Guest Blogger - Sunday at the VMA's

A good friend of mine, MJH, has offered to guest blog from to time to time and offer his insight into pop culture and TV. Here is his inaugural contribution...

Sunday, for me, was both a good and very bad day of music television for me. Since my NFL team, the Bengals, doesn't get TV coverage on the east coast, I treated myself to flipping between the US Open Federer match (one of the best match's of the past few years IMO) and...get ready for it...Austin City Limits. ACL is one of those shows that I never know is on TV, but when it's on, I always watch it. Today I was treated to Drive by Truckers, an "alt-country" band a la Whiskeytown et. al. While the show originally aired last September, the music was still awesome. Watch some video and get the set list here:

I then treated myself to the aural waterboarding that is the MTV Video Music Awards. There's really too much to blog about this one, so here are some bullet points:

• MJ tribute was cool...Madonna says her kids are running around the house grabbing their crotches as inspired by MJ. I suspect he wasn't their inspiration.
• Janet Jackson is still hot, although she clearly smoked a pack of Pfunks before the show.
• Russell Brand is awful. Painfully unfunny really. While England is the home of Burberry, The Rolling Stones, and Jude Law, Mr. Brand makes me proud to be an Amurrican (that's my shout out to my tea party peeps...wait...I don't have tea party peeps).
• We should send Dane Cook to Europe to host the Europe VMA's in retaliation.
• Katy Perry sucks. I have nothing more to say about that.
• If you didn't think Kanye was a dick when he told America that GWB hated black people, you must agree that his stunt tonight with Taylor Swift was pretty redic. I expect him to appear on youtube kicking a puppy or shaking a baby for his next trick.
• Kanye makes me feel that Joe Wilson is kinda' hip-hop.
• The house band that's playing when they cut to commercial is pretty good. I'd prefer to hear them over most of the acts tonight.
• Lady Ga Ga is bloody. Revoke my gay card. I don't get it.
• Beyonce is superhuman. Her performance tonight was great, even if you don't like the music.
• Lady Ga Ga accepts her award wearing a lace body stocking that covers her face with a matching crown. Perez gives her a standing-O, America says WTF?
• Lady Ga Ga changes outfits and now is wearing a birds nest on her head...or maybe it's a costume from the Lion King.
• Beyonce gave Taylor Swift another opportunity to give an acceptance speech. Suck it Kanye.
• Jay-Z performs with Alecia Keys...suck it Kanye.

Overall, I learned the following from the VMA's:

• Madonna has had work done on her face
• There were only 3 music videos this year

In non-music-tv news:

• The Bengals are going to be shitty again. This is my lot in life.
• The Sunday morning pundits are starting to agree that there is no way Obama can keep all of his health care promises he made during his Wednesday speech.
• Joe Wilson maybe-kinda-sorta-a little bit-may have been right.
• Serena Williams is a beast. That line judge pissed herself.
• Roger Federer is a golden god.
• Thank you public television for giving us re-runs of Jacques Pepin and Julia Child culinary duet show.
• I can't wait for Glee this week.