A Tribute Heavy Night Laced with Lackluster & Luminous Moments – Red Carpet Manners at the 58th Grammy Awards

Grammy producer extraordinaire, Ken Ehrlich, had his hands full figuring out how to incorporate the five collaborative performances honoring each of the musical greats who passed away within the year. There was no doubt they were going to need every minute of the three-hour plus program to properly pay homage to legends B.B. King, Natalie Cole, Glenn Frey, Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie and Maurice White. Veteran host LL Cool J laid the foundation for the evening proclaiming the awesome power of music and praised the Grammys for being the only awards show that does not allow lip syncing. This of course garnered a big laugh from the audience who knows of his newfound fame as the MC of Spike TV's hugely popular Lip Sync Battle. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, it was time to get down to business and who better than to set the bar for the evening than T-Swift with her gorgeous looks and gifted pipes.  She opened the show dressed in a sequined jumpsuit to sing her hit "Out of the Woods," a collaboration with Jack Antonoff of fun. Owning the stage, she looked directly into the camera nailing each move and hitting each note with perfection.

Unfortunately, the show went downhill and uphill from there with an alternating mix of lackluster and luminous moments. The normally spot-on pairings we look forward to at the Grammy’s somehow went sideways this year.  It was a mashup of odd pairings and musical no-shows. The duet between country stars Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood fell flat and the lineup for the Lionel Ritchie tribute while packed with individual talent felt particularly odd. Rihanna who was scheduled to perform had to pull the plug at the last minute due to doctors’ orders and Lauryn Hill who was supposed to join forces with the Weeknd left him fending for himself. Technical difficulties also played a part making powerhouses Adele and Justin Bieber sound flat and flailing about for a note. Still there were several luminous moments that hit just the right tone. Chris Stapleton's rendition of B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone" featuring Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt was outstanding and I could watch Little Bit Town sing "Girl Crush" a hundred times and it wouldn't get old. Kendrick Lamar's exhausting poetic performance gave us heart palpitations in a good way and Brittany Howard, frontwoman for Alabama Shakes, put incredible depth and feeling into an impassioned "Don't Wanna Fight." We weren't especially upset when the final production number front lined by Pitbull with a special appearance by Sophia Vergara along with Robin Thicke, Travis Barker and Joe Perry, was cut short by the rolling credits. Too many sparkles, not enough substance for our taste. Here's the rest of our recap on the nights red carpet manners hits and misses. 

Rings & A Rainbow on the Red Carpet.  Never one to disappoint on the red carpet, the artists were decked out in every color of the rainbow from canary yellow to blue tanzanite, but the color that continues to have the biggest impact in the music biz is black. Tove Lo (complete with silver nose ring), Adele, Anna Kendrick, Elle King, Jazmine Sullivan, Meghan Trainor and Carrie Underwood all wore various looks. Dresses in general ranged from the subdued to the sublime. Florence Welch won the most blah dress award in a pale pink long-sleeve gown from Gucci and we were not a fan of Beyonce’s white lace wedding dress from designer Inbal Dror's dress. Selena Gomez, however, got our attention with a jewel-toned cutout sequined dress from Calvin Klein. Both Taylor Swift dressed in Versace Atelier and Kimberly Schlapman wore nearly matching ensembles of fuchsia and tangerine.  Ellie Goulding looked playful and elegant in a low back blush-colored gown by Stella McCartney. At the Grammy’s, the men also come dressed to kill. Hunky Sam Hunt got into the spirit with a pink colored suit by Dolce & Gabbana while John Legend, Common and Charlie Puth wore black tuxes with embellishments. Diplo and Sam Smith were rather debonair in navy suits complete with pin and pocket square accessories. Black and white tuxes were also popular and worn by everyone from Fetty Wap and Big Sean to Justin Bieber. Never to shy away from bold color, Bruno Mars wore a plum colored blazer and vest with matching fedora while Lady Gaga channeled the late David Bowie with a sapphire Marc Jacobs coatdress. The most noticeable accessory this year? Rings and lots of them, even multiple on every single finger as shown by everyone from Andra Day to Ellie Golding and Tove Lo. 

A Trio of Mismatched Duets. Sam Hunt is one of my favorite country breakout stars and he’s not bad to look at either, but the chemistry between him and the equally eye pleasing Carrie Underwood was as mismatched as their attire. Carrie’s skimpy dress and overly glowing skin was equally distracting.  Andra Day and Ellie Goulding was another odd pairing that attempted to blend the breathy vocals of the British singer with the weighty bravado of her American counterpart. I could say more, but I was too busy looking at Ellie’s overly plump lips. Is she already getting injections at her age? She's only 29 for goodness' sake! Justin Bieber and Jack Ü (otherwise known as Diplo & Skrillex) experienced major sound difficulties that left Biebers vocals flat. I loved "Where Are You Now?" on the radio, but don’t think it's meant to be translated on to the live stage. Some songs simply sound better in a club.

