More Twitter Reaction to Grammys 2011 Last Night

Just got a great email on the Grammys 2011 and Twitter from Julia, part of the folks at Topsy, a very cool real-time search engine that Google has been paying attention to (from what I'm told by others). Here's her message:

Hi Zennie,

I read your article on Twitter complaints around Lady Antebellum’s tribute to Teddy Pendergrass and thought you might like to look at what the Twittersphere thinks about last night’s fashions, winners, performances, etc. In the last couple hours alone, there have been over 4,500K tweets. In the past day, there have been over 70K! http://topsy.com/s/grammy%27s/tweet

Here is a side-by-side comparison of Justin Bieber vs. Lady Gaga from the last day, with Justin overall more popular across the social web than Gaga: http://analytics.topsy.com/?q=lady%20gaga,justin%20bieber&period=1%20day.

Topsy (www.topsy.com), the realtime search leader, has the largest index of Twitter content in the world. Instead of indexing pages, Topsy indexes conversations. Let me know if I can pull any more Twitter data for you on what’s happening around the Grammy’s.

Thanks,
Julia

Julia Stemerman

Of the vast number of tweets, this one was off the charts funny:

Lady Gaga went to the VMA's dressed as meat, now she's at the Grammy's in a egg. Two more red carpets and she could be a Denny's Grand Slam.

That one by @obviouslyben.

There's a lot more Grammys 2011 info, officially making Tospy.com a great time sink!

Grammys: Kanye West Hails Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Mick Jagger, Disses Esperanza

Even though he wasn't at the 2011 Grammys, Kanye West used his considerable Twitter reach (2,394,931 followers, as of this writing) to express his opinion on the winners, thus adding to the overall controversy. It may seem like Kanye's being "contrary" for attention, but his tweets reveal where his music business interests lay.

On Arcade Fire:

kanyewest Kanye West
#ARCADEFIRE!
10 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

To which some on Twitter asked why he was backing Arcade Fire. Now, for Kanye to do that spells one thing: business deal. Searching around brings up this: "Kanye West, Arcade Fire to Headline "MY NEW ALBUM COMING THIS SUMMER. Yep: "Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire to Headline Coachella 2011." (Thanks, Celebfi.com)

So Kanye's rooting for Arcade Fire because their success helps put money in his pocket. That should bring an interesting new twist to this outcry of why Arcade Fire won the Grammys over Lady Gaga.

On Justin Bieber:

kanyewest Kanye West
#PROUDOFJUSTIN
9 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

If you're wondering..Yep. West is in business with Justin Bieber, too. Check this MTV blog post: "Justin Bieber Plans Collabos With Kanye West, Drake, Chris Brown."

Missing from the MTV post is that Drake, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber are all listed artists with Def Jam Records. Chris Brown was close to signing with Def Jam until a merger forced a reduction in staff and the loss of Tina Davis, who was to sign Brown. Instead, she left and became his manager, signing him with Jive Records when Brown was 16. While Brown remains with Jive, he still collaborates with Island Def Jam Artists.



On Mick Jagger:

kanyewest Kanye West
Mick Jagger is crazy fresh!!! #OGSWAG
12 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Kanye's right on here. Having attended several Rolling Stones concerts, it was just freaking amazing to see Mick rockin' it again. Jagger's energy was incredible; he stole the show. And if you're looking for a pick-me-up here he is again, courtesy of The Grammys and YouTube:



On Esperanza Spalding As "Best New Artist," who surprisingly beat out Drake, leading to another Twitter chorus of "who?"

kanyewest Kanye West
Damn... I can't find the words to explain how I feel about the best new artist award... Don't wanna say the wrong thing
12 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Well, that's because Drake is signed with Def Jam Records, which also features Kanye West. So, again, as in the case of Arcade Fire, these Grammys wins are good for Kanye West's pocket book.  

Not bad.

It also brings another perspective to the race issue and The Grammys: more and more blacks like Usher, Kanye West, and P Diddy are as much behind the assent of new white artists, like Arcade Fire, as much as they're behind new black artists like Drake.

Increasingly in the 21st Century, when money, talent, creativity, and true entrepreneurial sprit get together, race goes out the window.  As it should be. A very cool development that's worth exploring in greater depth.  

Where's the legendary Davey D when I need him?

Stay tuned.

Tomorrow PLEASE JOIN 99ers Aid Twitter Event February 15, 2011 at 8PM EST.

Tomorrow PLEASE JOIN 99ers Aid Twitter Event February 15, 2011 at 8PM EST.

******DO NOT FORGET:

99ers Aid Twitter Event February 15, 2011 8PM EST

On Tuesday February 15, 2011 at 8PM EST join us for #99erAID, a twitter chat designed to bring 99ers, 99er advocates, and journalists together to discuss the latest 99er news and strategy ideas for the growing, peaceful movement."

