Tag: Award Shows

Florence + The Machine Slays at The Hollywood Bowl

Florence Welch performing at the Hollywood Bowl with Florence + The Machine
Photo by Lillie Eiger

AN UNFORGETTABLE ENTRANCE

I’ve been to a lot of shows at the Hollywood Bowl and it’s not my favorite venue (I prefer The Greek). But if you ask non-concertgoers in Los Angeles, they will overwhelmingly endorse the Bowl. It’s legendary. Plus, it certainly helps that the Bougie wine-and-cheese crowd can pay a little extra to sit inside a glorified box. It was not until seeing Florence + The Machine that I finally realized the true value of that venue. At approximately 9:15 p.m., Florence Welch entered the stage in unison with her very talented musicians, and it was as if the heavens opened up and released a gift from G-d amidst the stars and the mountains. The aesthetics of a show are often overlooked, and she optimized every inch of available space. Her staging was impeccable, with perfect lighting and a background that made the large area feel incredibly intimate.

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Did Justin Timberlake Disrespect Prince at the Super Bowl?

It’s no surprise that Justin Timberlake was asked to perform at the Super Bowl. There’s few performers who can carry that type of venue, and he recently dropped a new record. Though fans hoped Janet Jackson might also return, Jackson made it clear she had no such intention. That’s not shocking given the world of heat she received for exposing her bare breast on stage, and the fact that she felt betrayed by Timberlake during the fallout. In short, everyone blamed Janet and no one blamed Justin. Sure it was her boob, but Timberlake participated, and instinct tells me it was pre-planned. Those two can deny it ad nauseum and I still will never believe it was a wardrobe malfunction. That’s neither here nor there, though.

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NAACP Image Awards — Red Carpet Fashion

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film, and the 49th annual event welcomed top talent in the industry. For a look at some of the memorable fashion moments, see below.

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Artist on the Rise: Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi

Here at The Dishmaster, I love to feature new artists. By “new,” I mean I recently learned of their music, whether I’m the last to know or not. I draw this distinction because this week’s feature is Lewis Capaldi, and his YouTube count suggests I’m late to the party. I discovered Lewis when I let last week’s feature, Freya Ridings, run endlessly until Capaldi’s videos began to play. Apparently YouTube is aware of my taste. His EP, Bruises, has satisfied my itch for a new release from Hozier, given that they share the same lane. The Scottish singer/songwriter wrote the single, “Fade,” with Grammy winner, Malay, and he was nominated for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award’ at the Scottish Music Awards. Listen below.

For my Los Angeles friends looking for tickets, he’ll be performing at Moroccan Lounge on April 1, 2018. For everyone else, click HERE to see if you’re lucky enough to see him visit your city.

10 Things You Never Knew About Beverly Hills 90210

Hulu has kindly offered a Beverly Hills, 90210 deep-dive, and it has resulted in some serious googling of which I’m moderately ashamed. You can now share my shame with a lot of juicy gossip about a show that has solidified its place in history. Since its cast lived through the high-times of Hollywood, they were met with many perks that are no longer offered today, and a high level of tolerance for some unacceptable antics. Read below to learn more about our favorite alums of Beverly Hills High.

Shannon Doherty Was Fired For Her Haircut

It’s no secret that Shannon Doherty was let go from the series that launched her career, but most people don’t know the straw that broke the camel’s back. While Doherty was already in hot water for her on-set antics, she cut her hair without consulting producers, thereby disrupting the continuity. Her co-stars used the opportunity to confront Aaron Spelling, with Tori leading the pack. Because Doherty had allegedly introduced Tori Spelling to a man who physically abused her, Spelling agreed to their demand. Garth once detailed their feud in her memoir, saying that they were close to blows “when [Shannon] pulled up my skirt, and my bare a** was exposed for everyone on the set to see.” Garth then said, “Come on, b****! We’re taking this outside!’”

Jamie Walters or “Ray” The Wife-Beater Was Fired Due to Fan Mail

Everyone knows that Ray beat Donna, and the actor recently revealed that the role permanently tarnished his reputation. You see, 90210 was extremely popular at the time, and the audience had trouble separating the truth from reality. What people don’t know; however, is that Ray was originally supposed to get help and find redemption, but when the audience began to see Donna as “stupid” for staying with him, series creator/Tori Spelling’s father called for his termination. Walters went away with a cool million for the work he was supposed to perform, but his career never fully recovered.

Brian Austin Green Wasn’t Happy About Tiffani Thiessen Joining the Show

One would think that Brian Austin Green’s behind-the-scenes romantic relationship with Tiffani Thiessen would make him happy about her hiring, but the actor wasn’t pleased with the idea of his fellow co-stars groping his girlfriend. The two dated for a few years and even lived together.

