2011 BET Awards -- The Good, The Bad and the Really?

 

So this past Sunday kicked off the 2011 BET awards! I was especially excited because my favorite contemporary R&B singer would debut her performance of her #1 single, but I will get to that just a later. There is so much I want to say, so the best way for me to express this overwhelming feeling to be messy, comical and spread some "real talk" is give to ya'll with "The Good", "The Bad" and the "Really???" category. First up....

 

"The Good"...

One of the top highlights for me was the beautiful tributes that were paid. Ms. Marsha Ambrosius paying tribute to Lifetime Achievement honoree Patti Labelle. The thing about any Patti tribute, you have to be able to "sang", not just carry a tune, make nice melodies, but to show up and show out and she did her thing! She coasted over "If Only You Knew" like she was Patti Jr. Even Ms. Patti had to say in her acceptance speech, "you are a bad heffa!" LOL gotta love Patti. The other wonderful tribute was done by Ledisi to the late Teena Marie. It was just absolutely amazing, at first, she even sounded like Lady T in the first 1:30 of the song, my mouth literally dropped! These two soul sistas truly represented and I hope with their new albums they will garner even more success commercially! Now the performance that I think everyone was waiting for, especially since there has been no live performance of the #1 song, was Ms. Kelly Rowland. I have to say first as lover of good music and performance quality, Ms. Kelly brought it for sure. One thing I am on the fence about, was her performance really "live"? I watched the live telecast last night and it appeared lip-synced to a previously recorded live rendition, something that a lot of performers do in concerts, which allows them to do a full dance performance, but still have live-esque vocals. But when I saw it played back online, it appeared more live in parts than the original telecast. I do know some elements were live, but definitely there was no way some of the notes were done while doing certain strategic movements that require exertion and there was absolutely no vocal strain. But call me wrong, maybe what I saw and I heard were just my observations, not reality. As a fan, I loved it, she brought it and proved yes she can perform and did a great job!

 

"The Bad"...

...Beyoncé? Why? I was really like, I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt, even though going into it, I was put off that she was being telecast from a pre-recorded performance in France -- like who does that and gets away with it? Secondly, I really do not care for this new album, it does her no justice as an artist or vocalist. And finally, just stop! Beyoncé please go on a break for a few years. We love you, we hate you, we stalk you, we discredit you. Whatever the reason we show our love\obsession of you, one thing we all can agree you just need to stop! Fo' real! ...Fantasia, fo' real! Someone else who needs to go sit down is Alicia Keys... girl boo! Nobody cares that you've been in the game for 10 years and you re-releasing your debut album. Everything you do is the same sad piano song. Just stop! *blinks intensely* And why do you like standing and doing acrobatics on pianos?! You did that last year too and almost fell off, you are not a performer Alicia, stop it! Sit behind your piano, sing your same 2 notes and oh yeah, please get that raggedy side ponytail fixed! Hotmess.com

 

"Really?!"

Okay, so this section starts out from the pre-show performances. Now I love music, I love artistry and self-expression, but why did Miguel have on a sparkly, sequioned crop jacket?! Really bruh? Are you part of Barbie & the Rockers? Another fashion don't took place during the main show when Mr. Cee-lo Green paid homage to Patti Labelle not only in song, but in "wig"! I... I... I can't! Okay, maybe I can! First of all, why was he too in a sparkly, sequined outfit with pink shoes??? I mean yeah you "crazzzzzzzy" (shout out to Gnarls Barkley") but, um, that was little overboard even for you. The Patti wig was on point, I remember that hairstyle vividly, but let Mama Patti handle that, kay? Alright! My last comment has to be the overwhelming REALLY of the night -- Cherelle & Alexander O'Neil! First of all, I love them! They really are musical legends and artists I have loved all my life and songs I sing till this day, but why was Cherelle looking like Vera off "Meet the Browns"? She know that dress was too tight and that weave was too raggedy! I mean really? And Mr. O'neil! I know it's the drugs, but where was yo' teefus? I mean there are other alternatives to walking around lookin' like the Chilly Willy walrus! I was so out done by that and then she had the nerve to kiss him too, I was like "yuck!!! oh no ma'am!".'

 

All in all, the 2011 BET awards showed and proved, excited and delighted, even surprising and left you crying (laughing at the bevy of hot mess). There is so much more I could say, but, I think I've said enough, I'll leave someone else to say the rest, and there definitely is more to say...

[PICTURE SOURCES: BET.com, http://idolator.com/5916302/bet-awards-2011-performances][No copyright infringement intended.]

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Ramen Noodles & Kool-Aid

...while my other co-workers in this office, all from different backgrounds are munching on their health foods or starving themselves -- I for my part am indulging right in their faces with red Kool-aid and instant noodles. Call me ghetto, call my hood, but one thing I say to you, "ay, mayne, dis, be good!" #SWAG

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Kelly Rowland is “motivated” to #1, while Beyoncé “runs” away from the top of the charts!

In the days of the bitter Destiny’s Child battle and comparison of who was the greatest of the group, Ms. Knowles stood out as the consummate favorite.  My how times have changed!  While Beyoncé's much anticipated album and single have been widely expected to take over, it seemed like Kelly Rowland’s music would continue to keep getting pushed back as with her last album much to the fans chagrin. 

