I was in the TC this past weekend to attend the Upper Midwest Emmy Awards (the Redemption Party videos I produced last year were nominated in a promotions category) and to visit Dad who, God willing, will be starting his second round of chemo at Abbott Northwestern Hospital this week (the peach-fuzzed monk is upbeat and ready to go to battle).

But before I left LaLa for Minnehaha, my LA Times music critic chum invited me to see Miley Cyrus in concert at the Staples Center. Having witnessed the splendor of Jonas just a few weeks ago, I thought it best to complete my tween experience and see the girl formerly known as Hannah Montana.



Here’s a photo taken near the end of the show. Miley is suspended above screaming fans on a motorcycle singing Joan Jett’s “I like Rock n Roll.” Her fans, a tad younger than the Jonas Bros. followers, were apoplectic at her stadium antics. And while the giant JumboTrons and backup dancers were a spectacle to behold, Miley left something to be desired. I’m not being a hater, just a anthropological observer. She poured her heart into the performance but it wasn’t enough. The concert was an experiment in high-production value, with a teenager who was going through a variety of costumes and shenanigans in an attempt to figure out who she is. Halfway through the show, she sang a song from her upcoming movie The Last Song while a trailer played behind her. It appears that when she's in a scripted role, she delivers a good performance. She’s just facing the nebulous question all teenagers grow pimples over: Who am I? And I’d imagine that such questions are not easily answered when your father is Billy Ray Cyrus and you’re a bigger star than he ever was.

Speaking of big stars, I didn’t see as many as I’d hoped at the Upper Midwest Emmys. I was hoping for local A-listers like Don Shelby or Pat Miles, but had to settle for WCCO’s Jason DeRusha. He’s got a good shtick as an intrepid but playful reporter and I think he’s Rob Corddry’s (former reporter on The Daily Show) long-lost brother.

DeRusha won an Emmy but I did not. Not that I’m bitter. Fox9 beat me out for the category. I wore my green tux too. A real shame.

One winner I’d definitely keep my eye on is Karen Schindler Alloy, who won in the video blogger category for her Spricket24 antics. A Twin Cities local, she gave a heartfelt speech about giving up her corporate job and taking a risk as a video blogger. Check out her Bees video, for which as she won. Her YouTube hits are impressive and I’d wonder if she doesn’t have a Diablo Cody kind of cult status brewing.