Posts Tagged ‘Adele’
GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 2009!!
THE 2009 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS ARE OFFICIALLY RELEASED!! WOO-HOO!!
Isn't it time to revamp this thing?
I thought I’d take a break from my Asian culture obsession/illness and return to something native to my side of the world. I love the Grammys!! Not so much the actual ceremony but I’m more interested in the results. Unless they don’t go the way I wanted them too. Then I use them as an excuse to complain. Although, there’s nothing better than finding out that the album you’ve been obsessing over for the past year was also recognized and acknowleged by people in their same field. You can’t help but to feel you have some personal stake in the success of your favorite singer or band after you’ve bought the albums/concert tickets/”limited edition” lunchbox.
Now that's devotion. I had a Sesame Street lunchbox that was very special to me....until I found an Animaniacs lunchbox.
I’m no exception to this rule. John Mayer and I…..we have a very close relationship. He just doesn’t know it yet : ) I am proud to announce that not only do I own all of his albums but that I have attended a large handful of concerts, have stood in line for a number of hours just to attend a meet and greet, and am a Mayercraft alumni (also a Mayercraft 2009 future attendee. WOO-HOOO!!!). Yeah. It’s become a problem…..for everyone else I know. So, of course, I tend to keep a closer watch on the Grammys if I know John has released something that particular year.
John and I have something special. Jennifer's just a stand in when I'm away on business.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who does this. As a matter of fact, I KNOW I’m not the only who does this. If you really think about it the Grammys were the original American Idol without the “Democratic” process they have famously incorporated. The Grammys are more or less an American Idol that practices the Oligarchic process (It’s a type of government. Find it here.)
Let’s check out some of the nominees for this year……and you can check out my never ending opinions on them. Because I know you were wondering, right? I knew it.
Album of the Year
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay
• Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne
• Year of the Gentleman, Ne-Yo
• Raising Sand, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• In Rainbows, Radiohead
*** I’m rooting for Coldplay. This album is amazing and Coldplay deserves any kind of recognition they get. To be honest I haven’t really heard the other albums fully. I’ve sang a rather off key version of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’s “Gone Gone Gone” a few times in the shower. I’ve never really understood Radiohead. All of the singles from Ne-Yo’s album are rather annoying to me. And if I have to hear Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” one more time I think I might lose my mind. We know what the lollipop is and that’s gross!!
Record of the Year
• “Chasing Pavements,” Adele
• “Viva la Vida,” Coldplay
• “Bleeding Love,” Leona Lewis
• “Paper Planes,” M.I.A.
• “Please Read the Letter,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
*** This is hard!! I feel so sorry for the people who have to vote in this category. All great songs that unearth complex feelings that every human can relate to. I guess it would come down to three top choices though: “Chasing Pavements”, “Viva La Vida”, and “Paper Planes”. ”Chasing Pavements” was simply soul stirring. From the lyrics to Adele’s haunting voice….perfect. “Viva la Vida” is a song I never get tired of. You know you are dealing with a genius band when they weave a beautiful fall from grace and set it to an uplifting beat. “Paper Planes” is so cool……even though I can only understand about half of what she says.
Song of the Year
• “American Boy,” William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle featuring Kanye West)
• “Chasing Pavements,” Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele)
• “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz)
• “Love Song,” Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles)
• “Viva La Vida,” Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
***Again, this is a tough one. I love all of these equally. This one makes me grateful I’m not voting in this one. It’s like deciding which member of 1N2D would need to be kicked off the show. You may have one guy that you like over the others but you know all the other guys bring a certain dynamic to the group as a whole and to get rid of one of them would be bad. And that concludes my Asian culture reference for this post, ladies and gentleman. Just wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten the real reason I write this blog.
BTW…I’ve always wanted to ask this……WHAT THE HECK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RECORD OF THE YEAR AND THE SONG OF THE YEAR?! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME?!
