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The 2009 BET Awards, which took place last night at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium had a lot of hype surrounding it, mostly because people were interested to see what the network would do to honor Michael Jackson. So how did the show measure up? Check it out.
–jacinta howard
The Good
Janet Jackson’s appearance. Appearing in all white, Michael’s famous baby sister, Janet Jackson, was somber during her quick appearance. “To the world he was an icon, to us he was family,” she said of her brother’s untimely death before quickly exiting the stage. It was a powerful, tearful moment for everyone watching.
Ne-Yo’s MJ tributes. When Ne-Yo sang “Lady of My Life” early in the show it was clear he was going to own the night. With Usher in Paris, Justin Timberlake on MTV (only) and Chris Brown on timeout, the MJ tribute was all about Ne-Yo, who didn’t disappoint.
Tyrese singing again. Yes, Tyrese is making movie money now, but when he took to the stage for the O’Jays’ tribute, it made you remember those infamous Coke commercials, and his electric pipes. Here’s hoping he gets tired of Hollywood and gets back into the studio.
The O’Jays. The legendary crooners showed all the youngsters how it’s really supposed to be done, with a top-notch performance that was full of youthful energy. Youngins: take note.
Alicia Keys looking hot. She may’ve won the Humanitarian Award, but Alicia’s, er, gifts had all of the guys on twitter going ape.
Maxwell. Triple fat goose feathers and all, Maxwell stole the show. He definitely should’ve closed.
The (Really) Bad
Drake’s performance. Granted, hip-hop’s favorite unsigned hype has a torn ACL, so we didn’t expect him to move off his stool. But the song, “Every Girl” is very explicit, and BET did a terrible job editing out the curse words and vulgarity. Add that to what looked like pubescent girls dancing around Drake, and the whole performance is one that should’ve been skipped.
Don Cornelius’ random rambling. He said he wasn’t making any more TV appearances, and he probably should’ve kept his word. While presenting the O’Jays with the Lifetime Achievement Award, he looked dazed and confused. The whole thing ended up sounding like a long-winded Uncle’s speech at the family banquet.
Keyshia Cole’s vocals. Bless her heart, but Keyshia Cole’s forte isn’t singing, unfortunately. Thank goodness Monica was there to save her.
The Confusing
Beyoncé’s wedding gown. We get that Beyoncé is a great artist with powerful pipes and the ability to pull off different styles of music. But her performance, with the wedding gown, green lights and drama was just plain weird.
Snoop Dogg hopping on stage with T-Pain. One word: why?
Tevin Campbell’s appearance. Tevin randomly popped up on stage, fresh out of 1993 for an MJ tribute. Wowsers. Where has that guy been?
Ving Rames. The whole Baby Boy skit with Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese was cute. But when Ving came out insisting that the crowd yell out “Guns…Michael Jackson,” it was clear things had spun out of control and into the land of drunken strangeness.
No Kanye. He was listed as a performer, but never appeared on stage, although he was spotted lip-locking with his girl, Amber Rose.
Overall Grade: C-
