over, I can't wait for the Video Music Awards to come in 2 weeks. Of course, I'll have the review the next day, so see you then. Goodbye!!

#SLMR: Fancy

Hi everyone.
So I went to the Billboard Hot 100 chart to find dome songs to review, and surprisingly, there are some songs that have some staying power. Two songs I already reviewed (Dark Horse and Talk Dirty) are still making waves, staying in the Top 20, and some songs like Happy and All of Me staying in the Top 10 (with both peaking at #1).

But today, I'm gonna talk about the huge year this artist is having. She has become a popular artist last year gaining acclaim for her rhyming and content, has later toured with Beyonce on her tour, two videos for really dirty songs went viral, had two successful EPs produced by T.I., became a popular model, and, in 2012, became the first female and first non-American rap artist to be inducted into XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue (that's right; Nicki Minaj didn't make the list first).
This artist really made it big, especially when her debut album The New Classic hit the top 5 in several countries worldwide. And, as said, she's not American.

Who is she? Iggy Azeala.
The song I'm reviewing-is one that's burning up the charts. It's on top at #1, and she had another ("Problem" by Ariana Grande) that was, on it's peak, just one slot lower at #2, and she's just the featured artist. Because of these songs, Iggy became only the fourth female rapper in history to have a song top the Hot 100, and she joins The Beatles as the ONLY acts to have the first two singles reach the top of the Hot 100.
DAMN. She should just retire right now.

It's "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX.

We start with a slow beat that kinda reminds me of certain song, but I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, Iggy starts off with:
"First things first, I'm the realist"
--That's a pretty good start-up line. And even though it gets on my nerves when rappers say the word "real" in regards to them, I'll give a pass because the way she says it sounds really good.
"Drop this and let the whole world feel it (let them feel it)/And I'm still in the Murda Bizness
I could hold you down, like I'm givin' lessons in physics (right, right)"
--The "Murda Bizness" part is a nice little Call-Back to her earlier song of the same name featuring TI. It's about looking fly, being better than other women, and killing whoever's in your way. It's pretty good. As for the rest, I'm gonna skip because, as a black dude who should know what this means, I have no idea what this means.
"You should want a bad bitch like this (huh?)
Drop it low and pick it up just like this (yeah)
Cup of Ace, cup of (Grey) Goose, cup of Cris(tal)
High heels, somethin' worth a half a ticket on my wrist (on my wrist)
--Ehh... Okay, these lines are the usual talking about wanting a man to get with a woman like her (or a "bad bitch") And the usual mentioning of the expensive alcoholic beverages no one can buy unless there's a block party or club visit or whatever. I don't know what the hell "worth a half a ticket on my wrist" means, though.

By the way, I'm sorry, but doesn't she sound, like, almost like T.I.? Now, I know she worked with T.I. before, and she was raised in the South when so emigrated to the U.S. when she was 16. But come on, don't you hear the similarities between them? The thick Southern accent, the flow, the way the two of them I do.

Takin' all the liquor straight, never chase that (never)
Rooftop like we bringin' '88 back (what?)
--Nope. nothing.
Bring the hooks in, where the bass at?
Champagne spillin', you should taste that
Wow, I don't know anything from this. Maybe it's something Australian-related, if there actually is rap music from Australia at all, but my mind's drawing a blank on this one. Let's go to the chorus.
"I'm so fancy
You already know
I'm in the fast lane
From L.A. to Tokyo"
--Okay, first off, if I already know, why the hell do you feel the need to tell me?
And second, I like Chari's voice, but it also irritates me. Especially when she says "Fancy" and "Fast Lane"; stretching the end of the words just aggravates me.
"I'm so fancy
Can't you taste this gold?"
--I'm sorry, "taste this gold"? That ain't fancy; that ain't even sanitary.
"Remember my name
'Bout to blow"
--I barely remembered your name when "I Love It (I Don't Care)" came out.

Okay back to Iggy.
"I said, "Baby, I do this, I thought that you knew this."
Can't stand no haters and honest, the truth is"
--I'd know what you'd do, Iggy, if you'd tell me what the hell it is.
"And my flow retarded, each beat did depart it
Swagger on stupid, I can't shop in no department"
--I hate when artists use the word "retarded" to mean a crazy good beat, if not using the word at all, but hey, if it can be used in a positive way to not mean something cruel and degrading, I'm okay with it.
"To get my money on time, if they not money, decline
And swear I meant that there so much that they give that line a rewind
So get my money on time, if they not money, decline
I just can't worry 'bout no haters, gotta stay on my grind"
--To me, that "Line" is kinda bad, doesn't really deserve a "rewind", and doesn't make sense. But the way Iggy says it keeps it from being terrible. Speaking of terrible...
"Now tell me, who that, who that? That do that, do that?
Put that paper over all, I thought you knew that, knew that"
--There is nothing you tell me that I know of!! Also, this line makes no sense either; it's like someone who stutters wrote that. Well, if they actually have the mental capacity to write stuttering.
I be the I-G-G-Y, put my name in bold
I been working, I'm up in here with some change to throw"
I like this line. Sure, she's bragging, but it's a really cool line; way cool.

