Music, TV, Movies, and Entertainment

Grammy Predictions for 2012

The Grammys are upon us for another year, and things look to be heating up right before the big ceremony. LL Cool J is slated to host, and he’s got enough charisma to pull off a job. He might not be the star that you once was, but there’s no denying the impact he’s had on the music scene. He’ll bring a degree of entertainment to the event that has seen some dud hosts in the past. But more important than the master of ceremonies are the nominees and eventual award winners. This year it’s a mixed bag of new and older artists, and the results are going to be thrilling to watch. There are some definite front-runners and we might see a few surprises, and there will undoubtedly be a few shocking performances along the way. The Grammys still hold a lot of prestige in the eyes of even the most hardened singing veteran, and anyone of them would be glad to pick up an award this year. Let’s take a look at the main categories and are predictions for the winners. Read more »

Is Madonna a Karaoke Singer?

Recently Gene Simmons came out against the decision by NFL football to make Madonna the halftime entertainment for the next Super Bowl. We agree it’s a strange decision because really, when it comes to people who like football they are exactly clamoring to see a 50-year-old Madonna. Who exactly is this choice for, and how does it make any financial sense? The base of NFL football probably doesn’t listen to synthetic pop, but on the other hand they might not be huge KISS fans either. So there’s lots to talk about here, and there’s no one answer that is going to make everyone happy. There are arguments on both sides that make sense, and when everything is said and done, Madonna is still going to perform. Will it be a stellar show? Well, the Super Bowl halftime show hasn’t been great for quite some time so it’s not like were expecting a lot. Read more »

Bands Who Make Songs that All Sound the Same

Music is a tough thing to make, and the business that surrounds it can be brutal. Fans can be fickle and it’s not always easy to meet their demands. Bands come and go all the time, and longevity is definitely something that can be elusive. But at the end of the day, there is an intangible factor that surrounds the music industry. There are some bands who sell millions of records despite being seemingly despised. There are other bands who managed to stick around while musicians with more talent only last a couple of years. And then we have a unique category of band that comes around every couple of years. These are bands who make songs that sound exactly like each other. And we’re not just talking about somewhat similar, it’s like listening to one long song. True fans of these bands don’t seem to care too much, but the casual listener is often baffled by how they can continually release supposedly different songs that are not different at all. Some culprits are guilty of in others, but here are some of the worst. Read more »

A Review of X-Factor – The First Episodes

We’re a few weeks into season one of X factor on Fox, and chances are you seen an episode or to yourself. There was a lot of hype for this show and of course everybody is wondering whether or not it lives up to it. It all depends on what you were expecting in the first place. If you were hoping that it would be an entirely different show that would revolutionize the music scene then you would probably be disappointed. If on the other hand, you wanted a solid music contest show that was a suitable rival to American Idol, then you might be pleased with what Fox has given us.
A lot of hullabaloo was made about Simon Cowell leaving American Idol in starting a “brand new” show. But let’s face facts here, there is nothing new about X factor. The concept is not new since a British version of the show has existed for several years now. The first few weeks have also been incredibly reminiscent of American Idol. Just because you have an audience during the audition process doesn’t mean you are revolutionizing anything. Slight tweaks in format don’t really add up to anything terribly fresh, but then again people would probably complain if things were two different. Read more »