HBO shows have always been on the cutting edge and possess a high quality of production, hence why it is so easy to like and tune in every week. I have recently been watching Big Love. It took some time to really dive into this show, since it is on the slower side I had a tendency to brush it off as pretty mundane. However, much like the highly acclaimed Mad Men series on AMC, Big Love has gone from a very slow building drama to a more fast paced show in its third season, taking a page right of Mad Men's book. And can you blame them? Mad Men is an undeniably brilliant show. Big Love has changed its opening credits and leaves viewers on the edge of their seats; wondering what trouble can these "gee golly", big haired Mormons will get into next? In doing, it has a whole new group of viewers falling in love with Big Love!
COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF THE 52ND ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS: Record of the Year: Use Somebody, Kings of Leon Album of the Year: Fearless, Taylor Swift Song of the Year: "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Beyonce Best New Artist: Zac Brown Band Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Halo," Beyonce Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Make It Mine," Jason Mraz Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "I Gotta Feeling," Black-Eyed Peas Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Lucky," Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat Best Pop Instrumental Performance: "Throw Down Your Heart," Bela Fleck Best Pop Instrumental Album: Potato Hole, Booker T. Jones Best Pop Vocal Album: The E.N.D., Black-Eyed Peas Best Dance Recording: "Poker Face," Lady Gaga Best Electronic/Dance Album: The Fame, Lady Gaga Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden, Michael Buble Best Solo Rock Performance: "Working On A Dream," Bruce Springsteen Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon Best Hard Rock Performance: "War Machine," AC/DC Best Metal Performance: "Dissident Aggressor," Judas Priest Best Rock Instrumental Performance: "A Day in the Life," Jeff Beck Best Rock Song: "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon Best Rock Album: 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day Best Alternative Music Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Beyonce Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Pretty Wings," Maxwell Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Blame It," Jamie Foxx & T-Pain Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "At Last," Beyonce Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Pearls," India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore Best R&B Song: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Beyonce Best R&B Album: Blacksummers' Night, Maxwell Best Contemporary R&B Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyonce Best Rap Vocal Performance: "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," Jay-Z Best Rap Performance by a Duo or a Group: "Crack a Bottle," Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Run This Town," Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West Best Rap Song: "Run This Town," Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West Best Rap Album: Relapse, Eminem Best Female Country Vocal Performance: "White Horse," Taylor Swift Best Male Country Vocal Performance: "Sweet Thing," Keith Urban Best Country Performance by a Country Duo or Group With Vocals: "I Run to You," Lady Antebellum Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: "I Told You So," Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis Best Country Instrumental Performance: "Producer's Medley," Steve Wariner Best Country Song: "White Horse," Taylor Swift Best Country Album: Fearless, Taylor Swift Best New Age Album: Prayer For Compassion, David Darling Best Contemporary Jazz Album: 75, Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Sindicate Best Jazz Vocal Album: Dedicated To You, Kurt Elling Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Dancin' for Chicken," Terence Blanchard Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Five-Peace Band - Live, Chick Corea & John McLaughlin Five Peace Band Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Book One, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Best Latin Jazz Album: Juntos Para Siempre, Bebo Valdés And Chucho Valdés Best Gospel Performance: "Wait On The Lord," Donnie McClurkin Featuring Karen Clark Sheard Best Gospel Song: "God In Me," Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Live Revelations, Third Day Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: The Power Of One, Israel Houghton Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel Album: Jason Crab, Jason Crab Best Traditional Gospel Album: Oh Happy Day, Various Artists Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: Audience Of One, Heather Headley Best Latin Pop Album: Sin Frenos, La Quinta Estación Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album: Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo, Calle 13