Okay, Charli's verse includes trashing a hotel room, getting drunk, riding on a chandelier, being a deluxe film star (of porn, probably), not giving fucks and overall getting what she wants. Things that are not at all fancy and that crazy, oversexed little sluts do.
Catchy, but stupid, please don't ever touch; OOWWW (repeat to oblivion and fade)

"Still Stuntin'/how you luv dat"
I could give less of a shit if you do actual stunts, Iggy.
"Got the whole world askin' how I does that"
--How you does that? First of all--oh forget it. I already lost half my brain from this. Moving on...
"That's jus the way you like it, huh/Feel so good, you could wish that you could bite it, huh"
--B-B-B-Bite? That molester talk, girl.
"Neva turn down nut-in/Slayin these hoes, gold trigga on tha gun like--"
Now, that's straight-up serial killer talk.

Okay, that's enough; this is the hardest song I've ever reviewed. I don't know much of Iggy's lyrics to make analysis on and barely came up with what you see here. Even if she's talking Australian-related content, there's nothing in this song that I haven't already heard of or is completely new to hip-hop. In fact, I'm very surprised that I'm drawing blanks at this one; almost all these lines either make no sense or something I've heard so much, it just comes across as lazy and foolish.

Okay, I kinda like this song, but the lyrics are catchy enough to make this song a success. Not to lyrically dissect and find anything unique or original. So, just listen to this without thinking. You'll stay smart and not lose brain cells.

See you next time for another review!

America's Got Talent Weekly Review: Ep. 1--Quarter Finals with Cheesiness-Part 1 Acts

Welcome to Maroon Mondays' weekly reviews of the Live Shows of America’s Got Talent. As with my reviews of Rising Star and So You Think You Can Dance, this review is (slightly) less professional than the those of the TV Show websites.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the first review of America’s Got Talent's Live Shows of Season 9. Now, I wanted to do this because I wanted to do more of this reviewing stuff (which was fun, but I won’t give up the regular work and the Segments) and because I was giving on Rising Star. So I needed something better, and just in the Nick (heh; pun.) of time, this show came right in with its live shows. All the amazing variety of acts in different styles, competing for the love of America and winning $1,000,000 and a headlining show in Las Vegas. Couldn’t be any more fun to watch, right? Also because despite how lewd and gross he was in the 90s, Howard Stern is an awesome judge.
So let’s get it started.


First up on the first live show of the season, Sean & Luke. The two are tap dancers who’ve done so since they were toddlers and have done a quite impressive job since then. Now to the act, though. I thought they were really good, but I felt that they’re not great. The dancing was wonderful, but pretty basic. Plus, the ladies dancing with them and the lighting were a bit of a distraction. I did love the song playing in the background. This may have helped my perception of them a bet to their advantage. I do believe they can make it to next week, but not for the long run.


Up next, Valo & Bobby. A couple from Bulgaria, they are a strongman and acrobat stunt act. Immediately, the pressure and intensity were on high. During their act, Bobby holds a very tall metal bar with Valo in a circle on top. Almost immediately, I lost my breath.
Then she brought a BIKE. Intensity went to 11 and a half and I almost literally died. I prayed she wouldn’t fall, and thank goodness she didn’t. I did agree (a little) with Mel B. While she thought it was awful because she feared Bobby might drop Valo to her death, I thought it was awful because there was too little act to watch. I was impressed with the act, and hope they go through.


After that, Julia Goodman. Although she’s a soccer player by day, she's a singer by night and already impressed during the audition.
This week she sings “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. Her voice is so beautiful; the low bars are amazing and the high notes were good. Although they were low, and I could barely hear her, and that’s with the volume up. Howard believes it wasn’t her best (probably because of nerves) and Mel feels she didn’t give it her all, despite looking stunning. I thought she did. She also does have grace and innocence, and I really like that.


After the 3-minute switch up, Baila Conmigo, a Latin dance troupe from West New York, NJ. Such a cute group of kids, they are. Their performance was amazing. Even with the strobe lights blocking the act, they were immensely amazing. And these are LITTLE KIDS doing these moves. Everyone put a lot of work into this dance, and it paid off in a great way. I loved it.
Mel, Howie and Heidi got excited at how fast the kids were and exasperated at how these dancers are kids. I find this one my Favorite Act of the Week.


