In many ways the 60th Grammy Awards were not only lacking in star power, but any sense of history for a major anniversary for music’s most prestigious honor. Perhaps considering the political and social justice tone of the evening the artists commandeered it to be about looking forward and not to the past. That’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, the winners were sadly predictable in may respects.  Too few won too many awards (in this case Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar) and the artist who would have been the most generic pick possible took home the major honors (Mars).

Continue reading Best And Worst Of The 2018 Grammy Awards: Kesha, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna at The Playlist.

It’s hard to imagine a film like “Hidden Figures” about three trailblazing African American women being even more relevant after Tuesday’s shocking presidential election, but for Academy and guild members that’s exactly the reaction you can expect.  Theodore Melfi’s moving historical drama had its first public screening for SAG and select members of the press on Sunday night and it should absolutely become a priority for an Academy that, like much of America, realized the nation is much more racist than it believed.

Continue reading Taraji P. Henson And ‘Hidden Figures’ Make A Timely Case For Oscar Attention at The Playlist.