TNL

Before Jimi Hendrix got his first real guitar, he apparently would use a broom and a one-string ukulele to play.  The left-handed genius rocketed to fame for his electronically manipulated sound effects – whether it was feedback, distortion or explosive riffs.  He was a trailblazer ahead of his time.

The biggest caution in relief efforts to combat a tragedy is forgetfulness.  The inherent good in people allows people to react to a heart-wrenching situation in the immediate aftermath of its occurrence.  But the inherent self-obsession in society allows us to forget the people who continue to be in need long after their stories cease to be newsworthy.

Music is one of the most effective ways to ensure that stories and lives are not forgotten –every time the song is heard, every time the song is played, we are given that much needed reminder that there is still much to be done.

It takes two to make a thing go right…! Whether its music’s power couple, Jay-Z and Beyonce or entertainment’s most bizarre couple, Kate Perry and Russell Brand, there’s always more to hear about, when there’s a two stars in one package.

That’s how TNL plays your tunes for Valentine’s Day.  Snuggled back to back in a love coaster are two songs from your favorite artists.

We live in the age of digital love.  Most people meet in cyberspace and most people communicate more often through technology than in person.  Relationships begin with online chats and are sustained with SMS’s.

It’s fitting therefore that in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, we opt for a technologically enhanced love affair as the basis for the soundtrack pick for this week.

The movie is revered for its visual effects and animation genius.  From the breathtaking scenery when a handicapped marine is allowed to enter the world of Pandora to the gasping destruction when the influence of man befalls all that is sacred to The People, to the inspiring moments of defiance, relentless hope and seeing on who’s side Ewwa really is, this is a movie that offers beauty in as many facets as technology can propel on three hours of cinema.

Sometimes when a cover is performed, it can be so bad that we consider it to be insulting and sacrilegious even to the classic nature of the original.  Exhibit A – Madonna’s rendition of American Pie.  Some songs are too perfect as they are to be remixed.  

Other times a cover can be so good that we almost forget the original rendition.  Exhibit B – Heroes by the Wallflowers.  

Other times a cover can be redone as often as anyone likes and each rendition just amounts to a new tribute to the original.  Exhibit C – I wanna know what love is – Mariah Carey or Tina Arena. 

But one of the most talked about covers for this year is the product from the creative genius of Thom Yorke.  Radiohead are set to offer their rendition of a Nelson Mandela tribute from Peter Gabriel. 

It’s a common leisure activity to switch on VH1 on a Saturday morning and plonk yourself in front of the television to enjoy the long and relaxed breakfast you never get to have on a weekday.  

But if you happened to tune into a rerun of Friday’s Hope for Haiti telethon, you would have had a different kind of wake up on your weekend.  

‘Haiti I can see your halo…pray it won’t fade away,’ Beyonce crooned from under her fringe; ‘I’ll stand by you…wont let nobody hurt you,’  Shakira consoled in her rendition of a Pretenders’ classic, and then, the most prayerful moment of all, when Justin Timberlake very humbly offered his rendition of a piano-accompanied Hallelujah.  

It wasn’t just the music; it wasn’t just the fact that if you called to donate money you could talk to Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan or Taylor Swift; what kept you watching was the scary reality that people, not too different from the rest of us, who usually beam sun-kissed smiles and bask under the shade of plaintain leaves, just like the rest of us, were now struggling to lift themselves out of a great tragedy.  A tragedy that moaned through the unsettled dust of collapsed buildings, rubble of broken lives, while we, in an island of our own, remained preoccupied with a flagrant display of ring-side politics. 

Did you ever thing Carrie Underwood was a Billie Jean?  Or Celine Dion was the real Dirty Diana? Of course we all knew that Usher’s slip n’ slide dance moves made him look like he had no ankles, because of the MJ magic his feet had kicked into.  

These are three of the former Grammy winners who will be teaming up together with Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson to perform a moving tribute to the late King of Pop at the 52^nd Grammy Awards to be held this weekend! 

The tribute will also include the 3 minute film that Michael Jackson did for the Earth Song as a part of his This Is It tour. 

And this year, each of the music-makers who are nominated for Album of the Year will be performing live including Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga. 

Bon Jovi will be a part of a special segment called You Pick It They Play It, where the band will perform a song picked out by fans.  Fans just had to log on to www.cbs.com/grammys to vote for a Bon Jovi song they want to hear performed live at the Grammys. 

Some of the nominations include songs that are no longer played as often on radio, but that’s because the eligibility for this year’s Grammy’s is for artists and music from the October 2008 to August 2009. 

Leading the nominations is country/pop sensation Taylor Swift and R&B diva, Beyonce.