Grammy nomination concert cheapens awards

The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' decision to air a nomination special and concert for the Grammy Awards is slightly baffling. The Grammys have had ratings struggles (as have most award shows) and are looking to gain viewers. In the last few years, they've expanded upon the nomination announcement, adding an over-stuffed concert to the announcement of only a few nominees. Wednesday's special was another awkward show, in which contractually obligated CBS stars stuffed as much music and bombast into one hour, with little emphasis on the nominations. The nomination reveals were strange, between the odd delay in the song playing and the artists' image on the big screen and the presenters' reading of the song (don't forget missteps like Nicki Minaj's inability to pronounce Bon Iver). I'm disappointed with myself for wasting time on them (especially since it made me forget The Soup, which is now, inexplicably and annoyingly, on Wednesdays now).

When other award shows present their nominees, the announcements are short, sweet and to the point. Here, the award presentations are second to the performers during the concert; I'm sure we'll see many of the same performers at the Feb. 12 ceremony anyway. They aren't going to be as fun come February, because we've already seen the show. A tribute to a song going into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message")? How special is this tribute if it's not even during the real Grammy Awards? Wouldn't it make more sense to profile the song come February, instead of here? How special is an in Memoriam? And does Lady Gaga really deserve to perform multiple times (I say this as someone who saw her in concert in 2010 and enjoyed it, by the way, so Little Monsters need not attack)?

This concert existed solely to further clutter the TV with concerts that masquerade as award shows. Come on, how many ACMs, AMAs, WMAs, VMAs, etc., do we really need? The way the Grammys present themselves now, the awards are secondary and losing meaning year after year.

CBS, the Academy: If you want to distinguish your awards from others and keep the Grammys' reputation for being the ultimate prize in music, keep the awards fair and a one-time only event. Note: fair does not necessarily mean "outside of the mainstream." But, really, the screech-fest that is Katy Perry's "Firework" is one of the best recordings of the year? Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's good, but that's another matter. The way it is now, it's just another way to fill multiple holes in the schedule.

Syndicated How I Met Your Mother episodes feature digitally-added advertisement

The video below is a Internet advertisement for season four of "the Office," describing what the Dunder Mifflin staff did in the summer of 2007.



This always made me laugh, because in a way, it broke the space-time continuum. I can't help but wonder if, when Michael took the staff to see "Knocked Up," they thought to themselves: gee, Darryl looks a lot like the club doorman, Ryan looks an awful lot like that skeevy doctor and Steve Carell looks a lot like our boss!

Well, that continuum is becoming even more useless, and advertising is become a lot more shameless. As Entertainment Weekly and Slashfilm reported, syndicated reruns of shows like "How I Met Your Mother" now have advertisements digitally superimposed in the background.

Eagle-eyed viewers saw ads for films such as "Zookeeper" and "Bad Teacher" in episodes, ads that were not in the original or DVD versions. How could they be? These HIMYM episodes originally aired years ago (and were set in the years in which they aired, based on the show's narrative structure), long before these movies were likely in development. It's a simple, if shameless way to get the word out without airing a commercial spot (which would likely be skipped when viewed on DVR ... or VCR, if you're cheap like me and still live in the '90s), but it also seems a little tacky.

As with the above example with "the Office," I find the "Bad Teacher" ads amusing. If Marshall Eriksen exists in the HIMYM world, can Jason Segel also exist? After all, Segel became famous largely for playing Marshall, which is likely how he got a role in "Bad Teacher." How can Segel become famous for playing a "real" character? I realize this is probably far too analytic of a mindless viewing of a TV rerun, but I guess that's how I deal with my annoyance at the shamelessness of this.

Do you feel like you're more likely to see a film when it's integrated into shows like this? For me, I already know I'm never going to watch "Zookeeper," whether Marshall and Barney walk by an ad for it or not. But, could it subliminally work for lesser-known media products, or ones that inspire cravings (I'll admit to getting a hankering for T.G.I. Fridays breadsticks when I see that stupid "Zookeeper" ad)? I've always been fascinated by product placement and I'm curious where others stand on it.

