sosgemini said:

i don't think Janet's grammy performance from control was live.

Madge has only lypsynched Vogue and ByeBye Baby all other awards shows are live.

Isel said:

Gimme More is better received (and so are her other singles that have been released on the Internet) than singles off 20 Y.O. because it is a dance-pop track. Not a hip-hop or R&B track. One must appeal to the dance-pop audience (in particular, the European and Asian audiences) to sell albums. Janet failed to do so with her last two albums.

banks said:

I found the performance to be boring, and lackluster.

ehuffnsd said:

Good point. The clips on YouTube demonstrate that Madonna has sung live on almost all her performances at awards shows

Rodya24 said:

Ok.. But wasn't S.EX more of a blend? I guess for me, I just didn't think Gimme More was all that. I also wasn't that crazy about S.EX, but I just couldn't understand why everyone was raving about Gimme More, ya know? I just didn't see Brit's song as that much "better" for airplay than Janet's?

I guess, just to clarify a bit more, I was just shocked because here Britney's getting all this buzz, and Janet fell sort of flat last year with S.EX, and then also her performances. That's why I was really curious about how well Britney would be received last night. Of course, Britney's "execution" was so bad, it's really difficult to make a call, I guess, if Britney herself had performed a bit better.

I just think the genre looks dated, in general, particularly now that audiences are so critical of lip-synching. I'm not a huge Madonna fan, but after seeing Confessions.. Madonna just belts it out while moving, and with some of her song.. cuts her dancing to a minimum. Her voice might not be "pretty,"but it's authentic. Madonna sacrifices "perfection" for authenticity.
[Edited 9/10/07 8:31am]

gemini13 said:

I think people are criticizing the choice of wardrobe more than Britney's condition. She definitely was not in the shape to wear what she wore.

Isel said:

I agree with you on Gimme More but it I think it’s that her fans have been waiting so long for her to make a return and so desperately want her to be successful that they’ll take anything with a bit of a beat. It seems like the same folks who bash other artists and mediocre pop songs find this to be an awesome track and somehow acceptable because it’s just a dance song, and not meant to be much more than that.

While Janet has made professional mistakes, Britney seems to be making all sorts of mistakes. I think Jan can check out what’s going on but I also think if she got focused on herself, not JD or anyone else maybe she could find a way back. At the same time, I wonder if I give her too much credit. This may be all that there is but if I'm her, I’m still not looking to some unbalanced kid who basically does the same thing me and Madonna did for a reality check on what I should or shouldn’t do. Jan is in a bit of a situation right now but at the end of the day she seems personally happy or together and has never gotten up on stage and pulled some crap like that and called herself ‘legendary’. I don’t care how many records Britney has sold. Milli Vanilli sold a lot of records too.
[Edited 9/10/07 8:28am]

Rodya24 said:

but its irrelevant to my point.

and ehuff, i meant What Have You Done For Me...and not her lipsynched Control performance from the AMAs.

now, Madge and Vogue rocked...and she shocked with her britney kiss and her Like A Virgin...but acclaim for singing and dancing performance minus any headline grabbing stunts? nope. and a snake is a stunt.

sosgemini said:

But Janet Jackson is about image as well. She is a product. Her moves are choreographed to the teeth. Her sound is provided by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She has the Jackson name, and from the beginning the wealth that her older siblings had to earn.

As for Madonna, her ability to manipulate the media and her own image is what makes her a global icon. Moreover, she has had a string of great dance records for twenty five years -- more than what Janet Jackson can attest to. She is not a musical talent, but neither is Janet.

JackieBlue said:

But Britney Spears has a bigger audience than Janet Jackson. Unlike the latter, her fanbase is not limited to for the most part the US and Japan.

I agree with you that both have made mistakes in their careers. But for me, I want Britney Spears to find peace in her personal life. I could care less if she sells more albums. As for Janet -- she has had a long career, in particular when one considers her limited talents. Is there an audience outside of her core fanbase that wants her to come back? She needs to get back to her dance roots. Not shit-hop.

Rodya24 said:

none of what you are saying is relevant to my point. why are you saying all this?

let me try to break it down one more time for you, when discussing award show performances janet has been able to accomplish something madge nor britney has not...sing live, dance and captivate the world with a performance that did not rely on shock value for its water cooler creed.

but yeah...you made your point about janet for the upteenth time on this thread...i think we all fully understand how you feel on that subject.