The event will be moderated by @99erAID (Examiner.com’s Jason Tabrys) and all who participate are asked to use the hash-tag #99erAID in their tweets.

The hope is to trend on Twitter of course but more important than that, to inform, inspire,discuss and strategize the means to have a real positive impact and influence real solutions to this growing problem.

Solutions like this H.R. 589 which now has over 60 Co-Sponsors.

And do not miss The Ed Show at 10 PM tonight on MSNBS, as American 99er Union member and 99er advocate Gerry DePietro will be interviewed tonight. To those who are not familiar with Gerry, Ed spoke about her last week (Gerry had to sell the ring her deceased husband gave her for $20).

Check out and post this video everywhere:
God I love the lyrics to the song in this Video by lessions4u2learn & CUZ4Concern: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BReEXn0tAik&feature=uploademail




[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

Grammys 2011: Arcade Fire Beats Lady Gaga And Eminem

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
In honor of Arcade Fire's big win, I am killing myself. #Grammys
3 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

That was the most hilarious Twitter tweet of a large number of them in the wake of the conclusion of the 53rd Grammy Awards.

They're still talking about it on Twitter: that an obscure Canadian indy rock band called Arcade Fire could beat Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster and Eminem's Recovery for Album of the Year. Many people had never heard of Arcade Fire, and while The Dan Patrick Show, or more to the point just Dan Patrick, had been promoting the band, this blogger thought it was some kind of paid sponsorship.

Arcade Fire sounds like your typical indy bar cover band. Their music is largely bland and certainly not the soulful, heartfelt music that Eminem and Rihanna created or with the massive dose of creativity of Lady Gaga.

Because The Grammys are just wrapping up on The West Coast, we still have Twitter tweets of shock and anger coming in:

ciruelas_rojas ciruelas by delirie
#EminemGotRobbed #Grammys
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

cturnip Christy Turnipseed
Wow #Grammys you really had us, for @arcadefire to play, accept album of the year, then close out the show #thiswasagiven #suckitmainstream
6 minutes ago

VoodooDahl Anders Dahl
Hopefully it will be awhile before we have to hear Lady Antebellum again #grammys
6 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

And Andy Borowitz of The Borowitz Report posted several classic tweets, in addition to the one used to open this blog post:

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
I don't see why we'd give a Grammy to a shitty Canadian band when there are so many shitty American ones. #Grammys
3 hours ago

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
Good night, everyone. I'm going to go out and shout "Fire" in a crowded arcade. #Grammys
3 hours ago

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
BREAKING: Muse Announces Plan to Start Ripping Off Arcade Fire Instead of Radiohead #Grammys
3 hours ago

On top of Arcade Fire, that Lady Antebellum could take Record Of The Year over Eminem and Rihanna was a joke to many, but my 76-year old Mom called it.  She said, in observing a constant stream of white singers placed in position to sing black songs - and in one case with Lady Antebellum screwing up a tribute to Teddy Pendergrass, who died last year at the age of 59 - that The Grammys seemed to want to show whites far more than blacks.

It was an observation I resisted with vigor, but then, after a time of watching that culminated with Mom's epic assertion that "Lady Antebellum" was going to win because they were a country white band and that's what The Grammys wanted - and they won and the Twitterverse erupted - I agreed with.

It's a sad statement on American society that race-biases have to be pushed on the public.  The U.S.A. is far less interested in "which color group wins" than in having the best one get The Grammy.  There's an overwhelming sentiment that didn't happen this year.   Moreover, some in the Grammys may have the perception that the music World is still black vs. white, but that's not so for the country at all.  It's no wonder so many people are unhappy with the Grammys in 2011.

Andy Borowitz has a good point: the Grammys look more Canadian than American. Looking back, it's not the first time The Grammys had a racist look; but can't it stop in the future?

And if you doubt that a number of people think The Grammys is racist, go to Twitter and do a search for "#grammys and racist" and see what you get.

Stay tuned.

Gwyneth Paltrow And Cee Lo Rock Grammys After Bad Teddy Pendergrass Tribute

Actress and (now) singer Gwyneth Paltrow and Cee Lo just rocked The Grammys with a soulful, spiritual duet, and just on the heels of a epically awful tribute to the late Teddy Pendergrass by Lady Antebellum.

Whatever The Grammys producers were thinking, Twitter's complaining about the result.

jbphebus Jason
by 6sixnine9
teddy pendergrass will have his revenge on lady antebellum
8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

FuquaManuel FuquaManuel
by JulianaPache
Whoever thought "Lady Antebellum" was a good band name clearly did not form their band with the intention of having black fans. #CivilWar
13 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

And there were other tweets even worse than that one!

Look, there's no question that Lady Antebellum is an excellent country rock band. But asking them to do the tribute for Teddy Pendergrass was a mistake.

