Best Dressed at the Grammys

The Grammys is touted as 'the biggest event' in the industry I work in. Unfortunately, the last few years, it's been a bit lackluster. Every year I say I'm not going to watch but every year I tune in, just so I'm lost during the water cooler conversations at work the next day. I tuned in Sunday night, on breaks from Brothers & Sisters (love that show). Here's a quick summary of my thoughts:

-Lady GaGa rocks - she can sing, she can write, she can design, and she can truly ENTERTAIN
-Pink sang upside down, twirling from a piece of fabric, all in a wet, nude body suit. Need I say more?
- Beyonce covering Alanis. Awesome.
- Oh Taylor Swift. Yes, she's America's sweetheart. And yes she can song write (which many top selling artists can't do), but she can't sing. Well, she can sing, but off-key.
- Didn't understand Jamie Foxx's performance though it was cool to see Slash.
-Taylor Swift won over GaGa? WTF.

The one thing I do love about the Grammys is the fashion. It's less about elegance and old Hollywood, and more about funky, outrageous and avant garde.

My favourite of the evening - Rihanna. Fun, flirty and feathery. Love it.


Who's outfit was your favourite?

You're Invited to a Coldplay Wedding?

Interesting. Coldplay played their last show on the Viva La Vida tour tonight at Wembley Stadium. This is now their homepage. Will their next studio album be wedding centric? Guess we'll find out. Are you going to RSVP?

Enjoy the Silence

How was your weekend? It rained, no, it POURED all weekend here in the T.dot. Really, it was miserable. The highlight of my weekend was when I saw Depeche Mode Friday night. Knowing that I've never seen DM live before, the BF got me two tickets to see them. Unfortunately, the BF was not in town to see them with me but fortunately, my friend Erin was! She's LOVES, and I mean LOVES Dave Gahan. Erin had been practicing her DM dance moves for a week straight. Well, Dave did not disappoint.

"Tour of the Universe" supports the band's 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe. I first got into Depeche Mode when I was 10 or so as my aunt, who is only 9 years older than me, was a huge fan. I remember her playing Music for the Masses non-stop and parking herself in front of the TV to catch DM's music videos. And since I wanted to be cool like my aunt, I listened and watched along with her. I can't believe it took me this long to see DM live. They lived up to all my expectations. Dave Gahan is the ultimate showman and for someone who is approaching 50, he is in incredible shape. I was tired after dancing two hours straight!! I couldn't imagine doing that nearly every night! Anyways, here are some pics I took with my point and shoot. Check out Martin Gore's rockin' outfit.

Which artist have you been a long-time fan of but still haven't seen live?

On Repeat.....

Adele's version of Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love

The Glitz and Glam of the Junos

Did you watch? I admit, I only had it on in the background while I caught up on my Google Reader. Nickelback were the big winners, taking home Album of the Year, Group of the Year and Fan's Choice. Other winners included Lights, Sam Roberts, The Stills and Kardinal Offishall. To see the full list of winners, jump over to CTV.

Here are some photos from the red carpet:

The Sam Roberts Band

Sarah McLachlan (love her dress)

Micheal Buble

Sarah Slean (love the ruching & pleats on her dress)

Feist (who's wearing a vintage 1920s dress)

Lights

Tara Oram

Melissa McClelland

*All images via CTV.ca, except images of Feist and Sarah Slean, via Dallas Bittle.

The Junos Tonight!

The very best in Canadian music will strut their stuff tonight and compete with one another for the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Award, the Juno. Although it will be a little less glamorous and glitzy than the Grammys, tonight's Juno ceremony is still the biggest night in Canadian music industry. Back in February, I blogged about some of my favourite Canadian artists nominated for Junos. One of those artists is the lovely Kreesha Tuner. She's up for two awards. Check out her video for 'Bounce With Me.' It was my ringtone for months.

Have you heard of Lost Fingers? Based in Quebec, this jazz-influenced band remixes 80's/90's hits to give them a totally different sound. Listen to their version of Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam." I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

thelostfingers.com

The amazing Sarah McLachlan will be honoured tonight with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award and will also be performing. Has it really been 12 years since the first Lilith Fair?!?

www.sarahmclachlan.com

A few weeks ago I attended CHUMFanFest during Canadian Music Week, and watched Divine Brown perform. One word - Unbelievable! She's sassy, soulful and simply makes you want to dance! I'm looking forward to her performance tonight. Visit her site to listen to some of her tunes.

www.divinebrown.ca

Canadian Music Week March 11-15

Canadian Music Week `09 kicks off today. Over 500 artists will be performing over 5 days in 45 venues across Toronto. Pretty crazy! While most of the talent is homegrown and developing, there are some international heavy hitters performing as well, such as the Tings Tings and Bloc Party. If you have some time, go and check out some of the up and coming Canadian music talent. For more information, visit www.canadianmusicweek.com.

