Lip Syncing at The Billboard Awards

Lip Syncing or not lip syncing? That is the question. Some did and some didn’t exactly at America’s Billboard Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last night. And Kid Rock called them on it when he took the stage to say that everyone was singing to pre-recorded music. As much as I don’t appreciate the Kid’s music, he was right. The first person I saw who I suspected was lip syncing was Selena Gomez. Her whispery voice and Egyptian dance moves made for a lovely performance but I suspected with all that dancing, no one’s voice can be that evenly projected. As a singer, I know this stuff. Trust me.

Chris Brown did not lip sync and that performance is a perfect example of my last point. He was winded, off key, missed words and danced like there was no tomorrow. That man’s temper might be questionable (and I thought a Ninja fight scene in his choreographed number was an unusual choice) but he sure can dance. And I have to think that Chris Brown is in tip top shape. Still his singing suffered because of the dancing and that is as it should be during a live performance. No one can jump around like that and sing exactly like the recorded version. No one.

 

Justin Bieber sang along to his track, adding two vocals to the performance. The sound glitch in his second performance with Will i Am, allowed us to hear his recorded version and his almost flawless live performance. A few times he came into the phrase late and that was the clue, when we clearly heard his softer recorded track. That, and the fact that someone made a major boo boo, mixed the sound wrong and we, at home, could hear his live voice clearly above everything else. I was amazed that the kid could sing as well as he did and dance like that. Kudos to J.B.

Taylor Swift, on the other hand, (who did a darling performance of Twenty-Two), sang almost flawlessly which was highly suspicious seeing that she can barely sing live when she’s standing still. T.S. is famous for singing way off key in T.V. live performances and that could have something to do with her monitor or ear piece or excitement, but she never sings well on an awards show. So to hear the almost perfect version of Twenty Two, was extremely suspect, even though when she finished her mile run to the stage through the bowels of the MGM Grand, she was breathing hard and we could hear her panting in her head mic.

Christina Aguilera sang live. Of this I’m sure. Because she can.

Not J Lo, whose vocals are never the main focus in her performance anyhow, especially when she’s wearing red, BIG BIRD sleeves, but it’s my humble opinion that she sang along to her own vocal track too. Too bad her right boot came loose but she continued on like the trooper she is.

 In this day and age when women performers are upping the ante to include full- on dancing/stage shows, Madonna-style, is it ridiculous to ask them to sing live as well? Who could do it? Madonna can’t. Even she lip syncs at her shows sometimes (or maybe all the time). But have you ever seen a Madonna show? OMG. Last night she received an honorary award in her underwear and was as pretentious and charming as only MDNA can be.

It appears, after last night, the Milli Vanilli faux pas is becoming the norm now. I’d love to hear the discussion between artist and producers about how everyone is doing it. ”Don’t get left behind singing your heart out, off-key, when you can be singing along to your own perfect voice!”  The Perry’s, I’m pretty sure delivered a pure unadulterated vocal performance, so did the gal at her guitar singing about Mary’s, Kacy something. Now her voice was full of nerves, flaws and problems but the gal sang live. Well done Newcomer!

Last night the performances at the Billboard Awards were absolutely amazing. Stunning. Full of lights, effects, dancers, acrobats, confetti, balloons dropping from the roof and pyrotechnics. But what about the live singing? Is that a thing of the past if the artist decides to do choreography? Do we have to choose as an audience what’s acceptable and allowable now? And the big question which must’ve been tossed around at pre-productions meetings for the Billboard awards show is: Is it lip syncing if you sing along to your own track? You decide.

Over and Out

Kim Hornsby is the author of Amazon Bestselling Suspense Novels

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Skin is Alive and Well at the Grammys

Many female celebrities obviously did not get the memo this week warning the attendees of showing too much skin. Hoping to avoid a wardrobe malfunction re-creation or an intentionally attention- getting skimpy costume, the Grammy powers that be issued a warning to ask award goers to dress with more taste than they should be given credit for. The idea of dressing sexy and shaking booty to attract men and attention is as old as the hills and knowing the kind of publicity JLo got with her green open to the waist dress years ago and the excitement Janet Jackson caused when her boob accidentally slipped out of it's holster on the Super Bowl show years ago, no female celebrity in their right mind (except Adele) is going to miss the opportunity to show skin on the red carpet and get talked about all over the country. It's free publicity at its finest and aside from wearing a white swan wrapped around you, wearing an outlandish outfit at an awards show is going to get you points. Album sales, movie sales, auditions, attention. Just ask Kelly Rowland who is obviously aiming to make a comeback after her Super Bowl performance with Beyonce, reuniting Destiny's Child. Tonight she wore what looked like a black cutout snowflake, barely covering her pubic area and nipples. She obviously missed the memo.
How about J Lo who will not be ignored (think Glenn Close in that movie about the stalker) and took to wearing a black satin bed sheet covering one diagonal part of her body. I personally love that she's not afraid to show her hefty legs but I almost laughed out loud to see her pose, which you gotta know was practiced in a mirror all day. Kimbra looked like a fairy in her dress which showed a lot of pale thin skin but strangely didn't seem sexy even though it was see through. Maybe it was Gotye on her arm or her strange hairdo. Rhianna, on the other hand, wore a tangerine piece of see through cloth that showed everything but what a pair of low rise jeans would hide. Going completely topless to award shows is on the horizon, I can tell. Florence of the Machine rocked a kelly green gown with what would be considered a sexy slit for England but had nothing on JLo. Katy Perry gathered 'the boys' together in a peek -a -boo mint green cutaway gown that featured her high forehead. Between she and Rhianna, I have to wonder if high foreheads aren't going to be the thing this year. Even Taylor Swift, who dates high schoolers showed more skin than she ever has in a toga that hid her frontage in two swathed columns of ecru fabric. And Alicia Keyes who never enters into that fashion show shi_ showed more skin than past years in a cutaway catwoman- like leather belt type bodice in her dress. After her display of leg and skin in the SuperBowl show, Beyonce looked like she was attending a PTA meeting tonight and I have to say that I liked it. Faith Hill rocked her invisaline braces in a gorgeous gown tastefully discreet and Carrie Underwood took the same high road.
Back to Adele who clearly does not need to show her curves for respect and publicity in any country. She wore the same dress her mother wore in 1950 to a church bake sale, looking very Mrs. Doubtfire in shoes to match and eyelashes about 2 pounds each.
 Strangely enough one of the nicest dresses of the evening was Kathy Griffin. 'Nuff said.
Question: Why do men not get the point of showing some skin? Why do they think that dressing up is putting on more clothes than usual? What year will men show up in a cutaway, peek-a-boo suit showing everything but their genitals? Or Ellen, who always wears a suit? And this year Portia had on a suit. ?
I've only watched parts of the awards at this point but enough to know that I have an opinion about the skin shown in deference to the 'memo'. Next year the organizers should either save the paper or electricity in sending the memo or ask that stars show up in as little as possible to boost ratings and then sit back to watch if it's the year that topless shows it's face at the Grammys or if women decide to cover up and leave something to the imagination.
Just sayin'...
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Rock star Goldy, (17 Grammys total) retires and tries to hide from the media fallout only to find strange neighbors who she can't stop spying on to save her own life.