Best Tropical Latin Album: Ciclos, Luis Enrique Best Regional Mexican Album: Necesito De Ti, Vicente Fernández Best Tejano Album: Borders Y Bailes, Los Texmaniacs Best Norteño Album: Tu Noche Con...Los Tigres Del Norte, Los Tigres Del Norte Best Banda Album: Tu Esclavo Y Amo, Lupillo Rivera Best Americana Album: Electric Dirt, Levon Helm Best Bluegrass Album: The Crow / New Songs For The Five-String Banjo, Steve Martin Best Traditional Blues Album: A Stranger Here, Ramblin' Jack Elliott Best Contemporary Blues Album: Already Free, The Derek Trucks Band Best Traditional Folk Album: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project, Loudon Wainwright III Best Contemporary Folk Album: Townes, Steve Earle Best Hawaiian Music Album: Masters Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2, (Various Artists) Best Native American Music Album: Spirit Wind North, Bill Miller Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album: Lay Your Burden Down, Buckwheat Zydeco Best Reggae Album: Mind Control - Acoustic, Stephen Marley Best Traditional World Music Album: Douga Mansa, Mamadou Diabate Best Contemporary World Music Album: Throw Down Your Heart: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3 - Africa Sessions, Béla Fleck Best Musical Album for Children: Family Time, Ziggy Marley Best Spoken Word Album for Children: Aaaaah! Spooky, Scary Stories & Songs, Buck Howdy Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling): Always Looking Up, Michael J. Fox Best Comedy Album: A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!, Stephen Colbert Best Musical Show Album: West Side Story Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: Slumdog Millionaire (Various Artists) Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: UP Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: "Jai Ho" (from Slumdog Millionaire) Best Instrumental Composition: "Married Life" (from UP), Michael Giacchino Best Instrumental Arrangement: "West Side Story Medley," Bill Cunliffe arranger Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "Quiet Nights" Best Recording Package: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, Stefan Sagmeister, art director Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972), Gary Burden, Jenice Heo & Neil Young, art directors (Neil Young) Best Album Notes: The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946) Dan Morgenstern, album notes writer (Louis Armstrong) Best Historical Album: The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967), Andy McKaie, compilation producer Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Ellipse, Imogen Heap, engineer (Imogen Heap) Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Brendan O'Brien Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: When Love Takes Over (Electro Extended Remix), David Guetta, remixer (David Guetta Featuring Kelly Rowland) Best Surround Sound Album, Non-Classical: Transmigration Best Engineered Album, Classical: Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10, Peter Laenger, engineer Producer of the Year, Classical: Steven Epstein Best Classical Album: Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10 Best Orchestral Performance: Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé, James Levine, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra; Tanglewood Festival Chorus) Best Opera Recording: Britten: Billy Budd Best Choral Performance: Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10 Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor; Evgeny Kissin (Philharmonia Orchestra) Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): Journey To The New World Sharon Isbin (Joan Baez & Mark O'Connor) Best Chamber Music Performance: "Intimate Letters," Emerson String Quartet Best Small Ensemble Performance: Lang, David: The Little Match Girl Passion, Paul Hillier, conductor; Ars Nova Copenhagen & Theatre Of Voices Best Vocal Classical Performance: Verismo Arias, Renée Fleming (Marco Armiliato; Jonas Kaufmann; Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppi Verdi; Coro Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppi Verdi)
If you're like me and have trouble getting through novels, not because you're not intelligent enough, but you simply just don't have the attention span. Then look no further then the upcoming issues of GQ and Rolling Stone. Now, I'm someone that truly looks forward to a new magazine coming out. It's like finding a prize in my box of cereal in the morning; It's grrreeeat! Lately, I've been in a magazine slump reading and re-reading my current Women's Health partly for the articles and partly because the most badass chick ever, Pink, was on the cover. What is great about the upcoming issues of both of these magazines is that the men who grace the covers are equally as interesting to read about as well as look at. I'm talking about none other than Johnny Depp on GQ and John Mayer on Rolling Stone. Depp is part of the 25 Most Stylish Men in the World. Mayer on the other hand is tackling something deeper and opening up about his past relationship with Jennifer Aniston. So be sure to grab your coffee and doughnuts, and by the time you're done with your breakfast of champions you will have delved into some great reads to start your day!
I love any opportunity to support local talent, so I jumped at the chance to spread the word about the Peace Project! This Pittsburgh talent really knows what direction they are headed in and you can hear it in their soulful sound. It is no wonder they will be dropping an EP this Summer as well as playing the Three Rivers Arts Festival June 5. Check them out here! Also, take note of the photo. I had a chance to work with Peace recently to get some promotional shots for her upcoming show!
