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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2016)
June 29, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment BET Awards Full of Prince tributes and Political Moments By MESFIN FEKADU AP Music Writer T he BET Awards — or “The Prince Tribute Show” — featured emotional and en- ergetic performances from Sheila E., Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson honoring the Purple One, along with political statements on issues ranging from ra- cial injustice to the U.S. presidential election. Sheila E., jamming on the drums and guitar, singing and dancing without shoes, closed the three-hour-plus show at the Microsot Theater in Los Angeles with “Let’s Work,” ‘’A Love Bizarre,” ‘’The Glamorous Life,” ‘’America” and more. She was joined by “Pur- ple Rain” actor Jerome Benton and Prince’s ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, who danced alongside the background danc- ers throughout the set. They ended by raising a purple guitar in the air as the audience cheered them on. Hudson, rocking a white-hooded blazer, and Wonder, clad in a purple suit, sang “Pur- ple Rain” — a month ater the piano-playing icon performed the song with Madonna at the Billboard Music Awards, which BET dissed on Twitter. This time, Hudson was a vocal powerhouse, deliv- ering screeching vocals while Wonder played piano and Tori Kelly was on guitar while a photo montage of Prince ap- peared on the purple-lit stage. Janelle Monae was an- imated and funky as she danced and ran through Prince tunes, including “Kiss,” ‘’Delirious” and “I Would Die 4 U.” Bilal was sensual and passionate during “The Beautiful Ones,” even lying on the loor while singing near the end of the perfor- mance. The Roots backed Bilal, and the band was also behind Erykah Badu as she performed “The Ballad of Dorothy Park- er,” singing sotly as she grooved in place. Ater singing an origi- nal song, Maxwell went into “Nothing Compares 2 U,” changing some of the lyrics while honor- ing Prince. Though the BET Awards were heavy on PHOTO BY MATT SAYLES/INVISION/AP Jesse Williams’ iery, six-minute speech on racism and racial justice brings audience to its feet Sheila E., left, and Mayte Garcia stand on stage following a performance in tribute to Prince at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, June 26, 2016, in Los Angeles. honoring the icon who died on April 21, the show went from Prince to political throughout the night. “Grey’s Anatomy” ac- tor Jesse Williams, who earned the humanitarian award for his eforts as an activist, gave a iery, nearly six-minute speech that brought the audi- ence to its feet. “We’re done watching and waiting while this invention called white- ness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold, ghettoiz- ing and demeaning our creations then stealing them; gentrifying our ge- “ about gun violence and brought up the recent Orlando shooting at the Pulse nightclub. “We all need to take stance against gun vio- lence. You can make a diference,” Lee said on- stage. “Use your voice and vote.” When “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson won best actress, she encour- aged the audience to vote against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. “I’m really not political but it’s serious out here, and for those who think that, you know, ‘Oh he’s not going to win’ — think again. So we really need to pull together and turn this country around,” she Clinton has a past with BET: She appeared at BET’s “Black Girls Rock!” event in April and told the audience “my life has been changed by strong black women leaders.” The BET Awards wasn’t all serious, though. Be- yonce kicked of the show with a surprise perfor- mance featuring Kend- rick Lamar and multiple background dancers of her song “Freedom,” dancing in a pool of wa- ter to the song’s heavy beat. At one point, La- mar and Beyonce kicked the water and danced in sync, drawing a heavy applause from the audi- ence. Beyonce won video of the year and the fan-vot- ed viewers’ choice award for her hit “For- mation.” Her mother, Tina, accepted the awards and said Beyonce had to quickly leave the show ater her perfor- mance for a concert in London. It’s serious out here, and for those who think that, you know, ‘Oh he’s not going to win’ — think again nius and trying us on like costumes before discard- ing our bodies,” he said onstage. Williams was in- troduced by BET CEO Debra Lee, who spoke said. Co-host Tracee Ellis Ross said she was sup- porting Hillary Clinton and reminded viewers several times to “get yourself registered!” SHOWTIMES See BET on page 11 The Week of Friday, July 1 through Thursday, July 7, 2016 We are closed Monday, July 4th. Have a safe and happy holiday! 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