BTS sweeps top prizes at 2019 MAMA in Nagoya

SEOUL — K-pop sensation BTS picked up nine prizes at this year’s Mnet Asian Music Awards in the Japanese city of Nagoya on Wednesday, monopolizing the biggest Asian music awards event.

The septet took home the top three prizes at the 2019 MAMA — Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year — winning big at the awards ceremony held at Nagoya Dome.


Six other awards including Best Male Group, Best Dance Performance-Male Group and Best Music Video also went to BTS.

“Year 2019 has been a year of really intense and hard work. Looking back, we had (a time) when we almost gave up, but after some time we can now smile over the past,” member Suga said, lifting the Artist of the Year trophy.

“Over the past year, we have grown more and become stronger,” he said.

Member J-Hope said in a separate speech after taking the Album of the Year prize that BTS “will try to provide a positive influence and good messages.”

Member Jimin hinted at the band’s next album, saying, “We are preparing our next album and we might be able to come up with an album that is far better than what you are expecting.”

Separately, veteran singer Lee So-ra’s 2019 song featuring Suga, “Song Request,” was named Best Collaboration during the three-hour awards and performance ceremony.

Girl band TWICE took home Best Dance Performance-Female Group and Best Female Group, while female quartet Mamamoo won Favorite Vocal Performance.

ITZY and Tomorrow X Together lifted Best New Female Artist and Best New Male Artist, respectively.

The 2019 MAMA was well received by fans in Japan despite on-going diplomatic and trade disputes between Seoul and Tokyo stemming from their shared history.


MAMA organizer CJ’s choice of Nagoya had raised eyebrows among South Korean fans after the city temporarily suspended the exhibition of a symbolic Korean sculpture during the city’s hosting of the Aichi Triennale art festival in the wake of the bilateral rows earlier this year. Yonhap

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Madonna’s rambling Aretha Franklin tribute earns backlash

NEW YORK — The backlash was swift for Madonna’s rambling, egocentric tribute to Aretha Franklin at the MTV Video Music Awards, with media and Queen-of-Soul fans wondering why she got the gig in the first place.

Dressed in flowing black with grandiose flourishes of African jewelry, Madonna’s send-off came before she presented the video of the year award to Camila Cabello on Monday night. She spoke at length about her own start in the business and her own career before thanking Franklin for “empowering all of us. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”

Cabello then collected the biggest award of the night for her “Havana” video with a bow to Madonna, dedicating the trophy to, you guessed it, Madonna.


There was a short video of early Franklin that played before Madonna said that the icon who died Thursday “changed the course of my life,” and Franklin’s “Respect” played as the night’s closing credits rolled. But there was no live musical performance honoring the legend.

Some accused Madonna, in her spiky silver headpiece, heavy necklaces and beaded bracelets, of cultural appropriation. Far more accused her of making the show’s only tribute to Franklin all about herself.

“I’m so lost,” radio host Charlamagne Tha God tweeted. “I thought Madonna was supposed to be paying homage to Aretha but all I heard was her paying homage to herself.”

After describing her teen exit from Detroit to make her name in show business, Madonna said at one point, “So, you are probably all wondering why I am telling you this story.”

Why, yes. Before she got to the point (she sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman” acapella at an audition of yore), Madonna meandered through references to Paris, poverty, guitar lessons and finally her backside hanging out at a VMAs show after breaking a stiletto.

“Does Madonna know Madonna didn’t die?” ESPN’s Katie Nolan tweeted.

Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly described the speech on Twitter as “Madonna presents an Aretha Franklin tribute by Madonna featuring Madonna with Madonna and Madonna as ‘Madonna’.”

The response was not unlike that from some fans of Prince when Madonna donned a “Purple Rain” suit to honor him soon after his death, at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.

The Madonna Twitter roasting included this from one angry Franklin fan: “Only madonna would tell her life story while honoring a dead Black Woman lmaooo.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

MTV Awards salute ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘Stranger Things’

LOS ANGELES — Film hit “Beauty and the Beast” and Netflix newcomer “Stranger Things” were the night’s big winners with two trophies apiece as MTV partied with its Movie & TV Awards show.

For this, the 26th edition of what was formerly known as the MTV Movie Awards, TV was added to the mix. “Stranger Things” was decreed the Show of the Year, and its cast member, Millie Bobby Brown, was named Best Actor in a Show.

“Beauty and the Beast” was the Movie of the Year, with its star, Emma Watson, the Best Actor in a Movie.

But the awards had another trick up its sleeve, introducing a policy of breaking down gender barriers, as men and women competed jointly in the acting categories.

The policy was put into practice at the top of the show by presenter Asia Kate Dillion, who proudly noted she has been able to break down gender barriers as “the first openly non-binary actor to play an openly non-binary actor on a major TV show,” Showtime’s drama series “Billions.” (A non-binary person is someone who doesn’t identify with either gender.) Then she presented the award to Watson.

“Acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories,” Watson said in receiving her trophy,

Despite glowering skies and dime-size hailstones, MTV was heralding the start of the summer viewing season with its annual shindig. The red carpet outside Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium became a swamp as luminaries made their water-logged arrival for the shindig. But inside, it was dry (except for flowing cocktails among audience members) as Adam Devine hosted the proceedings.

Tongue-in-cheek, Devine described himself as a progressive personality fully equal to the night’s high-minded theme.

As the caption “Adam Gets It” flashed on the screen, Devine declared, “I love Hugh Jackman. But I call him Hugh Jack-PERSON.”

