MTV VMAs

[The Knize]

I am sure most folks could not care, but what the heck happend to the MTV video awards? I mean no one is surprised when the Grammies says that Jethro Tull has the top heavy metal cut, and the Vanilla Ice has the top rap hip hop, and that U2 is the best rock group year after year.

But Green Day, Beyonce, Eminem, and Britney Spears all taking top video of the year awards in 2009? Don't get me wrong, I have liked each of these folks, some a lot, but in 2009 none, except arguably Beyonce and I would argue no, is not putting out remarkable stuff. Green Day was accused of posing way back. I would say that point has now been proved! Not that I have not generally liked Green Day.

Makes MTV seem utterly out of touch as well as in the pocket of some estalblished music industry thing. I do not even undestand that.

No wonder MTV because the voyeur station and does not seem to play music videos anymore.

 

[luvmysuper]

I think I stopped watching MTV about 20 minutes after "Video Killed the Radio Star" came out.

 

[Fnord5]

George Bush hates black people.









Kanye West is the biggest jerk I have seen on TV, and that is comparing him to Gordon Ramsey, Sr. from West Coast Choppers, and Simon Cowell.
Regardless of the winners, that little bit was very entertaining, although I felt terrible for Taylor Swift.

 

[Kratos]

George Bush hates black people.









Kanye West is the biggest jerk I have seen on TV, and that is comparing him to Gordon Ramsey, Sr. from West Coast Choppers, and Simon Cowell.
Regardless of the winners, that little bit was very entertaining, although I felt terrible for Taylor Swift.

Seriously, he is a little jerk. Someone should have punched him in the stomach.

 

[SpyvSpy]

Not that I ever cared about kanye west but I agree what a jerk. I know violence isn't the answer for anything but I would have clocked him in the face for that.

 

[Emmett]

I actually think Green Day has been improving as they go along. I am a fan from way back, but I never watched their videos so perhaps they are posers on screen? They give a great concert, that's for sure.

 

[Obsessed]

I'm sure you guys heard about President Obama calling West a jackass. Here's the audio, for your listening pleasure:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/15/obama-calls-kanye-a-jackass/

 

[FreezerBurns]

I'm sure you guys heard about President Obama calling West a jackass. Here's the audio, for your listening pleasure:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/15/obama-calls-kanye-a-jackass/

I saw that on the news last night, that is outstanding. "What are you buttin' in..."

 

[TimmyBoston]

Seriously, he is a little jerk. Someone should have punched him in the stomach.

Now if that had happened, I would have watched the VMAs.

 

[Chessman]

How does Taylor Swift win the ladies award over Beyonce and Beyonce win the overall best video. Maybe K. West should have waited until they end.

 

[The Knize]

Well maybe people care more than I thought, which is pretty "cool."

I was not even going to mention the Kanye thing. Thanks for the Obama audio clip. I like Obama personally more all the time. Obama nailed it as far as I am concerned.

Although, I do not think that it is beyond the pale that that was some prearranged thing--like Bruno coming flying down from the ceiling and landing with his bare butt in Eminem's face, as was done last time I watched anything on MTV. I doubt it at this point, but think about it: 1) everyone that knows much about what he has said publicly in the past on various things thinks Kanye is an ***, if this were a revealed set up Kanye would have done a dead-on self-parody, too bad it is apparently not "parody," but just "self"; 2) Taylor Swift is the beloved new star of the moment anyway, so I do not see how she needs it, but what could make her seem more sympathetic; 3) Beyonce who I would think is in imminent danger of fading away gets to be all magnanimous and give her time to Taylor for thank yous--time which was for best video of the year, which sort of emphasizes the in the end Beyonce trumped Taylor's best female video performance award anyway, which means that Kanye was right on some level; and 4) MTV, which hardly seems relevant to anything going on anymore, gets some great You Tube, etc. buzz. Even the President is talking about what happened on MTV! What could possibly be better for MTV! Brilliant.

For that matter, do the stage people at MTV just let anyone run up to a performer on stage and grab the microphone out of her hand? I would not recognize Kanye West in person would every stage hand recognize him? Even if they did, does Kanye automatically get to go wherever he wants to on an MTV stage any time? For that matter, Taylor said something like "when Kanye first came up I thought . . . ." Would Taylor Swift know and recognize Kanye West and feel safe about him grabbing a microphone out of her hand?

