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Z100’s Jingle Ball 2013- Great and Not So Great

by Ryan Shea

Miley Cyrus, Miley, Manhattan Digest, Manhattan

Mlley Twerked? Shocker z100, shocker.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I have consistently found myself zooming through each radio station to find the perfect song to jam out in the car with.  Just like an American classic like Peanut Butter and Jelly, I always know that no matter what, Z100 radio station will always find the right song for me to shake my groove thing to.  Yes my groove thing.  If you want to make fun of me or judge me, do it.  I’m awesome.  As long as I have listened to z100 I have also wanted to partake in their biggest event of the year, Jingle Ball.  This station always pulls in some of the biggest names in the industry jam packed with a ton of celebrities introducing them and this year was no exception.  Now partnered with the “iHeartRadio” with this event and more, the festivities took place last night at none other than the legendary Madison Square Garden.  The place itself was of course sold out, and as a 27 year old grown ass man I felt like I could’ve been some of these kids teen fathers, but nevertheless I had an awesome time and the whole show had a really nice vibe throughout the night.  There were some definite highlights and lowlights though, so lets take a look at who did best, and who mmmmmmmmmmmm not so much.

Lowlights-

Random, random, random celebrities.  Most of the acts got really awesome people to introduce them, such as my homegirl Jordin Sparks and the star of my new favorite movie “Pitch Perfect”, Anna Kendrick.  Then… there were others.  First the z100 crew were great, and I am a huge Elvis Duran fan as I have been since I was about 10 or 11.  But… Katie Holmes?  Really, girl?  The snarky side of me was hoping she was going to introduce a Tom Cruise lookalike and beat him up or something, but that would’ve been too much fun for even me to handle.  They introduced Travie McCoy who was somewhere in the crowd but it became more like “Where’s Waldo” in which I couldn’t find him.  Not that he was that important anyways.  Finally, and this was both a highlight and a lowlight- R. Kelly.  I don’t get what he is trying to do lately, honestly.  Is he trying to find a younger audience with doing shows like this, where most people don’t even know what his last hit record is because they weren’t born yet?  At the same time, I did find it pretty amazing that a decent portion of the crowd was jamming along to his 2000 hit “Ignition”, so that is where the odd lowlight became a highlight.  I still didn’t understand why he was there though.  Oh, and let’s not forget to mention Lindsay Lohan, who is back in trouble with the court for ordering a hit on Paris Hilton’s douchey brother.  One word- GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Fifth Harmony & Austin Mahone.  Note that I didn’t include all the big teen acts in here, as the other ones were pretty much incredible.  These two, not so much.  Fifth Harmony is the girl equivalent to One Direction, in that Simon Cowell himself chose five random girls and placed them in a group.  These five made it to the final 3 on “X Factor”, a show that is crumbling in the ratings and that pretty much no one really watched last season (only for the Britney factor of course).  I felt kind of bad for them as they were legitimately on for 3 minutes.  They did their hit “Miss Moving On” and then some random song and it legit felt like they were doing “Night at the Apollo” and being rushed off the stage due to being booed.  Terrible.  Girl groups are way hard to market, and that formula really hasn’t worked in ages since the days of Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls.  Fifth Harmony really just looks like five random girls plopped together in a group and sing.  That’s pretty much it.

As for Austin Mahone, he’s got a great voice but my hope for him is that he is kind of like the Lorde to Miley, in that he’s the anti Bieber.  HE LOOKED AND SOUNDED AND DANCED EXACTLY LIKE HIM.  Great singer and all, but I think his marketing team should try to distance himself from the Bieber image so that there aren’t that many comparisons. Just saying.

Jason DeRulo- Nothing about his performance was a lowlight, Jason has a great look and voice to him.  He didn’t deserve to have the first opening slot, which in my opinion is the forgettable one.  He has been around for a long time now, and I was truly confused over who got to perform later than earlier.  Fifth Harmony should’ve been first, maybe even Enrique.  But not Jason.  z100 for the loss here, great performance.

Miley (Kind Of).  I have a love/hate type thing with Miley.  I get it, but there are times where oversaturation can come into play, and last night she continued to do so.  More twerking, more of the same.  You have a great voice, you don’t need to pull all these ridiculous shenanigans to get people to pay attention.  Just sing.  Take tips from Gaga on that.  She needs it.  Other than that, great job :).

Highlights-

Selena Gomez & Arianna Grande- These are two girls that are on their way to true superstardom, and are doing it in a way that isn’t forced and just the great reliability of their voices and looks (cough cough Miley).  Selena looked amazing in this form fitting red dress, and she performed a medley of her hits including “Love You Like A Long Song” and “Come and Get It”.  On top of that, she did some bomb ass choreography which really made her set a very flourished show.  As for Arianna, she just has that voice that really resonates of a younger Mariah Carey.  She did her own version of the popular WHAM song “Last Christmas”, and of course closed her set with her top 10 hit “The Way”.  Mac Miller sadly wasn’t there, but she made up for it by putting a simple performance and making it really great.  Good job girls!

