Last night was the Brit Awards. some good things happened, as well as some bad things. But on the whole it's a ceremony that won't live long in the memory. Some points about the evening, and the Brits in general:
Ed Sheeran wins 2 Brit Awards
When the nominations were announced back in January I did realise that there was a possibility that Sheeran could walk away with an undeserved treble, but I hoped so much he would be amongst those overlooked on the night. Not to be.
Any awards should be engraved with the names of whichever groups, companies or individuals are responsible for managing to successfully market and PR a below-average busker to such lofty heights. In an era where the public don't necessarily buy the music they want, but what is instead sold to them, the rise in popularity of 'artists' like Ed Sheeran can only mean that more dirge will likely be coming down the tubes in the future.
The Great British public should never be allowed to vote
Simple really. This isn't the (now sadly defunct) Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, this is the Brit Awards, supposedly the highlight in the British musical calendar. I know the majority of viewers probably welcome the chance to have their views heard (we do live in a democracy after all, even if it is one dependent on the bill payer's permission) but having a solid four weeks of One Direction fans clogging up Twitter with various #Vote1DBrits related hashtag begging isn't the way forward.
James Cordon shouldn't present the Brits next year
For the second year in a row, James Cordon stumbled his way through the awards, asking anyone who would let him about if they were having an 'incredible year', before making offensive remarks and closing off the night by 'cutting off' one of the winners with the tact of a startled elephant.
All I'm going to say is that Dermot O'Leary wouldn't make trans-phobic jokes about anyone on-air. (Adele said in her first speech she looked like a "drag queen in comparison to Kylie Minogue. In his next link Cordon referred to her as "one hell of a successful tranny", a remark which will probably have been overlooked by him cutting off Adele)
Musical Performances
I'm not going to write loads critiquing each act, so I'll keep it simple. Rihanna was best on the night, followed by Coldplay and Blur. I don't think I'd even bother to watch any of them on YouTube a second time, let alone pay money for them on iTunes.
The Coca-Cola advert was really quite good
Most musical-based adverts from the last two years have been truly awful; such as the Yeo Valley farmers, the John Lewis Christmas '11 campaign, and more recently that FindAProperty.com rap delivered at a speed nobody can understand. Even the inclusion of Mark Ronson doesn't detract from the quality of the song, and somebody at Coca-Cola deserves a nice pat on the back.
General Standards
The organisers of the Brit Awards probably know this already, but alas, I think it's worth reiteration. The Brit Awards will never be as slick as the Grammy's, but the gulf in quality between the two ceremonies only gets wider when you include 'media personalities' who cannot read aloud from an autocue or bit of flimsy card without messing up.
In extension to this, certain dress codes should probably apply. I fully understand that musicians can choose to wear what they want (eg Gaga, Rihanna et al) but I'm struggling to find justification for acts wearing t-shirts when performing live (Ed Sheeran), let alone if said t-shirts are from an artist's own merchandise range (Rizzle Kicks). Not good enough.
Adele being cut off isn't really that big a deal
Just when the night was about to slide into the gutter, a haze of forgettable beige-pop and champagne, ITV mess up so badly that the lasting memory will likely be James Cordon telling Adele to wrap up her speech. (NB: If an artist forgets to mention you until their second awards speech, the sad likelyhood is that you're a replaceable commodity)
Anyone who has worked in a 'live television' environment will know that timing is imperative. The Brit Awards are no different, and often sacrifices are made to allow for time. It's unfortunate for ITV that those sacrifices often come at bad moments, such as during the highlight speech of one of the most popular singers in the world (or in sport, during a football game when a goal has been scored). As much as I dislike him, it wasn't James Cordon's fault. The extra few minutes needed could've been found by not asking Ed Sheeran to show us his busking.
Verdict
What would have been a mostly forgettable evening was only provided with a 'talking point' that people will remember due to poor time management. 4.5 out of 10. (I'd also like to point out I correctly predicted 7/10 of last nights awards)
Paul
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Post Six: Brit Awards 2012 - Predictions
Here are some 'predictions' for tonight's Brit Awards...
