My Top 5 Favorite Moments of the 2013 Grammys Were...

Last night I tuned into the Grammy Awards for the third year in a row. While I am usually pretty satisfied with the Grammys, this year's broadcast was a tad boring. There were several occasions when I flirted with the idea of changing the channel, or turning the television off altogether...yep, I was that bored. But I stuck with it! Mainly because I had already planned to share my favorite moments of this year's Grammys with you. And when it comes to my opinion, you know I'm all about sharing! In that spirit, my to 5 favorite moments of the 2013 Grammys were:

Photo Credit: Larry Busacca/WireImage

5. When American Idol Showed Us All Why It Is the Premier Singing Competition - No one can deny that American Idol has consistently turned out major superstars. Jennifer Hudson..Jordin Sparks...Clay Aiken...and two of the most successful contestants, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Last night, both Kelly and Carrie demonstrated how they each beat out hundreds of thousands of aspiring singers to emerge as the American Idol. Both performances were amazing! Both of these women have beautiful and powerful voices, and last night, they SANG! Undeniable talent...Simon would be proud!

Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/WireImage

4. When Justin Timberlake Put On His Suit and Tie - I have no problem admitting that I was seriously bored with the Grammys until Justin Timberlake performed. I really like his new song, and I loved the energy he brought to the stage. And when my boy Jay-Z emerged from the audience and walked on the stage, the dope factor tripled. I also thoroughly enjoyed the band...especially the pianist who played like a Baptist church organist! By the way, where I can I get a copy of the second song JT sang? You know I love a good falsetto!

3.  When Jay-Z Said What We Were All Thinking - Quick question: Who in the hell left the gate open and let TheDream attend the Grammys wearing his play clothes? Apparently TheDream has no friends, because friends don't let friends come to an event like the Grammys looking like...a mess. But leave it to my boy Jay-Z to keep it real and say what everyone was thinking. "I want to thank the swap meet for his hat!" Yesssssss Mr. Carter! Please stand on that stage with your fresh tuxedo and, in the words of JT, show TheDream a few things!

Photo Credit: Wire Images

2. When the Thigh Walked on Stage Attached to J.Lo - We all know that Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to the red carpet. And we all know that J. Lo is famous for consistently shutting down said carpet. Well, Jenny From the Block did not disappoint last night! J. Lo donned an Anthony Vaccarello number that was cut to show her entire right leg...this dress instantly gave me life! And I wasn't the only one (cut to Drake and Jay-Z drooling)! And just in case you weren't paying attention, J. Lo made sure everyone knew that she was abiding by the Grammy dress code...while showcasing that thigh dress.

And.............

Photo Credit: Getty Images

1. When the Purple One Blessed Us With His Presence - This was by far my favorite moment of the Grammys. Did you all see how he sauntered onto the stage like only Prince can?! No one is as cool as this guy! Honestly, I can't even remember which award he was handing out...it doesn't even matter. Because Prince was in the building! Yessssss!

Read more »

The Professional Diva's Take On This Year's Grammy Awards!

Greetings Diva and Gents! And welcome to another productive work week! I have a great weekend, and I hope you all did as well. If any of you follow me on Twitter (@TheProDiva), you know that I tuned in to the Grammy Awards for the second year in a row. As you may recall, I tuned in to the Grammys last year after a long hiatus, and I loved the show from beginning to end (Check out my favorite moments HERE!). This year, however…not so much! Can I be honest? We’re all cool, right? This year’s award ceremony was dreadfully boring. There were definitely some bright spots, but the production as a whole was lacking. And please don’t get me started on Nicki Minaj’s performance…I digress…

Because the ceremony was not that great, I had a difficult time finding those stand-out moments. Now, I have never backed down from a challenge, and I am not about to let a lackluster ceremony stop me from sharing my favorite moments from this year’s Grammy Awards. Please pray for me as I share the few (and I do mean few) shining moments of this year’s Grammys.
  

Bruno Mars’ Runaway Baby – Bruno showed out for the Grammys didn’t he!? For those of you who don’t know, I am a huge Bruno Mars fan…I love his voice! Doo-wops and Hooligans quickly became one of my favorite albums since its release, and is in heavy rotation on my iPod. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by his energetic, old-school-esque performance last night. I loved everything from the live band, to the dance moves, to Bruno’s hair-do….it was all extremely dope!