Fall Out Boy & Paramore- Proving that alternative still has a place on top 40, these two in my opinion were the stand out bunches of the night.  Fall Out Boy, who should’ve never dismembered in the first place, put on a rousing rendition of several of their hits, my personal favorite being the closing one with “My Song Knows What You Did In the Dark”.  Really a superb performance.  I’m a big Hayley fan, and her and Paramore really did a great job with their set as well.

Pitbull- Pitbull proved last night why he is “Mr. International” because he put on the most electrifying performance of the night.  Fueled by his current chart topper “Timber” with Ke dollar sign Ha, he really got the crowd’s energy going.  Smart move by z100 by placing him somewhat in the middle of this because he really kept the crowd going for what was coming next.  His closing out song, “Give Me Everything”, was truly a spectacle to watch.  I give this dude credit for making it this long in the industry.  Well done.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- This was their year, and this was their night.  I love these guys so much, and it was great to finally see them perform live.  My favorite is of course “Same Love” which is such a great message to many people that goes beyond homophobia.  Best of the night in my opinion.

Overall, I would give the concert at 7 out of 10.  Apparently One Direction was there last year, which makes me happy I didn’t go as I would probably need a hearing aid at this point from all the screaming that occurred.  The show was good, but nothing really spectacular that I felt left me hanging for more and more.  Some of the acts should’ve gotten more stage time, and some shouldn’t have.  What did you think?  Sound off here and check out more articles like this on Manhattan Digest!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: anna kendrick, austin mahone, concert, enrique iglesias, fall out boy, fifth harmony, Fun., jason derulo, jingle ball, jingle ball 2013, lindsay lohan, macklemore, Manhattan, manhattan digest, miley cyrus, music, one direction, paramore, paris hilton, Pitbull, pitch perfect, r. kelly, robin thicke, ryan lewis, z100

2014 Grammy Nominations- Shockers, Delights and Kendrick!

by Ryan Shea

The 2014 Grammy Nominations were announced live last night in Los Angeles at the annual “Grammy Nominations Special” they do each year, hosted by LL Cool J.  They had some pretty off the chain concerts from some of the biggest artists in the world, and it truly set the stage for a great night to come in February.  When I read the list of nominees this year, some I expected, some I was somewhat surprised on, and some I was insanely baffled that got left out.  Let’s break each category down and see what went right and what went really wrong.

Credit to: Mademonoire
Credit to: Mademonoire

Record Of They Year-

Lorde- “Royals”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Robin Thicke Featuring TI & Pharrell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

In my original prediction blog, I had four out of five right (Hooray for me) with Imagine Dragons as an “Honorable Mention” but definitely a contender.  Not surprised by any of these as they were all great nominees.  Justin could’ve made this category, but I will delve much further into that on the next one.  These five songs were really some of the biggest of the year, each of them representing a different genre of music in my opinion.  Lorde on that pop/alternative tip, Imagine Dragons are pure alternative, Robin Thicke as the R&B crooner, Daft Punk bringing in the EDM and Bruno Mars giving us straight soul.  This is going to be an interesting category of sorts because I don’t think there really is a clear cut winner here.  Moving along.

Credit to: Word Press
Credit to: Word Press

Album Of The Year-

Sara Bareilles- “The Blessed Unrest”

Daft Punk- “Random Access Memories”

Kendrick Lamar- “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- “The Heist”

Taylor Swift- “Red”

No Justin Timberlake in this category, I am beyond shocked about that.  I pegged “The 20/20 Experience” as winning this award beyond easily and I truthfully believe he was the biggest snub of the night.  Kind of sad when you have the biggest album of the year and you are left off such a crucial list.  I think Sara and Kendrick are the surprising nominees here, in a good way.  I thought Bruno Mars was a shoo in as well for “Unorthodox Jukebox” but I am somewhat glad to see him left off this list as I think Sara and Kendrick had stronger showings.  Not shocked by Macklemore, Taylor or Kendrick but for the sake of my sanity I pray that Taylor doesn’t win AOTY again because “Red” wasn’t really a strong showing.  It was a continuation of her last album, and I hope when she releases her new effort it has a bit of maturity to it.  This is a tough one to call right now, but if I had to be personal on this- KENDRICK.  Please.