Next, David and Leeman, a comedy and magic act. They’re basically doing what every other act did on this show. Perform a guessing game with the judges. First they take a picture of everyone and send it online. Then, they pull out the judges’ books, Howard’s Miss America, Heidi’s Heidilicious, Mel B’s Catch A Fire and Howie’s Don’t Touch Me. I won’t type in the rest because it’s tedious and boring, just like most of the act. It was boring and dragged. I was paying attention, but felt like wanting the two to pick up the pace. And the most laughter and amazement I got from this was the title of Howie's book. Seriously genius.


Next up, The Willis Clan. You can tell because of the name and their home life, they’re country mice of a family and a family singing group. They performed Huey Lewis and the News classic “The Power of Love”. Although I really liked it because of the song choice and their perfect harmonies and the wind instrumentation, it felt very low and quiet-like. Howie and Mel thought so, too. And Howard was rooting for them. On the side note, the kids dancing was super cute.


Later on, Flight Crew Jump Rope, a stunt crew involving...Jump Ropes. Their set also involves trampolines(!) and doing both at the same time(!!!). I thought it was really awesome. Their rope skills were stupendous, and doing the ‘trampoline and roping at the same time’ bit was every bit of perfect. They did not mess up nor disappoint.
Mel thought it was “OFF THE CHAAAAIIIINNNNN-UHH!!”


Next, Jasmine Flowers, an East-meets-West dance troupe. The whole entire performance was absolutely fantastic. The transitions, the techniques, the shapes and forms, the this and that. It was almost breathtaking. All of the group was amazing.
Mel went “Ah” (not in a good way) and called them “an acquired taste”, something not everyone would like, Heidi liked it, Howie enjoyed it, and Howard didn’t like this one as much as their previous performances. I don’t know about Mel’s opinion, but they were my perfect cup of Tea.


Emily West was next up to perform “Chandelier” by Sia. Emily has a perfect mix of Celine Dion and Shakira in her voice. I really liked that in her. Her arrangment was amazingly sultry and refreshingly sexy. Plus, she’s really hot for a middle-aged woman.
Everyone gave a standing ovation. Mel said “Wowzers!”, Howie called it the best performance of the night so far, Howard called it the best performer IN THE THREE YEARS HE’S BEEN A JUDGE, and Heidi loved it with no other words. I loved it too, so I also name Emily my Favorite Act of the Week.


Straight after, another strongman act, JD Anderson. At first we’re treated to him sushing in a tux, then rips it off and does his signature--breaking stuff with his body while looking like a reject from American Gladiators. He amazed me with that. Breaking baseball bats, cinder blocks and BLOCKS OF ICE while not bleeding (and he almost passed out from that) definitely deserves some love.


(This is the only video from the NBC-verified show YT channel.)
Dan Naturman. Another comedy act that acts more awkward and cringe-y than funny. He was funny, but wasn’t hilarious to me. He does have a funny-sounding voice, but is also irritating. He did have some good bits including the Canadian Prime Minister, Prevacid and the Health Care, but other than that, it was meh. Side-not, the song introducing him, "Baby Got Back", was inappropriate and corny.


Last but not least, the final act of the first live show of the season, Miguel Dakota. He sang The Beatles’ iconic “Come Together”. I love the vibe this one gives, like some Imagine Dragons-type performance, and it sounded like them too, especially the drum banging. His voice was also really good. He really made the song his own, something no one should successfully attempt with a Beatles song.
Mel and Heidi were feeling hot under the collar from this and Howie (@HowieMandel on Twitter) thought this could be a Million-dollar act. Howard, meanwhile, wasn’t impressed.

And now the first eliminations of the season.


Taking the spots in the the next round are:
Emily West
Dan Naturman
Miguel Dakota
David & Leeman
(Judges’ Choice) Baila Conmigo

Eliminated are:
Jasmine Flowers
Valo & Bobby
The Willis Clan
Sean & Luke
Julia Goodwin
JD Anderson
Flight Crew Jump Rope

I feel that with these choices that this is a really sad thing for me. I loved JF, JD and FCJR. They did so well to me, but it’s America’s decision and I must stick with it with the utmost respect and maturity. And yet, it still wasn’t fair!! I don’t like Dan Naturman, and David & Leeman are boring!! I’m so mad, really really mad!!!! But…
I must act like an adult, and finish the review.

Next week, the semi-finalists face off for out votes. Who will impress and shine? Who will crash and burn? And what tacky, flashy, pattern-y, Mariah-picked-it outfit will Nick wear next week? Find out this Tuesday, and tune in Next Thursday night for my review. And please tune in every Thursday at 9pm for my review of America’s Got Talent; I hope to see you guys then.
Goodnight for now!

