American Music Awards: Three reasons to watch, three reasons to avoid

It's hard to imagine that this is finally happening. A music awards show without Kanye West and/or Taylor Swift will go down on Sunday night, and right here in our hometown.

The American Music Awards are set for a live Sunday night broadcast -- tape-delayed for the West Coast. Set to air at 8 p.m. on ABC, expect at least 20 music performances, and the occasional fan-voted award to be handed out at the gala at downtown's Nokia Theatre.

In a tradition started last year by Pop & Hiss, here's three reasons to tune in, and three reasons one may be better off catching up on those episodes of "The Mentalist" you have on your DVR.

Reasons to watch:

1. Rihanna. Her "Russian Roulette" stands as one of the starkest, bravest, toughest singles to be released in 2009. The fact that it came from one of the world's biggest pop stars, and sounded more fit for a horror soundtrack than a dance floor, only added to its mystique. Even if it's not the song she'll be performing Sunday, it instantly catapulted Rihanna from a singles artist to a serious force to be reckoned with.

2. Lady Gaga. In terms of unpredictable pop stars, no one, perhaps, can top one Mr. West. But the man who should have been Gaga's touring partner is a bit MIA at the moment, and likely won't grace an awards show again until the Grammys, if they'll have him. But in the absence of Kanye, Gaga can be counted on for some sort of spectacle, even if her award-show speeches won't be quite as off the cuff. Her recent video for "Bad Romance" was a sci-fi-inspired explosion of arresting images, and her last major TV appearance -- a performance on "Saturday Night Live" -- featured the artist completely breaking down her hits.

3. Because the Bears are on. This doesn't really apply to those of us on the West Coast, where the American Music Awards will air later than the rest of the country, but there won't be anything broadcast on the gala that comes close to the train wreck that is the 2009 Chicago Bears. Heck, you can slap Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood and 50 Cent together for a medley of Broadway hits of the '40s, and the three of them doing the foxtrot would make for more captivating television than the Chicago branch of the National Football League.

Reasons to skip are after the jump.

1. In a week and a half, Grammy nominations will be announced. And that's really the official start of music award season. Yes, the Country Music Assn. Awards are nice and all, but true awards show bickering and griping shouldn't start until Dec. 2, when the Grammy noms are unveiled. This is like a preseason warm-up.

2. One of the biggest music stories of 2009 is not scheduled to be present. Swift just cleaned up at the CMAs, and she's on track to score a number of Grammy nominations, including album of the year. But she's not on the performance roster for the AMAs. The country superstar may very well end up with 2009's top-selling album, and her absence is a glaring omission, especially considering she has six nominations.

3. There's no suspense. At the very least, the Grammys are good for some head-scratching (see Herbie Hancock, 2008, album of the year). Additionally, one of the more fun -- and still somewhat surprising Grammy categories -- is best new artist. But the American Music Awards are based largely on data from Nielsen SoundScan, meaning the public has already voted for these artists with their dollars. There will be no Ledisi to come out of nowhere at the AMAs. Imagine taking "American Idol" winners Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and David Cook, placing them together in a new "best of the Idols" category, and asking the public to vote all over again. That's sort of what the American Music Awards are like.

Bonus reason to skip: Love him or hate him, Kanye and his award antics are the only moments that actually feel somewhat random at these awards galas. Kanye, we miss you. Awards shows just won't be the same with you gone.

-- Todd Martens

Music Stars Sing For Democracy

Tuesday, 17 November 2009, 1:13 pm
Press Release: March for Democracy
Music Stars Sing For Democracy
MEDIA RELEASE 17 November 2009


Music Stars Sing For Democracy

The March for Democracy will feature two kiwi music stars who will entertain the crowd before and after the march up Queen St this Saturday.


“We’re thrilled to have such awesome talent as Yulia and Lapi Mariner make themselves available to lead us in the national anthem and to perform other items before and after the march,” says organiser Colin Craig.

Yulia, who was born in Volgograd, Russia and emigrated from Russia to NZ in 2002 becoming a NZ citizen in 2005 says, “As a young girl I grew up with the concrete dust of poverty and the ruin of Volgograd as my playground. Now that I am a NZ citizen who is representing NZ with my artistry, I want to lend my love and support to my fellow kiwis as we encourage the NZ government to value the vote of its people.”

“By marching for democracy, I believe we honor the families who sacrificed their loved ones for our freedoms. Let us not take these freedoms for granted. Let us not forget the horrific price of totalitarianism. By marching for democracy we demonstrate that despite being from many cultures and backgrounds, we are one people under democracy.”

Thousands of families are expected to march for democracy this Saturday in Queen St starting at 1.30pm. The family-friendly event will also feature clowns, balloons, bands, most creative banner competition, and spot prizes.

A household name in New Zealand, Yulia was born in Volgograd, Russia. She emigrated to New Zealand and within two years, mastered English and scored a recording contract with SONY MUSIC NZ. From 18 to 20 years of age Yulia became the first female vocalist in NZ history to achieve two back to back number one hit albums with the award winning albums INTO THE WEST and MONTAGE. With a still growing four-plus octave vocal range, Yulia went on to sing fluently in nine languages including English, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, French, Latin, German, Maori and Spanish and has appeared with some of the top names in the international music business in NZ and overseas. Yulia has performed with: Engelbert Humperdinck, Amici Forever, Dame Malvina Major, Ivan Rebroff, Russell Watson, Sir Howard Morrison and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Now 23 years of age, the newly reclassified mezzo-soprano has just completed months of 'total immersion' in Russian and Italian opera method of voice conditioning. This has added an all new power to the established voice of rare beauty. In 2009 Yulia has earned a reputation as one of NZ's most popular live performers, winning standing ovations, front page rave reviews and accolades for her live shows around NZ. Yulia's latest cabaret dinner and show, 'A Christmas Romance' with Brendan Horan and John Rowles offers to give Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton audiences an opportunity to experience a dynamic and fun show in the style of Celine Dion, Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra. http://www.yulia.co.nz

Lapi Mariner is known throughout the world as the "Voice of the Pacific". From the Polynesian Cultural Centre of Hawaii, to Stadium Australia and a world-wide television audience of millions, Lapi is well established in the minds of Pacific and mainstream audiences, as a Pacific Icon. As an original member of "Jamoa Jam", Lapi wooed pacific audiences with his energetic stage presence, his vocal range, and versatility. Since leaving Jamoa Jam, Lapi has taken his trademark performances into his solo career. http://lapimariner.tripodcom/id17.htm

Reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee taking music classes

MEXICO CITY – Reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee has told a Mexican newspaper that he's taking music classes — 17 years after he started his career.
The Puerto Rican star says he has been taking classes on keyboards and expects to graduate in another year and a half.
Daddy Yankee tells the newspaper El Universal in a story published Tuesday that he once started music study but dropped it. He says he started up again a few years ago.
He says the formal studies have influenced his performances. "Before, I had to hum the melody to my producers; now I can play it on the keyboard and I feel comfortable, accomplished," he says.
The artist's real name is Ramon Ayala and he is best known for his song "Gasolina."