Credit to: Replay The Track
Credit to: Replay The Track

Song Of The Year-

Pink & Nate Ruess- “Just Give Me A Reason”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

Katy Perry- “Roar”

Lorde- “Royals”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert- “Same Love”

In my original article, I had three out of five right (Pink, Macklemore, Lorde).  Katy Perry wasn’t really on my radar, and this was the category I thought Sara Bareilles had a chance at with “Brave”, which Katy insanely ripped off for “Roar”.  I actually had Drake in this category for “Hold On We’re Going Home”,  a song he didn’t even get nominated for this year.  That to me is frustrating, as it is one of the best tracks of 2013, and its the same sentiment I felt two years ago when his song with Rihanna “Take Care” got snubbed as well.  This is a pretty standard list, so nothing too surprising.  They could’ve given Miley something in the main categories, especially for the teen voters, and “Wrecking Ball” is in fact a very well written song.  That being said, “Same Love” has got my vote.  The lyrics are incredible and if there is one award Macklemore & Ryan Lewis should win it is this one folks.

Credit to: Fansided
Credit to: Fansided

Best New Artist-

James Blake

Kacey Musgraves

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Ed Sheeran

Kendrick Lamar

Two out of five in my original predictions, with Macklemore and Kendrick easily getting nominated.  The others, I don’t really know how I feel about it.  First off, where the heck is Imagine Dragons and Lorde on this?  Ed Sheeran has been around for a while, so I don’t get why he is nominated this year and not last year.  I am beyond floored that Florida Georgia Line didn’t get ANY nominations, and I thought that they would be the perennial country nominee as well over Kacey, but I am glad to see she got in here.  The shocker here is EDM producer James Blake, who is following similar pathways with EDM being recognized in the main categories as Skrillex earned a Best New Artist nod last year.  Fun! won this last year, something that I thought was completely shit as it should’ve been Frank Ocean, but this is a pretty strong group across the board.  Best New Artist has proven to be an award that is never really cut and dry, and many artists that have won in recent years are the one you least expect (Bon Iver over Nicki Minaj, Esperanza Spalding over Justin Bieber).  So James Blake really is the odd one out in this.  Macklemore really isn’t a new artist in my opinion because he has been around a lot longer than people think, so once again I would love for Kendrick to take this one home.  Country nominees never win this award, so it really comes down to Kendrick and Macklemore in my opinion.

Check out the official Grammy website for all the nominees and keep checking on Manhattan Digest for our official prediction blogs in all the categories for months to come.  Congrats to all the nominees, especially Kendrick and my homegirl Kathy Griffin who got a sixth nomination for Best Comedy Album! 🙂

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: 2014 grammys, bon iver, bruno mars, daft punk, esperanza spalding, Fun., grammy, grammy nominations, imagine dragons, jay-z, justin bieber, justin timberlake, kacey musgraves, Katy Perry, kendrick lamar, lorde, macklemore, miley cyrus, nate ruess, nicki minaj, pharrell williams, pink, radioactive, robin thicke, royals, ryan lewis, t.i., Taylor Swift

2013 MTV Video Music Award Noms- The List is out…

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Filter Magazine
Credit to: Filter Magazine

 

The Video Music Awards are the one award show I look forward to every year because beyond anything it tends to be pretty freaking awesome.  It ranks as one of the most social events of the year and has birthed and revamped many careers over the past three decades.  Now in it’s 30th year (crazy), the VMA’s are set to take place back where it all started- New York.  It will be broadcasted live on August 25 at the brand new Barclay Center right in the heart of Brooklyn.  Heck, even the classic Moonman got a great redesign for only this year.  Truth be told, this will be another one for the record books.  How can I tell? All the great people are nominated this year.  Let’s break down each category.

Credit to: Idolator
Credit to: Idolator

 

Video of the Year-

The ultimate, the biggest award of the night has got to be “Video of the Year”.  In recent years, R&B Divas like Beyonce (Single Ladies) and Rihanna (Umbrella, We Found Love) have taken the trophies yet over it’s 30 year history has seen this award go to a bevy of legends such as Madonna (Ray of Light) and Eminem (Without Me) just to name a few.  This year three R&B crooners, a hip-hop legend in the making and one of the biggest female stars on the planet all under one category.  Robin Thicke has his first set of nominations this year with his number one chart topping “Blurred Lines” featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.  That song has been voted by several publications as the song of the summer, and boy has it been good to him.  Justin Timberlake returns to the VMA pool with the second single off his album The 20/20 Experience with “Mirrors”.  He has been in this category twice before for “What Goes Around… Comes Around” and “Cry Me A River”.  Country-turned-Pop diva Taylor Swift has her first Video of the Year nod with the second single off her album “Red” called “I Knew You Were Trouble”.  Rounding out this category is R&B hit maker Bruno Mars “Locked Outta Heaven” and who I think will and should be the winner, Macklemore &Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” which currently sits as the biggest selling song of 2013.  It’s also a rad video. Yup.

