This Is an Anagram!

     Last Friday was April Fool's Day.  One of my games, SongPop 2, had a new category for in-game purchase for the holiday.  The category is "Anagrammed Artists."  Like always, the player gets a sample of a song and has to guess the correct title or artist. (Occasionally, one has to guess something else, such as the year, but those categories are rare.) However, instead of guessing the correct artist, one has to choose from a list of anagrammed names instead.  For example, if "Wannabe" is played, the correct answer isn't Spice Girls but 'Pig Slicers.' For "Bad Habits," the correct answer is 'Sedan Here,' instead of Ed Sheeran. Many of the answers are funny, but it can be pretty tough trying to get the correct answer quickly.  At least one of my competitors pretty much swore in the conversation after playing this category the first time, hence the hidden expletive in the title above. This new category debuted in between two different award show, both of which could also be described by this same title.  First, there was the Academy Awards/Oscars.  Right from the start, I knew there would be trouble.  The first presenters had mic issues that plagued the broadcast.  The first performance sounded well-enough, but the appearance was troublesome.  The pre-recorded segment was on a yellow-green background matching the wardrobe of the performers.  At the time of day it was recorded, the brightness drowned all of the visuals out.  It would have looked better with a slightly different shade for either the backdrop or the wardrobe, or if it had been shot at a darker point.  Many presenters were missing their cues, probably because so many were non-professionals and were unused to the style.  The entrance music for many of the presenters were not quite suitable.  "Africa." "La Isla Bonita." "Beggin'" What?!?! The camera seemed to be all over the place.  I couldn't tell if a shot of J. K. Simmons instead of Timothy Chalamet was part of a joke or not. It could have gone either way.  While the hostesses were adequately funny, something seemed to be off all night, and this is before 'The Slam,' which I will not talk about.  I will talk about the 'Bruno' performance.  I wonder, how many parents were allowing their kids to stay up to see the actual voice actors singing "We Don't Talk about Bruno," only to have them drop out after the first verse, to be replaced by Meegan Thee Stallion rapping about the Oscars.  At least she didn't use any expletives, like in most of her own songs. Maybe the song will be performed at next year's Grammys, where it has a good chance at being nominated.  Speaking of the Grammys, they were on this past weekend, after a three month delay.  While many of the performances were good, I didn't really like any of them.  While I like a few of the performers, they didn't perform any of the songs I liked.  During some commercial breaks, some lesser known artists in non-broadcast categories got to perform.  Maybe the entire song was on streaming, but I only saw the start and ending.  Many of the biggest genres of music were highlighted, save rock and rap/hip hop.  The former had the unfortunate lack due to having the Foo Fighters dropping out due to the death of their drummer.  The latter was just part of the ongoing allegations of the Grammys hatred of the genre.  While many rap/hip hop artists are boycotting the proceedings, that didn't stop The Weeknd for getting a win as a guest artist on a Kanye West track.  The Grammys must really love Bruno, Mars, as he, or rather Silk Sonic, won all four categories they were nominated in.  Meanwhile, Jon Batiste won five of the awards he was nominated for, including 'Album of the Year.'  I still find it strange that such a niche artist had so much praise.  I hate to admit this, but I had a conspiracy theory that his network, which also broadcast the show, influenced some of the outcomes.  The memoriam segment was plagued by the same bad camerawork that the Academy Award had.  Some names couldn't be seen from such a distance.  Unlike previous years, where some of the deceased had a piece of their music playing, this year had a selection of Sondheim works performed throughout.  This included "Send in the Clowns," which wasn't one of his favorites, although it won 'Song of the Year.'   In all, viewers were down for both shows.  The Oscars just felt too diverse this year, so much so, that it couldn't appeal to anyone in particular, even when it tried. The Grammys were just too inclusive.  While they have always celebrated all forms of music, I doubt there is anyone out there who listens to more than three or four of the featured performers and/or genres on a regular basis.  So, basically, my title for this post sums up how so many feel about both.