Stick to the Singing Please. Arianna Grande may wish to work on her presenting skills.  She is getting older now, a whole 22 years of age, and it’s time to drop the little girl voice and tighten up her vocabulary. The best part of her presentation was when she broke out in song to introduce fellow artist and collaborator, the Weeknd singing, he "Earned It."

Resting Audience Face. You’ve heard of RBF (resting bitch face), well awards show audience members must become more aware of their resting audience face.  We caught many offenders in action throughout the show. Everyone from Pharrell to Sam Smith were looking less than thrilled when the camera lens panned a sweeping eye across the room. When Alabama Shakes won for Best Rock Song, Elle King did not applaud or look happy.  Artists must remember that unless they're seated in the nose bleed section, they must assume the camera is pointed towards them. That means no chewing gum, clapping and supporting fellow artists, bopping to the music, and smiling along at all times (even if it means through gritted teeth.)

A Night of Standing Ovations – Audience members must have been working their thigh muscles throughout the evening with standing ovations for every single one of the tribute songs, as well as for outstanding performances and winners.  Kendrick Lamar was the first to receive one followed by practically every other artist who took the stage thereafter. At one point, it seemed that no one in the audience knew whether to sit or simply stand for the remainder of the show. 

Tributes Galore.  The Eagles may have been singing “Take it Easy” to the late Glenn Frey, but it was a distressed looking Don Henley that had us feeling very somber. Jackson Brown did his best to front the band, but it just wasn’t the same without the singer songwriter. Lady Gaga in all her regalia did her darndest to honor rock icon David Bowie during the 10-song medley, but came across a bit more like a punk Elvis on steroids. Sorry Nile Rodgers, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Emotional Shout-Outs. Stevie Wonder had some fun taunting the audience when he read the name of the category winner in Braille, but then took a more serious turn by saying, "We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability." Here, here! Taylor Swift who swept up her second Album of the Year award had her own agenda to share as she encouraged young women to work hard and reach for the stars and not be deterred by naysayers who will try to sabotage you. Her words of encouragement were strong and resonating. And, Neil Portnow and Common made their feelings known by taking a stand for the people behind the music who receive practically pennies from streaming services for all their hard work. 

Heartfelt Acceptance Speeches. A surprised Ed Sheeran finally received the Best Song award for "Thinking Out Loud" sincerely thanked his parents for believing that he would one day win. Meghan Trainor was equally flabbergasted to win Best New Artist and also thanked everyone from LA Reid to her mom and dad through a steady stream of joyful tears. The Grammys went east coast with a win for Hip Hop musical Hamilton. Still haven't seen the show, but was mesmerized when a well-prepared Lin-Manuel Miranda's proceeded to rap his acceptance speech.

Red Carpet Manners @ The Grammy's 2011 - Volume & Vigor

I’ve been a lover of all things music since I can remember. I had a huge collection of 45’s with all the hits and would dance around my bedroom singing every lyric word for word. As I grew older, I tried my hat as a singer for a stint during college and a bit after performing in cabaret clubs here in Los Angeles. My first internships and jobs were in the music industry from MTV and KROQ to Capitol Records and Priority Records. My musical tastes range from Classic Rock to Alternative and Rap. When I want to relax and unwind it’s with Smooth Jazz or some Light Classical. I can appreciate a good Elton John or Temple of the Dog ballad in the same way that I can get excited over the latest Jay-Z or Drake. So watching tonight’s lineup of musical superstars was not a chore, it was pure enjoyment! One thing’s for sure, musical personalities are big, brash and bold and they do not disappoint. They make for good entertainment and loads of commentary, especially, when they break the rules of decorum and don see-through or meat inspired attire. Let’s take a look at tonight’s highlights and low points as we bring you our latest Red Carpet Manners at the Grammy's.

The Same Old Song. There was a tremendous amount of hype surrounding tonight's performance by Lady Gaga. Arriving in an iridescent egg carried Cleopatra style, Gaga was said to be "incubating" until showtime. So when she finally cracked the egg we were expecting nothing short of spectacular. Instead, what we discovered was an updated version of a mysteriously close sounding rendition of Madonna's "Express Yourself." Did Gaga think of contacting the Material Girl beforehand to formally ask her permission? The whole thing just sounded a little too close for comfort. It is perfectly fine to admire one's work, but outright duplication is difficult to forgive.