Charlie Sheen's crazy quotes offer plenty of joy

I love award shows. So, you'd figure this update would relate to the Academy Awards. However, that's not true, first of all, because I was at work, and I missed most of the show. Second, from what I hear, the show was a dud, and much of the blame is placed upon co-host James Franco. I can't help but love Franco, so instead of focusing on his Oscar performance, I'll instead think about his brilliant Twitter account and photos, like this:



Anyway, the Academy Awards are not my main form of entertainment. No, my great joy this week comes from Charlie Sheen. Always a powder keg, the Franz Ferdinand moment came in January when he was sent to the hospital (and rehab) and production on his show "Two and a Half Men" was shut down due to Sheen's absence. In this last week, Sheen and "Men" creator Chuck Lorre have gotten into a war of words that turned anti-Semitic when Sheen mocked Lorre changing his name to sound less Jewish (which is rich, seeing as how "Carlos Estevez" wasn't Hollywood enough, and "Charlie Sheen" was better).

It turns out, those shocking comments were just the tip of the iceberg. In the past couple of days, Sheen has appeared on "the Today Show," "Piers Morgan Tonight," "20/20" and more, delivering mind-bogglingly scary/crazy/awesome/perfect (they're a little of all of these adjectives) phrases. To list them all would take forever, but, among the highlights:

*Frequent references to the word "winning," as well as "bi-winning: "I’m not bi-polar, I’m bi-winning. I win here and I win there."
*"I'm tired of pretending like I'm not bitchin', a total rock star from Mars, and people can't figure me out; they can't process me. I don't expect them to. You can't process me with a normal brain."
*"Clearly I have defeated this earthworm [Lorre] with my words, imagine what I would have done with my fire-breathing fists."
*Frequent references to having "tiger blood and Adonis DNA," and being a warlock.

And, my personal favorite: "I am on a drug, it's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body." That's right, everyone, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have lied to you for 30 years, the Nazis were brought down by Sheen, not the Ark of the Covenant.

Debate continues over Sheen's mental condition - is he bipolar, having a manic episode? Is he high now, or is he now sober and crashing?

I'm not going to say that Sheen doesn't have some sort of mental anguish, but I honestly get the sense that the majority of his issues have to do with his massive ego. He's desperate to remain in the spotlight and truly believes he deserves more money for his work on "Two and a Half Men." Compared to someone like Gary Busey, a celebrity who has obvious mental issues/brain injuries, I see Sheen's meltdown as a different kind of breakdown. It's largely ego-driven.

This man has been pushing the limits for years, between the Heidi Fleiss scandal, the cocaine overdose(s), charges of domestic violence against his wives, and more. He knows he can get away with it - "Two and a Half Men" still became and remains a hit regardless of the stunts he pulls. So, he's going to pull out all the stops, all the egocentric thoughts in his head to get what he wants. This isn't a mental breakdown, it's an ego-driven one. Or, at least, that's what I'm going to tell myself so I don't feel bad about laughing endlessly at his "Sheenanigans."

If you haven't seen any of Sheen's recent interviews, here's a small clip of his "Today Show" interview.



Also worth checking out: Cats Quote Charlie Sheen and Sheen's new Twitter account.

What do you think? Are people being insensitive to a public mental breakdown, or is this just desserts for years of celebrity entitlement?

I hope Forss Fagerstrom shows up to Conan's show.

This is the Breslin Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. It's the home of the Michigan State Spartans basketball team (who appeared in this year's Final Four), but, as someone who cares a minimal amount about sports, that fact is semi-irrelevant. For me, the Breslin Center has a different significance.

In 15 days, on May 21, it will be the venue where I see Conan O'Brien on his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour."

Crazy, right? Back in March, when dates were announced, they sold out so quickly that I was unable to get a ticket, and it broke my heart that I couldn't witness this event, since it was likely to be Conan's only tour ever. I was filled with jealousy as I saw photos, videos and recaps from his shows throughout April. Then, one day a few weeks ago, I saw on Twitter that the school was going to host his tour on May 21, between his Chicago and Toronto dates, and tickets were a lot cheaper for this show than they were for the other shows.

