Daily Archives: February 11, 2020

Music/Concerts

Grammys 2020

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The 62nd annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles, California in the Staples Center on Sunday, January 26th. The Grammy Awards, a show where musicians from all different genres from Country to Rap, get recognition for the work that they released within the last year.

Just 10 days before the award show was about to take place, there was a removal of a pivotal member of the Recording Academy, chief Deborah Dugan after strong allegations of misconduct at the nonprofit. The Grammy Awards took place on a rather somber and heartbreaking Sunday as hours before the awards show began, NBA and Los Angeles Laker legend, Kobe Bryant and 8 others, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA.

Image taken from: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/lizzo-performance-at-grammys-2020-video-47147225

Due to that heartbreaking loss, hundreds of people started gathering around the Staples Center, where Kobe Bryant played for 20 years, before the Grammys started. The Grammy administration started telling people to leave the area before the award show but no one budged. Conversations started about even canceling the award show because it was “disrespectful” to host an award show at an arena that many called an arena Kobe Bryant built.

The show started off with a performance from Pop-Rap artist, Lizzo. Before her performance she stated that her performance was dedicated to Kobe, “Tonight is for Kobe!” she yelled at the start. After Lizzo’s performance, the host, Alicia Keys, who has won 15 Grammys in the past, started the show off immediately acknowledging Kobe Bryant. Boyz II Men and Alicia Keys sang to honor Kobe Bryant, and the 8 others lost in the helicopter crash. Throughout the night, Kobe Bryant was always brought up.

Many artists performed throughout the night from many genres including Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X and Ariana Grande.

The big winner of the night was 18-year-old pop singer, Billie Eilish. She won five of the six awards she was nominated for, including winning all four of the big categories: Album, Song, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. She became the first artist to sweep these awards since Christopher Cross in 1981. At 18, she is also the youngest person to win Album of the Year.

At the end of the show, DJ Khaled, YG, and Roddy Ricch all came out to perform for a tribute to the late Los Angeles rapper, Nipsey Hussle, who was shot and killed this past March at his clothing store. Nipsey Hussle, who was nominated for his first studio album, Victory Lap attended the Grammys in 2019 but never won a Grammy. This year however, he posthumously won 2 Grammys for his song “Racks In the Middle.”

The Grammys had the lowest ratings ever in their 62 years of the shows airing but, many iconic things occurred. 

Hockey

2020 NHL skills competition

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Image taken from: https://images.app.goo.gl/rbSJYVXZNcRYmSGQA

On Friday, January 24, the annual NHL skills competition was held. In this competition, the best players from all around the NHL compete in competitions based on some of their best skills. This year the competition was held in St. Louis and there were several new events including, for the first time ever, an elite women’s 3-on-3 game.

The first event was the fastest skater; in this event players have to skate one lap around the rink as fast as possible and whoever has the fastest time wins. This year Mathew Barzal won with a time of 13.175 seconds. This ended Connor McDavid’s three year reign, during this time McDavid set the world record for fastest lap around the rink with a time of 13.020 seconds. 

The second event was the save streak competition. In this competition the goalies face a series of shootout attempts and the goalie with the most saves wins. This year the winner was Jordan Binnington with 10 saves. 

The next event was the accuracy shooting competition. In this competition, the players shoot from 25 feet away and try to hit 5 targets in the net as quick as possible. This year the winner was Jacob Slavin with a time of 9.505 seconds.

Next up was the elite women’s 3-on-3 game. This game had two ten minute periods with running time. This is the first year this event was held and team Canada came out on top with a score of 2-1.

The hardest shot competition came next. Shea Weber won this competition with a shot of 106.5mph. Shea Weber’s personal best is 108.5mph and the world record is 108.8 held by Zdeno Chara.

The final event of the first day was the shooting stars competition. In this competition players would shoot 7 pucks from a raised platform and try to hit as many targets as possible. This is the first year this event has been held, and Patrick Kane won with a score of 22.

The NHL skills competition happens every year and although the players get money for winning the events, the competition as a whole is used to raise money for charity and to honor former NHL all stars.

World

Death of a legend

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Image taken from: https://www.lassiwithlavina.com/features/me-to-you/kobe-bryant-getting-to-know-him-after-hes-gone/html

Kobe Bryant was an American basketball player. He entered the National Basketball Association right out of high school, and played for the Los Angeles Lakers. On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people, were killed in a helicopter crash, while on their way to a youth basketball tournament.

Before the helicopter went down, the pilot told air traffic control that he was climbing to avoid a layer of fog. Witnesses reported that they saw the helicopter flying through a layer of clouds and fog, seconds before it crashed. The helicopter slammed into a hill.

According to the radar data, the helicopter crashed at about 152miles per hour. It has been reported that the helicopter fell at a quick rate, and according to experts that was too fast for a standard landing. 

The helicopter had a reputation as a safe aircraft. Investigators have said that the helicopter lacked a key warning, meaning the helicopter system didn’t warn pilots, if they are getting too close to the ground. Officials have said that it’s too early to know whether the lack of warning was the cause of the crash. 

Fans around the world mourned the death of the star and his daughter Gianna; people gathered outside of the Staples Center to pay their respects. Alicia Keys, who hosted the 2020 Grammys, gave a tribute to him, and his teammates have also honored him and paid tribute to them.

Vanessa Bryant broke her silence on Instagram with a heartbreaking post with a picture of her, her husband, and their 13-year-old daughter, saying: “My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them.”

For more information, visit this site:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/us/kobe-death.html