Brian Williams' Daughter Allison Cast as Peter Pan in NBC Live Special; Many Cry Nepotism

Hey everyone.

Last year, NBC announced, after the astounding success of its first live televised musical special in decades, "The Sound of Music Live!", that it will air another live televised special in December, Peter Pan Live! (What the hell is up with the exclamation points?). Usually the title role in the Broadway musicals and TV specials are played by a woman; the most famous being Mary Martin, who won a Tony award for the musical and the hearts of millions (65 to be exact) in the NBC special in 1955, '56 and '65. This announcement left questions and wonder as to who will play the amazing boy wonder of Neverland. That is until now. Today, NBC made the announcement that Girls star Alison Williams will play the title role in the live special. She is also a classically-trained singer and has videos on YT that have millions of views each. Here's one of them below.
Damn, she's got pipes.

Oh yeah, she also happens to be the daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams.
Soon after the news hit the web, people immediately threw the nepotism card because of the Peacock keeping it in the family for the role choice, writing bitingly hilarious comments about it, saying that she's Brian Williams' daughter and saying "Nepotism!" and crap. And there were a lot of them.
Here are some of the comments at this article on Deadline:
http://www.deadline.com/2014/07/allison-williams-cast-as-peter-pan-in-nbc-musical-peter-pan-live/#comments
And some at TVLine.com: http://tvline.com/2014/07/30/nbc-peter-pan-cast-allison-williams-girls/#commentform-536386

Hey, I don't blame the people for the accusations of nepotism. They have a really good point. Remember, Brian Williams IS her father, he does work at NBC News, and he may have put in a word in to for the producers to consider her. So, it does make sense to say so. But come on, people, the network execs didn't make the decision (they're probably too busy fixing it's messed up schedule); the show's producers did. Even if they they did, at least they made a great, smart choice! I don't care what the other people think or say and I don't find this a bad idea; she's a very talented actress. I admit, I don't watch Girls (I find it annoyingly overrated) but I've heard her name. And I have never heard her music before, but I regret that. This girl can sing! Just listen to her. Her voice sent shivers and chills to my spine (among other places), and it'll send some to yours, too. Here's some more examples:



Also this ultra-cute picture she later shared of her 3-year-old self dressed as Peter Pan is another great indication. Just look at the hair!


If she has an album out, I'd buy that in seconds, and if she's in anything else, I'll support it from the start. Whether it be comedy, drama, musical, hell, even sex tape--I support it. (okay, maybe not sex tape; she's better than this). She's just that talented. I wish her the best as Peter Pan, the producers for making this as fun, amazing (and safe) as possible, and NBC as much of the best in the world for catching lightning in a bottle for a second time. Only God knows how many people have watched it before the show airs, but everyone already has 3 million on lock.

I'd also want to point out that I always wonder why a woman always plays Peter Pan and not a dude, and why the producers of the original Broadway musical did this choice. I'd want to look further into that, but I'm too lazy to at this point.

Adorable, Innocent Daddy-Daughter Date Video Gets Stupid Outrage

Hey, guys. Take a look at this video I watched earlier today.
This video features a guy taking someone out on a date. And that someone...is his daughter. The video is called "The Best Date Ever" and was created by the guy, Aaron Dickson, who wanted to record the entire date with daughter Analynne. It's really cute with a nice dinner, a waiter, and the two playing in the park. The best part is when it all began when Daddy meets his date. You can really see how happy and excited she is, with beaming red cheeks and everything. Here's the video below, which was posted last month in time for Father's Day.

This video later went viral on YT, reaching almost 8 million views as of posting this. But, the reason for it's popularity isn't because of how cute it is...No, no, no. It's because of some people making comments about how disgusting it seems to be.

Some of these comments include "This is too creepy" and "Ewwww, on so many levels".
Umm...okay.
To the people who find the video disgusting: you find this purely innocent video of a Dad enjoying a date with his daughter the most disgusting thing ever, but you find rape, domestic abuse, incest, murder, cannibalism, necrophilia, and anything else sex- and violence-related on television and in music okay. You also find putting fake relationships of blood-related characters from television shows together (like some as found on TVTropes.org) cute,
including one between a twin brother and sister.

Yeah. Let that sink in for a minute.

If you think that video is sick and wrong on so many levels, YOU must be even more wrong for putting two members of the same family together for the sake of liking some scenes between the two people. Don't give me the argument that it's all fake and just for fun, or that we like these characters a lot, or that they just make the show they're even better. So what? It's still proving my point. Just because they say things in some way that aroused you, that disgusts me. Sure, the word "Date" is used, and that made me a little creeps out too, but that's the only downside.

