Jazz is king again
Who knew the Grammys could be so fun? I had not enjoyed the annual music awards telecast that much since Michael Jackson was moonwalking across the stage and Lionel Richie was partying All Night Long. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. I actually did slip back into the '80s for a moment when Jason Bateman walked onto the stage to the squeals of teenage girls seated in the balcony.The Record of the Year win last night for former Miles Davis sideman Herbie Hancock, and his release, "River: The Joni Letters," was the first by a jazz artist in that category since Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto each took a statue home in 1965 for their collaboration "Getz/Gilberto" (and "The Girl from Ipanema") in 1965. That makes it the first such win since Louis Armstrong's death.
I thought Hancock and fellow pianist Lang Lang brought the house down as well when they teamed up on George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" near the close of the evening. We had (Multiple sound warnings) Tina Turner "shimmying" with Beyonce onstage, a chic duet between Keeley Smith and Kid Rock, with Rock filling in for the late Louis Prima (an idea that must have looked as good on paper as it did on stage), and Amy Winehouse lived up to all of the hype.
Uh yeah, and did you catch that open? I'm a little surprised that they didn't just stop the show right there-- only 15 minutes after Andy Rooney wrapped up his bit on "60 Minutes." The incomparable songstress Alicia Keys performed with the ghost of FS on "Learnin' the Blues". A terrific song choice.
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That last performance won't hurt the still-booming financial earnings of the Chairman's estate, reported last week in the New York Times.
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The Times today printed this handy item-- a complete guide to how each scripted network television program has been effected by the writers' strike.
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Fans of comedy, rejoice! The HBO documentary "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project" will be released on the popular DVD format Tuesday the 19th; and "Newhart: Season 1" drops a week later.
posted by CM @ 8:54 PM
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