Top

Lana Del Rey

March 23, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lana Del Rey 

Lana Del Rey, Last night on American Idol we found out which nine contestants would be moving into Chez Idol, but let’s be honest, we didn’t tune in to see who America kicked off. We wanted to see if “indie pop sensation” Lana Del Rey would face-plant like she did on Saturday Night Live a couple months ago.

The odds were in her favor this time, for the performance was pre-taped and it wasn’t on SNL’s notoriously awful soundstage. Find out how she fared, and who America voted off, after the jump.

If LDR and the return of Season 10’s suave Haley Reinhart weren’t enough fanfare for you, it was also Steven Tyler’s [redacted]th birthday. So his bandmate Joe Perry came out shredding and the contestants sang “Happy Birthday,” which probably cost Fox a few million in licensing fees. Check out the two coolest grandmas in the world:

Next, Lana Del Rey performed “Video Games.” Let’s talk about it! (Deep breaths everyone.) She wore an all-white outfit perfect for that tennis match she scheduled right after her set, and was backed, as usual, by full strings. The performance was so much better than her SNL take – though, no surprise there. She’s been steadily improving in her TV performances in the months since. Whatever your thoughts on LDR, it seems clear she’s an acquired taste live, and hey, we’re rooting for her. She received a warm reception and it was nice to see her happy and smiling.

Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine wanted some of that LDR spotlight, so last night he gave us his best Simon Cowell impression. On Hollie Cavanagh: she was “a sweet diva caught in the headlights.” On DeAndre Brackensick: too much frolicking and bopping around. On Joshua Ledet: gets in trouble with that “Darth Vader thing” when he sings too low. And finally, on Heejun Han’s antics: “a bad Adam Sandler movie.” Um, we saw Sandler’s Jack and Jill and would sooner sit through Heejun’s performance from last night on a two-hour loop than that travesty again.

Lana Del Rey

January 16, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lana Del Rey 

Lana Del ReyLana Del Rey, Not since Ashlee Simpson performed the hoedown has an SNL performer botched a performance as bad as Lana Del Rey did as the show’s musical guest last night.

During her “act,” Del Ray swayed stiffly and disjointedly mumbled her lyrics as stunned audience members looked on. The level of excruciating badness was so palpable, it felt like a wake; you almost had to feel sorry for her.

Perhaps it was nerves, as the upstart performer had never performed for as large an audience before, but whatever the reason, Del Rey crashed and burned.

Several Twitter celebs took turns excoriating the songwriter, most notably, actress Juliette Lewis, who tweeted, “Wow watching this ‘singer’ on SNL is like watching a 12 year old in their bedroom when they’re pretending to sing and perform. #signofourtimes.” (The tweet was later removed).

BuzzFeed thought she had to go to the bathroom during her performance. “Lots of swaying in one place, awkward twirling, hair adjusting, and leg squirming. If she didn’t have to pee by the end of the performance, I sure did.”

Many viewers confusedly (or humorously) tweeted if the singer was really Kristen Wiig making a joke:

The critically-panned performance could’ve been predicted, as MTV asked Del Rey about whether SNL was taking a huge risk in having her headline the show.

“I don’t think they’ve ever had anyone perform who didn’t even have a record out, so I do appreciate it,” she told MTV News last week. “I’m a good musician. And I may not have a record out now, but I have been singing for a very long time, and I think that Lorne [Michaels] knows that, and everyone over there knows that. It’s not a fluke decision.”

Whether or not Kristen Wiig was really playing a practical joke on us or if Del Ray actually did perform that way, SNL might want to reevaluate how they choose musical guests.

Lana Del Rey

January 15, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lana Del Rey 

Lana Del ReyLana Del Rey, Not ready for prime time after all? Buzzed-about, edgy singer Lana Del Rey made her national TV debut on Saturday Night Live Jan. 14. The “Video Games” chanteuse is one of the only singers to get tapped for the gig before the release of an album. (Born to Die comes out Jan. 31 on Interscope)

Not everyone was impressed by the performance, in which the 25-year-old newcomer (real name: Elizabeth Grant) seemed nervous and out of sync. Actress and singer Juliette Lewis complained in a subsequently deleted Tweet: “Wow watching this ‘singer’ on SNL is like watching a 12 yearold [sic] in their bedroom when theyre pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes.”
“I’m a good musician,” Del Rey (who became an internet sensation several months back upon the release of her “Video Games” clip online) told MTV News last week of her neophyte status. “And I may not have a record out now, but I have been singing for a very long time, and I think that [SNL’s] Lorne [Michaels] knows that, and everyone over there knows that. It’s not a fluke decision.”

Lana Del Ray

January 15, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lana Del Ray 

Lana Del RayLana Del Ray, The sexpot singer made her Saturday Night Live debut on Jan. 14, one of fewer than a handful of artists to nab the coveted slot before releasing a first album (Del Rey’s Born to Die is due out Jan. 31 on Interscope), and reaction has been surprisingly harsh.

Following the performance of “Video Games,” the song that’s largely responsible for Del Rey’s breakout, The Firm actress Juliette Lewis, herself a singer who’s opened for the likes of Foo Fighters and Chris Cornell, tweeted, “Wow watching this ‘singer’ on SNL is like watching a 12 yearold [sic] in their bedroom when theyre pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes.”

It was a sentiment echoed by many on Twitter, as Del Rey was visibly nervous and her timing seemed a bit off.

“Lana Del Rey’s next song is called ‘Muted Television While People Brush Their Teeth And Prepare For Bed,’” wrote @ranggrol.

“I expected to be blown away by Lana Del Rey due to the hype. It’s time for SNL to get a real band on,” offered @NeonBMC.

“Lana del Rey has a nice voice & is GORGEOUS but she doesn’t do it for me; her songs are too flat,” wrote @KingWithNoKrown. “I just don’t see what the big deal is.”

Tweeted @karen_g: “Watching Seth Meyers walk up to Lana Del Rey, shaking his head and saying, ‘It wasn’t bad!’ says just about everything, doesn’t it? Ouch.”

“I love you but that was a HOT MESS,” snapped @MsPearlSnaps.

But Del Rey had her defenders, too. Several music sites, including MTV.com, pointed to the 25-year-old’s admitted nervousness. And it’s likely that her singing style may also have thrown viewers, especially those accustomed to auto-tuned vocals that border on synthetic. Del Rey sings with a stoic, hushed, sometimes gutteral delivery and her melodies often veer into unexpected terrain. Still, it’s hard to put aside that Del Rey is green when it comes to performing live, and SNL was proof of that fact.

On Twitter, a fan with the handle @connersup wrote, “I actually thought Lana Del Rey did pretty good tonight. She was also gorgeous as usual.”

Another named Pony Sparkles declared: “i still love you lana del rey, my beautiful sedated zombie fembot ice princess.”

But perhaps @emiliawrites summed it up best with her Twitter sign-off: “Ok, now I’ve watched the Quite Ok But Not Mindblowing Or NuffinLana Del Rey SNL “Video Games” performance I can sleep.”

Bottom