Gabrielle Carteris Was Asked Not to Get Pregnant (In Real Life)

Series star Gabrielle Carteris was notably older than the rest of the cast, so producers naturally assumed she might want to reproduce. This didn’t sit well, and they asked her to hold off. This is similar to the infamous Hunter Tylo story, which set a precedent for all women in the workplace when the soon-to-be Melrose Place actress sued Spelling Entertainment Group and Spelling Television Inc. for her claims of pregnancy discrimination, wrongful termination and breach of contract. She was awarded $5 million. According to Tylo, a producer said, “Why doesn’t she just go out and get an abortion? Then she can work.” Tylo strategically arrived in court each day wearing the sexiest of clothes at eight months pregnant, proving women everywhere can be sexy and pregnant at the same time. Unlike Tylo, Carteris’ pregnancy was written into the storyline, but her new life didn’t quite fit into the show’s theme.

The College Years Were Shot at the Occidental College in Glendale

Producers wanted to avoid the look of Malibu’s beachy vibe, thereby forgoing Pepperdine. The KEG house was actually shot at someone’s real-life home.

Jennie Garth Called For an Actor’s Firing, and Aaron Spelling Made Up a Rumor to Justify It

Jennie Garth was widely respected, and the actress rarely asked for favors. So when she didn’t like her romantic lead, she personally asked Aaron Spelling to fire the guest star. Spelling knew the producers would object given their plans for his future on the series, so he allegedly made up a rumor that the actor was an anti-semite, and he had no choice but to fire him. The producers surmised that Spelling was trying to protect Garth, but it’s rumored that the actor never worked again.

Tori Spelling Had a Fling With Brian Austin and Jason Priestly

Tori Spelling revealed in an on-camera interview that she and Jason Priestley had some fun in the sun during one summer. When asked about the validity of her claim, Priestley simply said it was no one’s business. She also revealed that she and Brian Austin Green had a relationship.

Brandon Walsh and Emily Valentine Were a Thing — In Real Life

Jason Priestly had a long-lasting relationship with his co-star, Christine Elise. They dated for five years.

Jason Priestly Regrets Leaving the Show in Season 9

Though he felt his character had run its course, Priestley regrets leaving the show when he did. Only a fool leaves a show before its final season, he reasoned. Plus, he said that his departure hurt series creator Aaron Spelling’s feelings.His advice to other actors is, “No discussion: If you’re lucky enough to be on a hit TV show, don’t leave until they kill you off. You never know when, or if, the next one’s coming.”

Aaron Spelling Kept His Daughter a Virgin

Though the writers and producers often pitched Donna losing her virginity, Aaron Spelling wouldn’t have it. In fact, all the storyline pitch meetings with Aaron Spelling always began with his daughter’s role, even when she had minimal lines. He finally agreed during the latter part of the series, and Jason Priestly directed the episode.

The 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards: Red Carpet

Though the entire fashion community reports on the Oscars, I personally prefer the Kid’s Choice Awards. It’s the perfect place for a creative color palette, with young, youthful looks that set a fashion-forward precedent. Plus, it provides an entertaining conundrum for the adults who attend, given the delicate balance between dressing inside your age range while also sustaining the fun factor.

Everything We Know About Envelopegate

Jordan_Horowitz-APBefore we discuss who is to blame for the infamous envelope gaffe for the Best Picture announcement at the 89th Annual Academy Awards, let’s get our facts straight. I’m a lawyer, and I love facts. First and foremost, who’s responsible for any and all of those envelopes and can just anyone put their hands on them? The answer is no. Two people are responsible, and it’s PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan. Cullinan and Ruiz each have a briefcase with envelopes of each winner, and they stand on either side of the stage so there’s an envelope ready, no matter what side the talent enters. This means that each category has a duplicate envelope. Once an envelope is distributed, that duplicate should be discarded, so this very situation does not happen. If it is not discarded, the stack becomes disrupted. Because Emma Stone’s award was given immediately before the Best Picture announcement, it stands to reason that an envelope was not discarded, and Cullinan reached for the top of the stack without looking. And why did I single out Cullinan and not Ruiz? Because according to TMZ, the 30-year-veteran of PwC was responsible for handing Warren the card. TMZ also said that Cullinan spent most of the night tweeting, and he even tweeted a picture of Emma Stone while he should have been preparing for the next category.

Here’s the full statement from PwC, aka Price Waterhouse Cooper:

We sincerely apologize to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.

Now that we know the culprit, let’s analyze how it was handled. For starters, this is Warren Beatty’s third time presenting in this category. Jack Nicholson holds the record of eight, and Audrey Hepburn is second with four. Why do I mention this? Because the more seasoned you are at an activity, the less likely your brain is to shut down during a crisis. It’s not Beatty’s fault, but he knew something was wrong and panicked. Though he turned to Faye Dunaway for help, it was not clear that he was in fact asking for help, and Dunaway rattled off the winner without looking. TMZ also reveals that Dunaway and Beatty battled over who would announce the winner, and perhaps she rushed for fear that Beatty would steal the moment. I feel bad for Beatty, but I also feel he should be seasoned enough to handle a situation like this.

