11.25.2009

Music & TV bits

So how about those American Music Awards on Sunday night?

I would have been a little upset if Michael Jackson won the Artist of the Year award. I mean, I love MJ and all; he's a legend. But, seriously, what did the guy do this year besides die an untimely deathok, and star in a pretty swell documentary? ... Taylor Swift was far more deserving of the award, and I was glad she got it, even if it meant watching her gush, "Thank you sooooo much!" one more time.

The performances? … eh.

Janet Jackson’s opener was good – but it was just a run-of-the-mill medley of her hits … The Black Eyed Peas were good – but we’ve been watching them perform the same songs on every thing from Oprah to Saturday Night Live for months …

I couldn’t care less about Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Shakira. And I wasn’t even paying attention when Jennifer Lopez fell.

My favorite performance – easily – was Alicia Keys and Jay-Z doing “Empire State of Mind.”




Oh yeah. And then there was that Adam Lambert performance everybody’s talking about

I watched the act from bed, and regret that his performance was the last image I saw before going to sleep. Ugh. … I thought Lambert’s singing – more accurately it was screaming – was awful, and it lowered my desire to get his debut disc even farther.

The other stuff Lambert did … All I could think was Wow. How are they able to show this on TV?

Some other reads ...
a Best & Worst: American Music Awards 2009
a The audacity of hype
a Television: Two standards, or too racy?

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Here, Jason Segal of "How I Met Your Mother" teams up with The Swell Season ... Pretty sweet.



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The TV season is in full swing now, and at the close of November sweeps we’ve landed just about where I predicted

Hank,” “FlashForward,” and “The Middle” are have all been demoted from our DVR.

Cougar Town” is losing its luster.

Accidentally on Purpose,” “Modern Family” and “Glee” have become the mainstays for new shows … Right next to the rest of CBS’s Monday night lineup, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Grey’s Anatomy” – and come January, “Lost” and (gulp) “American Idol.”

And, surprisingly, “NCIS: Los Angeles.” … Traditionally, I can’t stand to watch any television shows having to do with crime. “CSI,” “Law & Order,” “The Mentalist” – they make me crazy … But I’ve got an old friend on NCIS this season: Adam Jamal Craig. To see him doing his thing on network television and working with such a talented cast has become one of the highlights of my Tuesday nights.

Go Adam.

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This American Express commercial is one of the most beautiful things I've seen ...

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