But I think this has to hurt Kanye's popularity which has to hurt Kanye, which means it would not have been a set up. As some commentator said, it is one thing to say that President Bush hates black people. Some people are going to like you for that. But "no one ever likes you for making a pretty girl cry . . . ."

<I think I stopped watching MTV about 20 minutes after "Video Killed the Radio Star" came out. >

Well, luvmysuper, whether one liked it or not, whether TV matters at all, or whether it to full recognition at the time, you missed some cutting edge television in the early years, or least some new and creative efforts, at least in my opinion. I am not saying it was all great. I am saying it was not hackneyed same old, same old, which is sure what this lne-up of "winners" says to me. Among other things, this MTV, not VH1. It is not supposed to be the oldies station.

On the other hand, MTV still does somethings really well. MTV is pretty good at "hip" spectacle. I thought the opening tribute to Michael Jackson was the best tribute to him I have seen. To me it captured a lot about him in his hey day, and MTV and MJ were very tied to each other. I have also thought that Janet Jackson has been strangely silent about MJ's death, but she said a lot while saying nothing in that performance. I thought she was on fire.

Re Green Day as posers: The rap against Green Day in the past was that they adopted a punk persona as an artifice to sell music and concert tickets when they really had no punk cred at all. That they talked the talk and were happy to take advantage of the popularity of punk and its appeal to the young and disenfranchised, but that they personally had never paid any dues at all as far as being punks. This criticism came from a lot famous folks that really were in the punk mode, such as Johnny Lydon of the Sex Pistols, who felt Green Days was callously and phonily ripping off true punks. Their songs certainly had that angry, alienated, just don't care punk content, well expressed.

They have been accused on being EMO rather than punk, which I think speaks volumes about all sort of things musically! I actually like them better when I think of them as EMO.

So do you realy have to be it or think it to play it? I have mixed feelings on that question.

Billie Joe Armstrong is 37 yo and a rich golf-playing guy who is very good to his family from every thing I hear. But Green Day still has this in the face of authority, don't give a damn, we are young angry pose in its music, dress, etc. Is this who the youth of the nation would be naturally attracted to to express their feelings? Can the feelings Green Day is expressing really come naturally to them at this point, if they ever did? Seems not credible to me. Did the music scene suddenly run out anrgy young rock groups? Seems an odd occurence to me.

Not that long ago I did see Green Day live, though, and they put on a great show! They were energetic, dare I say youthful?

I do think MTV is dead on to give Taylor Swift a lot of play. She seems highly appealing to me across the board. She does represent youth, which I would thinik is MTVs concept and demographic. [I really am being a voyeur! Why should I care what "young people today are into?!]

On the other hand, MTV had a great idea is having a house band for only the third time ever for this show, and made a genius pick in Walle and UCB from Washington, DC, and there was considerable pre-show publicity about it. There is a talented, fresh, creative group of people, for whom if there is any justice in the music world at all, things are truly going to blow up for over the next few years. But there was very little on-air time for them, and every time the cameras were on the band some announcer was prattling away over top of it. What an uttter waste. I would love to know what happened there!

Thought Lady Ga Ga was great and fresh, etc., by the way. Pink was interesting.

Beyonce was good and I really do like her. And I do like a sexy dance number, but maybe I am getting old, but it seems like the dance moves are more and more sexual to the point of seeming kind of vulgar. I am actually surprised they are not putting poles out there as it is. Also, maybe it is my own failing, and one could criticize me for it, but is it just me or is the big booty thing evolving into a truly enormous booty thing. Anyone but me remember the old R Crumb comics? I thought the emphasis on really skinny girls as supposed beauties was a bad thing on any number of grounds. But the pendulum has clearly swung the other way judging by the dancers on MTV. I should not be saying any of this!

 

[Kratos]

Kanye West apologized, so I guess it wasn't a set-up. As far as big booty goes, that is a bit subjective. Aside from obvious differences, I see girls described as "big" when they are merely just "not flat." It all depends. Personally, skinny runway types have never been my thing. The only reason I'd take them out is to get some food in them.

 

[The Knize]

Kanye West apologized, so I guess it wasn't a set-up. As far as big booty goes, that is a bit subjective. Aside from obvious differences, I see girls described as "big" when they are merely just "not flat." It all depends. Personally, skinny runway types have never been my thing. The only reason I'd take them out is to get some food in them.