JackieBlue said:

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I understand your point. However, I see a similarity and a danger in being sort of "stuck" in an image rather than taking a risk. Now, Janet took a risk of sorts--moving to more hip-hop than pop. But Jackie, don't you think think the lip-synching is a problem? Don't you think there are bunch of "yes" people around Janet, too? Ultimately, Janet seems like a stable person, but I'm talking about professional similarities--not personal.

I'm not in the music business, so I don't have a clue as to "how" to transition if Janet even wants to.. And maybe she doesn't need to? I'm just suggesting that Janet might need to think about her camp or maybe not? I just think she has been trying to come-up with something that's going to "sell" rather than really evolving as an artist.. or maybe not?

sosgemini said:

Janet captivated the world? When you write "world," which countries in particular are you referring to? I saw the performance on YouTube. It is good. Nothing extraordinary.

It was a real train derailment live on TV! I thought she looked good for just having two kids. It was her performance that was ridiculous. MTV should ban all lip synching from all performances.

Isel said:

I agree with you. She needs to sing live, get rid of her current choreographer, and get back to her dance roots. No more depending on Jermaine Dupri! No more shit-hop! Get some vocal lessons!

jaimestarr79 said:

She did not even try to lip synch! She just walked around with a dazed look on her face, as if she was stoned or too scared.

Rodya24 said:

i don't care what you think of the performance...it had a cultural impact during its time...the fact that you are dismissing it kinda tells me you don't really want to have a discussion but would rather prove your admiration of britney sans reality.

and...

when i write, "the world"? ..you need to slow your roll. dont take this stuff to heart mate....the grammies are televised all over the world...and after that performance everybody was talking about it...in the same way folks talked about ricky martin's la vida locca...the same way folks talked about madge and britney's kiss...how old are you?

sosgemini said:

Yeah... you had to be watchin that performace when it actually happen, not some youtube clip...everyone in that audience was on their feet applauding and Janet had arrived..

sosgemini said:

I am laughing. I loved Britney Spears when I was in the fourth grade. Not anymore. But I still think she has had several great dance songs.

I am obviously younger than you since I do not remember nor was born when the particular Janet Jackson performance was aired. But I still do not think it was extraordinary. Perhaps it struck people as amazing back in '87. But there are performances from the '60s on that still strike me and others as amazing.

Whatever...

I wish Janet a good comeback. I like several of songs as well. I just think people give her too much credit.

OMFG!!! LOOK HOW FAAAAT SHE IS!!!

gemini13 said:

She could have avoided the backlash by actually wearing some clothes. She chose to wear a bra and panty knowning good and well she didn't have the the body to pull it off.

gemini13 said:

I'm a mother of two. My baby is 18 years old, I also go to the gym 4 days a week and I still wouldn't put on that get up! No one's putting her down because of her body. They're putting her down because as a mother who just had 2 babies, she knew damn well, that was not the right outfit for her to be in! Yet, she chose to put it, knowing full well that she'd be talked about! When she had it on for her video shoot and the photos leaked, she was ridiculed.

Either she truly doesn't care if she's ridiculed as long as she's getting some attention or the girl's got some serious problems!

Isel said:

I never liked lip synching, from anyone, for any reason. It’s become acceptable and I understand it but I prefer live. So with that said, yes, she needs to ditch the lip synching for real. Even the pre-recorded fake live tracks. It's a nice effort for when you're hoarse or not feeling well but should not be a regular stint.

Janet does need some restructuring but I don't know where she needs to begin because honestly and i know I may get slammed like Tommy Lee for this but... I don't think she has that much of an original artistic vision. I hate her relationship with “the kids”. They’re not you’re friends. They’re your employees and they should never become more than a one night stand or such. Not boy/girlfriends and spouses. If these are the people she's hanging out with and playing tracks for on occasion than maybe they can't tell her. Same with JD. He has his own vision for her but she's over 20 years in the game. He needs to go get a protege if he wants to do something. And it doesn't seem that Janet has the focus, voice or vision to do more than what she is directed to do. I leave the door open to be very wrong but for all my fandom I just don't get a driven artistic individual with her own vision.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

It is her own fault for putting on that outfit, but I also think she is surrounded by bad advisers.

PurpleCharm said:

But that's HER prerogative, not yours or anyone else's. I don't see anything wrong with her body. I think people are so easy to criticize so that they don't have to focus on their own loser, fat-ass selves (hubby's quote, not mine).

JackieBlue said:

Janet Jackson has never been in control of her career. The men in her life do. Her father, her first two husbands, her producers and songwriters, and now...Jermaine Dupri. I think, this above all, is what irks me about her.

gemini13 said:

True. We live in a sad world.

JackieBlue said:

Jackie, I agree. Yep.. enough said. She needs to work with professionals.