If the dad was a war hero, we all wouldn't find the video gross; we'd praise the dad for all his service to the country, say that the daughter is really adorable and say that this is the cutest video we've ever saw. And if any of us had still called the video gross, we'd all be called terrorists or un-American immediately. But because not much is known about the dad or how the date came into plan, the people who commented find this disgusting.

Now, I'm not gonna force you all to change your minds for the sake of righting things; we'll all entitled to our own opinions. But I'm just saying, if you want to ship a brother and sister, or a cousin and cousin, or a father and daughter, then whatever. But also saying that a cute, sweet, adorable video of a father and his daughter spending the day together is creepy and gross really puts how creepy and gross you are into the spotlight.

Oh, humanity, how I give up on you.

Sam & Cat-roversy Part Dice: Suddenly Cancelled

Well, everyone?
The news that we already knew would happen for the last few months, has happened. Nickelodeon's hugely popular sitcom Sam a& Cat has been cancelled after one season. And to be honest, I'm not all that surprised. First off, giving a show a FORTY-episode season is definitely gonna put a strain on everybody, especially without a hiatus in between everything. Second, it had to happen because Ariana Grande now has a huge music career. Almost all of her singles are hugely popular on the charts and on the Internet. third, those sexy lingerie photos that were leaked.
And fourth, the rampant rumors circulating between the two main stars, like the one about Jen and Ari getting into problems, the one where Jen is pissed that Ari has a bigger paycheck than her, and the one where Jen had problems with, all of which which were vehemently denied. So basically, this production has been a troubled one after the first taping.

Oh, what the heck? It's 1 Season Wonder Time!!

Sam & Cat is created by Nickelodeon ratings powerhouse Dan Schneider. It's about

Okay, Sam & Cat were both annoying in their own ways.
Sam is still the cold-hearted bitch we all knew and liked from iCarly, and Cat is still the scatter-brained nutcase from Victorious (who of course, didn't start that way; she was dim but had some common sense.) Cat's voice is seriously beyond grating; every time she speaks, it hurts my ears, especially when I watch on a PC with headphones on. It's the vocal equivalent to someone scratching a chalkboard.
And Sam is back to her old ways, and it is just annoying. The worse offenders are #PeezyB (where she coldly brushes off Cat to hang out with a dickhead rapper, and give a fucking girl to two grown fucking men when they go to fucking Mexico!!) and #Twinfection (where she forces her twin sister to help do a dirty deed involving a stupid "disease" and scaring Cat).
To quote her from an episode of iCarly:

Mama doesn't play to get even. Mama plays to win.

The fact that this show exists with these two complete opposites was puzzling, but a smart move because of how popular it was younger viewers.

Now, the other characters I have a better time with.
Dice is a pretty cool straight man to the two. He's funny in his own accord, is pretty to cool to see, and isn't really dull. His peddling scenes are strange (Which is predictable considering it's Schneider's forte) but are pretty funny
Nona is not your typical Schneider-verse elderly character. She sweet, caring, lovely, and her stories of her past are hilarious (and questionable) and she isn't frustratingly annoying or senile, like the many old people Schneider has featured in his shows. In fact, Nona might as well be my favorite character.
And yes, I enjoy even Goomer, too. Yes, he's stupid, but he provides a lot of laughs, more than Cat. He does have some bright spots: In #BlueDogSoda, he knew how to make a carbon copy of the episode's titular soft drink in order to start an underground business thanks to the sody-pop being banned by the CFC. Also, in #RevengeoftheBritBrats, he figured out the evil Gwen and Ruby's plan to sever Sam and Cat's friendship without difficulty...despite the fact that he barely knew who they are, since he didn't appear in (hashtag)TheBritBrats. Anyway, Goomer is more funnier to me because -- and Zoran Korch's delivery. He can make me laugh more than be annoyed.

This show had some funny moments. But the taste in humor that Dan Schneider has does not work out for me in the long run.

Now to some serious talk: Nickelodeon, it's all your damn fault!! If you hadn't cancelled Victorious (which was your highest rated show at the time, mind you) we could've gotten some more episodes. The 60-episode limit is old, outdated and weak, especially after iCarly ended and since SpongeBob is still on the air. I really like this show; the characters are really fleshed-out, the music is great and the actresses have better voices than Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. So it's not fair this show cancelled when it got better. I refuse to watch anything else on this network that is live-action anymore; they really suck.

Anyway, goodbye to Sam & Cat. You have become The Monkees of live-action television shows. 2013-2014

"Clarence" Creator Fired at CN Studios for Being a Perv

Hey everyone.