Coldplay in Toronto - July 30th

www.coldplay.com

Tickets go on sale Monday at 10AM for Coldplay's concert in Toronto, at the Rogers Centre, July 30th. Can't wait!!! I'm dragging the BF, he claims he's not a fan but I secretly think he likes them b/c I catch him looking at their site a lot.

UPDATE: The tickets go on sale MONDAY (not Friday). Sorry for the error!

It's Not Me, It's You

I love Lily Allen's debut album, Alright, Still. It's fun and sassy. So I'm excited to check out her sophomore release which dropped yesterday in North America. 2008 was a roller coaster ride for Lily - she suffered a miscarriage, her album was pushed back from its initial August drop date to February (she openly blames her record label for the delay, other sources claim that she was sent back to the studio to work on it) plus there were a whole lot of paparazzi run-ins.

Lily was in Toronto earlier this week to promote It's Not Me, It's You. Here's a link to her performance on MuchOnDemand.

Need a listen before you commit to buying? Pop over to Lily's MySpace page to hear the whole album.

Grammys Fashion

I was a little disappointed in the fashion at the Grammys this year. Usually the ladies of the music world offer us a little spunk which you would not normally see at award shows (remember J.Lo's green Versace dress?). This year was a bit lackluster and well, safe.

Here are my faves:

Marisa Miller (forgive me, I have no idea who she is) is wearing a relatively 'safe' dress but being all white in a sea of black, accessorized with shiny bling and great heels makes this dress a hit.

Styled by Anna Wintour herself, Adele's green jacket makes her otherwise formal frock a bit edgy.

Zooey Deschanel's style is always unique and fun. Love the hair jewel she's wearing.

My least fave of the evening? Probably Carrie Underwood. She looks like she's headed to some pageant show (sorry Carrie). This all gold number certainly matures her way beyond
her 25 years.

And a special shout out goes to M.I.A. - due yesterday, M.I.A. and her baby bump not only walked the red carpet but gave one of the evening's best performances.

All images via www.popsugar.com except the M.I.A image which is via ww.mtv.com.

YAY for Adele!

Adele just won Best New Artist! Interesting tidbit - her outfit tonight was chosen by Anna Wintour herself! Apparently, Adele made quite an impression on the 'icy' Vogue editor when she posed for the magazine a few weeks ago.

Source: Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/03/adele-getting-a-spread-in_n_163401.html

Are you going to watch the Grammys?

Every year I debate whether I'm going to watch the Grammys or not. On one hand, since I work in the music industry, I feel I should be on the up & up and watch. On the other hand, every year, I complain about how poor the sound quality is, how long the show goes and how I will never get back those few hours. So what about this year?

I'll probably tune in to at least see Adele. At the tender age of 20, she's garnered 4 Grammy nominations this year, one of them for Best New Artist. I was lucky enough to see the UK singing sensation last summer here in Toronto at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (which is a great concert venue by the way - great acoustics ) and she was amazing. Check out her video for "Chasing Pavements."

Other acts I'll likely watch are Coldplay, M.I.A. (today is her due date!), Radiohead and Katy Perry.

The Best in Canadian Music

I work in the music industry so I do my best to support homegrown acts. The JUNO nominations (the Canadian version of the Grammys - picture smaller budget and no Hollywood drama) were announced this morning. More well-known (and expected) nominees include Nickelback, Céline Dion, Simple Plan, Feist, Michael Bublé.

One of my new favourite Canadian artists is also nominated, Kreesha Turner. I love her single 'Bounce with Me' - I'm sure you've heard it, it's been played on The Hills, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl. If you're looking for a R&B/Soul sound (Rihanna meets Duffy), you're going to enjoy Kreesha Turner.

via kreeshaturner.com

Another Canadian act that I'm a fan of, and who is also nominated for a JUNO is Tokyo Police Club. The band is up for Best Group of The Year. Check out the video for their hit single 'Nature of the Experiment' here.

via tokyopoliceclub.com

I should mention that electronic/experimental Toronto-based duo, Crystal Castles is also nominated since the BF quite enjoys them (and I frequently remind him them they're Canadian). Check out their MySpace page the next time you need a precursor to a night of club hopping and debauchery.

The JUNOS take place Sunday, March 29 in Vancouver with Russell Peters hosting. Sarah Mclachlan, Simple Plan, among others (to be announced over the next month or so), are slated to perform. For more info. check out www.ctv.ca/mini/junos2009/.