Angry Much? With eyes bulging and veins popping, you'd think Eminem had plastic surgery to keep the perpetual angry look on his face. His music is highly-regarded, but his relentless themes of hard knocks and violent acts is exhausting to watch. Does this guy ever smile? Yes, he seemed appreciative and sincere during his acceptance speech, however, I could not get over how much he resembled the crazy brother, Albee, in "Big Love." That is one creepy fellow and Eminem is following suit. We get it, it's part of your act, but lighten up a bit dude!

The Animals are on the Loose. MTV pulled out all the stops giving Snookie an opportunity to host on the red carpet. A rare moment found her interviewing a leopard-inspired Nicki Minaj complete with a bride-of-Frankenstein up do. With mikes in hands and mouths basically uncensored, the girls were free to banter back and forth. Unfortunately,the Jersey Shore and Queens boroughs were not far behind as they creeped into the conversation removing any trace of sophistication or class.

The Greeting Committee. The evening's most awkward greeting went to Matthew Morrison and Ryan Seacrest during Matthew's interview on the red carpet. Matthew went in for a shake with a simultaneous man hug that went awry and left Ryan in the awkward position of figuring out how to respond and make it look cool. The whole thing backfired in my opinion which is why we advise to stick with the simple handshake with two pumps and leave the more fancy interpretations when millions of eyeballs aren't watching.



Easy on the Gyrating. Rihanna and Drake turned the heat way up for their performance of "What's My Name," which would have been great for the AMA's or VMA's, but the Grammy's, not so much! The very explicit gyrating motions that Rihanna is known for pushed the limit and I am guessing that Neil Portnow, President of the Academy, received some flack for it. Don't even get me started on Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy Money, whatever his name is this week's introduction. Did he just get a mouthful of braces? He could hardly speak! It was a toss up as to who was a worse speaker, Diddy or Kris Kristofferson who also sounded like he had a mouthful of cotton.

Young Ambassadors. Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith's performance of "Never Say Never" was professional, clean and polished. No profanity or crotch holding necessary, these two young talented, teenage heartthrobs are dedicated with a tremendous work ethic and drive. They are not only adorable, but they are truly positive role models for children today.

The Grammy's are over and we are exactly two weeks away from Oscar Fever. The new young hosts of this year's show, the lovely Anne Hathaway and equally impressive James Franco, promise to breathe new life into what can often be considered a rather stodgy and stiff affair. Looking forward to seeing you there!

“Talent, Not Tanning, Is the Winner in the End” – Red Carpet Manners at the 2011 Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s prestigious 68th Golden Globe Awards were held earlier this evening under glorious California skies, kicking off the height of awards season. As always, this event delivered the glitz and glamour, bestowing the best and brightest with accolades for ability and talent. Nowhere on this list did we see nominees from the cast of “Jersey Shore” -- or any other of today’s insanely popular reality shows for that matter. They are considered too low-brow for this audience. The Globes, on the contrary, have a rather refined feel to them, featuring invitees comprised of a bevy of international stars and Hollywood royalty. The celebrated occasion was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel which provides one enormous space for the show itself, as well as the many privately hosted parties for the attendees that follow. In a town that is typically enthralled with the salacious cast of “The Jersey Shore,” whose recent MTV ratings of 8.7 million viewers was its biggest in history, it was nice to take a moment to honor quality performances such as that of Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech.” Tonight Hollywood, and the rest of the world, took pride in recognizing talent, not tanning, and praised classical training, paying your dues and good old-fashioned hard work as evident in so many of the night’s winners.

That said, the evening had its share of uncomfortable moments and awkward jokes mostly brought on by its appointed master of ceremonies, British comedian Ricky Gervais. Thank goodness the champagne was flowing to make sure all was taken with a grain of salt and no egos were seriously hurt. Below we have compiled our best and worst “Red Carpet Manners” from posture and language to acceptance speeches and self-deprecating humor.

Hands in Pockets. We noticed more than a fair share of our young male celebs with their hands glued to their pockets while being interviewed on the red carpet this year. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Salling, Scott Caan, Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bieber were just a few of the offenders. We’re not sure if they were trying to keep their hands from perspiring from nerves or to look cool, but hands in the pockets are typically a no-no. First of all, hands should be accessible to greet one another with a handshake and secondly, hidden hands tend to give an appearance that one is nervous or uncomfortable or worse that they might be hiding something. In the future boys, your hands should be visible and used to make gestures. This will assert confidence and control.

Fig Leafs. Our ladies also fell victim to the unappealing fig leaf position with their hands clasped below their waistline in the front. The fig leaf posture is a closed body position and tends to round the shoulders and create a slouching appearance. This also sends a non-verbal message that suggests a certain insecurity with their environment. I’m sure Olivia Wilde and Claire Danes, who are both gifted actresses and happened to look stunning in their respective dresses, would prefer to have their outer beauty encapsulate their inner confidence and strength.