Next up? Reports suggest that there was immense backstage chaos when the mistake was revealed, and La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz said that he knew something was awry when someone ran up to him to ask for his envelope. After opening it, the mistake was confirmed and everyone seemed unable to function in the pressure-filled debacle. La La Land producer Fred Berger was the first to speak, saying, “We lost by the way but you know.” Berger was clearly disappointed, but his comment did nothing to move the moment forward, which needed to happen because Moonlight was the rightful winner, and as each second lapsed, they lost the opportunity to celebrate their win.

La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz came to the rescue, and immediately announced the mistake. He then graciously said he would be “really proud to give it to [his friends] from Moonlight.” As the crowd stood in disbelief and Kimmel, Beatty, and that frantic guy with a headset did relatively nothing, Horowitz quickly insisted it was not a joke, took the card from Warren Beatty’s hands and showed it to the audience as proof. Of the pivotal moment that proved his status as both a gentleman and a fixer, Horowitz said:

Listen, I’m a producer. I gather things together and I change directions and I march things forward. I had just finished saying how much love there was in the community and I want to do diverse and bold work, and so to be able to actually put that into action and make that physical by bringing those guys up onstage and giving them the award that they won…I don’t want to say it was an honor, because it was really confusing, [but it felt right].

There are a few lessons to be learned here. First, don’t get greedy. Just because you’ve been doing something for decades doesn’t mean you can tweet during the most important moment of your job. Second, this is Hollywood, not brain surgery, and there are very few professions that involve such insane indulgence. Oral surgeons don’t get awards for treating periodontal disease and though the Oscars are fun to watch, these Viola-Davis-style acceptance speeches are too grandiose to tolerate. The point? Let’s all take a step back and get some perspective. No one died. Third, to contradict point number two, I feel bad for the producers of La La Land, because they walked away with nothing. Sure the movie garnered Oscars, but not one for their specific role, which is a bummer. The fact that Horowitz could look out for his friends while processing his disappointment should be appreciated. Fourth, when something goes wrong, get your bearings, then speak up. And fifth, Jack Nicholson has to come back.

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89TH Annual Academy Awards — Red Carpet Photos

The 2017 Oscars are in full force, which means the fashion extravaganza has begun. Though I’ve been mostly disappointed with the less-than-innovative designs, there are a few winners, and it’s surprisingly the most simplistic silhouettes. In fact, sometimes beauty is at it’s height when most toned-down, which means Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson win the award. Get your fix of fashion photos below, and hover over the images to see each name.

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The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards — A Complete Recap


To quote a personal friend about this year’s Grammys, “There’s so much amazing music out there. The Grammys are idiotic in general. Imagine how terrible the Oscars would be if it was always the two highest grossing films battling for best film.” It’s no secret that this party is run by old, white men, and the performances and awards reflect that lack of imagination. After all, if you’re going to a music show, you better burn the house down, and that’s not what happened. Read below for my individual critiques.

STURGILL SIMPSON

As the only artist nominated for Album of the Year who actually wrote his entire album ALONE, Sturgill Simpson deserves special recognition. The country music outlaw also gets special cred for breaking into a category dominated by the typical pop-music stars, including Beyonce, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Adele. He has never compromised his integrity for fame, and he therefore deserved that Best Country Album win for ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.’ Too bad they didn’t televise his award.

KATY PERRY

For a pop star that does not dance, Katy Perry’s capability will always be behind her cohorts,which makes her performance at the Grammys surprisingly good. This is the best she’s looked and she seemed extremely comfortable on stage. As for her new song, “Chained to the Rhythm,” it’s repetitive, unoriginal, and moderately grating, and the message is a tad ridiculous. We need to stand for something, remove our rose-colored glasses, but ALSO party? I’m confused. Watch below.

BEYONCE

I get that she’s pregnant, but Beyonce’s seated deity-style performance felt more like a painting than an actual song. Did she take that “Queen Bey” thing literally? This is a MUSIC show, and every move she’s made since announcing her pregnancy feels indulgent (see pregnancy pics), especially given the current state of affairs. Watch below.

ADELE

After an off-key start that is being attributed to the same technical difficulties that marred other performers that night, Adele proved her prowess by stopping the tune and asking for a do-over. She solidified her authenticity, stayed true to her claim that she would never again relive last year’s debacle, and showed Mariah a thing or two about how to climb out of a sticky on-stage mess. Plus, she swore, which is always fun. Having said all that, I HATED the arrangement of George Michael’s “Fastlove.” It’s so boring I almost fell asleep. Watch below.

METALLICA + LADY GAGA

I’m going to come down hard on Gaga for her handling of the technical problems during her performance with Metallica. When the lead singer’s mic went out, she should have immediately walked over to him with her own mic. She spent three verses on her side of the stage, until James Hetfield finally walked over to share her mic. At that point, she still hogged it, and she did not even tilt it in his direction. To quote my friend, “If you’re not giving light, you’re taking it.” As for the Grammys, there’s no excuse that mic went out. I understand a technical difficulty here and there, but there were FAR TOO MANY. Furthermore, I resent Gaga’s presence at all. Metallica does’t need an assist from a pop-star, and adding glitter to a rock G-D to keep people entertained is an insulting use of their stage time. I love Gaga, but I don’t need a side of shiny with my grits.