Credit to: Rap It Up
Credit to: Rap It Up

 

Best Hip-Hop Video-

This category has been around since 1999 (it changed from Best Rap Video) and has been won by quite the bevy of artists such as Beastie Boys, Jennifer Lopez and Missy Elliott.  The nominees this year scream out for the fresh new faces that are taking over the industry and keeping it hot and hopeful for the years to come.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who are up for 6 this year, come in again in this category with “Thrift Shop” but they have some truly stiff competition in place.  Newbies in the game from Kendrick Lamar (Swimming Pools), A$AP Rocky (F***ing Problems) have their first shots at winning a moonman, and perennial favorites such as Drake (Started From The Bottom) and J. Cole (Power Trip) are looking to make their mark in this category.  “Thrift Shop” will most likely win in this category as well, but there is a crowded room for anyone to come out on top.

Credit to: Idolator
Credit to: Idolator

 

Best Collaboration-

This award, only given out in 2007, 2010 and 2011 has been won by all the big divas in recent years such as Katy Perry (E.T. with Kanye West), Lady Gaga (Telephone with Beyonce) and Beyonce and Shakira (Beautiful Liar).  The divaness in this one is not on the mainstage, as the five nominees couldn’t be different from each other.  Robin Thicke shows up again in this category with the saucy “Blurred Lines”.  Hot dance tracks such as Pitbull & Christina Aguilera’s “Feel This Moment” and Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding’s “I Need Your Love” populate the crowd as well.  The two that I see truly going neck to neck on this is Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z’s “Suit & Tie” and chart-topping “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink and Nate Truess.

Check out the full list on MTV.com.  Who is your pick to win? Be sure to watch the MTV Video Music Awards live on August 25th and see if your favorite wins!

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, TELEVISION Tagged With: a$ap rocky, drake, j. cole, jay-z, justin timberlake, kendrick lamar, macklemore, nate truess, pharrell williams, robin thicke, ryan lewis, t.i., thrift shop, video music awards

Summer 2013- Best gym songs

by Ryan Shea

robin-thicke-blurred-lines-video

As summer is already here, and the winter days are gone for now, we all have a lot to look forward to while basking in the glory of the sun and being with our friends and family.  It also gives us initiative to get our fat asses to the gym and make sure we look good at the beach, walking in the city, and just being more in public as the winter time can force us to get under the covers and watch “True Blood” repeats.  I have come up with 10 essentials that will keep you jamming throughout the gym session and make the overall experience there more fun and satisfying! Take a look.

 

La Bouche- “Be My Lover”

If you were a GIGANTIC fan of the Jock Jams movement in the late 90’s, there was no denying this chart topping hit by this EDM duo.  With a fast paced rhythm to go along with what i like to call “melodic rapping”, this song is designed for the avid cardio-lover and help you get to that next mile.

Robin Thicke Featuring Pharell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Thicke, more notably known for his slow paced songs like his chart-topper “Lost Without You”, has the number one song in the country with this funky dance anthem that is sure to be one of the biggest songs of the summer.

Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Daft Punk have sort of become synonymous with creating insanely great dance music and the adoration of fans worldwide.  “Get Lucky” is the first track off of their new album which easily debuted at number one on The Billboard 200.

Icona Pop- “I Don’t Care”

This song has been out for a couple of months now and has been heard everywhere, even in “Shoedazzle” commercials.  It is another great cardio anthem to jam out to when sweating it out on the elliptical.

Papa Roach- “Last Resort”

Are you mad? Want to get that aggression out when you are at the gym? Blast this hit from 1999 and keep it on repeat and the aggression will be released in the masses.

Bauuer- “Harlem Shake”

This year’s “Gangham Style” became quite the internet sensation back in February with its endless parody videos of mainly the first 30 seconds of the song, yet the entire song itself is pretty dope and definitely a gym jam.

Chris Brown- “Beautiful People”

I hate Chris Brown as a person, but I love this song.  Enough said.

Kanye West- “Stronger”

This was ranked a couple of years ago as the best song to listen to at the gym, and I agree to a certain extent.  Kanye could have a couple of records on this list (Monster, Mercy) but this one suits the bill. Daft Punk on this track as well.  Yeezus.

LL Cool J- “Mama Said Knock You Out”

At a boxing gym? This will have you covered.

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz- “Get Low”

Inescapable in 2003, and the song that quite frankly put Lil Jon on the music map, “Get Low” is hands down a beat spectacle and one that will be sure to get your heart racing when working out.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, HEALTH, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Bauuer, cardio, Chris Brown, daft punk, gym, harlem shake, Icona Pop, kanye west, la bouche, lil jon, LL Cool J, papa roach, pharrell, robin thicke, summer, summer 2013, workout

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