“Rolling in the Deep” is Number 1 on VH1, and it is currently the most requested song on Radio 104.5.
Original Version
1. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
2. The Script – “For the First Time”
3. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
4. Train – “Marry Me”
5. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
6. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
7. Taylor Swift – “Back to December”
8. Sia – “I’m in Here”
9. Sick Puppies – “Maybe”
10. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
11. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
12. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
13. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
14. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
15. Avril Lavigne – “What the Hell”
16. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”
17. Goo Goo Dolls – “Notbroken”
18. James Blunt – “Stay the Night”
19. Katy Perry – “Firework”
20. Kings of Leon – “Pyro”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. Pyro
4. We R Who We R
5. Get Outta My Way
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Back to December
10. Grenade
11. Waiting for the End
12. Firework
13. Maybe
14. What the Hell
15. Stay the Night
16. F****** Perfect
17. For the First Time
18. Farmer’s Daughter
19. Notbroken
20. Marry Me
The program description for SportsCenter on the digital cable states that it “provides a thorough presenatation of sports news, highlights, and analysis.” The description used to be something along the lines of “a daily collection of dunks, homers, and touchdowns.” This change in description is apt, as SportsCenter has made the shift from being primarily a highlights show to being primarily a news program. It was only ten years ago – perhaps even five years ago – that it was basically guaranteed that you could catch at least some highlights from all of last night’s NBA action. Now, you’ll be lucky if they show clips from three games. It is true thatwith the Internet, the highlights that SportsCenter does not include are still out there. But most Internet highlights are not accompanied with commentary as worthy as a “Boo-yah!” (And Stuart Scott is hardly ever on SportsCenter these days anyway.) What SportsCenter is instead dominated by these days is game day coverage that begins at least a week in advance and covers such topics as the chance that Ben Roethlisberger may, or may not, have stayed out past curfew.
But all is not lost, thanks to the emergence of Blake Griffin. The Clippers’ own personal dunking highlight reel seems to end up on the Top 10 Plays every day that the Clips have a game. He has ensured that SportsCenter will continue to include at least some highlights. His dunks defy analysis; all we ought to do is watch and marvel, and maybe sprinkle in a “Did you see that?!” and a “Boo-yah!” here and there. There has not been a one-man highlight reel on this level since the NBA’s glory days of the eighties and nineties, and there probably won’t be any others any time soon. We’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts, and even ESPN knows that.
Cold Opening – Congresswoman Michele Bachman’s Response to the President’s State of the Union: The Second Attempt
The concept of technical difficulties galore was good for a few laughs and then it got a little old, but not as old as it could have gotten. Bachman offhandedly confirming that Xena was on the same tape as the Obama clip and the crash in the background at the end were the most amusing bits, because of how goofy and unexplained they were. B
Jesse Eisenberg’s Monologue
When Zuckerberg joined Eisenberg, it felt like they were going for pretend awkward, but instead it was just actually awkward. (Why didn’t all three Zuckerbergs appear together at the same time?) Jesse’s struggle to paint himself as cocky was well-intentioned, but that too was also awkward. C
Estro-maxx
This was one of the weakest premises SNL has ever had for a commercial parody, but thankfully it was part of a trend in which weak premises are saved by great performances. Bill, Fred, Paul, and Bobby especially were completely wholehearted in their roles, particularly while wining. And of course Kenan’s look of joyful surprise was the best moment. B
My dad caught some of “All You Need is Now” and thought, Hey, that current band sounds like Duran Duran.
Original Version
1. The Script – “For the First Time”
2. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
3. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
4. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
5. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
6. Train – “Marry Me”
7. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
8. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
9. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
10. Taylor Swift – “Back to December”
11. Sick Puppies – “Maybe”
12. Sia – “I’m in Here”
13. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
14. Josh Groban – “Hidden Away”
15. Goo Goo Dolls – “Notbroken”
16. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
17. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”
18. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
19. Duran Duran – “All You Need is Now”
20. Katy Perry – “Firework”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. All You Need is Now
5. Get Outta My Way
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Born Free
10. Back to December
11. Grenade
12. Waiting for the End
13. Maybe
14. Firework
15. Hidden Away
16. F****** Perfect
17. For the First Time
18. Farmer’s Daughter
19. Notbroken
20. Marry Me
There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of live performances every year. Obviously I have not seen or even heard about every live performance of 2010, nor has any other music critic. Even if I stick with only the performances that were broadcasted to a mass audience, there is still only a small percentage that I am familiar with. Thus, the four performances that I am spotlighting may not be the four best performances of the year, but they are certainly memorable in their own right and would likely at least rank among the top one hundred performances of the year. As it is, they are the four best live performances of 2010 that I saw.
Kanye West – “Power” on Saturday Night Live (October 2)
The SNL music stage is notorious for bad acoustics, drowning out any artist with a big sound. It isn’t a very big stage, and history also suggests that the musical acts aren’t granted much freedom in adjusting the design of the stage. Somehow, Kanye West convinced whoever makes the decisions that that needed to change. Draping the stage completely in white – draping the stage in any color – is completely unheard of, as is the presence of approximately thirty backup dancers, ballerinas or otherwise. This is prime video evidence of a musical genius at work, and evidence that he will not let anyone stand in his way as he brings his visions to fruition.
