Article: The Placement of Britney Spears (Lainey Gossip)

[Chico101]

35 minutes ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

I really don't get the hate for the outfit or the hands in the background I loved them both! I think honestly people are too hard on Britney and they always have been! They act like this was FF performance level which is so not true, was it a simple performance yes but it was in no way a bad performance! 

This - I've re-watched it twice and I'm in love. It was like deconstructed Britney Spears. Simple and mesmerizing.

[X445500]

That was bunch of bullshit.

How do you compliment britney for improving but then take it back by saying that it's not on that level?

Point proven when she said that Rihanna's performance was forgettable.

Britney doesn't need to please gossip sites.

She slayed, that's all.

[Steel Magnolia]

8 minutes ago, I Think I'm Ready Now said:

I kinda agree  oh god  

Sadly it's a consequence of her breakdown. She is happy now, she doesn't look lost anymore, but the fire, the passion is not back 

Really? I feel like it's back. Finally. 

I truly think this is a creative issue. She's reconnected to the creative aspects of her music, but hasn't gone that extra step to reconnect to the creative aspects of her performance.

Karen Kwak tapped into her musical genius and built her vocals back into the songs. Now we just need someone like Karen to tap into her performing abilities and build that back into her stage presence.

[fnfurter]

5 minutes ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

Really? I feel like it's back. Finally. 

I truly think this is a creative issue. She's reconnected to the creative aspects of her music, but hasn't gone that extra step to reconnect to the creative aspects of her performance.

Karen Kwak tapped into her musical genius and built her vocals back into the songs. Now we just need someone like Karen to tap into her performing abilities and build that back into her stage presence.

^^ This. 

I wasn't going to comment on anything, just read through some of the discussions and feel deeply conflicted (the performance does have the fire, but the fire had nowhere to properly go), but this is exactly the issue.

[Guest I Think I'm Ready Now]

20 minutes ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

Really? I feel like it's back. Finally. 

I truly think this is a creative issue. She's reconnected to the creative aspects of her music, but hasn't gone that extra step to reconnect to the creative aspects of her performance.

Karen Kwak tapped into her musical genius and built her vocals back into the songs. Now we just need someone like Karen to tap into her performing abilities and build that back into her stage presence.

Idk, I feel like Onyxney would eat Currentney alive if they performed together.  Not talking about the dancing, but charisma / passion 

She looks happy but she doesn't look fully connected to her performance or to the crowd

[Steel Magnolia]

Just now, fucknfurter said:

^^ This. 

I wasn't going to comment on anything, just read through some of the discussions and feel deeply conflicted (the performance does have the fire, but the fire had nowhere to properly go), but this is exactly the issue.

That's a great way of putting it -- "The fire had nowhere to properly go."

Watching her during the MM&I portion of the performance made me grin. She was giving it HARD.

But the framing of the camera was all off, and the costumes were distracting me, and the shadow hands were making my eyes wander all over at the start and she never became the focus of her own performance. 

Imagine that exact same performance, but with different creative direction. It would be epic.

1 minute ago, I Think I'm Ready Now said:

Idk, I feel like Onyxney would eat Currentney alive if they performed together.  Not talking about the dancing, but charisma / passion 

She looks happy but she doesn't look fully connected to her performance or to the crowd

You're right about that.

She's getting lost in the performance. She never becomes the focus. My eyes were travelling all over the stage instead of focusing in on her.

[fnfurter]

Just now, Steel_Magnolia said:

That's a great way of putting it -- "The fire had nowhere to properly go."

Watching her during the MM&I portion of the performance made me grin. She was giving it HARD.

But the framing of the camera was all off, and the costumes were distracting me, and the shadow hands were making my eyes wander all over at the start and she never became the focus of her own performance. 

Imagine that exact same performance, but with different creative direction. It would be epic.

YES! The MM&I part was great; the added chest bumps were a nice touch, too. She looked fantastic there. And why, why did G get all of the attention when this was a performance meant to celebrate Britney's return to the VMA stage? As soon as he came out, she became a supporting role and that's honestly one of the most disappointing aspects of it to me.

And to be honest, this is what my friends have said to me this morning: friends that don't quite fit into GP status because they are Britney fans, but who aren't quite stan level. The fire is back, no doubt. But why that costume? If that was the direction the choreo was going to take, then why not pre-recorded vocals that sound live? And if she wants to continue lipping directly from the studio albums, then why not cleaner, bolder visuals? And why was she not the main act of what was supposed to be her performance?

It could have been an amazing performance, one that-- yes, there would be haters of because, yes, Britney has always been the underdog while still staying on top-- but one that would be, dare I say it, water cooler material for the next week. Britney is totally there and ready to start working towards bringing the fire back to her performances, but with the team she's got now, it's kind of... floundering.

16 minutes ago, I Think I'm Ready Now said:

Idk, I feel like Onyxney would eat Currentney alive if they performed together.  Not talking about the dancing, but charisma / passion 

She looks happy but she doesn't look fully connected to her performance or to the crowd

That's also sort of what I'm saying, in part. I think with the right direction, she could start getting that connection back. I know it takes baby steps and I know she's doing great from where she was back during FF, but I also feel like expecting the minimum is part of the problem.

[Steel Magnolia]

4 minutes ago, fucknfurter said:

And to be honest, this is what my friends have said to me this morning: friends that don't quite fit into GP status because they are Britney fans, but who aren't quite stan level. The fire is back, no doubt. But why that costume? If that was the direction the choreo was going to take, then why not pre-recorded vocals that sound live? And if she wants to continue lipping directly from the studio albums, then why not cleaner, bolder visuals? And why was she not the main act of what was supposed to be her performance?

