VMA 2010 Wrap Up

Nicki minaj at the pre-show…. So the Barbie gimmick doesn’t translate live. This performance reminded me of halle berry in BAPS when she was dancing for Heavy D.

2010 MTV Video Music Awards - More VMA Video

SEEEEE!!!!

I should have known it was gonna be a mess from there!!

GaGa was giving me so much Cher on the white carpet. I LOVE Cher.

I’m not an Eminem fan… but he is consistent… does him. That is all. Love that. [Hype man... please stand in the corner of the stage. You’re annoying]

I LOVE Chelsea Handler!!! So much I do. Although… some of the jokes were a miss, and I never wanna hear another high joke mentioning snoop

Wth is it with people calling kim kardashian a fashion icon?!?!? SIT DOWN!!!!

Justin Beiber annoys me. Not too bad on the drums though.

Usher is dancing like he scared to break something. I can’t. Limbs ain’t extending like they used to. Usher really never needs to dance solo under a spotlight... like for the rest of his career. Props for singing kinda live. He did a little better on OMG. The set was dope though… and his dancers turned it. It’s the best he’s looked in a while, but STILL not quite there for me.

Katy perry and Nicki Minaj on the stage together was a cluster*** Katy’s “stiff moonman” jab caught Nicki off guard at the end. Good stuff.

It is official, Kanye, made the Swift child’s career. I mean she really replayed the clip before her performance. I wish someone would help her get her stage presence together. My word… like watching paint dry. The only reason I kept watching is to see it was gonna be a Kanye collab. There was one ethereal moment where she was under the spotlight just walking barefoot that I loved, but overall the performance was a snooze.

So…. Where was Willow?!?!?!? She could have been up in one of those boxes before commercial. Just standing there and WHIPPING HAIR BACK AND FORTH.

Justin Timberlake just looks better with age. I swear… umm umm ummmm

Drake…. Is so not fancy. He just looks like a guy that’s trying too hard. BUT he had MJB and Swizzy as his hype people so… HE WINS

I like the chick from Paramore…. I’m sorry but I would have rather have heard Only Exception than the BoB song. I wanna like BoB but I am truly indifferent. [as soon as I wrote this, I got my wish and it was beautiful]

WERK CHER!!!!!! YOU BETTER WEAR YOUR TURN BACK TIME SUIT!!!!!! LOVE HER!!! I LIVEEEEEE!!!! [little history on my OBSESSION with cher… I used to watch Sonny and Cher on TV Land before I went to school in the morning when I was in middle school. I could mimic her mannerisms, voice, it all. I LOVE her. She taught me about GLAMOUR before I even had a sense of style.]

YESSSSSSSS GAGA…. Go in acapella. And the fact she received that award from Cher made me smile

Kanye’s tit being out was problematic for me. (throw away the deep v-neck!!!) but I love the suit and chains. Performance was good. Love Pusha T- YAY VA!! I hate that effing auto tune. Overall the performance was great.

Dare I say… the BET awards were better *scratches head* YAY BLACK PEOPLE!!! That is all.

My Life

Today, I spent a good part of the day watching Mary J. Blige’s various segments on her fragrance launch. I had to have watched at least 3 airings. I don’t even wear perfume and I wanted to buy a bottle (unfortunately, I can’t afford to buy things I don’t need at the moment, but I certainly would have if I could). I love Mary so. She was my first true music inspiration. I don’t remember exactly how old I was (I guess about 7 or 8ish) but I remember waiting all day to see the You Remind Me video come on Video Soul or Video Vibrations (as in old school BET). That song gave me a voice… literally. It was the first song I sang in front of people, and people were amazed that I could sing. I don’t sing in front of people often but that song holds a special place in my heart. I have PURCHASED every MJB album, no matter what. I’ve seen her in concert several times, I am a fan to my core. To see how far she has come was just so inspiring to me.

In case you forgot…

Sex and the City 2

It really pains me to write this, but the movie was boring. I love SATC and I really had no expectations about the movie because I think enough is enough. I don’t want to see a bunch of aging women running around the city in the same way they did in their 20s and 30s. The jig is up. But the movie even underwhelmed my lack of expectations.

Well before I really go in, let me say the fashion was SUPERB!!! I mean fabulous. Best dressed for me, hands down, was Miranda. She looked chic and ever age appropriate. That dress she wore to Stanford & Anthony’s wedding was DIVINE!!! People thought Carrie should have amped it up more but I loved her shifting more into a classy space with a streak of extravagance. (ie the purple skirt in the market, which I LOVED, and the moment at the end where she was strolling around her apartment in a chic dress/house-strolling garment.) Furthermore, she wasn’t best dressed in the last movie either- that award goes to Samantha.

