Well, where to begin? Seeing Arcade Fire on the stage launching into 'Month of May' was absolutely fantastic, although I didn't think it was the best choice from the album to play at the Grammys. But then again, it was the first single. When I heard it last year when it dropped, I listened to it and thought something along the lines of "Oh, this is cool. Maybe a little loud and scream-y for me ..." And then I heard the whole album when it dropped and I flat out loved it.
And then when Barbara Streisand announced that The Suburbs won ... I nearly jumped out of my seat. Both fists shot up in the air and started pistonning. I was making a high pitched noise somewhere short of a dog whistle. I was jubilant. ... Extremely jubilant. Yes, I know that The Black Keys won an award or two or three for Brothers and Vampire Weekend was nominated in two or three categories for Contra but didn't win and Mumford and Sons didn't win either ... but still ... we can now say that Arcade Fire is a Grammy Award-winning band.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Live-Blogging the 2011 Grammys
I haven't really done this for the Grammys before, but what the hell, I'll give it a whirl.
Pre-show
I've seen two promos for the Grammys so far naming the artists who'll be performing. And they don't mention Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons. x_x
The show
8 PM: Yes, starting with an honorary performance/award for Aretha Franklin! Great way to start! ... But Aretha, oh how the years have treated you. :(
8:02 PM: Christina Aguilera and Martina McBride as part of a tribute to Aretha? Um ... interesting. But toss Florence of Florence & The Machine in there? Nice! :)
8:05 PM: Florence ... you are awesomeness!
8:13 PM: Oh, hi, Aretha! :D
8:14 PM: And we have a commercial.
8:19 PM: And we're back. Bows for the tribute performers. Oh, and they're presenting for Pop Performance (Duo or Group). Hrm ... *sees nominees* ... I'd be fine with Glee, Train, Maroon 5, or ... Paramore.
8:21 PM: Congrats to Train!
8:22 PM: Oy! Easy with the playing people off! And Ricky Martin ... are you in silver lamé pants? XD
8:23 PM: Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Gaga! ... In an egg. And she's hatching! ... I like the hat!
8:26 PM: Organ? A la Phantom? ... Or ... wait ... it looks like something out of the Fortress of Solitude. And the dancers are in skin-colored underwear.
8:28 PM: And another commercial. ... C'mon! Announce Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire, and The Avett Brothers!
8:33 PM: Wait ... who is this guy? ... *goes on Wikipedia* Oh. Huh. Miranda Lambert's hubby. Can you say preferential treatment? XD
8:38 PM: Lenny Kravitz! Nice to see ya! And introducing Muse! :D
8:40 PM: Someone rushing on stage? What? ... Oh, part of the act! XD
8:45 PM: And another commercial. XP
8:49 PM: Seacrest! Bravo! ... How are you still relevant? ... Um ... interesting super group? Bruno, aren't you supposed to be somewhere ... on charges? *checks Wikipedia* Okay, never mind, community service. Get going on that! ... After this set. I'm rather enjoying it. :)
8:57 PM: Dierks ... who? Country singer? Finally another award presentation! Sure took long enough! ... Female Country Vocalist. Um ... yeah ... I don't really care about this category ... but I'd be fine with Jewel.
8:59 PM: Well, Miranda performed and she won. Congrats to her.
9 PM: And a commercial. ... THEY MENTIONED MUMFORDANDSONSANDTHEAVETTBROTHERSYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! ANDARCADEFIRETOO! *HAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYDANCE*
9:05 PM: ... Eva, what are you doing introducing Justin Bieber at the Grammys? ... *snickers at "Beautiful relationship"*
9:06 PM: Justin ... you can play guitar? ... 'Baby' on acoustic guitar? Well ... I'm slightly impressed. No Auto-tuning? ... Japanese drummers?! ... And back to the Autotuning singing. XP *cracks open Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns*
9:09 PM: Jaden? Where's your sister? Too busy whipping her hair? XD ... And you're in leopard skin tight-pants.
9:13 PM: Paramore and the goth actress (and by goth I mean the character she plays dresses goth-like) from NCIS? Uh ... okay. But it's Best Rock Album! Oh, Jeff Beck, Muse, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Neil Young ...damn, I'd be fine with any of 'em. ... Okay, Muse, nice, nice! :)
9:15 PM: And another commercial.