It feels like Britney needs to hire someone like this...

http://www.mtv.com/news/1674286/lady-Gaga-creative-director-laurieann-gibson/

or this...

http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a35307/beyonce-creative-director-frank-gatson-jr-interview/

Right now Charm is in over her head. 

[PervertedSaint]

To the issues were the cheap af and tacky dress. The low budget staging and production. Her performance and choreo was good.

[radar89]

What type of stupidity it is for comparing Britney and Fifth Harmony 

[NewB]

I guess the point was really the performance didn't live it to the LEGENDARY Britney Spears level. We expected to see more, we wanted to see an ICONIC performance. She was in the zone no doubt but the whole concept wasn't. I loved it when she was snapping her fingers as the shadow hands appeared one by one though. That was a moment for me.  

[Steel Magnolia]

2 minutes ago, NewB said:

I loved it when she was snapping her fingers as the shadow hands appeared one by one though. That was a moment for me.  

That part was good...but there were no other "moments" to follow. It felt like a mish mash. 

There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to know where to look.

[hotnheavyaprilrain]

5 minutes ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

That part was good...but there were no other "moments" to follow. It felt like a mish mash. 

There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to know where to look.

I agree with this and whoever else said she seemed to get lost in everything that was happening. The production felt disjointed to me. She really does need someone to take over creative direction for her performances. The second half shouldn't have turned into the G Eazy show.

As far as the costume, I don't have any feelings about it. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I thought it was ok, but it seems most people weren't feeling it. I think Lainey was fairly spot on in this article - Britney's moves are tight again, she's got that smile, but there is something missing that I can't put my finger on ...

[NewB]

11 minutes ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

That part was good...but there were no other "moments" to follow. It felt like a mish mash. 

There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to know where to look.

She needed more of "moments" I agree but I also like the way she came on with the hood and moved on stage when she sang MM&I.  

 

5 minutes ago, hotnheavyaprilrain said:

I agree with this and whoever else said she seemed to get lost in everything that was happening. The production felt disjointed to me. She really does need someone to take over creative direction for her performances. The second half shouldn't have turned into the G Eazy show.

As far as the costume, I don't have any feelings about it. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I thought it was ok, but it seems most people weren't feeling it. I think Lainey was fairly spot on in this article - Britney's moves are tight again, she's got that smile, but there is something missing that I can't put my finger on ...

Yeah. Too much G-Eazy. They had good chemistry though except that awkward rejected moment at the end. It really wasn't just a Britney performance like everyone was expecting it was a collab. 

[Steel Magnolia]

4 minutes ago, NewB said:

She needed more of "moments" I agree but I also like the way she came on with the hood and moved on stage when she sang MM&I.  

The more I watch the performance the more I think the problem really was with whoever designed the staging.

The sparkly yellow costume was gaudy, but could have been spectacular if it was set off with right visuals. However, her dancer's costumes were way too busy. The shadow puppets were a cute idea, but not properly executed so they were distracting. It then segued into red diagonals, which were especially distracting against the yellow costume.

The backdrops, costumes and lighting were a mess. 

[Prince Ali]

Me when I see those articles

[NewB]

11 minutes ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

The more I watch the performance the more I think it was the whoever designed the staging.

The sparkly yellow costume was gaudy, but could have been spectacular if it was set off with right visuals. However, her dancer's costumes were way too busy. The shadow puppets were a cute idea, but not properly executed so they were distracting. It then segued into red diagonals, which were especially distracting against the yellow costume.

The backdrops, costumes and lighting were a mess. 

Yes. Stage blocking and camera angles were off for the best moments too. I agree they could've executed the shadow puppets better. It was all over the place. I LOLd when G-eazy didn't fit the smallest frame when it seems like they were framing him. 

[Mantequilla]

1 hour ago, Steel_Magnolia said:

 

I truly think this is a creative issue. She's reconnected to the creative aspects of her music, but hasn't gone that extra step to reconnect to the creative aspects of her performance.

 

I agree with this, 100%. With last night's performance, I felt like she's getting there, though. She just needs proper direction. 

[Steel Magnolia]

More from Lainey...

BEYONCE SPENT THE MONEY

"It was breathtaking. It was exhilarating. It was everything.

All that symbolism can’t happen if it’s not properly executed though. While the rest of the show was a jumble of missed cues and sh-tty stage production, did you notice that Beyoncé’s 16 minute set was totally flawless? She didn’t just spend the money for stage design, she spent all the money on everything else. Every camera hit every mark at exactly the right time. Even the force with which she swung at the camera with Hot Sauce, the bat, was delivered so precisely so as to crack the lens without breaking the device so as to render it useless. And then, the bat landed perfectly in position...

This level of excellence is not the MTV standard. The VMAs are known for its “fly by the seat of our pants” approach to event television. That’s been the appeal of the VMA brand for a long time. Leave the polish to the Grammys, we’re the crazy cool kids who indulge in the spectacle of the mess. Beyoncé, however, is not messy. To get Beyoncé to come, she basically told them that they would build her the stage and give her the cameras and, knowing her, she probably came with her own crew, from lighting to cinematography, as in “stand down, I can take it from here”.

SOURCE: http://www.laineygossip.com/Beyoncés-feminist-symbolism-as-she-performs-Lemonade-at-2016-MTV-VMAs/44771

[NewB]

Just now, Mantequilla said:

 

I agree with this, 100%. With last night's performance, I felt like she's getting there, though. She just needs proper direction. 

It's a start. We still have IHeart and AppleMusic Festivals to look forward to. I just appreciate that she's performing OUT THERE again.