British Male Solo Artist
Nominees: Ed Sheeran, James Blake, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Professor Green
Who I want to win: Professor Green
Who I think will win: Ed Sheeran. Yawn
British Female Solo Artist
Nominees: Adele, Florence & The Machine, Jessie J, Kate Bush, Laura Marling
Who I want to win: I'm gonna have to say Florence here
Who I think will win: Adele
British Breakthrough Act
Nominees: Anna Calvi, Ed Sheeran, Emili Sandé, Jessie J, The Vaccines
Who I want to win: None of them, it's a terrible batch of nominees.
Who I think will win: Jessie J
British Group
Nominees: Arctic Monkeys, Chase & Status, Coldplay, Elbow, Kasabian
Who I want to win: Chase & Status
Who I think will win: Kasabian (even though they aren't performing this year??)
British Single
Nominees:
Adele - 'Someone Like You'
Ed Sheeran - 'The A Team'
Example - 'Changed The Way You Kissed Me'
Jessie J ft. Bob - 'Price Tag'
Military Wives / Gareth Malone - 'Wherever You Are'
Olly Murs ft. Rizzle Kicks - 'Heart Skips A Beat'
One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful'
Pixie Lott - 'All About Tonight'
The Wanted - 'Glad You Came'
Who I want to win: Example
Who I think will win: One Direction, especially as this was a public vote. 1D have some awful fans who've clogged up Twitter's trending topics (#vote1DBrits etc etc) for the last few weeks, so I imagine they'll get their way.
MasterCard British Album
Nominees:
Adele - 21
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Ed Sheeran - +
Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Who I want to win: I'm not especially fond of any of the nominated records (maybe F&TM at a push), but I'd like PJ Harvey to have the whole 'winning the Mercury Prize and Brit Award' 'thing'.
Who I think will win: Adele
International Male Solo Artist
Nominees: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Ryan Adams
Who I want to win: Not fussed, the International Male award has for a long time been awful, this year is no different.
Who I think will win: Bruno Mars
International Female Solo Artist
Nominees: Beyoncé, Björk, Feist, Lady Gaga, Rihanna
Who I want to win: Beyoncé, really enjoyed her headline set at Glastonbury last year.
Who I think will win: Rihanna
International Group
Nominees: Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z / Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5
Who I want to win: If there's any justice from these awards, it'll be a win for Jay-Z and Kanye
Who I think will win: Maroon 5
International Breakthrough Act
Nominees: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Foster The People, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj
Who I want to win: Bon Iver, even if it means everyone on Twitter moaning / asking who he is (eg what happened when Arcade Fire won 2 Brits last year).
Who I think will win: Lizzie Grant (aka Lana Del Rey)
In an ideal world, Ed Sheeran, Adele and One Direction would be leaving empty-handed tonight. Sadly the Brit awards are being hosted at the O2 Arena instead of in my utopian daydream where Sheeran is still playing gigs in empty pubs.
British Male Solo Artist
Nominees: Ed Sheeran, James Blake, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Professor Green
Who I want to win: Professor Green
Who I think will win: Ed Sheeran. Yawn
British Female Solo Artist
Nominees: Adele, Florence & The Machine, Jessie J, Kate Bush, Laura Marling
Who I want to win: I'm gonna have to say Florence here
Who I think will win: Adele
British Breakthrough Act
Nominees: Anna Calvi, Ed Sheeran, Emili Sandé, Jessie J, The Vaccines
Who I want to win: None of them, it's a terrible batch of nominees.
Who I think will win: Jessie J
British Group
Nominees: Arctic Monkeys, Chase & Status, Coldplay, Elbow, Kasabian
Who I want to win: Chase & Status
Who I think will win: Kasabian (even though they aren't performing this year??)
British Single
Nominees:
Adele - 'Someone Like You'
Ed Sheeran - 'The A Team'
Example - 'Changed The Way You Kissed Me'
Jessie J ft. Bob - 'Price Tag'
Military Wives / Gareth Malone - 'Wherever You Are'
Olly Murs ft. Rizzle Kicks - 'Heart Skips A Beat'
One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful'
Pixie Lott - 'All About Tonight'
The Wanted - 'Glad You Came'
Who I want to win: Example
Who I think will win: One Direction, especially as this was a public vote. 1D have some awful fans who've clogged up Twitter's trending topics (#vote1DBrits etc etc) for the last few weeks, so I imagine they'll get their way.
