| |
Celeb News: EW grades Grammy performances
Member Since: 9/7/2010
Posts: 28,471
|
EW grades Grammy performances
Quote:
Jennifer Hudson
Space was made for only one brief tribute in song to Whitney Houston, and the Academy chose well; Hudson's expertly rendered run through ''I Will Always Love You'' wisely side-stepped straight impersonation, but still felt elegantly true to the late superstar's spirit. A
|
Quote:
Adele
The night's Grammy Queen ended her surgery-induced hiatus with a powerful, unfussy vocal performance of ''Rolling in the Deep.'' Breathe easy, music industry — she's hasn't lost a thing. A
|
Quote:
Bruno Mars
Donning a 24-karat gold bowtie and blazer, Bruno paid lip (and hair) service to '50s pop and James Brown pomp while instructing the seated 1 percent to ''get off your rich a--es'' — and it was 99 percent awesome. A
|
Quote:
Glen Campbell with the Band Perry and Blake Shelton
Band Perry and Shelton staggered strummy Glen Campbell covers before the man himself, decked in a bejeweled white suit and the night’s best bolo tie, came out to show all the rhinestone cowboys and cowgirls how it’s done. A-
|
Quote:
Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band
Dressed in all-black everything, the Boss kicked off the night with a rousing run through his new single ''We Take Care of Our Own''— a choice that felt especially poignant in light of the events of the previous 24 hours. A-
|
Quote:
Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars
Civil Wars did exceptionally well for a pair of newcomers, and T-Swift further folked up the house with a playful, banjo-driven ''Mean.'' A-
|
Quote:
Foo Fighters
Heads were banged and fists were pumped when a Slayer-shirted Dave Grohl and his Foos, introduced by a ''cred''-y (um...) Jack Black, ventured outside to a fan-filled tent to deliver the straightforward meat-and-potatoes rock goodness of ''Walk.'' B+
|
Quote:
Katy Perry
Rather than shooting fireworks from her boobs, as LL Cool J promised, Perry brought ice, fire, and reflective spandex on-stage for an unintentional Power Ranges tribute to Madonna's Super Bowl performance. B
|
Quote:
Rihanna with Coldplay
RiRi stunned with a version of ''We Found Love'' that, improbably, was as theatrically mesmerizing as its video. Coldplay, on the other hand, misfired with grandiosity and a couple of dropped notes. B
|
Quote:
Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt
Equipped with little more than a piano and a guitar, the bluesy duo complemented each other nicely on a spare but unfortunately truncated tribute to Etta James and her classic slow-burn ballad ''Sunday Kind of Love.'' B
|
Quote:
Paul McCartney Part II
McCartney led us down Abbey Road with ''Golden Slumbers'' before taking a sharp detour to pick up Dave Grohl, Bruce, and more along the way for a wooly Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame-style jam sesh that was likely more fun to perform than to watch. B
|
Quote:
Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood
Sure, ''It Had to Be You,'' but nobody said it had to be so boring. Classy people (we love you, Tony!), dull rendering. B–
|
Quote:
Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
The pair's delivery of their 2010 duet ''Don't You Wanna Stay'' was marred when Aldean's mic malfunctioned at a key moment. He looked as frustrated as we felt. B–
|
Quote:
Chris Brown
Invited back to the show for the first time since his Grammys-eve assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, Breezy followed his rubber legs up a cubist mountain for ''Turn Up the Music.'' His choreography was impressive as always, though the phalanx of backup dancers and blocks that lit up ''Billie Jean''-style with his every step felt perhaps better suited to the VMAs. B-
|
Quote:
The Beach Boys, with Foster The People and Maroon 5
Levine and Co. did a better job at warming up the surfboard-peppered stage than a visibly nervous FTP. The Boys' legendary harmonies remain undeniably impressive half a century on, but their fairly standard reading of ''Good Vibrations'' felt somehow anticlimactic. B-
|
Quote:
Paul McCartney Part I
Sir Paul took advantage of the opportunity to plug his new album Kisses on the Bottom by crooning some song nobody knows. He sat through the thing, got a standing O at the end of it, and then began prepping for his superior second performance. C+
|
Quote:
Chris Brown, Deadmau5, Foo Fighters, David Guetta, and Lil Wayne
Hey Grammys, thanks for having a rave in the parking lot! If this was their way of selling EDM (electronic dance music) to the masses, this messy, nonsensical grab bag was one rough — and visually seizure-inducing — demo reel. C
|
Quote:
Nicki Minaj
Nicki's ostentatious, needlessly Pop-filled debut of her new single ''Roman Holiday'' came off like an indulgent, operatic mess. Props to her for trying to fill the Gaga ''conceptual'' slot and bring a thematic, narrative-driven moment to the show, but just... no. D
|
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2033...569727,00.html
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/22/2010
Posts: 12,763
|
Nicki, a D? Really? 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/11/2010
Posts: 28,420
|
This is much more reasonable and I agree with most of the grades, but why do these blogs keep praising Rihanna's performance and bashing Coldplay, as if Rihanna had anything to do with Coldplay's terrible solo performance?