9:20 PM: Donnie, please take off the glasses ... unless you're hungover. ... And paired with Selena Gomez? Uh ... And in this category (Best Pop Vocal Album), I'm either for Susan Boyle or Lady Gaga. Or maybe John Mayer. Maybe Katy Perry. ... Congrats, Gaga! ... Skin-tight, pre-fitted leather outfit? Okaaaaay ...
9:23 PM: And they start to play Gaga off, but they let her finish. :) And Letterman has a bit? Okaaaaaaaay ...
9:25 PM: MUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONS!
9:27 PM: AVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETBROTHERS! :D
9:30 PM: DYLAN ... and his raspy growl. XD
9:34 PM: *clears throat and calms down* So ... 'The Cave', 'Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise', and 'Maggie's Farm' were just fantastic! Wow ... I kinda want to see Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, and Bob Dylan make an album together. :) And now a commercial.
9:39 PM: Oh, Lifetime Achievement awards. Nice, nice. :) And ... wait, wait, an NFL player? Okaaaaay?
9:40 PM: Lady Antebellum covering Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes? I'm impressed!
9:44 PM: Miley with Kings of Leon? ... Nothing about Miley having sex while on fire? ... I kid, I kid. And presenting for Best Country Album. Hrm ... I'm going with the Zac Brown Band. Or Lady Antebellum. Congrats, Lady Antebellum!
9:50 PM: Okay, Cee-Lo looks like a giant painted turkey. And Gwyneth Paltrow singing along with him on 'Forget You'? And another commercial.
9:56 PM: NPH! SINGSINGSINGSING ... no? :( ... But a sex joke about Katy Perry? Okaaaay?
10 PM: And now you're in a tiny diamond coated summer dress. Bravo, Katy, I think you gave a fair amount of the male Grammy audience a raging hard-on. ... Me? No thanks.
10:02 PM: Going a bit country now? Oh, never mind, this is a good tune. Dolly Parton cover, huh? :) Maybe minus John Mayer.
10:04 PM: Song of the Year. Okay. Either Ray LaMontagne or Cee-Lo. Mkay, Lady Antebellum is still good. :)
10:06 PM: Mkay, another commercial ... and nothing against Bieber, but I don't want to see him win when he's up against people like Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons.
10:12 PM: Seth Rogen presenting a Grammy? Mkaaaaay? Well, the Miley Cyrus pot joke was amusing.
10:13 PM: *mutes TV/lowers volume and opens The Dark Knight Returns*
10:20 PM: Jewel? John Legend? Okay. ... Best New Artist? Bieber? Nope. Drake? Nah. Florence and the Machine? I could go for them. And Mumford and Sons too. ^_^ Dunno about Esperanza Spalding. AAAAAAAAAAAAAND ... okay, an unknown in my book, but congrats, Esperanza!
10:23 PM: Another commercial. But Album of the Year is coming soon. :)
10:28 PM: Matthew Morrison! Do something from 'South Pacific'! ... Probably not.
10:32 PM: And a memoriam. Bobby Hobb? I recognize the song he's singing. Gerry Rafferty ... :( Oh, so many great names. Alex Chilton too. ... We lost Jimmy Dean? O_o
10:34 PM: MICKJAGGER!
10:40 PM: Commercial. God, as if there weren't enough. XP
10:46 PM: Kris, we haven't seen you in a while! ... And is it just me or are you and Jeff Bridges looking oddly similar nowadays? XD
10:47 PM: Babs!
10:50 PM: A remix of 'Misirlou'? Mkay ... Nikki, you have ... Marge Simpson hair. Best Rap Album? Um ... *picks blindly* The Roots? ... Eminem. Well ... I guess white guys can rap.
10:53 PM: Mkay, another commercial. GETTOARCADEFIREALREADY!
10:58 PM: Puff Daddy/P-Diddy/Sean Combs ... you're still relevant?
10:59 PM: Rihanna and Drake performing? *returns to The Dark Knight Returns*
11:02 PM: Marc Anthony and J-Lo? Presenting Record of the Year ... I'm pulling for maybe Cee-Lo.
11:04 PM: Well, congrats again, Lady Antebellum! Really taking the Grammys this year!
11:05 PM: And another commercial. Arcade Fire already, c'mon!
11:12 PM: ARCADEFIREYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
11:20 PM: Babs and Kris presenting Album of the Year! Arcade Fire all the way!
11:22 PM: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
11:25 PM: And they're playing 'The Suburbs'. This is the best end to the Grammys. Ever. (Correction: 'Ready to Start')
11:28 PM: Hey! End credits and Delta and Hilton ads! Off my screen! I wanna see Arcade Fire!
