Carrie Underwood lights up Grammys with digital dress

By macleans.ca - Monday, February 11, 2013 at 5:41 AM - 0 Comments

Carrie Underwood lights up Grammys with digital dress

Country music star Carrie Underwood stole the show Sunday night — or rather her dress did. During her performance, her satin ball gown served as a screen onto which a light show of sorts was projected. ‘We wanted it to be artful and dramatic,’ she said. Done and done, according to Twitter:

Storified by Maclean’s Magazine· Mon, Feb 11 2013 02:40:26

Justin Bieber fails in attempt to upstage the Grammys

By Aaron Hutchins - Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 9:44 PM - 0 Comments

Bieber vs. Grammys: Biebs can’t get into own video stream

Storified by Maclean’s Magazine· Sun, Feb 10 2013 18:43:11

‘J. Lo’s leg just made Angelina Jolie’s leg irrelevant’

By Aaron Hutchins - Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 8:55 PM - 0 Comments

From their dressing rooms to the red carpet: pre-showtime celebrity tweets

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 8:13 PM - 0 Comments

Dress code says no buttocks, buttocks cracks. In general, no fleshy parts.

By Jessica Allen - Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10:37 AM - 0 Comments

On Feb. 5, 2013, CBS sent out a memo, which was–thankfully–obtained by Deadline. The brief asks “all talent appearing on camera” at the 55th Grammy Awards Show to adhere to the network’s policy concerning wardrobe.

Here are some of the details for the ceremony’s dress code:

• Please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered. (Presumably exposed male breasts are fine.)

• Thong type costumes are problematic. (You’re telling me.)

• Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and the buttock crack. (Chris Brown is probably trying to sell his Grammy ticket right now.)

• Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic. (Justin Bieber is breathing a sigh of relief  that he’s not nominated this year.)

• Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could  possibly expose female breast nipples. (Chris Brown is probably trying to sell his Grammy ticket right now.)

• Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible “puffy” bare skin exposure.  (I have no idea what this means.)

According to the Washington Post, “CBS says that it sent the same fashion guidance memo last year before it broadcast the live music-industry trophy show,” which apparently Fergie didn’t get. Or Rihanna.

Because there is nothing on the grand scale of a Whitney memorial or an Adele ‘Grammygeddon’ to look forward to at this year’s show, this memo may have just upped the excitement ante. Nobody tells Katie Perry and Lady Gaga to cover up and then expects them to put on a (bejeweled) cardigan.

The source of the leaked memo told Deadline in an email that “I assume that my lovely colleagues do not get this same email for the Oscars, ” to which the Washington Post replied, “But when was the last time you saw Helen Mirren in a bedazzled turquoise thong-onsie with Imelda Marcos sleeves and Tinkerbell wings, like Lady Gaga wore to perform at the 2010 Grammys?”

No word on whether or not Cher just called Bob Mackie and said, “Let’s do this.”

Bobby and Chris Brown: Why we can’t forgive their violent pasts

By Emma Teitel - Friday, February 24, 2012 at 4:35 PM - 0 Comments

Vinny Carchietta/Zumapress/Keystone Press

The sudden death of Whitney Houston on Feb. 11, and the tribute-filled Grammy ceremony that followed the next day, were overshadowed for many by the onstage performances and Grammy victories of R & B singer Chris Brown (no relation to Bobby). Was it really ideal for the Grammys to celebrate a man guilty of the same crime that plagued Houston for so many years, at the hands of her ex-husband, R & B singer Bobby Brown? Brown (Bobby) is said to have physically abused Houston until their marriage ended in 2007 (he was charged with domestic violence in 2003), and Chris Brown was convicted of felony assault and sentenced to five years’ probation for brutally beating his then-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna, in 2009 (the night before the Grammys, no less). Brown (Chris) performed live twice at the awards this year, and took home a trophy for best R & B album. Country music singer Miranda Lambert was the most forthright about her sentiments in a tweet she sent after the show. “Chris Brown twice? I don’t get it. He beat on a girl. Not cool that we act like that didn’t happen.”

But “we” weren’t the only ones who acted like it didn’t happen. First, there was Chris Brown’s now-notorious tweet in response to Lambert et al.: “HATE ALL U WANT. BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now! That’s the ultimate F–K OFF!” Brown’s handlers, maybe guessing that winning a trophy doesn’t exonerate you for hospitalizing your girlfriend, removed his tweet. (Brown did not apologize for posting it.) Then came the disturbing onslaught of tweets from (mostly female) Brown fans who said they would relish the opportunity to be beaten by Chris. Meanwhile, in his half of the clueless universe, Bad Bobby Brown was acting as though the wife-beater who had terrorized Whitney Houston was some other Bad Bobby Brown. Directly following her death, at a concert in Maryland, he announced: “I love [Whitney] like a love God! I am badass Bobby Brown!” and proceeded to make customary obscene hand gestures to female audience members. A week later, ignoring the strong wishes of some family members, he showed up at Houston’s funeral, along with a nine-person entourage, and further distinguished himself by complaining about the seating arrangements. He was subsequently asked to leave the funeral. Critiques of his mourning strategy were not positive.

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This week: Good news, bad news

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 11:48 AM - 0 Comments

GOOD NEWS

Jose Gomez/Reuters

The good hunt

As East Coast fishermen prepare for another seal hunting season—and the annual clash with animal rights activists—the Harper government is bracing for its own fight. Ottawa announced it will file a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization, challenging the European Union’s ban on Canadian seal products. It is the right decision. Despite the spin of celebrities like Paul McCartney, the hunt is neither barbaric nor disgraceful. What happens on those ice floes is no more gruesome than a typical abattoir, and it injects millions into the East Coast economy. It is an industry worth defending.

