With all the chatter about this year’s VMAs I decided to tune in on Much Music’s rebroadcast today. Mind you, I’m working so I haven’t paid full attention, but enough to make some pointed comments about it:

* My God, Justin Timberlake is actually talented. This threw me for a loop. The boy can sing and dance – he reminded me of Michael Jackson back when he was half normal. I’m impressed, and probably still mildly shocked. I wrote this guy off as a hack.
* It’s cool and all that Canada’s Avril Lavigne brings home the curse of the Best New Artists, but c’mon. This is the best 2001/02 had to offer? A rehashed and derivative 3-minute pop ditty?
* Jimmy Fallon is not funny. He’s terrible. A good comedian can make bad material work – this guy somehow finds a way to kill good material. And if you have no ability to do impressions, why try? An impression does not involve putting on a new shirt, lowering your voice, and staring blankly. This reminds me how bad SNL is nowadays. Oh, how I long for Myers, Carvey, Hartman, et al..
* Shakira sucks. Badly. I have heretofore been lucky enough to never have heard her sing before – until today. What the he!! was that?!? The only thing worse than her singing on a stage like this is the fact that, somewhere, there are people who hear it and say “yes, this is good – i must spend my hard-earned money on this.” Sometimes I swear if P. Diddy produced an album of spider monkeys playing the World’s anthems on their arse cheeks half of North America would drop their coin on it.
* I know I’m not getting old yet because I still buy new CDs, so I can feel comfortable noting that the music industry is in some serious trouble if this show represents the best of what we’ve been offered. People can watch this and seriously wonder why I swore off music radio five years ago?
* Anybody else notice that G’n’R sucks now? Were they all wearing masks so we couldn’t tell that Rose is the only original member left? I say less than a year until they make a pitiful attempt to cash in on the hip-hop/rap/rock connection.

Also, Christina Aguilera’s dress should be the final reveal left before someone shows up at an awards show completely topless. We’re in strange times, y’all, I don’t envy anyone trying to raise children right about now.

Cheers!