The massively soulful voice of the legendary Pendergrass wasn't even partially evident in a segment that Lady Antebellum sang as if they were eager to get through it to sing their own music.

If there's justice in the World, Lady Antebellum should either ask for a do-over, or just apologize.

Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cee Lo burned down the house.

Thank you, Gwyneth and Cee Lo for saving us.

Lady Gaga Egg Wows Grammys 2011

The moment everyone was waiting for came and left, and it's still talked about online. Lady Gaga, never one for boring entrances at big events, didn't disappoint at the 53rd Grammy Awards, the Lady Gaga Egg wowed's Grammys 2011. And even the Grammy producers are asking you to rate the event, which you can do with a click here.

As for the Lady Gaga Egg (in this Plixi.com photo by Billboard), she was said to be "incubating" in it before the show, according to her creative director, Lori Ann Gibson, as told to Ryan Seacrest. She was not to be "born" until this evening and the Grammys, in this "womb" designed by the London fashion designed Hussein Chalayan.

Who?

Hussein Chalayan is an internationally celebrated fashion designer who, until tonight, was known more to those who paid constant attention to the fashio scene. Not anymore. The Hussein Chalayan is swamped, and website Designboom.com, which includes more information about the designer, has crashed as of this writing, all thanks to Lady Gaga.

Wow.

The 53rd Annual Grammys continue now, with a duet featuring Justin Bieber and Usher.

Grammys After Party Action At The Alta Club

The Alta Club at 1714 North McCadden Place in Hollywood, CA., is the place for the Grammy Party & CD Release Party for Doug Christie's daughter Chani Christie's new CD Lyrics & Lipstick, which comes out on Valentine's Day. The red carpet starts at 7 PM PST, Confirmed celebrities include: Doug Christie, Chani Christie, & Jackie Christie (Hosts). Also attending are Raven Symone, Madison Leslie, James Pitt, Maegan Stewart, Taya Rayden, Ice Marrow Jr, Harvey Walden, Taylor Parks, Paige Hurd, Austin Anderson, Mikey Reid, Kofi Siriboe, Kwame Boatend, and Alexis Swanstrom. For more information, call (323) 871-2401.

Valentine's Day 2011 In Oakland - Keep Your Money In Oakland

Ok, for all practical purposes, Valentine's Day 2011 is here, (or if you did it on Saturday, gone) even though it's really on Monday. And while I am in suburban Atlanta doing what I'm supposed to do at this stage of life - keeping my Mom company (she's in good health, thanks for asking) I have a life in Oakland, too. For all of my complaints about Oakland, it's a wonderful, beautiful city, that too often takes itself for granted.

So, on Valentine's Day 2011, I ask you to please keep your money in Oakland.  Don't go over to San Francisco, as I often do, or jet off to LA or New York or Chicago or Atlanta.  And it's nothing against SF or LA or New York or Chicago or Atlanta; I go because I know a lot of people there and Mom's here in the ATL.  But the more time you spend in Oakland, the more you realize it's a massively cool place to be.

I got a message from beautiful, dear friend, that she was going to try Miss Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant at 3345 Grand Avenue for the first time, and due in no small way to my video to get the word out about it. This one:



I highly recommend Miss Saigon for Valentine's Day 2011, or any year for that matter.

But maybe pho's not your thing and you want a really nice Valentine's Day experience?

In Oakland, no problem.

Go over to the Lake Chalet at 1520 Lakeside Drive, where you can sit at any one of a number of tables with a great view of the Lake. Here' a video from Lake Chalet's opening day in September of 2009, in case you have no idea what it looks like:



Or...

If you're desire is for a great steak dinner with your sweetie, go to Flora.  It's on the corner of Telegraph and 18th Street in Downtown Oakland across from The Fox Theater, and the Art Deco style is just the right backdrop if you want to make an impression, or just have a good time.

I also have to plug Luka's on Broadway and Grand.  It's for more than just dancing, drinking, and  romancing - the food's really improved.  I recently ordered a steak at Luka's and was out-of-this World surprised.  Since then, I've went back more just to eat.  If Flora's too crowded, go over to Luka's.

If you live in the Oakland Hills, and don't want to drive a long way, go to Crogan's on Mountain Blvd.  That place, for me, goes all the way back to Skyline High School days, but today the food is consistently good and inexpensive.

And if your bent is for something really different, go to Enssaro Ethiopian Restauant at 366 Grand Avenue. It's rare - actually, this is the first time - I recommend a place I've not yet tried - and that's only because of my addiction to steaks - but word of mouth about Enssaro is just insane. The place is getting rave reviews.

And back on steak, The Alley at 3325 Grand Avenue, has a great 20 ounce one that's off the menu.  It's just that Rod Dibble plays the piano on Saturday's so you'll miss him today or Monday.   I love to give Rod support, so make sure you have dinner there when he's playing.

Ok.  Enough from me.  Happy Valentine's Day, Oakland!