Now that that’s out of the way, the movie. [again]. First of all, they spent too much time lollygagging and galavanting in Abu Dhabi. There was nothing particularly EXCITING going on over there. They were just on vacation. Oh the Aiden thing??!? Not major- at all. She could have kept that little kiss to herself. The one moment that stood out to me, and was hilarious might I add, was where Miranda and Charlotte were sitting at the bar drinking, talking about their family issues. I immediately thought (for the first and only time in the movie)- huh, that’s interesting. I found it so interesting because Miranda and Charlotte are notoriously on the other ends of the spectrum, all the time- which caused a number of big blow outs. There were very few scenes in the show, only one coming to mind- Miranda’s baby shower, where there were Miranda-Charlotte moments. I loved that this movie gave a Miranda-Charlotte moment.

The movie stayed on Stanford and Anthony’s wedding too long and that Liza Minnelli performance was just dreadful. o_0 … Ma’am… MA’AM.

The real problem I had with the movie is that it was totally void of stories. AND THERE WERE STORIES TO BE TOLD!!!!! They skipped over everything for that 1 ½ hour long trip. Let’s start with Carrie. Yes she and Big were having marriage blues, but I wanted one knockdown drag out fight that caused them to separate and then reconcile. Nope, just some disagreements. I did like the moment at the end where Big said “You never said vows to me” and she said something to the effect of “I wrote them but you never showed up.” Duh Big. Silly rabbit.

Then Miranda. She finally quits her job and we get NOTHING about that. I would have loved to see her glazing a bowl with Charlotte, ultimately deciding that was not the life for her and end up opening her firm after an exhaustive job search. Or maybe not opening the firm but I would have liked to see more of the search.

And since I’ve mentioned her, Charlotte and this fussy child. I thought they were going to make the child autistic and have Charlotte blame herself for having a child so late in life. But nope, she was just bad. They mentioned the braless nanny, but only showed Harry looking ONCE.

Finally, Samantha. There’s not a WHOLE lot you can do with Samantha other than give her cancer again but I really wouldn’t want to see that. The whole menopause thing was funny at times, but in general, it just reminded me that they are getting old. Its not the same Sex and the City I waited for every Sunday or watched while eating an elaborate feast with my much older friends. This is not that story at all. I hope they are smart enough to realize that story is long gone and it may be time to leave the girls in our box sets or late night TBS reruns. I’m very sad to report, I think it is over for them.

I'M BACK...

I've been MIA for a minute... but some great music has touched down... hope you have been enjoying it too!!! Enjoy the posts!!!

PS. A couple other albums definitely worth picking up but I won't be "reviewing":

• NAS & Damian Marley: Distant Relatives... It's great music. As conscious and relevant as we all hoped it would be! (I'm not reviewing it b/c I really suck at talking about hip hop. LOL- I know my limits.)
  
• PJ Morton: Walk Alone... its a neo-soul/ gospel fusion. Really dope... I Need Your Love is my FAVORITE.... been playing it a couple times a day since I first played the album. Love You More with Tweet is also a favorite.
  

Janelle Monae- ArchAndroid

Just from the overture starting the album, you get the feeling something magical is getting ready to happen and she did not disappoint

Dance or die was like a perfect storm… all the elements blend to really bring the song to life… the musical changes and the changes in her tone of her rapping/ talking. It blends seamlessly into Faster… I didn’t even know it was a different song until she started singing… only then that I thought to check my iTunes… I love when artists make albums!!!! (as opposed to producing a collection of singles)

Locked inside felt like a Michael Jackson song…. Not one in particular, just that same electric energy

Cold War is the story of my life… Lyrically, outstanding.

Of COURSE…. I have been all about Tightrope since day 1. The distinctive retro feeling to it is perfection… AND THE VIDEO… love.

Come Alive gave a rock star moment. I liked it… but I hate high pitched noises, so the scream at the end was a bit much for me… The album seemed to change pace at this point and went more into “out there” Janelle Monae… I feel like the beginning was for those who need to be eased in. LOL

Sooo… All of a sudden I’m listening and she’s on autotune… and I’m thinking… Oh no!!! why?!?!? But then, I realize the song is called Mushrooms and Roses… appropriate. The song made me feel like I was high. LOL… it was fun but weird…. Which is one of the reasons I adore Janelle Monae. Mushrooms and Roses lured me into the tunnel and Neon Valley Street kept me in this random fantasy land.

