I admit it: I love awards shows. They’re cheesy, interminably long, and embarrassingly bad, but I can’t tear myself away. I love to see what all those self-important people are wearing. I like rooting for my favorites in each category and telepathically sending my sympathy when they get crushed by the lowest common denominator. I even like the performances, now that Debbie Allen dance numbers seem to have been banished forever from our TV screens.

Given my high tolerance for awards-show schmaltz and awkwardness, I can’t believe how terribly, awfully, irredeemably horrible the Grammys show was last night. The vast majority of the performances seemed half-hearted and distracted. The hype over the Eminem/Elton John thing was contrived and way overblown; Elton didn’t blend with what was going on, and butchered one of my favorite current songs in the process (that would be Dido, not Eminem). No one was wearing anything interesting, and Toni Braxton’s so-called gown, being so carefully calculated to grab first place in the least-there-but-completely-unflattering category, doesn’t count. Jon Stewart, whoever the hell he is, should have been fired after the first five minutes. A stagehand could have been more entertaining. Technical flubs abounded, from the host missing cues to the music playing under the nominations being miscued or missed altogether in some cases to Macy Gray’s backup band being off. Damn few awards were handed out on air -- and I like to see the awards. The presenter groupings were weird. And what’s up with the nominees? "Say My Name" wins for best song??? Um...OK.

Two things made me feel that I did not entirely waste my time. First, U2’s performance of "Beautiful Day." I’m a fan of early U2, and this song is what U2 should be about. I *hated* Zooropa and the disco-revival crap that came after it. I’m glad to see them getting back to their roots and making real music again. Second, the Academy president’s speech near the end of the show. He succinctly and eloquently summed up everything that should have been said. Why didn’t this guy host the show?
- posted by Lori @ 5:37:00 PM | permanent link | |