The VMAs - a week later...

The shock of Kanye West's boorish behavior towards Taylor Swift has worn off significantly; unfortunately, the punditry persists.

However, I wanted to give props to the performances that attempted to return focus back to what is typical VMAs.

Lady Gaga - she's been accused, unfairly, of trying to bite Madonna's style; I wholeheartedly disagree with this. While Gaga's music embodies the fun of Madonna's earlier work, Gaga can actually sing and aspects of herself, though bizarre at times, seem authentic. Madonna, on the other hand, seemed colder and more calculating, even in her very early days. Gaga's presentation of her hit medleys was reminiscent of Madonna's Vogue performance from the 90s, but Gaga turned it on its head to very gory effect. That audacity reminded me of Prince's Gett Off performance in that yellow lace cat suit with the butt cheek cut outs.

Pink - the flying trapeze. Very impressive and appropriate for the song. And she sung it live. Her performance encapsulated what the VMAs used to be about- performance. Now, it feels like another contrived event for the sake of product placement.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes - while the actual performance was enjoyable, the lead up was absolutely ridiculous. Seriously... did we need to 'follow' Jay-Z from the streets, through the building, backstage, and onto the platform where he was raised into view of the VMA audience? No, it was absolutely unnecessary and seemed like a bow to Jay-Z which he really didn't deserve.

But for me, the best performance remains Janet's tribute to Michael. It's been unfairly ignored due to Kanye's buttpluggery, but it really was a genius performance. While I hated how the control room ruthlessly cut between the various dancers during Thriller, Bad and Smooth Criminal, they made up for it during Janet's part.

Full shots and few edits - that's how you handle choreography.

But the fact that, unlike the other Jacksons who hogged camera time with their 'tributes' (yes, I'm talking about Jermaine's version of 'Smile'), Janet's tribute felt pretty emotional. Yes, Janet looked angry, but for many people like myself, putting on an angry face stifle tears. And, there was this energy, intensity and swagger that felt unbelievably appropriate. It felt like a big brother having a last dance with the baby sister who offered competition and unwavering support to him. And how the brief dance sequence was shot emphasized it. Digitally removing Janet from the dance studio and the fact that Michael was still in black and white while Janet was in real life color and framed in forced perspective, added more depth. And the fact that he appeared healthier and more vital and energetic complies with many people's belief about how souls are in the afterlife. And the fact that Janet couldn't stick the leap up and spin after the slide like she did nearly 15 years ago, again, reinforces that Michael, now, is in better shape than when he was alive mere months ago.

The whole performance just felt right. And yet again, Janet proved that if the Jacksons want to represent Michael well, then Janet should be their go-to person, because unlike many of them, she doesn't seem to be working an angle on the American/global public. She just seemed like a woman missing her older brother/friend. And the behind the scenes documentary, which aired yesterday on MTV, emphasized this. While there were new choreographers involved in the performance, some previous collaborators who worked with either or both Michael and Janet, came back to help Janet out, which added to the whole performance.

And once again, I have to recommend Chris Tucker as a possible shoulder for Janet to lean on. There is just something about the idea of them being together.