Best New Artist
• Adele
• Duffy
• Jonas Brothers
• Lady Antebellum
• Jazmine Sullivan
***Prayerfully it comes down to Duffy and Adele. Both albums were amazing!! Adele’s songs are a permanent fixure on my iPod’s “My Top Rated” list. Duffy’s album never leaves my sight. I always keep it close just in case. It’s truly shocking how many times I’ve sang “Warwick Avenue” and “Delayed Devotion” (Best lyrics in DD? ”I’m no longer under your spell. Here it is in song. You can go to hell!”) . And I cannot express to you how much I want to throw on a little black dress, red heels, and belt out ”Mercy” for all to see. You think I won’t? Ok. The heading for the next post? “My Night as Duffy” : )
BTW #2….. THE JONAS BROTHERS?! REALLY?! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve caught myself belting out “Burnin’ Up” more than a few times but a Grammy nomination? If that’s the case Miley Cyrus should be in there too, right? I’ve belted out “7 Things” more times than I want to remember. I guess they’re really pulling for that younger crowd this year.
I want to beg for mercy too.......in red heels.
Pop Vocal Album
• Detours, Sheryl Crow
• Rockferry, Duffy
• Long Road Out of Eden, Eagles
• Spirit, Leona Lewis
• Covers, James Taylor
*** Duffy’s “Rockferry”. All the way. Considering she’s going up against a few worthy competitors who have had a few trips to the Grammy stage its rather unlikely. But I’ll keep hoping. If not Duffy then I guess James Taylor. But only
Years from now this will all be a bad dream.
because I’m a long time fan. I actually hate cover albums. I don’t have a problem with an artist taking on one or two songs on an album made up of original material but a whole album of covers?! That kinda sounds like taking the easy way out. At least I know he’s actually talented and, for the most part, I trust his artistic judgement on many of his albums. I think I’m still a little bitter from last year’s Album of the Year result. They had a choice between Foo Fighters, Kanye West, and Amy Winehouse (My pick!!) and they chose HERBIE HANCOCK!! No, correction….Herbie Hancock’s album of COVERS of JONI RIVERS songs!! They weren’t even his songs!! In a nutshell, he took the original work of someone else and won a Grammy over people who were nominated for their original work. Even he was surprised when he won!! And not the fake surprise some entertainers put on when they walk up on that stage…..he was REALLY surprised. See, my theory is that they called the worng name that night and by the time they realized the mistake it was too late and to renige would look really bad. Herbie knew he had someone else’s award. **COUGH** Amy Winehouse **COUGH**. He knew the truth.
Rap Album
• American Gangster, Jay-Z
• Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne
• The Cool, Lupe Fiasco
• Nas, Nas
• Paper Trail, T.I.
***I’m not a big rap fan but out of the aritists I’ve heard in the last decade I must say that I have a genuine respect for all of these rappers. It looks like a win-win-win-win-win on this category. I heard some songs from all of them in the past that I thought they should have gotten recognition for. Maybe this will be the recognition they had been cheated out of in the past.
Rock Album
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay
Coldplay.....FIGHTING!!!
• Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock
• Only By the Night, Kings of Leon
• Death Magnetic, Metallica
• Consolers of the Lonely, The Raconteurs
*** Coldplay. No question. I hope I haven’t jinxed them now.
Country Album
• That Lonesome Song, Jamey Johnson
• Sleepless Nights, Patty Loveless
• Troubadour, George Strait
• Around the Bend, Randy Travis
• Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, Trisha Yearwood
*** Don’t do the country too much. I have a problem with plaid shirts, distressed cowboy boots, and people who have a problem pronouncing their R’s. The irony? I live in Nashville, TN. Yeah. It can be rather painful some days. I was born in California and remain a California girl till this day so that may have something to do with my inability to listen to this particular genre. In my lifetime I think I’ve only been able to withstand a few country artists: Shania Twain, Leann Rimes, The Dixie Chicks, and, most recently, Taylor Swift. But no more than that. Anymore and we’re officially on torture territory.
Just a few things to mention though:
- Raphael Saadiq’s album ” The Way I See It” is nominated for three Grammys which is pretty cool. If you haven’t heard this one then pick it up/download it ASAP. It literally sounds like the muse that helped Barry Gordy create Motown’s history making sound came down to him and decided he wanted to make a comeback.
