I'm watching the Haiti concert stuff on fastforward while I do my finances. Jennifer Hudson is on now, and it's the best performance so far. But that's probably not just a factor of her talent, but that in 2008 her mother, brother and nephew were murdered. This has got to be someone who understands tragedy. She chose to sing "Let It Be."
...Why does Brad Pitt look like the Unabomber?
I have to admit that Justin Timberlake and Whoever did justice to "Hallelujah" but it's a song I associate with romantic relationships, and not really with country-wide devastation. Or like Madonna singing "Like a Prayer." It feels like... each artist flipped pulled out the Songs to Sing in Tragic Times folder, and Stevie Wonder found "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in there, while Justin had to choose between "What Goes Around Comes Back Around" and "Hallelujah."
Madonna could have done better. Something from the "Ray of Light" era, methinks.
Beyoncé kinda blew it. She started with a pretty rendition of "Halo" but changed the lyrics from "Baby I can see your halo" to "Haiti I can see your halo." ...I don't know. Kinda cheesy.
Sting probably has lots of good stuff in Tragedy Folder, esp from The Police. He pulled out a good Guilt Song.
Denzel Washington could be reading from the phone book and I'd feel like I need to give money to someone. What a great voice.
Wyclef is doing "By the Waters of Babylon." Good choice. Sadness.
Oh and now he's doing the "enough of the moping" upbeat song thing. Finally! I'm so depressed.
***
Sting's song:
How can you say that you're not responsible?
What does it have to do with me?
What is my reaction, what should it be?
Confronted by this latest atrocity
Driven to tears
Hide my face in my hands, shame wells in my throat
My comfortable existance is reduced to a shallow meaningless party
Seems that when some innocent die
All we can offer them is a page in a some magazine
Too many cameras and not enough food
'Cos this is what we've seen
Driven to tears
Protest is futile, nothing seems to get through
What's to become of our world, who knows what to do
Driven to tears
3 comments:
Jerry and I now identify with those Grumpy Old Critics! And we're okay with that! ha ha!
I agree about most of this, but I have to admit that Justin Timberlake kinda made me cry. Madonna's song choice annoyed me, though. I really liked Mary J. Blige's performance. Jennifer Hudson did well, but why sing "Let it Be" in response to human tragedy? Why "Let it Be" when the message is supposed to be "Do something!" Overall, I was annoyed by the "Hollywood Will Save Haiti-ness" of it all. Really, really annoyed by that.
I thought Timberlake and friend did a beautiful job.
I took the "Let It Be" feeling to be more about how you handle/cope with personal tragedy, rather than about spurring the audience. But I see what you mean--lol.
I wisely taped the show (and the Cdn show) so I could fastforward past ALL the talking and just listen to the music.
But honestly, at the end of the day, if you manage to raise a lot of money... if you make people give money who wouldn't have otherwise... if someone will give money because Edward from Twilight told them to... wotthehell.
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