The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards

The 53rd Annual Grammy awards aired last Sunday.  For the first time in years, I didn't watch the live telecast - was in sin city and it was impossible to peel away from the events that took me there.  Total bummer as I am obsessed with awards shows.  The Grammy's and the Oscars top the list of award shows not to be missed!  I did watch the pre-recorded show later but I must say, it is not the same as watching the event live.

I was stunned to see that Lady Gaga came in an egg! Yes, she was encased in the egg apparently incubating in preparation of her highly anticipated performance of her latest single Born This Way!  This woman is truly unique or weird depending on who you ask.  I especially appreciate her individuality!  Her performance exceeded my expectations!

The show opened with a tribute to the one and only queen of soul, Ms. Aretha Franklin! The artists paying tribute did a great job! Ms. Aretha made a cameo via video thanking everyone for their well wishes as she recovers from an undisclosed illness.  It was good to see her though she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

My two favorite performances came from Ceelo Green featuring Gweneth Paltrow and the trio: Janelle Monae, BOB & Bruno Mars!  I loved the latter's retro stage set and his take on his latest hit Grenade.

It was also great to see Dr. Dre on stage after a very long hiatus from doing any his own music.  He appeared during the Eminem/Rihanna performance.

The biggest surprise of the night came when they announced that Esperanza Spalding (yeah, who?) won the award for Best New Artist. Nominated in the same category was Drake, Justin Bieber, Florence & The Machine and Mumford & Sons.  Justin Bieber was favored to win.  I had to head to google to look up Esperanza.  To my delight, I found out that she's very talented and does deserve the win as much people didn't agree with it.

For a list of the big winners at the Grammys, click here.

For the red carpet pics, click here.

TV Minute - Superbowl Sunday

Today is the BIG day for football fans - and I mean American football not soccer.  The game is between the Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Green Bay Packers if you don't already know that!

Quite frankly, I do not care for the sport *blasphemy - ducks for cover!* but I do want to be involved in the water cooler conversations.  I need a crash course on basic football rules/plays etc etc! I have a few hours to go! If I don't grasp the lessons quick enough, here are the main reasons I will be tuning in to watch the game:

• To watch Christina Aguilera belt out the national anthem! The girl can blow!  Also, Lea Michele from Glee will be singing America the Beautiful. Score one for pop culture!!

• The commercials! I know I am not alone in this! Let's see what commercials will be the funniest, odd or just plainly pointless! For the price tag companies pay for air time, the ads better be good enough to make an impact!

• Half-time performance - since the nipple gate incident with Janet Jackson, the NFL has been playing it very safe by giving us some snooze worthy performances!  We've all had a case of the blahs!! But fret not - i think the NFL listened to the resounding complains!! This year, The Black Eyed Peas are slated to perform!!  Usher was recently added to the list! You are guaranteed to get high-energy performances from the two!

• Lastly but certainly not least, a new episode of Glee debuts right after the game.  Today's episode will be an ode to the King of pop - the one the only, Michael Jackson! Fox is hoping to keep the massive audience from the game to trickle on to the show.

  Honorable mention - How can I miss a super bowl party where someone is providing the food, drinks, trash talking galore and the comradeship? I am not such a football snob after all!  May the best team win!

 

Screen Actors Guild Awards

We're on the home stretch to the Oscars!  Award season is upon us and will continue on until the crème de la crème of awards shows - The Oscar Awards, air live on Sunday, February 27th.

The SAG awards aired last Sunday bringing out an array of film and TV actors.  The glitz & glamor on the red carpet was not lost on anyone! There were more hits than misses when it came to the red carpet fashion.  The show was actually interesting and not drawn out as most of these type of shows usually are.  Most of the actors favored to win continued to take home the goods and earn great recognition.

Newcomer to prime time TV, Boardwalk Empire, continued it's winning streak garnering the Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Drama) and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.  Gathering from the critics and fans responses, this is one show I need to start watching.  This show has proved to be very tough competition against another fan favorite Mad Men. *I absolutely LOVE this show* Don Draper does it for me!! Did I mention that the show also beat out another great TV drama, House?  BE is here to stay!