Hair Uprising. The hair coiffing memo must have missed the following celebs who looked like they either were shipwrecked on an island for several months without a hair salon in sight or they accidentally stuck their finger in an electrical socket before departing for tonight’s festivities. Please don’t get us wrong, we absolutely love their acting abilities, but Christian Bale and Robert Downey Jr. were both due for a much needed haircut and Annette Bening and Scarlett Johansson needed to take it down a notch with their individually interpreted wild hairdo’s.

Globe Glamour. We would like to congratulate the following celebrities for whom we felt hit all the right marks both on the red carpet and during the show. Anne Hathaway, Lea Michelle, Julianne Moore, Sofia Vergara, Diane Aragon, Jennifer Lopez, Piper Perabo, Jane Fonda and Miss Golden Globe, Gia Montegna all displayed elegant posture, classical beauty and warm smiles while conducting professional interviews and communicating eloquently with pleasant language.

Decolletage Gone Wild. Christina Aguilera and January Jones were the most distracting for us. At one point we even noticed Ms. Jones adjusting her “girls” and helping them back into her dress as she stepped out of her limo and on to the red carpet. Ms. Aguilera seemed to be overwhelmed by her bosoms as they appeared to lay out like a tray from underneath her chin. Decolletage, if it is revealed, should be tasteful. Neither of these women went in that direction nor did they knock us over with their sweet and charming personalities so unfortunately this was all we had to focus on.

Language Barrier. We noticed many a celebrity who could use a little coaching on their language and interviewing skills. It is very hard to watch these beautiful women in gorgeous gowns open their mouth and speak and as if they are in a pool hall. You would think they would heighten the charm to match the elegance of their dresses. For us the language sounded harsh and too casual. Olivia Wilde, January Jones, Emma Stone, Kaley Cuoco and Sarah Highland were the most noticeable in this category. On the flip side, we couldn't help but be engrossed in whatever co-host Alexa Chung had to say as she interviewed the arrivals on the red carpet. For us, the British accent just makes everything sound more lovely.

Questionable Hosting Duties. Ricky Gervais announced on the red carpet that he would walk the line and stay clear from getting too close to the edge with his banter as he reprised his hosting duties for the Golden Globes. We’re not so sure he succeeded! With a beer placed visibly on the podium at the beginning of the show and a rant of jokes that included everything from Charlie Sheen, “The Tourist”, Cher, “Sex & The City 2”, Scientology, obesity, Jews and the President of the HFPA, we rather agree with Robert Downey Jr.’s take that his hosting commentary had been “hugely mean-spirited with mildly sinister undertones.” After he finished bashing practically everyone who he introduced to present an award, he then tried to redeem himself at the end of the show by saying it has been an amazing year in movies and then thanked everyone in the world for being good sports. A little too late I think!

Acceptance Speech Analysis. Award shows are much more polite at the beginning allowing their winners to go on tangents thanking everyone and their grandmother. Christian Bale was the lucky one this year as he was able to take his sweet time accepting his award for “The Fighter” without the music playing him off. For some reason, we also noticed that Al Pacino was able to speak at length during his acceptance speech for “You Don’t Know Jack.” We have no clue what happened to Robert DeNiro who is considered one of the greats, if not the greatest actor of his time. His acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille award seemed like it was written by the writers of “Funny or Die” and just seemed to miss on so many marks. We appreciated Aaron Sorkin, who won the award for Best Screenplay and offered sage advice to his daughter telling her to admire the strong female professionals in the room and assured her that “smart girls have more fun,” and were moved by Chris Colfer’s acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor in “Glee” as he stood up to end bullying and sexual discrimination with a defiant “screw that kids!”

Baby Bumps. Natalie Portman and Jane Krakowski were both glowing on the red carpet. Ms. Portman, typically the pinnacle of refinement, kept herself together for most of the red carpet moments and during the show until she won the award for Best Actress in “Black Swan”. She then transformed into a giddy school girl saying hello to her Grandma Bernice and telling her to have a drink and then went on to gush about fiancé Benjamin Millipied saying how he really did want to sleep with her!! Uh oh, a little too up close and personal we think!

Final Comments. Attendees take note, when the show goes to commercial the cameras are still on. We noticed Angelina Jolie fixing Brad Pitt's bow tie during one commercial outtake and then putting on lip gloss in another and Johnny Depp chomping on his gum during the commercial break. Finally, we loved Michael Douglas’s quote as he noticed the sea of celebrities standing and cheering him onstage after recovering from throat cancer earlier this year, he exclaimed, “there’s gotta be an easier way to get a standing ovation!” We agree Michael. Here's to continued good health!!!

Lisa Gache is the owner of Beverly Hills Manners, Inc.