MasterCard British Album
Nominees:
Adele - 21
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Ed Sheeran - +
Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Who I want to win: I'm not especially fond of any of the nominated records (maybe F&TM at a push), but I'd like PJ Harvey to have the whole 'winning the Mercury Prize and Brit Award' 'thing'.
Who I think will win: Adele
International Male Solo Artist
Nominees: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Ryan Adams
Who I want to win: Not fussed, the International Male award has for a long time been awful, this year is no different.
Who I think will win: Bruno Mars
International Female Solo Artist
Nominees: Beyoncé, Björk, Feist, Lady Gaga, Rihanna
Who I want to win: Beyoncé, really enjoyed her headline set at Glastonbury last year.
Who I think will win: Rihanna
International Group
Nominees: Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z / Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5
Who I want to win: If there's any justice from these awards, it'll be a win for Jay-Z and Kanye
Who I think will win: Maroon 5
International Breakthrough Act
Nominees: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Foster The People, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj
Who I want to win: Bon Iver, even if it means everyone on Twitter moaning / asking who he is (eg what happened when Arcade Fire won 2 Brits last year).
Who I think will win: Lizzie Grant (aka Lana Del Rey)
In an ideal world, Ed Sheeran, Adele and One Direction would be leaving empty-handed tonight. Sadly the Brit awards are being hosted at the O2 Arena instead of in my utopian daydream where Sheeran is still playing gigs in empty pubs.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Post Five - Fabio Capello
This entry was being written throughout the evening that Fabio Capello resigned from the England job, which will probably mean that paragraphs may become factually incorrect whilst they are being written; such is the nature of these sudden news events.
I’m loathe to write too much about what has happened, because the majority of people reading it will already be aware of what’s happened. If not, then have a look on a news website or Sky Sports News, this is a story which won’t be leaving the news agenda for at least the foreseeable future.
As football is often such an opinion-based sport, the hours following Capello’s announced departure saw the good, the bad, and the frankly godawful (Neil Warnock) spouting their tuppence-worth in the vain hope that they would be seen as relevant within the debate about who should take the England job. The only person on Sky Sports News not totally preoccupied with all things Capello must have been Peterborough’s director of football Barry Fry, who diligently stuck the task of offering updates from the FA Cup replay between Middlesborough and Sunderland.
The nature of rolling news coverage means that hapless presenters are often left to pad heavily in-between looped footage and the aforementioned phone interviews. Thankfully (for them) the rise in Twitter over the last 2 years makes their job a lot easier as they can knock up a few captions with some Tweets from a load of famous footballers.
In theory that would be great, but everyone claimed to be so shell-shocked by events that it led to a quite mundane set of visuals topped by Rio Ferdinand’s “so capello resigns... what now....” tweet. The evening saw a multitude of names put in the frame of the England job, the majority of whom were felt to have those all-important management attributes of ‘pride’, ‘passion’ and ‘belief’. The ability to speak more than an alleged 100 words of fluent English was also not overlooked.
Several names who could fit the bill as England manager trended on Twitter throughout the night; including Harry Redknapp, Gus Hiddink, Jose Mourinho, Stuart Pearce, Paul Gasgoine, and Mike Bassett. Yes, that’s the fictional character Mike Bassett as played by Ricky Tomlinson. On a personal level I was surprised (but thankful) that the whole situation wasn’t hijacked by the detritus on Twitter, the last thing that any discussion needed was a #1DirectionForEngland hashtag peddled by a load of pre-teens.
It’s a strange state of affairs if you consider that the delaying of John Terry’s trial for the alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand was the catalyst for everything that has preceded Capello’s resignation. Terry’s presumed fear of being found guilty of racial abuse before Euro 2012 prompted his legal team to move the trial to July 9th, giving adequate scope for his possible retirement after the tournament, therefore protecting his reputation (somewhat) before he takes the stand.
From there it’s possible to spot the domino effect - had the whole “innocent until proven guilty” angle been removed from the equation, the FA might not have had to intervene to strip Terry of a national team captaincy that he was lucky to hold for a second time. Capello was (rightly) unhappy to be seen to be undermined, but the interview on Italian television criticising the FA only served to paint him into an uncomfortable corner.
