Blogging the Juno Telecast – Part 1

by W. Andrew Powell

Okay, the 2007 Juno Awards are starting… here we go:

Here she comes, host Nelly Furtado, floating in on cables, trying to sing “I’m Like A Bird”… and suddenly you just know it’s all wrong. Nelly knocks a banner off the roof, shakes her arms, stops singing, and yells to be let down. She’s obviously more than a bit nervous, and it takes some time, but she’s finally on the stage. Come on though – can you say, “not according to plan”? She screwed that up faster than you can say YouTube. Definitely unfortunate, but did anyone really think Nelly would be a cool host? Keep singing darlin, and leave the hosting to people with personalities.

After that, Billy Talent kick into their song “Devil in a Midnight Mass” and sound surprisingly awful. The music was fine, but the vocals sounded like the guys were having their privates squeezed. For a band that big, I expected something that wasn’t tuneless – but they were kind of entertaining. Maybe it was just a bad night?

And then, 10 minutes in, we catch sight of some people with actual personality. Blackie & The Rodeo Kings ad-lib their segment, telling fans they should be logging in to the Juno website to look at pictures, video, and provide the first moment of good television tonight.

Stephen Fearing and pals then call out the nominees for R&B Recording of the Year, which goes to Jack Soul.

Next up is k-os, one of my favorite Canadian artists, who raps his way through a decent rendition of “Sunday Morning” – complete with dancers in wedding dresses.

Nelly Furtado then wins her first award of the live telecast, gives a boring speech, and then we’re happily off into ad land. This is the point where I have to ask – do the Junos need to be retooled? Are the wrong people up there, or what is wrong with this show? So far I think I can safely say I’m bored, but the night is young.

Rick Hansen is then brought on stage, along with Colin James, who congratulates Hansen for the amazing work he’s done over the years to raise funds and awareness for people with spinal cord injuries. They then give Nelly yet another award, and Three Days Grace perform “Pain” – doing a rather good job.

… more to follow.

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