However, Ms. Rowland is FINALLY getting her just dues and landing and staying at the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B charts with “Motivation”.  As far as her friend and forever musical antagonist Beyoncé, her single for “Run the World (Girls)” has actually fallen lower on the charts to this week at #44 from last weeks #32 position. 

Here’s my take…

#1 people are just sick of Beyoncé, she needs to take a break and quit with these lackluster “forced” re-invented, borrowed and/or stolen songs, because no one is interested.

#2 – I don’t understand why it took Kelly to make a sexually suggestive song for people to pay attention to her and this to become her breakout hit, when her other past singles have been far better and vocally stronger than this particular record. 

As a fan of both, often times leaning towards Ms. Rowland, I hope she finally gets her opportunity to reign, because in my humble opinion she is the better vocalist.  Beyoncé can perform her behind off, and she has better control of her instrumental, but I prefer the tones & unaffected styling of Kelly Rowland, she doesn’t have to do anything, she just is.  Simple. And simple is always best!

[ SOURCE: http://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs ]

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Dallas Mavericks–2011 Playoff Champions!

The Mav’s did it!  After much speculation, the Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 playoff champions!  I am not a sports fan, but I am a supporter of the underdog.  The Mav’s have become the little NBA team that could!  Over the years, they have become better and better at their craft and I am personally proud of their efforts!  They set out to with a goal and accomplished and they did it without having to trash talk or play down someone else’s abilities – INSERT COMMENT HERE LEBRON!  Yeah, I said it!  …for the Mav’s the only thing left to say is…

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“Super 8” Movie Review–*SPOILER ALERT*

Thought by many to be the movie of the summer, Super 8 really fails to perform! I’m no professional movie critic, nor am I an avid movie goer, but when I get up the gusto to actually go out and spend my  hard earned money to see a movie I expect to be satisfied.  After watching Super 8, it was like eating a 5 course meal, but still wanting to run to McDonald’s afterwards.  This movie built up a lot of hype in the past year.  All of the movies I have seen in the past several months, Super 8’s trailer has played and it peaked my interest, in particular with the clever way they concealed exactly the infamous creature.  That alone made want to see this film.  Let me preface this review by letting you know a few things about me.

#1 – I DO NOT like scary movies, in fact I can not watch Michael Jackson’s Thriller video in the day or night.

#2 – Aliens are creepy and I hate that creepy railroad steam engine brake sound they use in all alien monster movies. 

And #3 – I’m a sucker for a good plot – and with J.J. Abrams at the helm and Steven Speilberg producing, what more can you ask, right? 

Wrong!  Super 8 is one of those movies where everything seems to be in order, there’s a storyline, a brief backstory, boy meets girl, a coming of age story, a climax and then – THE END CREDITS!  Yeah, exactly! I was like “what the heck!”.  First things first, the so called “creature” ravishing the town, was not scary at all, and again this comes from the guy who can’t watch America’s most gentle Popstar in theatrical makeup.  The creature kinda resembled an arachnid hybrid scorpion with arms.  Even the close-up's of the face had me like “hmm, you kinda look like a venus fly trap with eyes, I wonder if you’re scarier when you growl” and the answer, no he actually wasn’t.

As for the actual story, well it’s very simple and to the point.  Many years ago an alien creature crash landed on Earth, he has the ability to use his special cubes that can shape shift his craft into anything he wants it to be.  Well evidently while the creature was unstable he was captured by the government and his cubes confiscated, so he is unable to escape and go back home.  One of the scientists who works for the government agency becomes a rouge, because the creature uses his telepathic link to tell him he just wants to go home.  However, the government wants to test and torture the creature for its own schemes – [side note, why is this always the case? Why is it that the American government is always depicted as ruthless, unfeeling and subjective?  But, anyway!]

Over time the scientist becomes a rouge and tries to free the creature, which in turn gets him banned and discharged from the government.  Fast forward many year later, the scientist is still trying to help the creature, so when he finds out the creature is being transported via train, he decides to cause a train wreck to free the animal.  Now from here there is a lot of details I could reveal, but I neither have the time or desire, and I’m sure you could care less.  The point is, the creature is now freed from captivity.  So one would think, “yay – creature 1 / government 0”.  Wrong yet again children!

So the creature is still just trying to make it back home, so he’s stealing all the electrical energy sources from the small town where the train wrecks.  All of this in anticipation he can finally make his ship and go back home.  At one point he does have all his cubes back, he has his electrical energy stored up, so creature why won’t you just go home? Especially since it doesn’t like how humans are so overbearing and ruthless.  That question I can’t answer, the story as to why was never clearly developed either.  So what was the final catalyst for E.T., I mean the creature to go home?  A little boy who found the rouge scientists research tapes, who by the way was also his science teacher, finally communicates to him and tells him to go home because that’s what the scientist was trying to help him to do! 

And so in a climax of 90 seconds, the creature forms his ship and leaves – and then, and then, and THEN the moment I will never forget!!!  The end credits!  …really, is it over? Am I being punk’d?  Where’s Ashton you guys?!  So then we the audience is like oh something must be about to happen in the credits, and again, wrong, the end credits just shows the completed student film the kids in the movie were making right before they found out about the creature, which has nothing to do with the creature or storyline at all.  So after 2 hours of twists, turns, back story, climax and the now the anti-climatic ending!  I am feeling a little post-partum – I do not love my baby and I want it to go away!  That is all!

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