The incomparable Betty White was a surprise winner in the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy series for her role in Hot In Cleveland! She was just as surprised while accepting her award but still brought her signature naughty humor on stage. Who doesn't love this woman?!!

Colin Firth and Natalie Portman (with her ever growing baby bump), have been favored to bag the top honors in film and they got just that! Another award for their mantle.  If these awards season has been any indication on who's going for the gold, these two are a sure bet at the Oscars.

My mission is to see all the films nominated by Oscar night. And yes, that does include the film that most people didn't see, Winters Bone.

For a complete list of the SAG Awards recipients, click here.

For the red carpet looks click here to feast your eyes!

 

The Road To The Oscars - Oscar Nominations

The 2011 Oscar nominations were announced this morning.  The King's Speech led the Academy Awards way with 12 Oscar nominations, including nominations for Best Film and Colin Firth for Best Actor.

Some surprises included Winter's Bone getting a Best Film nomination plus other major noms, such as Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress for her role in the movie.

There were some snubs too - Inception was not included in the Best Director category.

We'll have to wait until February 27th when the biggest night in cinema takes place at the famed Kodak Theater.  For the first time ever, two non-comedic personalities (James Franco & Anne Hathaway) will be hosting the Oscars! They are both very likeable but they can do the job?!  I guess we will find out on Oscar night!

For the full list of nominees, click here.

Did you know?

This year we will experience 4 unusual dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11.

Now go figure this out....take the last 2 digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year and it WILL EQUAL .... 111!

Very interesting!!

Awareness - Martin Luther King Day

Today, we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day.  It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King's birthday, January 15.

Dr. King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986.

Dr. King was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement.  He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.  King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism.

Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

TV Minute - Golden Globe Awards Recap

The 68th annual Golden Globe Awards was the first award show to come out the gate this award season!! This  is exciting for a lot of people who may not be directly involved with the shows/films - TV enthusiasts, film lovers, fashionistas etc etc.  There's something for everyone.

The Golden Globe Awards are a celebration of the best in TV/Movies by the Hollywood Foreign Press who determine the winners.  The show takes place in a very casual banquet style setting and alcoholic drinks are served at the guests pleasure!!  This makes for tipsy/drunken speeches from the winning parties. Exciting eh?

Ricky Gervias was the host of the evening for the second year in a row!!  He is the creator of the tv show The Office.  While he is funny, some critics always bash his style and categorize it as verbal rampage! I guess English humor/bold banter is not for everyone.  I particularly enjoyed his honesty!! No one was safe!!

Glee and Social Network won big last night!!  I am a Gleek and was pretty pleased by that!!  I am also glad that i got to see Social Network recently.  It is a great movie that critics and fans love.  The awards were much deserved!

Newcomer, HBO's Boardwalk Empire also made an impact! They beat out a clear favorite, Mad Men, in the Best Television Series - Drama, and the Best Actor in a Television Series Category respectively.
In A Better World won for Best Foreign Language film! I just found out the movie was partly shot in Kenya and I personally know some of the cast members!  Kudos guys! Enjoy the road to the Oscars!

Robert De Niro was the recipient of the Cecile B. DeMille Award.  He has had an amazing acting career and has a great roaster of work - Little Fockers notwithstanding!

For a full list of nominees and winners click here.

Fashionistas can rejoice!!  There was a a lot to look at on the red carpet! There were amazing gowns, jewelery and shoes!  I couldn't help but feast my eyes!  But with the good, comes the bad!  Some of the gowns we saw should have been left on the rack!!  Helena Bonham Carter always turns up the crazy! I have to give her credit for consistently giving us crappy outfits - she topped it by wearing two different colored pair of shoes! Here's the good, the bad and plain ugly on the red carpet.

The countdown to the Oscars begins....