Okay, there's this show on Cartoon Network called Clarence. It's about this happy, excited and sweet little guy named--well, Clarence. The series created by Skyler Page, features Clarence's daily adventures with his friends and his mother.
He is voiced by series creator Skyler Page. The reason I'm saying this is because Page has been accused of sexual assault by many female co-workers at Cartoon Network Studios. Because of these allegations, Page has been forced out at CNS, leaving his show in limbo and the voice of the character he created silent.

The details are found in this exclusive article at CartoonBrew.com:


Okay. This one is a little serious for me and I apologize if I go a little Helen Lovejoy, but this is how I feel about it.
This news just came out of nowhere these past few days, after I began to enjoy the show, even though I haven’t watched in weeks. There were posts of disgust from people on Twitter and all have been retweeted by one of my personal followers. You know what? I'll tell you this first. I hear this all the time in music, and any time I hear of cases of sexual assault in the real world, I get two scenarios:
1) I shouldn't be surprised because men can be total pigs sometimes.
2) Whoever is accused of these crimes should be arrested if these are true.

But with all of these allegations popping up, stories of past contacts of Page said by those who claim it happened, and tweets of said allegations, calling Page "a piece of shit", and hope this never happens in the future, I believe that Page has a lot of explaining to do. I don't like people who are sexually aggressive and/or abusive to others. Using woman as just sexual objects is wrong. Just because they have vaginas and tits, doesn't mean you can use those things. Women have many other talents. Men thinking women belong on Earth to freak and breed children are disgusting creatures and bigamists.
Also, from what I heard, using a mental illness as a cover-up for these sexual assault escapades is not only wrong, but makes things even worse. And this revelation makes me downright pissed, because as a person who has a mental illness, feel very disgusted and insulted! And because of this, even if he has one, I have reached a level of disgust with this dude. Just because you have a mental illness, you shouldn't use it to your advantage. People will not judge you that way, especially after the horrible rash of shooting in this country these past decade. The killers had mental illnesses!!

I hope this dude gets some help, because this is no laughing matter. And I've watched his show Clarence. It's a really good and very enjoyable show, and I really enjoy the antics of the title character, which so happens to be voiced by Page himself. And now, after this, I can never watch Clarence the same anymore, especially because Page voices him.
Also, I want to give major props to the women who publically spoke about the assaults he committed on them. It takes guts and bravery to stand up to the attacker and open up about it, especially these days with social media. Although going to social media instead of going to the police was not a good move. Telling potentially hundreds of thousands of strangers about your personal life first, instead of law enforcement, isn't going to do you any good. I am very proud of the women who want this fucking guy away from them as possible. And the people who used to work with him, but quit because of his assholish behavior should be applauded too. Especially Patrick Harpin, former Head of Story of Clarence and close friend of Page. He wrote this personal post on his tumblr page:


This is one reason I'm--disgusted, to say the least--that I am a man.
Also, Cartoon network has a lot of money to spend now that an ad for Clarence has popped up. Talk about poor timing, if you know what I'm CN.

Remembering Michael Jackson: Five Years Later

Hi everyone. This is Andrew.
Today I'm releasing a more serious post because today is the day the world never thought would happen and will never forget. Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of one of the biggest, most powerful, and most influential entertainers in the history of music: King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.

Everyone remembers where they were when he died. I was outside my house playing with my brothers and sisters and some friends when the news came. My mom called us inside and shown us the TV, which had MSNBC at the time, and we watched rolling coverage of Jackson's death as it was repeated over and over, "Michael Jackson has died." I was 15 years old at the time, and when I heard it, I got reaally sad, and so did my siblings, who felt much more heartbroken. We were kids at the time, yet it's surprising that we know who the person who just died is very well and have the kind of bond with that person, even though we've never met him, and he isn't related to us in any way.
Hours after the sad news, we went outside and listened to cars passing by, and they were playing Jackson's music, and it was really loud, too. That proved that almost everyone loved Michael's music and felt so close to it.

This was the first time in a while the death of someone impacted me so very hard. The frst was Mister Fred Rogers in 2003 (and you probably felt the same way, too). His music touched millions of people around the world, with the messages, spirit, and iconic beats and dance moves. You could feel his love and passion of his music when you listen.

Of course, outside of the of person's family, the world never changes when someone passes away. But Jackson is pretty much the closest thing to an exception. He brought the world together with his music, his tours, his moves and his spirit. So it's understandable that his death was really shocking to everyone, including me. But his music will still live on, and it will be just as great as they were in the years they've been released.
We will miss you, Michael Jackson. You are gone, you will never be forgotten.

EDREWtorial: REVIVALS. Who Needs Em?