And the Grammys are over. Well, not a fan of all the winners, but I might have to check out Lady Antebellum now. Until the Oscars! Allons-y!
Pre-show
I've seen two promos for the Grammys so far naming the artists who'll be performing. And they don't mention Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons. x_x
The show
8 PM: Yes, starting with an honorary performance/award for Aretha Franklin! Great way to start! ... But Aretha, oh how the years have treated you. :(
8:02 PM: Christina Aguilera and Martina McBride as part of a tribute to Aretha? Um ... interesting. But toss Florence of Florence & The Machine in there? Nice! :)
8:05 PM: Florence ... you are awesomeness!
8:13 PM: Oh, hi, Aretha! :D
8:14 PM: And we have a commercial.
8:19 PM: And we're back. Bows for the tribute performers. Oh, and they're presenting for Pop Performance (Duo or Group). Hrm ... *sees nominees* ... I'd be fine with Glee, Train, Maroon 5, or ... Paramore.
8:21 PM: Congrats to Train!
8:22 PM: Oy! Easy with the playing people off! And Ricky Martin ... are you in silver lamé pants? XD
8:23 PM: Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Gaga! ... In an egg. And she's hatching! ... I like the hat!
8:26 PM: Organ? A la Phantom? ... Or ... wait ... it looks like something out of the Fortress of Solitude. And the dancers are in skin-colored underwear.
8:28 PM: And another commercial. ... C'mon! Announce Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire, and The Avett Brothers!
8:33 PM: Wait ... who is this guy? ... *goes on Wikipedia* Oh. Huh. Miranda Lambert's hubby. Can you say preferential treatment? XD
8:38 PM: Lenny Kravitz! Nice to see ya! And introducing Muse! :D
8:40 PM: Someone rushing on stage? What? ... Oh, part of the act! XD
8:45 PM: And another commercial. XP
8:49 PM: Seacrest! Bravo! ... How are you still relevant? ... Um ... interesting super group? Bruno, aren't you supposed to be somewhere ... on charges? *checks Wikipedia* Okay, never mind, community service. Get going on that! ... After this set. I'm rather enjoying it. :)
8:57 PM: Dierks ... who? Country singer? Finally another award presentation! Sure took long enough! ... Female Country Vocalist. Um ... yeah ... I don't really care about this category ... but I'd be fine with Jewel.
8:59 PM: Well, Miranda performed and she won. Congrats to her.
9 PM: And a commercial. ... THEY MENTIONED MUMFORDANDSONSANDTHEAVETTBROTHERSYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! ANDARCADEFIRETOO! *HAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPYDANCE*
9:05 PM: ... Eva, what are you doing introducing Justin Bieber at the Grammys? ... *snickers at "Beautiful relationship"*
9:06 PM: Justin ... you can play guitar? ... 'Baby' on acoustic guitar? Well ... I'm slightly impressed. No Auto-tuning? ... Japanese drummers?! ... And back to the Autotuning singing. XP *cracks open Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns*
9:09 PM: Jaden? Where's your sister? Too busy whipping her hair? XD ... And you're in leopard skin tight-pants.
9:13 PM: Paramore and the goth actress (and by goth I mean the character she plays dresses goth-like) from NCIS? Uh ... okay. But it's Best Rock Album! Oh, Jeff Beck, Muse, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Neil Young ...damn, I'd be fine with any of 'em. ... Okay, Muse, nice, nice! :)
9:15 PM: And another commercial.
9:20 PM: Donnie, please take off the glasses ... unless you're hungover. ... And paired with Selena Gomez? Uh ... And in this category (Best Pop Vocal Album), I'm either for Susan Boyle or Lady Gaga. Or maybe John Mayer. Maybe Katy Perry. ... Congrats, Gaga! ... Skin-tight, pre-fitted leather outfit? Okaaaaay ...
9:23 PM: And they start to play Gaga off, but they let her finish. :) And Letterman has a bit? Okaaaaaaaay ...
9:25 PM: MUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONSMUMFORDANDSONS!
9:27 PM: AVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETBROTHERS! :D
9:30 PM: DYLAN ... and his raspy growl. XD
9:34 PM: *clears throat and calms down* So ... 'The Cave', 'Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise', and 'Maggie's Farm' were just fantastic! Wow ... I kinda want to see Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, and Bob Dylan make an album together. :) And now a commercial.
9:39 PM: Oh, Lifetime Achievement awards. Nice, nice. :) And ... wait, wait, an NFL player? Okaaaaay?
