OSCARS MADE ME A GROUCH
They were noteworthy for some of the groundbreaking nominees and winners, but kinda stunk for production decisions.
We do have to cut them some slack. It was an impossible task, during a pandemic, in a much smaller venue, Union Station (gorgeous and historic but not large enough to present “spectacle”), with some guests seated across town at the (formerly) Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, the traditional site of the awards recently and the largest stage in the U.S.
Song and dance numbers, vital to the entertainment value of the show? Missing. I heard they did some songs on the red carpet, but I never tune in to the fashion and fabulousness flaunting so I missed that. Whatever there was.
But I am pretty certain none of it matched full staging and orchestration for Michael Jackson, Dolly, Isaac Hayes, Lady Gaga, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, Björk and her swan song, Springsteen’s heart-breaking “Philadelphia,” Donna Summer inside a mirror ball, Judy Garland “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” who can forget Kermit the Frog picking romantic banjo, and more recently, 2015, a memorable performance by John Legend and Common.
We never even got to see videos of the nominated songs. Come on, Oscars.
BATISTE NAILS IT, BUT…
It’s possible there was an agreement beforehand between “Soul” score winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails), and co-winner Jon Batiste, leader of the Stephen Colbert Show band — a versatile and excellent one, the best on TV, and Batiste is the Energizer bunny who drives it all in any form of music you can name, but…
Unless there was that agreement, I can’t forgive Batiste for hogging the whole speech time, almost three minutes, but much worse — not only never mentioning his collaborators and co-winners standing there silently, but never even acknowledging their presence. Right behind him on stage, but invisible, apparently. After two years of working together on this project?
Batiste’s speech was a memorable one, thanking God for giving us “12 notes, it’s the same 12 notes that Duke Ellington had, Bach had, Nina Simone…” And maybe the Nine Inch boys knew that in advance and just let him rip.
But seriously, he never even looked over his shoulder at them his whole time on stage. He thanked several of his other collaborators, but not them. Let’s put it in perspective: this was the second Oscar for Ross and Reznor, AND — they were also in the running for their work scoring “Mank.” TWO scores not only completed in the same year but both Oscar-worthy. Jon. Tsk. Bad form. On what should have been your best music night ever.
GLENN CLOSE BUTT…
Some are calling it the highlight of the show — a prime example of no accounting for taste — when venerated actress Glenn Close stood up from her table and shook her be-gowned booty at her tablemates, taking little convincing to twerk her version of “Da Butt” for the world. She also appeared expertly knowledgeable about the song from the Spike Lee movie, “School Daze.” Right.
My first thought was, oh, Glenn, honey… But now I think maybe she agreed to it thinking, if they’re going to reject me again, for the eighth time, for an Oscar, I’ll just show the whole Academy what I think of that.
But the whole bit was indicative of a bigger problem, the creative failure and misfires of producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. The bit, toward the show’s end, was “a game” for “randomly picked” guests to guess whether a song played by DJ Questlove was an Oscar winner, nominated, or not nominated. Huh? I’d love to know who came up with this dim bulb idea of entertainment on a world stage, but no matter, you had three producers who said, yeah, that sounds good to me.
NICOLE RECOMMENDS REMARKABLY WELL
No NICOLE RECOMMENDS feature at the bottom of the column this week. Sometimes I give her a pass, for good behavior.
And sometimes her good behavior/good writing/good music sleuthing gets outside recognition, and that’s always gratifying. On Tuesday of this week the Calendar section of the L.A. Times ran about two-thirds of their front page on a story about a country music podcast, by one Tyler Mahan Coe, named “Cocaine & Rhinestones.”. They continued it to the back page, where it took up everything but the right column. Obviously, the Times felt, major stuff, that their readers should know about.
Nicole thought so too, and recommended Coe’s podcast in her NR section of my NOTEWORTHY column the previous Thursday. Not the first time that’s happened. (My opinion of Coe’s work: killer. Absolutely fascinating even if you don’t care for the subject matter. His reading is dramatic and gripping.)
A month ago she sang the praises in NR of Ellen Reid‘s SOUNDWALK, through UCLA, a sonically-guided walk around Griffith Park to a pre-recorded but interactive soundtrack linked to the nature you’re walking through. The following Sunday the Times Calendar section gave it a big feature, as did Spectrum TV.
I’ve had quite a few people send me notes of praise for what she digs up, but it’s always nice when a professional organization chimes in by acknowledging the same subject matter.
Nice going, kid.
GERALD CLAYTON!
I never do this! During this whole long pandemic live music drought, I’ve been resisting recommending the many virtual performances that have come about. It’s certainly not that I don’t feel for the musicians and the venues they play in and would like to help out, but I just don’t care much for streaming performances. For me, I might as well be watching a video, and so I can’t in good conscience make a recommendation. But here’s my first exception.
I so dig every single note I’ve ever heard jazz pianist Gerald Clayton play I’m recommending his streamed performance, as a duo, tonight and Friday night at 7 p.m., coming from a hip local jazz joint that is his local home base, with the odd name of Sam First. Drop me a line and tell me how you liked it.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 34 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
