As soon as the opening narration started, I knew I was going to really like this year's show. (It makes me wonder if someone finally listened to my complaints from previous years! Even if the answer is no, I feel vindicated regardless.) The voice-over at the top of the show was a bit over the top with regard to the content, but the effect was awesome. Classy was the feeling I got right away.
On the same vein, I also liked the introductions to the segments, such as "Dream Girls". The announcer is a classy way to introduce the models and the artist. Although like previous years, they couldn't help themselves and just before the this particular segment starts you get this annoying crew voice-over going "send the talent now, send the talent now!" How stupid and childish can you get? Thankfully, there was much less of this compared to previous years.
Taylor Swift really shocked me again this year with her amazing look and let's be frank, model body. I can honestly say she upstaged most of the models. My only complaint is that she either lip-synced/auto-tuned her performances or they dubbed her in afterwards for the broadcast. There is plenty of speculation going around with regard to her vocal abilities. This show added fuel to that fire.
The remaining vocal performances in my opinion were just OK. I didn't really care for having to AGAIN listen to songs that have been saturated on the radio and other TV shows for the last few months. I think to keep the show fresh, they need to keep an eye on this issue in the future.
The final performance of the night, Taylor's "Style" was pretty impressive. The song is catchy and cool sounding and has lots of topical buzzwords. But the best by far was the beginning where Taylor and Karlie look at each other, nod, link hands and start walking down the runway. I pretty much forgot to breathe at that point. Add to this the rumors that they are dating and you've got some pretty fantastic dreamscapes...