If you went on the internet this past week, then you heard some very surprising news. Some TV shows are coming back in a year or two. Almost all of these shows originally aired in the 80's and 90s, and now, because of some demand, these shows are getting a reboot. This notably reached a point last year when Disney Channel announced that classic sitcom Boy Meets World would be getting a sequel/spin-off/continuation/respawn titled Girl Meets World, in which Cory and Topanga grow up, move to New York, have kids and and watch them grow, with the story taking place from the point of view from their 12-year-old daughter Riley.

In fact, you could call this year "The Year or the Reboot". Just this and last month alone, some other shows are getting reboots including (but not certainly limited to):

and Heroes with a miniseries event called Heroes: Reborn. Also, the biggest one of them all:
!!
That's right. Reading freaking Rainbow is coming back too!! Thanks to a hugely successful campaign for funds on Kickstarter and a very popular mobile app, the Levar Burton-hosted PBS icon has come a happy, long way since its 1983 premiere. So when I heard that there was a Kickstarter campaign to bring it back on TV, I was super excited, and so was the rest of America, who chipped in a lot of money to the campaign, and within 12 hours, it already reached its goal.

And it's not just TV that's getting into the recreation area; movies are getting into the game, too. MGM already has the Jump Street movies with Columbia Pictures, and it announced that its Stargate franchise is getting a movie reboot with Warner Bros. next year.


I have one question about this: WHY?!?
Why are all these shows (and movies for that matter) getting a reboot? Who are the people who think it was a good idea? What's the point of rebooting them in the first place? And why is this a good thing?

We don't need them. They won't hold a candle to the originals. Maybe it's just me, but the procession of reboot stories across the Internet has annoyed me. They just come so fast, with one more coming after the other, and it probably annoys a lot of other people too. I am excited to see the reboots, but I won't enjoy them as much as I had the originals,and how they impacted not only me, but also all of television. You know, it's sometimes okay to start over a TV show or movie but only if it started off corny, and everyone (maybe) wants it to be better. But if the reboots bomb, people will laugh and mock. Producers will lower their heads in shame, actors will be pissed, and fans will be angry more than cry. But we as a society are used to these things; there are just as much reboots as there are original projects. We shouldn't ask so much for reboots if they're not going to last long.
I'll take some reboots than others; I'm looking forward to the Danger Mouse and PPG ones, and I'm definitely looking forward to Reading Rainbow Girl Meets World, mostly because Cory, Topanga and Mr. Fee-hee-hee-hee-heeeneey(!!!) are in the pilot.
I don't care for Teletubbies, though.

Maroon Mondays Awards Reviews: Much Music Video Awards 2014

(UPDATED and RE-EDTED on April 25 and June 21, 2015 for better reading experience)

Welcome to MaroonMondays Awards Reviews: the reason people go to this site every month, and the reason I wish I get paid for this stuff every year.


The time around, I'm reviewing the Much Music Video Awards, the biggest awards ceremony in Canada...and the only one I really know of from that country.
(well, I've heard of the JUNOs, too, but in name and never watched.)

If you've never heard of it, here's the sum-up from my review last years' show.
Plus it airs on Fuse here in the States, so that's all I'll give.
(Well, used to; sadly, they don't do that anymore for some dumb reason. So you'll have to rely on the Internet to watch it.) [And fortunately, this video here below. Thank you to the people who uploaded it.]


This year's show is hosted by Kendall and Kylie Jenner. If you've never heard of them, good. Don't bother researching them. Much usually has recording artists co-host, so I don't know why the execs chose them to host; if they have careers in music, I'm not bothering with them. And please don't ask for an SLMR on any song. I do applaud them for taking this step toward a different direction, though.

I've been a fan of the MMVAs since 2010, but this year got me really excited because of the performers.

LORDE! IMAGINE DRAGONS!

ARIANA GRANDE! ED SHEERAN!

...and the Canadian acts I've never heard of because of this show.

Also, THE SET. Nothing gets me excited than something that a network uses for an awards show every once a year. Last year:

I though this one was tied with 2012 as best I've ever seen. This year?

I love it, almost as much as last years. It's huge, pops of color, and is an amazing mash-up of the set from 2011 and 2012.

Now that the crappy stuff is out of the way, let's get to the performances.
I’ve never heard of some of the performers and the songs they performed at the show before last night, so the reviews of the performances (and thus, this review in general) are a little more shorter than usual.

So we start with Hedley performing their latest hit “I’m So Crazy For You”. Never heard it before last night, but it was great. Nice influence of Disco (as referenced by the disco balls in the giant screens). This is the first Hedley song I truly like (and there aren’t many).

Immediately after, Ed Sheeran finally made it to the adults table that is the main Queen Street Parking Lot stage to sing--well, “Sing”. It sounds completely different from his earlier work, which is more folk-y, but this is a really good song by him and sounds fantastic acoustically. I think this is one of the better performances of the show.