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/27/2012
Posts: 15,057
|
I agree with most of this, except giving Kelly a B-.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/17/2011
Posts: 32,412
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/18/2008
Posts: 40,057
|
How dare them shade Paul McCartney like this, his performace was one of the best of the night. 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/6/2011
Posts: 10,635
|
Quote:
Rihanna with Coldplay
RiRi stunned with a version of ''We Found Love'' that, improbably, was as theatrically mesmerizing as its video. Coldplay, on the other hand, misfired with grandiosity and a couple of dropped notes. B
|
I agree with everything on this one. WFL was spectacular....but the good niece Chris had a REALLY bad vocal night. Some of those notes from Paradise were just
i wished they graded Rihanna Solely. 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/9/2011
Posts: 11,102
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/21/2011
Posts: 42,362
|
D, seriously ?
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/18/2008
Posts: 40,057
|
Quote:
Originally posted by alstrom
Nicki, a D? Really? |
Should have been a Z.
|
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 3/13/2011
Posts: 9,521
|
They gave the most memorable performance by any artist in years a D. Well done EW.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/11/2010
Posts: 28,420
|
Quote:
Originally posted by zombaland
A agree with everything on this one. WFL was spectacular....but the good niece Chris had a REALLY bad vocal night. Some of those notes from Paradise were just
i wished they graded Rihanna Solely. |
I agree. It's sad that Coldplay's performance will forever reflect on Rihanna's. 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/22/2010
Posts: 12,763
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Gui Blackout
|
More like a B.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/6/2011
Posts: 10,635
|
Quote:
Originally posted by ManDown
This is much more reasonable and I agree with most of the grades, but why do these blogs keep praising Rihanna's performance and bashing Coldplay, as if Rihanna had anything to do with Coldplay's terrible solo performance? |
I know. They should have rated coldplay and rihanna separately
|
|
|
|
Banned
Member Since: 12/5/2011
Posts: 14,156
|
Why do they always mention Rihanna when they are talking about Chris? It's not that you should forget, but... Chhhhhh.
B for my queen. Not bad 
D for Nicki 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 6/6/2011
Posts: 48,509
|
D ?  FLOP.
And mega flop, Bruno isn't there.
EDIT: Sammi forget Bruno 
Still a flop.
|
|
|
|
Banned
Member Since: 9/12/2011
Posts: 2,685
|
Quote:
|
Nicki's ostentatious, needlessly Pop-filled debut of her new single ''Roman Holiday'' came off like an indulgent, operatic mess. Props to her for trying to fill the Gaga ''conceptual'' slot and bring a thematic, narrative-driven moment to the show, but just... no. D
|
Nicki, gurl.. 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 7/12/2010
Posts: 9,704
|
Idk, D or not, Nicki's was by far the most entertaining, memorable performance of the night. It's the only one I can remember, actually. People need to stop complaining & just deal with it...you can see that the girl will do as she pleases.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/18/2011
Posts: 30,431
|
I wish WFL was graded solely
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 12,539
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Division
They gave the most memorable performance by any artist in years a D. Well done EW.
|
Memorable  ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
