It's been almost a year since that offensively awful 2009 BET Awards telecast that was so terrible you couldn't turn away--like one of those accidents out of the movie Final Destination. I learned how to Twitter while watching that show. The tweets and Facebook statuses alone provided enough entertainment to last a lifetime. My heart hurt for Michael Jackson and his family when I realized that the show would be the first to honor him since it took place almost immediately after his unexpected death. I use the word "honor" loosely when thinking about last year's supposed tribute to MJ. With this week's announcement of this year's BET Awards nominees, it appears as if the network is back up to its old shenanigans--with a new twist!
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Just take a look at some of this year's honorees, which include a colorful cast of characters including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga. OK, maybe colorful was the wrong word. I'm all for diversity, but my guess is that the B in BET no longer refers to "black" but, instead, is an abbreviation of the French word "bête." Yes, go look it up.
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Furthermore, what happened to BET recognizing underground and independent artists who seemingly no longer have a place on regular BET but at one time found a home on BET J/Centric with the creation of their Centric Award? Now mainstream artists--Maxwell, Sade, Monica, Chrisette Michele and Melanie Fiona--have taken over and are up for the award, inching out acts like Eric Roberson and The Foreign Exchange. The GRAMMYs can recognize those deserving artists, but BET can't? C'mon, son!
With Queen Latifah at the helm as host, I have fingers crossed that she use her incredible talent to remain graceful in the face of absurdity (i.e., that movie she was in with Jimmy Fallon) and bring some decorum. But, I admit I will be watching for the train wrecks, if only to complain later. I am eager to see if those making missteps last year reemerge more conscious of their actions (READ: attend sober) or be just as apt, once again, to present a performance that is steeped in over-the-top awfulness.
What do you think, Bouncers? Are you expecting another night filled with the hottest of messes at the BET Awards? Or have you long ago stopped watching and caring?
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