Chris Brown’s Dance Moves – Chris Brown made his return to the Grammys last night; and in true Chris Brown fashion, he let his dancing skills speak for him. I personally think he did a great job! His performance was visually stimulating and creative. It was one of the better performances of the night…in my opinion. Now, I will not ignore the big orange elephant in the room. Many of us know that this is Chris’ first trip to the Grammys since the domestic dispute between him and his former girlfriend, Rihanna, back in 2009. His return was met with much criticism and anger from many organizations and activist. Can I reach back to my Baptist church roots for just a quick second? We all have demons. We all have done wrong. We all have asked for forgiveness. Should Chris Brown be punished for eternity? If your answer is “yes,” please remember this the next time you have fallen short, and are in need of forgiveness. That’s it! I’m done! Loved the performance!

Adele Wins and Sings BIG! – Is it just me, or has Rolling In The Deep become the theme song for any and every struggle? Need motivation to run that last mile…Rolling In The Deep! Trying to get over a bad break up… Rolling In The Deep! Getting ready to head into Wal-Mart at midnight on Black Friday… Rolling In The Deep! This song helps you get the job done always…any job! But seriously, Adele came with it when she recorded this song, and she came with it last night at the Grammys. Last night was Adele’s first live performance since having throat surgery last year, and I think the procedure was a success! She tore DOWN the house last night with a stirring rendition of the 2011 Get-It-Done Anthem. And if that wasn’t enough, Adele won 6 Grammy Awards last night, tying Beyonce for the most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Go girl!

J-Hud’s Tribute to Whitney Houston – Okay, I had to pray on this one for a second. I wasn’t quite sure if I liked the performance. My first thought was that it was too short. My next thought was that it was over-sung. I decided that I would not formulate an official opinion until I had a chance to sleep on it. My conclusion: it was a fitting tribute. It was short, sweet, and briefly powerful. Anything longer would not have had the same effect. Jennifer Hudson did a fantastic job on such short notice, and it was an appropriate tribute to Whitney and all of the fallen industry pioneers. Bravo to the organizers for doing a fabulous job!

That’s it for me guys! Did I miss anything? What were your favorite moments?

Read more »

6 Things I Loved About This Year's Grammy Awards

For the first time in a long time, I watched the Grammy Awards! I honestly thought the program as a whole was quite boring, but there were some bright spots. In the spirit of sharing, here are 6 things that I absolutely loved about this year’s Grammy Awards. Please feel free to add you own. Enjoy!

6. Mick Jagger Does the Grammy’s – How is it possible that the legendary Mick Jagger has never performed at the Grammy’s? The Rolling Stones’ front man took the stage last night…and he rocked it! His performance was high energy, and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself. On another note, I will be a happy woman if I have half the stamina as Mick when I’m 67. Work Mick!

5. Esperanza Spalding Wins Best New Artist - How many times have you watched the Grammy’s, and found yourself immersed in disappointment when your favorite artist failed to win the award? Welcome to the world of Justin Bieber fans everywhere! Esperanza Spalding, the singer and jazz bassist won the Grammy for Best New Artist, upsetting the favorite Justin Bieber. Let me be clear that this was not one of my favorite moments because Justin Bieber lost. This was one of my favorite moments because an extraordinarily talent artist, who may not be all that popular, celebrated a well deserved victory. This time, the Academy got it right!

4. Cee-lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Performance – I don’t know about you, but I was glued to the television trying to take it all in. It was all so colorful and festive. And also creative! Who knew that the Muppets had so much soul! Aside from the party that was going on on-stage, Cee-lo and Gwyneth complemented each other wonderfully! They had an unexpected chemistry that made the “kick ‘em to the curb” lyrics come to life. There was only one other thing about this performance that made me jump even higher for joy (see #3)…

3. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Shoes – I had an instant shoegasm! Gwyneth donned the Christian Louboutin multi-colored stiletto booties from the Spring 2011 Collection…..I won’t comment any further. The shoes can speak for themselves!

2. Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, and B.O.B.  Share Their Multiple Talents – One word describes this performance: AMAZING! This was, in my opinion, the best performance of the evening. Three stellar artist sharing one stage, and sharing a multiple of talents. B.O.B.’s rendition of his hit “Nothin On You” was melodic and somewhat soothing. Bruno Mars seemed to channel Sam Cooke in his version of “Grenade.” I love the eccentricity of his voice. Finally, Janelle Monae, one of the most gifted artists out there, brought the house down with “Cold War.” It was epic! And imagine my surprise to see Bruno playing the drums and B.O.B. strumming the guitar during Janelle’s performance. I was astounded by the level of talent displayed on that stage. If you haven’t already done so, please support these artists. You won’t regret it! 

1. Lady Gaga arrives in an egg! - I am still laughing out loud! How creative of her! No one has ever done it. So congratulations to Lady Gaga for being innovative and thinking outside of the proverbial box!

Read more »