And turning to “Beauty and the Beast,” he said, “I call it ‘Multidimensional woman with her own dynamic traits, and the beast.’ ”

The show maintained its traditional irreverence with awards recognizing the best duo (Jackman and Dafne Keen of the film “Logan”), best villain (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, “The Walking Dead”), best tearjerker (hit TV drama “This Is Us”), and best kiss (Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerone of “Moonlight”).


That last award was presented by co-stars of the film smash “Get Out”: a very blond Allison Williams in shimmering miniskirt, alongside a nervous-looking Lil Rey Howery.

“Are you scared of me?” Williams asked him.

“I’m AFRAID — that’s the word I’m gonna use,” Howery said.

“Ever since the movie came out,” said Williams, “for the last couple of months — ”

“— Black dudes don’t mess with you,” said Howery, whose character in the film has good reason to be scared of hers.

A new award, Best Fight Against the System, went to the film “Hidden Figures,” which tells the story of a team of African-American women mathematicians who served a vital role at NASA during the space program’s early years.

The mission of the filmmakers, said one of its stars, Taraji P. Henson, was to dispel a certain deep-seated social myth “so another young girl wouldn’t grow up thinking that her mind wasn’t capable of grasping math and science.”

The cast of the “Fast and Furious” franchise received the Generation Award, accepted by Vin Diesel, who thanked a generation of fans “willing to accept this multicultural franchise, where it didn’t matter what color your skin was or what country you are from — when you’re family, you’re family.”

Trevor Noah of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” was named Best Host.

“There is one person I aspire to be every single day,” he said, “and that is my mom: a powerful, strong black woman who never listened when people told her she couldn’t be more.”

Then, among his thanks, he voiced gratitude to President Donald Trump “for the comedy.”

Even one of the night’s biggest awards couldn’t escape a bit of mischief-making. Presenting Movie of the Year, Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn comically bobbled the title (a la the Oscars), first announcing “La La Light,” then “Moonland.” Then they got it right: “Beauty and the Beast.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Beyonce vs. Adele at music’s biggest night

LOS ANGELES, United States — The music world gathers Sunday for the Grammys with the top awards a choice between a new, edgier Beyonce and the time-tested heartache ballads of Adele.

The televised bash from Los Angeles, which kicks off at 5 pm (0100 GMT Monday), could also have political fireworks as many artists are outspoken critics of US President Donald Trump.

But the enduring picture from the Grammys may turn out to be Beyonce, who is expected to make her first public appearance since revealing that she is pregnant with twins.

Beyonce leads the Grammys with nine nominations and could win the most prestigious awards for the first time — Album of the Year for “Lemonade” and Record of the Year for her song “Formation.”

“Lemonade,” which Beyonce intertwined with a film, marked a new direction for the pop superstar as she dabbled in hip-hop, hard rock and even country.

“Formation” was the most politically upfront song of Beyonce’s career with a video rallying behind the Black Lives Matter movement, including an image of police officers surrendering as if under arrest.

Throughout “Lemonade,” Beyonce directed herself to an audience of fellow African American women with themes of resilience. In the film, she strongly suggested that her husband, rapper Jay Z, had been unfaithful but Beyonce by the end forgave him.

Beyonce faces competition in the main categories from Adele, who proved her enduring, massive commercial popularity by sticking to her style of wrenching ballads.

Return to stage for Adele

The English singer is nominated for her ubiquitous song “Hello” and her album “25,” which has been the world’s top-seller since her “21,” which also triumphed at the Grammys.

Adele is scheduled to sing at the Grammys — a year after her performance was marred by a falling microphone, which hit the piano and caused her voice to veer jarringly out of tune.

Other artists who stand a chance to win the most Grammys include Toronto rapper Drake, R&B superstar Rihanna and the hip-hop celebrity fixture Kanye West.

Drake has been nominated for “Views,” his blockbuster collection of dance-ready tracks, and for “Work,” his lusty collaboration with Rihanna.

Dark horses for Album of the Year include “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” by Sturgill Simpson, who has given some intellectual heft to country music through lyricism inspired by Buddhist philosophy.

Justin Bieber was nominated for “Purpose,” in a surprise nod for the Canadian singer often more associated with tabloid exploits.

Chance the Rapper, 23, is a favorite to win Best New Artist amid acclaim for his gospel-infused hip-hop. The Chicago artist benefited from updated rules that consider streaming exclusives.

Tributes to late stars

The Grammys will feature tributes to two pop icons who died in the past year — Prince and George Michael.

The performance is expected to herald the arrival of Prince, who battled the music industry for much of his career, to major streaming services following deals with his estate.

Katy Perry, back from a short hiatus in which she recorded new music, will use the global television platform to perform “Chained to the Rhythm,” her retro disco-inspired new single.

Perry — who with 95 million followers is the most popular person on Twitter — released the song Friday after a unique social media campaign in which she sent fans around the world hunting for disco balls that held recordings of the single.

The show will also see the return of Daft Punk, the reclusive, robot-clad French electronic duo that has not performed in public since the Grammys in 2014.

Daft Punk will play with R&B sensation The Weeknd, whose music the duo recently produced. Daft Punk kicked off the weekend by opening a pop-up store in Los Angeles, although the duo has been characteristically tight-lipped on whether it plans more music or touring.

Lady Gaga — who a week ago put on a riveting performance before more than 117 million television viewers at the Super Bowl halftime show — is set for one of the more unlikely Grammy collaborations as she takes the stage with Metallica.

Gaga and Perry were among the most outspoken celebrity backers of Hillary Clinton in her campaign against Trump, raising the prospect of political statements at the Grammys.

But Gaga only addressed politics subtly at the Super Bowl as she championed a message of inclusion. CBB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net