Did you watch the Grammys last night? If not, you missed everything from soup to nuts – some parts of which you might be sorry you missed, and others, well . . . .
This year’s Grammys started off with a thoughtful prayer from LL Cool J in honor of the late Whitney Houston who passed away on Saturday, and ended with an exorcism performance by Nicki Minaj that is sure to have had many people talking long after the backlight dimmed on their TV screens. What on earth was that? I wholeheartedly embrace artistic freedom, but good grief Nicki. Many are claiming her performance was an attempt to outdo Lady Gaga. Others are just plain horrified.
The funny thing is it immediately took me back to 1989 when Madonna made a highly controversial music video to her song, “Like a Prayer”. She too was surrounded by both fans who loved it and critics who hated it. Comprised of a story about an African Amercian man who is unjustly arrested for a crime he didn’t commit and is then later released, Madonna’s video shows her being kissed by the African American man who is then portrayed as a saint, cutting her hands and bleeding, and dancing in front of burning crosses resembling the likes of an act by the KKK. It’s easy to see how this video struck a nerve with many. Religious communities were outraged by what they perceived as blasphemy, while some viewed it as racism, and others yet hailed her as a creative genius.
Fast-forward 23 years and Nicki Minaj’s performance seems to have induced similar results. Viewers watched dumbfounded as a mock exorcism was being portrayed while Nicki flailed around restrained as if possessed, and a scantily dressed female dancer bent over backward in front of a kneeling altar boy. If it was attention she was looking for, she certainly is receiving it now. The Catholic League apparently is already speaking out against not only Nicki Minaj but The Recording Academy which approves all performances stating, “Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam”.
Fortunately with freedom of expression comes the freedom to grab the remote control and turn the thing off if you don’t like it. As for the comparison to Lady Gaga, Steve Helling, staff writer for People magazine summed it all up when he Tweeted, “Suddenly, Lady Gaga seems really, really normal.”P.S. Oh, by the way, did you catch the green neon trimmed mouse ears sported by the audience during one particular performance? You know you’re getting old when Deadmau5 (pronounced “Dead Mouse”), has replaced Micky Mouse. (Sigh.)
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