<As far as big booty goes, that is a bit subjective. >

I know, I know. I should keep my mouth shut for sure. Really just commenting on a trend that is starting to seem exaggerated and TV phony to me. I am sure there was a time not so long ago when I said to someone or other "when was it that society decided that a woman only good looking enough to be on TV if she was as skinny as rail." I am sure not saying that curvy is bad.

We would probably be better off as a society and woman would be better off if it were recognized that women come in all shapes and sizes and are beautiful in all shapes and sizes. TV shoud not be dictating what is and is not beauty anyway. I think British TV does a lot better job as far as having actors that look like normal people.

On the other hand, Kelly Clarkson seems to have gotten an amazing amount of crap for putting on some pounds. And Taylor Swift in some photos seems extraordinarily, even unhealthily thin.

 

[SRock]

I think I stopped watching MTV about 20 minutes after "Video Killed the Radio Star" came out.

Kanye West is the biggest jerk I have seen on TV, and that is comparing him to Gordon Ramsey, Sr. from West Coast Choppers, and Simon Cowell.
Regardless of the winners, that little bit was very entertaining, although I felt terrible for Taylor Swift.

Paul Sr. owns Orange County Choppers.

I actually think Green Day has been improving as they go along. I am a fan from way back, but I never watched their videos so perhaps they are posers on screen? They give a great concert, that's for sure.

Green Day purists will always say they are sell outs because they left 90% of what punk they had in them out of their music when they went mainstream. It's kind of like Metallica. There are Metallica fans and then there are mainstream post black album fans.

Now if that had happened, I would have watched the VMAs.

+1

For once, me and Obama see eye to eye.

Skip the politics. We don't want this thread to derail.

 

[Fnord5]

West coast, orange county, shows how much I watch TV.

 

[sol92258]

Seriously, he is a little jerk. Someone should have punched him in the stomach.

Not that I ever cared about kanye west but I agree what a jerk. I know violence isn't the answer for anything but I would have clocked him in the face for that.

I didn't/never watch these sorts of things, but that is one time I would have like to have Jedi powers, and been in the audience...people would have been shocked at what "Taylor Swift" would have done with that trophy....

For once, me and Obama see eye to eye.

yeah, makes two of us...never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever thought I'd say that

 

[King of Kailua]

This may be all I need to convince me to finally drop my cable TV subscription. Seriously, my time is too valuable to that kind of drivel right now.

Tv's going in the clunker.

 

[Newfie]

That nuisance is again proved himself to be a proper nuisance, or in Obama's words, ..........ummmmmmm, I shant repeat it, you all know.

I will say though, I feel his rant may have been caused by reverse racism (YA THINK?) so maybe a properly stated apology would be to kiss her lilly white Anglo Saxon a** on the same stage.

FWIW, someone above mentioned how "sickly" she looked, and yes, she does.

I don't pay attention to either genre of music, but in a beauty contest, Taylor Swift couldn't hold anything next to Beyonce. She is wayyyyyyyyyyy past hot, neck up, neck down, back, front, any way you want to look at her. I just wonder if her personality matches her looks.

EDIT TO ADD:

This may be all I need to convince me to finally drop my cable TV subscription. Seriously, my time is too valuable to that kind of drivel right now.

Tv's going in the clunker.

You're just watching the wrong channels. Tune in to "Hell's Kitchen" or "The Biggest Loser".

 

[The Knize]

I think I was the one that said unhealthily thin looking in some photos. I just really do not like the idea of a starved look being held up as an ideal for girls. Or for that matter for Taylor to think that now that she is famous she has to look more galmorous by being unnaturally thin.

<but in a beauty contest>
Not fair to pit a 19 yo girl--who to me looks and acts like a 19 yo girl, a very pretty one, and I hope she stays that way, too many Britneys and Christina's in the world, and Lindsays and Paris's--against a 28 year old acknowledged goddess. The only non-model to ever appear on the cover of the SI swim suit issue, for one thing. Also, one gets into the dangereous area of just how much "work" Beyonce has had. Some claim a whole lot. I doubt that, but I would say the case for some is overwhelming.

BTW, a parallel between Taylor and Beyonce I have not seem mentioned is that they both have great songwriting credentials. That is impressive to me.

 

[FreezerBurns]

BTW, a parallel between Taylor and Beyonce I have not seem mentioned is that they both have great songwriting credentials. That is impressive to me.

Nice. I didn't know they wrote their own songs until now.