Adam Lambert not only rocked the American Music Awards, but riled up with his provocative performance. Though his style’s not my thing, he’s extremely talented and pushed the envelope by kissing and simulating a blow job with a male band member and dancer.
Had it been performed by a woman or a straight man with female counterparts, no one would’ve noticed it for anything other than a mediocre rock performance (I’ve seen him do better). Nothing that he did hasn’t been done before with all parties being straight. Had this been during the 8PM time slot, I’d agree that it was in appropriate, but given that it was nearly 11PM, there was nothing at all wrong with it. Rock on, Adam!
Congratulations, David Cook! You da man! In my book there wasn’t even a competition. This dude sang his ass off and quickly emerged as the best performer out of the lot. However, this season of Idol did have some of the best talent. And some of the worst as well.
Cook’s voice and energy can mesmerize and transport you outside yourself to forget your troubles. He can be tender one moment and push with the gusto of a rocker’s edge the next. He operates outside the box in a unique style that makes him golden and will surely lead him to many accolades in the music business. I for one am waiting with bated breath for his debut CD.
So Darren Hayes had come to stay with me for awhile and I was showing him around. When we got upstairs I said, “Oh by the way, my mom lives with me. She doesn’t like bad language so you have to be careful.” Coming towards me he replied, “Cool. We’ll only have wild sex when she’s not home…” And then the recycling truck woke me up!
I’ve been listening to his new album, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made. The 2-CD set, as is, is a great album, but pulling out the better dozen or so tracks to a separate playlist makes a fabulous listen.
Okay, so I never really was over-the-top about Madonna’s music. I always liked her as a person but never was drawn to her music, except for a few songs here and there. With all the controversy over The Confessions Tour, I had to check it out. I Tivo’d it last fall but only now just sat down and watched it. From the first frame on, I knew it was gonna be hot. What a performance!
I can see why various religious groups would’ve gotten themselves worked up into a tizzy over it, but really. As you watch the concert (and there is a lot to see) she is telling a story with sight, sound and emotion and it was well done. Hip, modern, edgy and not the least bit blasphemous, as some have called it. Apparently she even invited the Pope to a performance and he declined. His loss — on many levels! With so many young people leaving the church because of its archaic ways, what a missed opportunity for him to have been seen as hip and with the times, giving young Christians a new perspective. But alas that is not Ratzinger’s way.
Madonna has put ‘Queer As Folk’s’ Babylon to shame! She totally outdid herself with a show that was more like a huge dance party. It was flawless with perfect music, perfect storytelling, perfect choreography, perfect lighting, perfect bodies… perfect, perfect, perfect! I do now confess, that like most of my gay brothers, I too now worship at the shrine of Madonna.
As a whole, the Oscars were so totally boring this year. The only eye candy were the numerous candids of Leo (Di Capro), who did not won. The only things that rescued me from the three-and-a-half hours of torture were the reigning queens of the entertainment world.
Daytime queen, Ellen, did a fabulous job holding the show together and making us laugh as only she can. Most of the other bits, especially Will Ferrell’s, were pretty lame-assed. The exception being the dancers/mimes behind the white screen. That was awesome… especially the Prada shoe. Which brings me to my fav, Meryl Streep. I was sorry she didn’t win, but Best Actress was a tough category this year with Meryl, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench all nominated.
I adore Helen Mirren and her win was so well deserved. What an incredible year she’s had playing Queen Elizabeth I in a kick-ass HBO mini-series, for which she won an Emmy, and Queen Elizabeth II on the big screen. But her best performance was in the finale of her long-running PBS series, ‘Prime Suspect.’ Queen Helen will be sorely missed, but something tells me we’ve not seen the last of her. Yes ma’am, you are “the bloody Queen!”
Jennifer Hudson is another winner and her performance at The Academy Awards and Oscar for Best Supporting Actress has shot her up to being the reigning queen of American Idols. If Chris Daughtry and Clay Gaiken (oops – there I go channeling Kathy Griffin – love her but that is another story) Aiken weren’t proof enough that the best talent gets voted off the show, look no further. The girl won an Oscar, there is no better for a performer!
Speaking of American idols, I was quite pleasantly surprise to see Celine Dion perform! I haven’t seen her in a few years, but she is a favorite and all day I had been playing her CDs for some reason and was remembering the year she performed ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at the Oscar and nearly lost a priceless necklace when she slapped herself! She’s still got it. I’m glad her Las Vegas show is ending though. All the fuss going on behind her does not suit her. She is a performer who has no rival and I want to see her to see and hear HER, not all the other distracting stuff.
A performer who only needs a guitar and doesn’t need the circus act is Melissa Etheridge. I adore her deep, raspy sound and was jumping out my seat when she won. I thought for sure the Oscar would go to ‘Dreamgirls.’ How awesome was that! What a trooper Melissa is and now at the top of the heap.
To see Melissa Etheridge and Helen Mirren win Oscars was well worth the three-and-a-half hours I sat rootching in the big chair.
Be still my heart! Or maybe I should say woe my broken heart! The adorable pop sensation has posted on his Web site that he has married his boyfriend of two years. No surprise here that Darren is gay. From the first time I saw those gorgeous eyes of his while he was singing ‘I Knew I Loved You’ I knew and was in love. Congratulations Darren! I hope you and Richard have a full and happy life together.
Being a musician myself, music has always played an important role in my life and almost every event or time of year has some type of musical association for me. Though I can admire all music styles for their artistic merit, I really can’t stand classical, metal or rap. Classical was too much a part of my training and I hate it. Metal is just noise and rap, well that doesn’t make any sense to me.
My primary like is Celtic and early Renaissance music but I also like hard rock, alternative and pop but ultimately always find my way back to Celtic roots.
Favorite Artists Lady Gaga: OMG where the hell did she come from? She has taken the world by storm and instantly memorized me with great tone and sound. Yes she is freaky, but once you get past that she is incredibly talented. I agree with what some say, she is the Madonna of the 21st Century. Find CDs
Loreena McKennitt: has a voice and talent that is unmatched. The majority of her Celtic and world music that touches the firey Celtic blood running somewhere in my distant family line comes from her many travels along the paths taken by the Celts through the ancient world. Find CDs.
Darren Hayes: this sassy Aussie just makes me melt every time I hear him. The breakout star of the defunct Savage Garden band has a unique pop voice that draws you in to feel his emotion. I fell in love the very first time I saw him singing in the music video ‘I Knew I Loved You’ and those gorgeous eyes of his looked up at the camera. Too bad he’s married to his boyfriend now. ::SIGH:: Find CDs
Band I Would Be In Daughtry: If I were to be in a band his would be it. He is totally hot and has a to-die-for voice. Find CDs
Other favorite artists: David Cook, Sarah Mclachlan, Celine Dion, Madonna, Nick Lachey (I will take what’s left of him… if only he were gay… Jessica, what were you thinking???), Melissa Etheridge, Cher, Jim Brickman
N.B. Since this was the first post in this category, it can get dated and so at times is updated as my fickle fancies change.