Compared to other “top” singers, I find her imprecise (she scoops so many notes it is hard to believe it is all intentionally stylistic) and nasal, with a thin upper register. I do not dispute that she sang that better than the vast majority of pop singers would have managed, that still does not mean that I am particularly impressed with her performance - beating the majority of pop singers is a pretty low bar. In most venues, at most times, I would have considered her performance pretty good… but I was underwhelmed for a Julie Andrews tribute, at the Oscars, in front of a no-long-able-to-sing Julie Andrews.
I don’t particularly care what she wears - if I don’t like the audio, the video doesn’t matter, and I don’t generally like her personal sound. She sang “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You” for Sting at the Kennedy Center Honors and it was ruddy awful, made all the worse by the phenomenal rendition of Fragile by Esperanza Spalding and Herbie Hancock. Her performance at the Oscars was greatly improved by her attempt to impersonate Andrews… she just fell short. Her dress was irrelevant at both tributes.
I personally found her body art (especially the upper arms) very distracting. Her singing was OK but not as good as Julie or some of the singers D favors.
There was an article on the BBC this morning noting John Travolta’s creepy behavior. I saw him touching Idina Menzel’s face, which was weird, but missed the Scarlett Johansen grab. What is wrong with people.
Re: Melanie Griffith, her updo was beautiful. What I find unattractive is the aging-plastic-surgery look. She is nearly 10 years younger than Meryl Streep and she looks 10 years older - granted she’s done a lot of hard living. I thought the mother-daughter exchange was weird, she seemed not just skittish about the movie topic - please, considering her past exploits - but also just a strangely unsupportive attitude in general.
@Nrdsb4 You can youtube the Dakota/Melanie exchange and it’s out there on other internet sites. Melanie doesn’t want to see Dakota’s new movie, but it just seemed that was the tip of the iceberg to their passive/aggressive and chilly demeanor towards each other in the interview. Obviously, some sort of family feud going on. Dakota oozed spoiled brat behavior and Melanie the Jealous Momma behavior. I do think since it was Dakota’s big night, Melanie could have taken it down a notch with her dress and cleavage.
^ @conmama yes that was my feeling as well. I felt some sympathy for Dakota, who made a few comments to try to soften the tone, as her mother was so chilly toward her in general.
I saw an earlier very short interview where Melanie said she had no plans to see her daughter’s movie. I figured that it had to do with discomfort with seeing her daughter in such a sexual role, and quite frankly, could certainly understand that point of view. Perhaps there is more to the story.
I’m sure there is more to the story but I watched it again and I’m still in camp Melanie. Yes, there was underlying tension but that is not a surprise and yes she has had a little too much work done but it looks way better than ever. And, yes Dakota was bratty on the red cart while Melanie was trying to do the proud mama who won’t see the film thing which is difficult and attempted to laugh it off when Dakota snapped at her for what is probably not the first time.
Gaga seemed very stilted to me, more like recital than performance and lacking magic and high notes.
Not a huge LG fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Sound of Music medley. I had kind of forgotten that Julie Andrews had two monster hits in a row, Mary Poppins and then S of M. She was the Jennifer Lawrence of the 1960s! Had she gotten the My Fair Lady role it would have been a trifecta!
I am speculating wildly now. I also don’t blame a Mother for not wanting to see their child in such a sexual role, even a small one…I understand it (eeewww, right?). But I bet they have a complicated Mother/Daughter relationship (speculating). I think a normal relationship would have the daughter totally understanding that. I just betcha there is jealousy at play here from Mother to Daughter, and Melanie not wanting to see the movie hasn’t anything to do with her own squiimishness in seeing her daughter act in this role …and of course, Dakota knows that. This speculation comes from how Melanie was dressed and behaved. What mother tries to outdress their daughter on a night like this? So much more to this volatile relationship, me thinks!
How was she trying to outdress her daughter? Dakota was in a red sparkly strappy dress while Melanie was wearing a simple black thing that covered all of her in the clips I saw. That said, they are definitely not normal.
^^^Most of the above could also be true, but I would have a very difficult time watching my daughter in that role. I wouldn’t want to see it either. I think that is a very natural reaction.
As for jealousy, who knows. I do remember that when Dakota won the role, Melanie was tweeting it like crazy, seeming pretty happy about it. At the time I thought to myself “I’d be horrified if this was how my daughter was going to become world famous.”
@dstark, ^^^^Of course she was. What does that have to do with feeling uncomfortable with seeing your daughter do the same? I’ve had sex, quite enthusiastically. Does it mean I should not feel uncomfortable seeing my daughter do the same?
I don’t think Melanie’s discomfort has anything to do with being judgmental that she did the movie. It’s not a hypocrisy, it’s something she said “would feel weird.”
At least from the Youtube clip, it didn’t seem that bad. They must have a pretty good relationship if Dakota decided to bring her mom as her date. Melanie’s dress looked great, and Dakota looked fabulous.
It would have been much more gracious for Melanie simply to say, “Maybe someday I’ll see it” and leave it at that. I can understand Dakota’s frustration; I’d be angry if my mother didn’t see my hit movie.
And I KNOW I’d get irritated with my mom if she started babbling a bit on camera; I get irritated with her when she starts saying something stupid to the grocery checker. And nothing drives my daughter more nuts than anything I say about her in her presence. So I thought Dakota’s reaction was normal and natural. I don’t think you can extrapolate much about their relationship from a brief on camera exchange.
“And I KNOW I’d get irritated with my mom if she started babbling a bit on camera; I get irritated with her when she starts saying something stupid to the grocery checker.”
It’s a movie. She would not be watching her daughter have sex.
I also think it’s odd that we are expected not to want to understand that our adult children have sex. It’s a strangely Victorian attitude for 2015, especially coming from the woman who was living with Don Johnson at 14.