9:40 PM: Lady Antebellum covering Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes? I'm impressed!
9:44 PM: Miley with Kings of Leon? ... Nothing about Miley having sex while on fire? ... I kid, I kid. And presenting for Best Country Album. Hrm ... I'm going with the Zac Brown Band. Or Lady Antebellum. Congrats, Lady Antebellum!
9:50 PM: Okay, Cee-Lo looks like a giant painted turkey. And Gwyneth Paltrow singing along with him on 'Forget You'? And another commercial.
9:56 PM: NPH! SINGSINGSINGSING ... no? :( ... But a sex joke about Katy Perry? Okaaaay?
10 PM: And now you're in a tiny diamond coated summer dress. Bravo, Katy, I think you gave a fair amount of the male Grammy audience a raging hard-on. ... Me? No thanks.
10:02 PM: Going a bit country now? Oh, never mind, this is a good tune. Dolly Parton cover, huh? :) Maybe minus John Mayer.
10:04 PM: Song of the Year. Okay. Either Ray LaMontagne or Cee-Lo. Mkay, Lady Antebellum is still good. :)
10:06 PM: Mkay, another commercial ... and nothing against Bieber, but I don't want to see him win when he's up against people like Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons.
10:12 PM: Seth Rogen presenting a Grammy? Mkaaaaay? Well, the Miley Cyrus pot joke was amusing.
10:13 PM: *mutes TV/lowers volume and opens The Dark Knight Returns*
10:20 PM: Jewel? John Legend? Okay. ... Best New Artist? Bieber? Nope. Drake? Nah. Florence and the Machine? I could go for them. And Mumford and Sons too. ^_^ Dunno about Esperanza Spalding. AAAAAAAAAAAAAND ... okay, an unknown in my book, but congrats, Esperanza!
10:23 PM: Another commercial. But Album of the Year is coming soon. :)
10:28 PM: Matthew Morrison! Do something from 'South Pacific'! ... Probably not.
10:32 PM: And a memoriam. Bobby Hobb? I recognize the song he's singing. Gerry Rafferty ... :( Oh, so many great names. Alex Chilton too. ... We lost Jimmy Dean? O_o
10:34 PM: MICKJAGGER!
10:40 PM: Commercial. God, as if there weren't enough. XP
10:46 PM: Kris, we haven't seen you in a while! ... And is it just me or are you and Jeff Bridges looking oddly similar nowadays? XD
10:47 PM: Babs!
10:50 PM: A remix of 'Misirlou'? Mkay ... Nikki, you have ... Marge Simpson hair. Best Rap Album? Um ... *picks blindly* The Roots? ... Eminem. Well ... I guess white guys can rap.
10:53 PM: Mkay, another commercial. GETTOARCADEFIREALREADY!
10:58 PM: Puff Daddy/P-Diddy/Sean Combs ... you're still relevant?
10:59 PM: Rihanna and Drake performing? *returns to The Dark Knight Returns*
11:02 PM: Marc Anthony and J-Lo? Presenting Record of the Year ... I'm pulling for maybe Cee-Lo.
11:04 PM: Well, congrats again, Lady Antebellum! Really taking the Grammys this year!
11:05 PM: And another commercial. Arcade Fire already, c'mon!
11:12 PM: ARCADEFIREYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
11:20 PM: Babs and Kris presenting Album of the Year! Arcade Fire all the way!
11:22 PM: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
11:25 PM: And they're playing 'The Suburbs'. This is the best end to the Grammys. Ever. (Correction: 'Ready to Start')
11:28 PM: Hey! End credits and Delta and Hilton ads! Off my screen! I wanna see Arcade Fire!
And the Grammys are over. Well, not a fan of all the winners, but I might have to check out Lady Antebellum now. Until the Oscars! Allons-y!
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
On ... Well ... Stuff
While this doesn't necessarily represent my dabblings in cooking ... it's a bit close. XD The most I've made is a quiche ... but that was back in September.
***
I started using Pandora again the other day after getting a bit tired of my Alternative playlist. I started an Arcade Fire station. So far, I've gotten ... probably close to 10 Arcade Fire songs ... and 3 different versions of 'Hallelujah'. One is by Rufus Wainright, another by Jeff Buckley, and another by John Cale.
***
***
I started using Pandora again the other day after getting a bit tired of my Alternative playlist. I started an Arcade Fire station. So far, I've gotten ... probably close to 10 Arcade Fire songs ... and 3 different versions of 'Hallelujah'. One is by Rufus Wainright, another by Jeff Buckley, and another by John Cale.