- Alicia Keys’ duet with John Mayer (!) ”Lesson Learned” is also up for a Grammy. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the song but if it means another Grammy for John then I’m all for it.
- “No Air” is up for a Grammy!! I never got sick of this song. NOT. EVER.
- What else?…..oh! Wayne Brady is up for a Grammy also. I don’t know why that’s funny to me, but it is.
If you’d like to see the whole list please feel free to click here. I know most news outlets are directing you towards Grammy.com because…they have to. Well, as you know, I’m a bit of a rebel (yeah right!!) and I thought I’d mix it up a little. My little link takes you to a page where its simply listed. No big graphics and no need to “Install Java”.
And last but certainly not least: “BOYS OVER FLOWERS” STARTS JANUARY 5!!!!! WOO-HOO!! Why is it pushed further out than what was originally announced you ask? Well it seems that the “powers that be” decided to give “Worlds Within” four more episodes. Which means it went from an 16 episode drama to a 20 episode drama with low ratings and bad reviews. Craziness.
Boys over Flowers starts January 5!!!!!
This Took Me 3 Days to Write. Never Again.
Example of the excitement you should be experiencing
Please don’t hold back on my account…..I’m pretty excited too. Why you ask? Well, it looks like its time for another issue of “Of The Asian Persuasion”!! Number 3 or Shumu San!!
Please take note that I have been working overtime so this is the tip of the iceberg. Since I have been working so hard to see everything it’s going to be another mix. I think the mix is a good thing. It’s unfair to stick with one particular region. Good entertainment is good entertainment. Period. It’s like candy, would you rather have butterscotch for the rest of your life or the big ol’ fun mix your grandma used to bribe you with?
MMMMMM......cavities.
I’m actually going to start including dramas also because, as I mentioned in the last post, they’re basically movies split up into episodes. Plus…..they’re FREAKIN AWESOME!!! They’ll be six titles today just because you’re that special.
Before I start I’d just like to say that I’m listening to Estelle. You know the one who does the
"My boobs look really good in this!!!"
song “American Boy” featuring Kanye “Mr. Ego” West? Her album Shine is AMAZING!!! Get it ASAP.And of course she’s from London. It seems they all are lately. At least from my POV. Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duffy and now Estelle?! This is just getting ridiculous. Not that I have a problem with it but I’d be nice to see a huge talent come from America that has well earned international appeal. But London can keep cranking them out as far as I’m concerned. So as Estelle radiates from the iPOD, because she’s on fire that much, I begin this self proclaimed tradition. Yea.
1) My Tutor Friend: This is basically Modern Korean Film 101. It’s almost as big as “My Sassy Girl”. Almost. Notice that the title itself 
has the one word that 1)Almost always gives the basic plot away and 2)Almost always means its a romcom so guys might want to steer clear: MY. This begins my ”MY” theory in Korean media. Whenever you see MY in the title of a Korean movie there will probably be two main characters in which one character is rather extreme and the other one….not so extreme. There will probably be some set up where they are forced to spend a lot of time together and decide that they HATE each other if they haven’t decided it already. There’s the usual obstacles that the plot throws at the characters and at the end everyone realizes that the largest obstacle is themselves,and then love after they realize they can’t fight it anymore. My Tutor Friend is no exception. It’s repetitive, it’s mushy, and it’s not Oscar worthy but it’s really good. There are MANY places the plot could’ve gone cheesy but somehow they kept it grounded. The other requirement of ”MY” is that the lead actors must have CHEMISTRY. If they don’t have it disaster will ensue. When you attach MY to a project you have to follow these rules because that’s what the audience is expecting. Luckily for these actors they definitely have it. Just like Sassy Girl they’ll always have a job because people will always see them as these beloved characters. They’ll always come with some nostalgic value for people. Like Richard Gere and Julia Roberts….except Kwon Sang-Woo (The guy in the film) is as popular as Richard Gere when he first came out (maybe more so) and Kim Ha-Neul (The girl) is as popular as Julia Roberts when Pretty Woman came out but will never be as popular as Julia Roberts was by the time Notting Hill came out.