Make the Bus is one of my favorite songs. I get attached to the way artists sing certain things and it can make me want to listen to something over and over… My line is “The way you are now…” She just caught my attention…

I swear Wondaland makes me want to skip down the street. LOL.

57821 is like the book end to Mushrooms and Roses… Its closes out the fantasy land and sends you back to reality. This section of the album made me feel like Alice and Wonderland… Like I fell down a rabbit hole into some parallel universe.

And we’re back… Say You’ll Go is just a regular dope song. Her vocals are on full display… it was comparatively simple.

BaBopBye Ya is amazing… It takes you on a musical journey… If felt more like a movie score than a song. There are no words for this song… you really just have to hear it.

This album is the best music I have heard in a REALLY long time. It is innovative, complex, retro & futuristic… perfect. And her voice is what I believe really makes it to come to life- most artists’ voices would be totally overpowered by so much going on. But her voice is so clear it pierces through the complexity. This album is a game changer.

Toni Braxton: Pulse

Starts of with Yesterday… old Toni. Love.

I LOVE Make My Heart!! It makes me want to dance!!

Hands Tied is so sexy… should be from the title right?!?!?

I want to like Woman but to be frank I’m kind of over these proclamations of womanhood. I’m all for women being strong but we can portray that with the chorus saying “I’m a woman”

If I Have to Wait borders on country… it was surprising but I love all music so I like it.

I liked Lookin at Me when the beat dropped but the lyrics were a bit immature for Toni. Maam, you’re gorgeous but you’re getting up there. No Maam. But it still makes my head nod so I’ll pretend it’s someone else when it shows up on my shuffle.

Hero is strong

No Way gave me a moment of Let If Flow… one of my favorite Toni Braxton songs. This is so classic Toni Braxton as were Pulse and Why Won’t You Love Me. LOVE.

Overall, I liked it, good music.

Side note…. I’m sure some will disagree but I think Chrisette Michele is the new school Toni Braxton. If you listen to Epiphany some of the songs gave the same tone (as I noted in my review. LOL). Woman sounds like Porcelain Doll, only not as clever. It even had the same balance of vocally strong ballads, pop-ish beats for a wide appeal (Wardrobe vs. Playing Our Song), and a little hip hop to keep it interesting. Listen to Epiphany right after Pulse and see if you can’t hear it too!!

Vivian Green: Beautiful

First things first… WTH does she have on in this cover?!?! I shoulda known what the album was gonna sound like from the hair and fit. Ok…

Let me preface this by saying I was IN LOVE with her first album (I still listen to it to this day), barely in like with the second one so I have hopes but no expectations.

Liked the concept of Beautiful but it sounded like 2 different songs… she started in the first person, went to third, back to first.

I like When We’re Apart

She reminds me a little of Monica in that she is capable of making good music but sometimes falls victim to trend (although Monica redeemed herself with her most recent album). Vivian Green has a voice so perfectly fit for neo-soul/ that classic R& B sound. Her ballads are incredible. But in songs like I Know How… she has this up-tempo beat that absolutely doesn’t fit her voice or vibe. I would have loved the song but for that hip hop-esque beat in the background. She could have dropped it out and the song would have been PERFECT. Same for Search is Over and So Far Gone.

I HATE SKITS…interludes… all of them. Have I ever mentioned that? You should be able to tell the story through your music. (except maybe Kanye- he makes fun ones. LOL). The Better Man skit was soooooooooooooooo unnecessary.

Better Man could grow on me. Right now I’m on the fence with it. Never mind… rapping. I’ll pass.

Save me belonged on a different beat…. This reggae beat is so dope, should have been a song with sexy lyrics.

I like Too Intense… It’s giving me my much needed Danity Kane feel-good moment. Don’t judge me. I also hate when kids jump on tracks, but I’ll forgive it because I like the song.

I like Somewhere also, this is the space where she is most successful…. Her upper register is definitely not her strong suit… It’s annoying because it’s more like screeching than anything.

Caught Up is good. This is reminiscent of the first album. Why did it take 11 tracks to get here. Whoever this Lauren Tolez chick is singing with her sings her face off!! I love.

Jordan’s song is lovely.

The album felt long… not good since it was really only 13 tracks. I was over it by Track 8. It wasn’t a bad album, it just changed direction too many times. Welp… guess I’m back to A Love Story (first album).