***
Updates ... let's see ... classes are going well. I'm doing my best to keep up with the Lit Theory readings, which are going to be the most demanding. My internship is going well, too. So far, I've locked and uploaded one video. I'm finishing another up hopefully for this Thursday.
Until next post! Allons-y, Alonso!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
On Turning 21
Having not posted since the 9th, I feel that this is a good time to post. Oh, and this is my 600th post on this blog. Yay? ... Better reason to say "Yay!": I celebrated my 21st.
As I've become accustomed to the college way of life over the last two and a half semesters, I've kept my birthdays relatively low-key: go out for dinner with some friends, come back to the dorm, have cake, play Apples to Apples ... well, this year, things changed a bit. I still brought a cake up, I still had friends over (to the apartment this time), but there was no dinner out (probably later in the week) and there was no Apples to Apples ... just talking for about 2 or 3 hours. And it was ... well, nice. It usually is. Maybe it was nicer because I didn't have any classes today. ... Yes, the semester started on my birthday. If I did have classes ... well, they'd be syllabus review, most likely.
Turning 21 ... feels like a milestone, yet it doesn't at the same time. I've lived mostly a dry life. I've only had some wine here and there at family gatherings or holiday dinners and some sips of champagne at New Year's. I'm not one to dive right into alcohol. Binge drinking isn't my thing. The idea of a drink with dinner or out with friends is right up my alley ... but I don't know my preferences or my limits so I don't know where to start. I guess slow yet safe experimentation is the way to go. Hell, my new license hasn't even arrived yet.
***
I've received 193 wall posts on Facebook. I've received 8 @replies with birthday well-wishes. I've received 2 very nice videos, one from Danielle (and some assorted web friends) and a short one from Mike. I've received 3 cards from family members. I've received a number of well-wishes in person. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy (21st) birthday. I'm so glad that I know so many people who make an effort to send annual well-wishes my way, to someone who had a chance of not being here now if things had gone awry.
Thank you all <3
As I've become accustomed to the college way of life over the last two and a half semesters, I've kept my birthdays relatively low-key: go out for dinner with some friends, come back to the dorm, have cake, play Apples to Apples ... well, this year, things changed a bit. I still brought a cake up, I still had friends over (to the apartment this time), but there was no dinner out (probably later in the week) and there was no Apples to Apples ... just talking for about 2 or 3 hours. And it was ... well, nice. It usually is. Maybe it was nicer because I didn't have any classes today. ... Yes, the semester started on my birthday. If I did have classes ... well, they'd be syllabus review, most likely.
Turning 21 ... feels like a milestone, yet it doesn't at the same time. I've lived mostly a dry life. I've only had some wine here and there at family gatherings or holiday dinners and some sips of champagne at New Year's. I'm not one to dive right into alcohol. Binge drinking isn't my thing. The idea of a drink with dinner or out with friends is right up my alley ... but I don't know my preferences or my limits so I don't know where to start. I guess slow yet safe experimentation is the way to go. Hell, my new license hasn't even arrived yet.
***
I've received 193 wall posts on Facebook. I've received 8 @replies with birthday well-wishes. I've received 2 very nice videos, one from Danielle (and some assorted web friends) and a short one from Mike. I've received 3 cards from family members. I've received a number of well-wishes in person. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy (21st) birthday. I'm so glad that I know so many people who make an effort to send annual well-wishes my way, to someone who had a chance of not being here now if things had gone awry.
Thank you all <3
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Pre-Israel Thoughts
I mean, I can deal with the food. I was in Israel for two weeks in the summer of 2008 for a family bar/bat mitzvah trip and I got accustomed to the food rather quickly ... especially shwarma ... oh, shwarma ... :)
Now, where was I? Yes, right, Israel. 10 days, 2 (maybe 3) books ... yes, books. Big books. Justin Cronin's The Passage (a 700 pager, roughly) and Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors. The flights are going to be long, of course ... and we're going to have downtime in the hotels and on the bus ... we'll see what I can get done. And I might also bring Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture for a quick read to knock it off my reading queue.
***
But what else is there to talk about? I've been to Israel once before. I've seen a large portion of the sights and sounds ... but that's because I was there for a few more days and we went up and down the country. On this tour, we won't be going too far into the Negev ... and on the Margaret Morse tour, we went as far south as Eilat. Well ... we'll see what the trip shall hold.
Until next post! Allons-y!
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