I figured it was a long shot, since, as someone not enrolled at MSU, I could not participate in the student pre-sale, and they were only selling 4,500 tickets. However, I set my alarm last Monday bright and early to try to buy a ticket. After 15 gut-wrenching minutes of denial by the website, I was finally able to get into the ticketing system, and I got my ticket. The sense of accomplishment was honestly greater than my sense of accomplishment I got from graduating from high school, as pathetic as that sounds.

I won't ramble on about this for too long, since on May 22, I will update this blog with a ridiculously long recap. But, I am so thankful I have the chance to go, because I know how many people were in my original situation. Thank you, MSU, for not making this event only for MSU students, as Ohio State University did for Conan's May 24 show.

I'm not going to get my hopes up for guests, because, after all, who would be in the East Lansing area? The preceding Chicago shows and following Toronto shows will probably have great guests, and we'll get the shaft. I mean, two of my favorite people on the face of the earth, Jack McBrayer and Jason Mraz, have made guest appearances at his shows. I can't be that lucky! But, I'm not complaining too much, because seeing Conan, Andy Richter and the Legally Prohibited Band will be enough for me. Forss Fagerstrom showing up would be nice as well.



In Conan news that is not related to my shameless bragging, he was on 60 Minutes Sunday, discussing his exit with NBC. Personally, I thought he came across as crestfallen but not bitter, and it only made me love him more. You can watch the interview here:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Additionally, CBS' YouTube account has some bonus videos. I'm partial to this one:



Oh, and this video is just for fun. It still cracks me up 2 1/2 years later. A fire alarm interrupts Conan, hilarity ensues.



NOTE: Although I am finished with my Online Journalism class for which this blog was created, I plan on keeping it up. I may be a bit less stringent on AP Style and may use slang/Internet lingo more in my updates. Additionally, my updates may not be as frequent as they were during the semester. Thanks for reading!

Joel McHale and Craig Ferguson make casual, candid conversation

While late night television can be viewed as a way to entertain America just before they go to bed, Hollywood has a different idea. These shows are a perfect way for media conglomerates to allow for their respective stars to shill out their latest movies, television shows and musicians' albums. The conversations between the host and the guest are often predetermined before filming, and the two rarely have any knowledge about one another beyond what they're promoting.

Monday night, "Community" star and "The Soup" host Joel McHale, one of the funniest men in show business right now, appeared on "The Late Late Show." Since I've always preferred Conan O'Brien (and once he was hosting the "Tonight Show," I usually just left on Jimmy Fallon), I hadn't really given host Craig Ferguson much of a chance. However, since NBC is now dead to me, more or less, I've been checking out Ferguson more, and I'm beginning to realize what I've been missing. His interview with McHale shows that not only is he funny, but can be very genuine with his guests.

Their rapport is casual and friendly, and doesn't feel staged for the studio audience. You can tell that McHale and Ferguson have developed a certain degree of friendship off-camera, and that they really aren't trying too hard to be funny and jovial. When in the company of one another, they are naturally hilarious and laid-back. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Plus, now I want a robot impersonating David Caruso, who plays the "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" part of "We Won't Get Fooled Again" as it takes off its glasses.

As always, Oh No They Didn't helped me see the video.





I'm beginning to see why people like Ferguson as much as they do. Last month, he decided to do a show sans audience, simply hanving an hour-long conversation with comedian Stephen Fry. As Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly noted, "What was new [...] was this old-fashioned hour, in which two people conversed in an enlightening, deceptively casual way. It was terrific to see two pros like this." Ferguson is not only funny, but fascinating. Part one of the show with Fry is here.

What does everyone think of McHale, Ferguson and Fry? Do you also find yourself captivated and amused by Ferguson's interviews? Do you have any other late-night highlights? Leave a comment!