Katy Perry’s First Live Performance Of “California Gurls” Not So Sunny

Robbie Daw | May 20, 2010 3:24 pm

Whatever 9 to 5 job you were stuck at today, just remember it could always be worse—you could have been Maxim babe Katy Perry, performing your new single “California Gurls” in front of a bunch of stuffy, nonplussed media-buying suits at the CW networks’ annual “upfronts” presentation in New York. No, the media clan were not impressed with Ms. Perry’s nod to the Golden Coast, and showed their disapproval by standing stiff like upright corpses as the pop starlet sweated it out for three minutes on stage. Watch the magic below!

Vulture described the whole tragic event as follows:

“At 11 a.m. this morning, Katy Perry got onstage at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, and on behalf of the CW, began belting out “Hot N’ Cold” to a room of adults who have had a long week. As one might expect, these be-suited grown-ups appeared unmoved by ‘you change your mind/like a girl changes clothes,’ staying seated, immobile while Perry, in sequined sunglasses and a palm-tree emblazoned dress, ran around like it was at least 4 in the afternoon. After the first verse, Perry, who apparently does not enjoy performing for zombies, exhorted the crowd, ‘Is it too early for you to stand on your feet and have some fucking fun?’… “After this turning point, the CW upfront moved right along. Perry is some kind of professional, and after performing the miracle of the standing media buyers, she did a little banter with Auto-Tune; performed her new single ‘California Gurls,’ the CW’s summer marketing song (boosting the track’s chances of becoming the song of summer by executive order); and introduced a CW exec as ‘the fine, the fresh, the sexy.’ She earned her money.”

Well, look—this morning wasn’t a total bust for Katy. Her single debuted on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart at #2 today after selling a whopping 294,000 downloads in its first week on sale.

See that? For every cloud, there’s a silver lining when you’re a California gurl.

Fine, fresh, fierce, we got it on lock…