Next up, MAGIC! sang “Rude”. It’s about a guy who wants to marry some girl but her father doesn’t want him, so he thinks the dad is “Rude” and based the song around that. I don’t like the song; because the guy calls the dad “rude” because he doesn’t want the guy to marry his daughter. Maybe the dad has a good reason; you could be an annoying slacker or a jerk to the girl or is a trophy wife-like dude, and the dad just had the instinct not to trust him. The reggae beat is really good, though. Also, the live performance does save me from downright hating this song.

Kiesza (Kai-Zuh) performed "Hideaway". This song has a very rad 90s beat and is really dance-able. Although the chorus is questionable; it’s just “Ooh” and "Aah” repeated over and over; it’s sounds like she was having sex in the recording booth during sessions, heard it, liked it, and decided to make it more to the beat. It sounds nice though.




LORDE.

Seriously. She performed her colossal hits “Tennis Court” and “Team”. She looked nice in something you might find in a video from the 1980s. The show said that she had a performance made just for the show; It’s just nothing but her and some stage lights, dancing like Kurt Cobain on an episode of Headbanger’s Ball, then she got down with a lamp.
LITERALLY.
I felt a little let down by this, but since Lorde is such a low-key artist when it comes to performances, I guess that was the point. Still it was pretty awesome to see her sing.

Sam Roberts Band (who by the way haven't played in over a decade) played their song "We'll All in This Together". It was an awesome song; so catchy and rockin'. I surely did sing along later on, and the sax sample coming later on. I like this band, and they deserve their awards.

Virgina to Vegas performed “We Are Stars” with guest Alyssa Reid. It's a very heartwarming song, and I enjoyed it very much. I like this band...or duo...or person. Who names themselves a name like that, though?

Imagine Dragons killed it. They performed “Demons” and “Radioactive”. I love both songs but I hate “Radioactive” performed live. I hate the way the frontman sings the lyrics differently, I hate the chorus when sung differently and the drum solo; I could do without that long-ass part. I must get used to that if this keeps getting performed live, which is a lot. On the plus side, the producers said the band would melt the stage. They did; there were pyrotechnics everywhere. On stage, and over the stage, with fireworks all over. That really made up for that. I really loved their performance of “Demons”, too, though.

Rihanna vs. TLC?: The War on "Sex Sells"

Legendary 90's girl group TLC is in hot water, and when it comes to Rihanna, the water couldn't be any more lukewarm.

In an interview with Australian 7 Network's Sunrise morning show, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas talked about the girl group's iconic legacy, the loss of third member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and what the future holds for the group. Also in the interview, they mention the mentality of music today, in which artists use their sex appeal to sell music and wear povacative clothing and do controversial things to pull in views. Mentioned in the clip is Rihanna, who the voiceover guy claimed they "singled out". Because of this part, the interview blew up around the world. Here it is below.

And of course, Rihanna responded in the way she did. She took a picture of TLC and used it as the cover photo on her Twitter page. The picture? One of them is topless and covers her breasts!

God, that is funny as hell.

And before I say something, I'm not gonna be some Helen Lovejoy/Moral Guardian-type person. I'm saying this how I want to say it.
TLC made a huge point. It annoys me when artists show off too much skin in their music videos and sing about sex and drugs in their songs. It's not very good and there are other topics in the world and history to write about, and not with with the freedom of female love in the subtext. You're already famous enough to be known and beloved by fans; it's not mandatory to show off yourself every freaking video. It's cool to show of a little skin; I really don't mind. But doing this over and over, when everyone already knows who you are, is just annoying to me and a lot of other people. But hey, at the end the day, it's what it's all about. It makes record execs a lot of money, and they get really happy. And if record execs are happy, they don't care about anything else. Money talks.

Also, the whole interview was taken totally out of proportion. Despite what the anchors (foolishly) said at the beginning at the clip and the "singled out" thing, TLC never mentioned Rihanna by name at all in the interview. They never even implied her either; they just said what they said about sex selling in music in general. No names were mentioned, and if a name was mentioned, then that person has a right to call foul. Rihanna has no right.
And the thing is, Rihanna was overreacting a little to try to make a point. She did try to make one by saying that TLC are hypocrites for dissing her and her plan to sell music, when they did it too. But they never said "wearing something with your stomach showing", they said "HALF-NAKED". Big difference, meaning they're wearing pants most of the time. And that was in a picture, not a video. And I bet'cha she didn't find that photo herself; she probably got it from her social media people or one of her whiny, obsessive fans. See "Prombat".

So point, match, game TLC.

...and y'all probably don't know what "spade a spade" is until T-Boz said it.