2) My Boss, My Hero: This happens to be an exception to the “MY” Theory. But not by much. It’s not a romcom but it is a com with some.jpg?w=233&h=298)
drama and of course truckfulls of charm. We Americans would probably call it a dramedy. This is basically Never Been Kissed but instead of the lead character trying to write an article he’s trying to get his diploma so he can become a triad boss. Yeah. It sounds a bit ridiculous and it is. The plot is dumb but the movie not only has great actors but it also incorporates important issues concerning the corruption in private schools and how it effects everyone involved. Apparently punishment is a common thing in Korean schools and if it’s as bad as the movie depicted it…….OUCH. And of course there’s a big battle at the end which is what I live for. But honestly would you expect anything less when a moral triad boss (oxymoron much?) and a corrupt school system meet? I didn’t think so.
3)Full House: Yes. Another Korean drama. I am still riding
Mmmmm....hot guys. The best marketing plan EVER!!!
that ”wave”. To be completely honest I haven’t actually finished it yet. I know!! What am I thinking?! I’m sorry! I hate to mention something that I haven’t even completed but it’s a pretty good sign if I’m writing about it before I even finish. It is genuinely hilarious, sweet, engrossing, and the leads are adorable. Sure it has the same plot as other Korean dramas where forced closeness plus various challenges that are overcome equals everlasting love AKA “the love setup” (another theory of mine) but…..WHO CARES?! It still stays fresh with chemistry ridden leads and ridiculously attractive men. If those two ingredients don’t make a good drama then I don’t know what does.
4)The Heavenly Kings: Ok. Let me explain a little something about Asian pop culture. For some strange reason actors or actresses
That is sexy.
who have suddenly become popular from a show/hit movie have an affinity to transpose that success into a singing career. And in MANY cases they become rather successful. Unlike here where a successful actor becoming a successful singer is nearly…..impossible (Sorry Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, etc.) Asian audiences don’t question actors becoming singers. Even if their not that great. That’s exactly what this film touches on. Now this is another Daniel Wu (He directed it too!!) feature but it’s oh so much more. Four guys who are slightly well known actors in Asia came together and basically punk’d anyone and everyone in the entertainment business by starting a boy band. And they filmed every moment. They had no singing ability to speak of, no dancing ability whatsover, and were all way to old to be in a boy band. This was a man band basically and I just don’t think those should exist (Sorry New Kids on the Block, New Edition, etc.) The fascinating thing was that people bought it hook, line, and sinker. They enthusiastly bought it!! At the end of the day it was so funny and if anyone found themselves feeling like a gullible idiot after watching it….they should have.
5)My Lovely Sam Soon:I LOVE THIS DRAMA!!! L-O-V-E. Everyone 
else did too. All of the actors in it still have some kind of career. Especially the lead actor who is basically the Korean McDreamy. Well, at least one of them. Let me tell you, Korea has been doing the McDreamy thing longer than we have. It just took Grey’s Anatomy to give it a cool name. I already spoke about this in a previous post so I won’t bombard you with the wit, sweetness, honesty, romance, humor, complexity, morality, fun, and thought provoking-ness (is that a word?) it brings to the screen. I guess I just broke my promise. But honestly if I could think of more adjectives right now I would. Yes, it’s that good.
6)He Was Cool: The great thing about foreign films is that they have the tendency to
He REALLY is.
have either really vague titles or titles so obvious it practically slaps you in the face. This would be the latter. It’s basically about a girl who falls in love with the coolest guy you’ll ever meet. And of course you come to find out he’s got a tortured soul with deep seeded pain surging through his veins. In the movie the “cool” guy was to the girl what Jordan Catalano was to Angela Chase on “My So-Called Life”. The difference being that this was more than some semi-obsessive, slightly annoying high school crush. The guy was genuinely charming and there were gradual changes in both characters not just one. Pure entertainment value but rather high value. Really this mainly appeals to anyone who always wanted to be with that dreamy guy but knew there was no chance of that happening but as the old McDonald’s ad used to say, “Hey, it could happen!”