Florence + the Machine – “Dog Days are Over” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (September 12)
When you are a recording artist with a great voice, the question is always, do you sound as good live as you do on the record? Better yet, do you sound better live? If the answer is yes, then the rest of what you do live is just gravy. So, it is always nice when an act like Florence + the Machine does not skimp on the gravy. The blue people and the tribal outfits provided the spectacle, and the choreography was in sync. Florence’s spinning platform set up a nice counter-synchronicity. This performance also benefited from astute directorial choices, with plenty of ceiling shots showing off the full spectrum of the act.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”/Ann and Nancy Wilson and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Crazy on You” on VH1 Divas Salute the Troops (recorded December 3, aired December 5)
With a steady pattern of vocal breaks and several relatively instrumentally inactive moments, “Paris (Ooh La La)” – more than any other hit of 2010 – is perfectly structured for a great live performance. The Nocturnals did not disappoint, hitting their riffs as they saw fit, their spontaneity winning over the crowd despite being the least-known act. Of course, Grace really explored the space of the stage and had plenty of room to do so. But the real highlight, no doubt, was the encore. At the beginning of the show, I was thinking how some of these VH1 Divas, Grace Potter especially, must have been influenced by the Wilson sisters and that it would be great if they were to make a surprise appearance. Somebody else had that same great idea. It would have been unbearable if Grace could not have matched Ann note for note on this most vocally striking of Heart’s hits, but she pulled it off, and the reason she was able to was certainly not because Ann’s pipes have gone any bit rusty. She was even bold enough to put her own screechy spin on the tune. The vocal tête à tête was enough to forgive the Nocturnals for skipping a few notes on the guitar (it is a tough guitar song as well). http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:vh1.com:602760
She & Him – “I Put a Spell on You” on Conan (December 9)
“That was unbelievable.” – Conan O’Brien
On the opposite end of what Kanye accomplished on the SNL stage is what She & Him accomplished on the Conan stage. This is the sort of performance you have to come up with when you don’t have 30 backup ballerinas. It’s not like you need 30 backup dancers when you have a voice like Zooey Deschanel’s. Hell, you barely need a guitar. Zooey possesses one of the richest-sounding voices in music today, and in this take on the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic, she really explored what she could do with it. She made the risky decision of sounding like a petulant child at several points, but somehow it worked. And M. Ward did manage to fit in a quick little guitar solo outro.
I love the idea that Paris may be a hit, but VH1 is the only source that has indicated to me that it might be.
Original Version
1. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
2. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
3. The Script – “For the First Time”
4. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
5. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
6. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
7. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
8. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
9. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
10. Train – “Marry Me”
11. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
12. Katy Perry – “Firework”
13. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
14. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
15. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
16. Sia – “I’m in Here”
17. Sick Puppies – “Maybe”
18. Josh Groban – “Hidden Away”
19. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”
20. Duran Duran – “All You Need is Now”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. All You Need is Now
5. Get Outta My Way
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Born Free
10. Maybe
11. Waiting for the End
12. Grenade
13. Firework
14. Hidden Away
15. The Time (Dirty Bit)
16. Give a Little More
17. For the First Time
18. Farmer’s Daughter
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me
Cold Opening – Fox News: Embracing Civility
Kristen, Bobby, Nasim, and Jason basically just sat there (and to varying degrees attempted an impression) while Bill took over the entire sketch as Carville. Which is perfectly acceptable, because it is a strong enough impression for that. I am surprised that Carville hasn’t been used in sketches before to antagonize Republicans like this. It seems like it would have been an obvious call. B
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Monologue
Pretending your way through something is ripe for laughs, but you can’t be lazy about it. When it quickly became clear that Gwyneth was obviously not immersed in country music, I laughed. But then she just mumbled through the song, and that was kinda funny. Jason’s Kenny Rogers was ultimately pointless. And Kristen’s Dolly Parton was not properly incorporated. C+
The Cape Spinoffs
This started out agreeably goofy, but since none of the premises were given time to develop, this was the ultimate in hit-or-miss comedy. There were a few hits, “The Water Bottle Holder” being the best of the bunch. I appreciated the line, “Viewers have spoken, and some of them say, ‘We like The Cape.'” B
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
2. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
3. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
4. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
5. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
6. The Script – “For the First Time”
7. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
8. Katy Perry – “Firework”
9. Train – “Marry Me”
10. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
11. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
12. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
13. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
14. Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
15. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
16. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”
17. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
18. Sia – “I’m in Here”
19. Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
20. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. Get Outta My Way
5. Right Thru Me
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Born Free
10. Waiting for the End
11. Grenade
12. Firework
13. Give a Little More
14. The Time (Dirty Bit)
15. For the First Time
16. Sweet Serendipity
17. Farmer’s Daughter
18. Stuck Like Glue
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me
Cold Opening – A Message from Michael Bloomberg
The humor of snow bamboozlement is long overdue. There were several individual items in this sketch that were funny, but the list format rendered matters a little stale overall. This is a rare example of a sketch that was “too New York.” Fred’s Bloomberg impression may have been accurate, but I don’t really know. Bloomberg just isn’t as well-known outside of New York as, say, Giuliani was. B
Jim Carrey’s Monologue
This is exactly the sort of positive energy we could hope for when Jim Carrey hosts SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE! And Lisa Loeb’s sister sure is cute. Too bad she’s taken. B+
Bosley Hair Restoration
Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. Original Grade: B+
Vampire Weekend is debuting? Apparently Tommy Hilfiger commercials don’t count.
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
2. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
3. Katy Perry – “Firework”
4. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
5. Train – “Marry Me”
6. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
7. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
8. Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
9. The Script – “For the First Time”
10. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
11. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”
12. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
13. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
14. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
15. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
16. Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
17. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
18. Goo Goo Dolls – “Notbroken”
19. Vampire Weekend – “Holiday”
20. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. Right Thru Me
5. The Cave
6. Holiday
7. Jar of Hearts
8. Waiting for the End
9. Grenade
10. Firework
11. Born Free
12. Give a Little More
13. For the First Time
14. The Time (Dirty Bit)
15. Sweet Serendipity
16. Farmer’s Daughter
17. Notbroken
18. Stuck Like Glue
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me
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