Going forward, the best thing FA can do is not rush into any decisions based under media pressure. After being acquitted from his tax evasion trial earlier in the day, Harry Redknapp looked set to be force-fed a massive nugget of career kryptonite and the bookie’s odds of him taking the England job were slashed as low as 2/7. That his Tottenham Hotspur side are 3rd in the Premier League should not be overlooked, nor should the reality that he could’ve been spending time at her majesty’s leisure earlier in the day. As a man who fought for five years to clear his name, what he faces now is a crossroads of decision which should not be taken lightly.
As the countdown to Euro 2012 draws nearer, the fact remains that this can be an opportunity for the best build-up to a major tournament that England have had for years. Because the whole of the national team setup will now be deemed to be in such a disastrous state, the ever-present anticipation that England will win their first major tournament since 1966 will hopefully dissipate. England have always had the players to make an impact in Poland and Ukraine, but a squad playing its football without the burden of outside expectation might actually not be a terrible idea, whoever is in charge.
Paul
I’m loathe to write too much about what has happened, because the majority of people reading it will already be aware of what’s happened. If not, then have a look on a news website or Sky Sports News, this is a story which won’t be leaving the news agenda for at least the foreseeable future.
As football is often such an opinion-based sport, the hours following Capello’s announced departure saw the good, the bad, and the frankly godawful (Neil Warnock) spouting their tuppence-worth in the vain hope that they would be seen as relevant within the debate about who should take the England job. The only person on Sky Sports News not totally preoccupied with all things Capello must have been Peterborough’s director of football Barry Fry, who diligently stuck the task of offering updates from the FA Cup replay between Middlesborough and Sunderland.
The nature of rolling news coverage means that hapless presenters are often left to pad heavily in-between looped footage and the aforementioned phone interviews. Thankfully (for them) the rise in Twitter over the last 2 years makes their job a lot easier as they can knock up a few captions with some Tweets from a load of famous footballers.
In theory that would be great, but everyone claimed to be so shell-shocked by events that it led to a quite mundane set of visuals topped by Rio Ferdinand’s “so capello resigns... what now....” tweet. The evening saw a multitude of names put in the frame of the England job, the majority of whom were felt to have those all-important management attributes of ‘pride’, ‘passion’ and ‘belief’. The ability to speak more than an alleged 100 words of fluent English was also not overlooked.
Several names who could fit the bill as England manager trended on Twitter throughout the night; including Harry Redknapp, Gus Hiddink, Jose Mourinho, Stuart Pearce, Paul Gasgoine, and Mike Bassett. Yes, that’s the fictional character Mike Bassett as played by Ricky Tomlinson. On a personal level I was surprised (but thankful) that the whole situation wasn’t hijacked by the detritus on Twitter, the last thing that any discussion needed was a #1DirectionForEngland hashtag peddled by a load of pre-teens.
It’s a strange state of affairs if you consider that the delaying of John Terry’s trial for the alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand was the catalyst for everything that has preceded Capello’s resignation. Terry’s presumed fear of being found guilty of racial abuse before Euro 2012 prompted his legal team to move the trial to July 9th, giving adequate scope for his possible retirement after the tournament, therefore protecting his reputation (somewhat) before he takes the stand.
From there it’s possible to spot the domino effect - had the whole “innocent until proven guilty” angle been removed from the equation, the FA might not have had to intervene to strip Terry of a national team captaincy that he was lucky to hold for a second time. Capello was (rightly) unhappy to be seen to be undermined, but the interview on Italian television criticising the FA only served to paint him into an uncomfortable corner.
Going forward, the best thing FA can do is not rush into any decisions based under media pressure. After being acquitted from his tax evasion trial earlier in the day, Harry Redknapp looked set to be force-fed a massive nugget of career kryptonite and the bookie’s odds of him taking the England job were slashed as low as 2/7. That his Tottenham Hotspur side are 3rd in the Premier League should not be overlooked, nor should the reality that he could’ve been spending time at her majesty’s leisure earlier in the day. As a man who fought for five years to clear his name, what he faces now is a crossroads of decision which should not be taken lightly.
As the countdown to Euro 2012 draws nearer, the fact remains that this can be an opportunity for the best build-up to a major tournament that England have had for years. Because the whole of the national team setup will now be deemed to be in such a disastrous state, the ever-present anticipation that England will win their first major tournament since 1966 will hopefully dissipate. England have always had the players to make an impact in Poland and Ukraine, but a squad playing its football without the burden of outside expectation might actually not be a terrible idea, whoever is in charge.
Paul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)