Pop Culture Round Up (Dec. 2 – 8)

On Thursday Dec 5, South Africa’s first black president and Anti-apartheid Activist Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95. Earlier that day his daughter released a statement that said: “Tata is still with us, strong, courageous. Even for a lack of a better word … on his ‘deathbed’ he is teaching us lessons; lessons in patience, in love, lessons of tolerance”, just hours later he passed away.  Nelson Mandela was diagnosed with a lung infection and had been receiving intensive care for more than three months. He was known as a freedom fighter, prisoner, and man of peace. He was imprisoned for 27 years for his fight against the apartheid laws for acts of sabotage against the government. Shortly after being released from imprisonment he became President of South Africa in 1994. Mandela is known for his message of reconciliation and not vengeance. Many thought that he should have seeked revenge after all that he went through, but instead he chose a more peaceful approach. And with that, shocking a nation and changing the world  as we know it. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” South African President Jacob Zuma said. “What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.”  The world is mourning a tremendous lost, but his influnce and lessons will live forever.

The highly anticipated Sound of Music Live staring country music sensation Carrie Underwood and ‘True Bloods’ Stephen Moyer was all the rave on Thursday nights’ premier. Audiences of all ages were tweeting, talking, and tuned in on the beloved classic childhood  musical. The live televised musical brought in a remarkable 18 million viewers, making it one of the best Thursday nights that NBC has had in a while. The musical’s numbers were everything that we remembered them to be; bright and cheery, and filled with childhood nostalgia. The $9 million production went on perfectly, with only a few tweaks needed to the sound, and lack of creative angles from the camera, but then again that’s to be expected of a live production. There was nothing bad that audiences had to say about the acting. The ratings and views were well over what NBC expected, although the critics were quite unimpressed and thought the recreation on Roger and Hammersteins The Sound of Music was an unnecessary and uneventful attempt, and Carrie seemed like the underdog when it came to vocals compared to the Broadway vets that sang along side her. In all honesty, to compare Carrie an Stephens acting to the likes of famed Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer just wouldn’t be fair. Those are some big shoes to fill and I think they did their best, at least when it comes to the attempt. You just can’t compete with an original.

Grammy Nominations

The Grammy’s finally released the Nominations list and it looks like Jay Z will be leading the night. Jay Z is nominated for a staggering 9 awards with Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pharrell and Justin Timberlake on his heels with 7 nominations each. Seems that Kendrick Lamar Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist are gonna give Jay Z a good run for his money on awards night getting nominations in the coveted Album of the Year,while leaving Mr.Carter’s name nowhere to be seen on the list. New comer Lordes will also be in for one hell of a night after a great year for her multiplatinum single ‘Royals’ and freshman album, ‘Pure Heroine’ being such a success. The 56th Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Kobe’s Return to the Game

Kobe Bryant finally made an appearance at the Los Angeles Lakers practice on Wednesday morning, and Sunday night marked his official return to the game after being out since April because of a torn Achilles’ tendon. The Black Mamba and his Lakers took on the Toronto Raptors but fell short of victory with the Raptors taking the game in a 106-94 final. Even though Bryant wow’d critics with his athleticism, he’s still his biggest critic.

“I’m just insanely critical,” Bryant said after finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and eight turnovers in 28 minutes. “There was a bunch of things that I completely messed up on.”

Only time will tell if he’ll return to dominance.