Welcome back, Khadr?

Four months after pleading guilty to “murdering” an American soldier, Omar Khadr is asking the U.S. government for clemency—a tactic that could see him back in Canada sooner than expected. Let’s hope the Pentagon approves the application. Like it or not, Khadr’s return is a foregone conclusion, whether it happens in six months or six weeks. And the sooner he comes home, the sooner his fellow citizens can find out who he really is: a peaceful 24-year-old, as his lawyers insist, or a hardened radical bent on re, venge.

Common sense

The municipality of Clarington, Ont., has backed down on its attempt to suppress an annual countryside get-together for libertarian scholars and students. Marta and Lech Jaworski have held the Liberty Summer Seminar for 10 years on their eight-hectare estate, cooking for participants and collecting modest fees to cover their costs. But last year, the pair was accused of running a “commercial conference centre” and threatened with fines. A Charter challenge convinced the city to respect the Jaworskis’ rights to “peaceful assembly.”

On fire

Acclaimed Montreal indie-rock horde Arcade Fire pulled off a Grammy upset, winning Album of the Year for their third studio effort, The Suburbs. Other nominees included Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry. Front man Win Butler’s first words upon hearing of the win were, “What the hell?”, and many U.S. compatriots felt the same: Twitter erupted with cries of “Who?” from not-yet-clued-in Americans.

BAD NEWS

Riccardo De Luca/AP

Land of the free (spenders)

Barack Obama talked about making tough choices this week to cut America’s spending. But the budget that landed in Congress didn’t walk the talk. It will reduce but not nearly eliminate annual deficits over the next decade (the projected 2011 deficit is US$1.6 trillion) and it fails to tackle the biggest source of red ink: bloated Social Security and Medicare programs that are under growing pressure from an aging population. America is fast digging itself into a hole from which it may never escape.

In the nick of time

Thank goodness those Chilean miners were rescued when they were; another few days and they would have swallowed each other. According to a new book, the 33 men trapped deep underground for 69 agonizing days were on the verge of cannibalism, agreeing to eat the first man who died of starvation. “They had a pot and a saw ready,” the author says. Sadly, life above ground has been equally hellish. Despite their historic rescue and new-found celebrity, most of the miners are coping with severe psychological problems—including Edison Peña, who famously sang on David Letterman’s show. He is now hospitalized, battling anxiety and depression.

A good idea—not

Bev Oda may “not” be in cabinet much longer. In a stunning about-face, the international co-operation minister admitted that she ordered the word “not” be penned into a document to change it from approving to rejecting $7 million for the church-based aid group Kairos. CIDA officials signed the document thinking they were renewing the group’s funding, only to find out that Oda ordered the insertion of “not” before the word “approve.” Although she originally testified that she didn’t know who added the mysterious “not,” Oda eventually confessed in the House of Commons that it was done at her direction.

Big waistline, small brain

A sugary, fatty diet isn’t just bad for your child’s waistline. It’s bad for the brain. A new study says a three-year-old who eats predominantly processed foods will have a noticeably lower IQ by the age of 8½, compared to kids who eat lots of fruits and veggies. The “good” news? The world’s chocolate supply will reportedly run out by 2014.

'Everyone I know has had fair warning!'

By Elio Iannacci - Monday, November 1, 2010 at 10:00 AM - 0 Comments

Graham Denholm/WireImage/Getty Images

If President Barack Obama ever considered adding the job of director of celebrity relations to his staff list, Taylor Swift would be a shoo-in. The girl is a vault. Chatting with her via phone from Nashville about her recently released third album, Speak Now, and her ascent into the charts and hearts of America, she communicates with the professional grace of a media-trained politician: it’s hard to believe she’s only 20 years old.

Asked about the famous names that might have inspired the songs on Speak Now—a subject that is making headlines on both gossip blogs and global news sites—a confident Swift says, “I’ve never, ever been shy about the fact that I write songs about people in my life—no matter who they are. Everyone I know has had fair warning! I’ve always written about who is spending time with me, so if they get into any kind of relationship with me, they know what they are getting into.” Jake Gyllenhaal—reported to have been spotted holding hands with Swift in New York last Sunday—might want to take note.

One of the most talked-about rumours is an obvious allusion to 33-year-old John Mayer—reportedly Swift’s former flame—in a track called Dear John. The song’s finale ends with the lyrics, “You’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand and I’ll look back in regret I ignored what they said”—suggesting Swift could have been pre-warned by Jessica Simpson to keep from becoming another of Mayer’s locker-room anecdotes. Swift, who refuses to confirm or deny Mayer’s inspiration, shrewdly offers a cryptic explanation. “I can never tell if these songs will come back to haunt me, since my personal life and this album are so intertwined,” she says. “I do know one thing: you should never regret honesty.”

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The sporting case for the Grammy Awards

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, February 1, 2010 at 1:01 PM - 6 Comments

It is perhaps possible to take the Grammy Awards seriously. But only if you stop worrying about them.

Consider, for a moment, the National Football League.

The NFL is presently the premier professional sports league in North America: a multi-billion-dollar cultural institution that can claim, in the Super Bowl, the biggest single sporting event on the planet. Its athletes are among the world’s most exceptional and most beloved. But success in the NFL is not the ultimate standard of sporting achievement. The NFL does not define the concept of sport. In fact, no league, tournament or event—not even the Olympics—does. And it is generally understood that it is impossible to compare athletes of different leagues and disciplines—any discussion of “the world’s greatest athlete” generally defined by he or she who dominates their particular competition most spectacularly. (Tiger Woods, for instance, wasn’t ever as fast or as strong as any number of Olympians, football players or basketball players. But he was, by virtue of his unique excellence in golf, in the conversation as the best athlete in the world.)

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