Sunday, February 11, 2007
Covington: American Music Awards
By Gary Covington
Looking In
THAT certain age -- not recognizing any of the acts on the American Music Awards.
The show was televised in two parts. I missed Part 1, scared off by a rapper doing what rappers do; right hand shaking off an imaginary glob of sticky, left clutching at his crotch and all the time jabbering out incomprehensible lyrics.
The front row of the audience loved it -- clapping along, doing the hand thing, yo bro'ing, but I can't stand rap and so it was hit the clicker and goodnight American Music Awards Part 1.
Part 2 was more wholesome. Skipping Part 1 I'd missed the hip-hop award, latin music, adult contemporary and progressive and instead caught the country music award (won by the first country group I've ever seen not wearing cowboy hats), soul and rhythm & blues and something called contemporary inspirational.
This was a new one on me. I imagined Onward Christian Soldiers stuff but no -- the first nominees were a duo of tasty blondes called Aly and AJ
Wow. And not so wow. Their current music I thought ho-hum, their back catalogue even worse -- cover versions of Do You Believe in Magic and Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. Hardly inspirational I'd have thought but maybe I was missing something; one reviewer describes their warbling as "a therapeutic rush". Wow again.
Surprise appearance of the evening was Lionel Ritchie who came on and sung some proper music -- Hello, Dancing on the Ceiling, All Night Long. Lionel may be a bit 70s (or was it 80s) but he still outshone (easily) the rest of the night's acts.
The American Music Awards I was going to try and match with the Grammys but life doesn't work like that -- film and television's Golden Globe Awards came first.
The Globes I prefer over the Oscars. The latter may have (imaginary?) prestige but tends to overkill -- Oscars for the best carpenter, the best set designer, that sort of thing. The Globes dishes out twenty-six trophies to twenty-six shows, actors and actresses and that's that.
It was broadcast from Los Angeles ("emanated" swaggers the official website grandly). From an auditorium so vast it makes our Luneta Stadium look like a barangay covered court. In fact so enormous and hosting such a multitude that I'm beginning to suspect that much of the audience at these occasions is not there at all; that in this day of electronic wizardry from about twenty rows back the throng is computer generated.
Well why not? There's no famous shoulders to rub against back there; all the winners sit at the front. And what can folks a thousand yards from the stage possibly see -- I doubt -- and professional award-goers have a busy calendar at this time of year -- if they even know what awards they are attending. You look next time -- aren't those folks in the middle distance just a little fuzzy?
The awards? Thanks to pre-show surveys and pundits we know who'll win don't we? The stars? I felt sorry for Arnold Schwarzeneggar. He presented the very last trophy, made the closing statement and, like a trouper, kept smiling even as the audience started to bolt for the exits before he'd finished. No couth, no couth at all.For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 11, 2007 issue)
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