Monday, February 1, 2010

WHEN YOU'RE WRONG, YOU'RE WRONG, BUT...

So much for my predictive powers. Last night at the Grammys, I batted a perfect score: 0 for 4 -- too bad I ended up on the wrong side of the sweep. I was, however, right about one thing: Lady Gaga might be too strange for the Academy. She missed out on all of the major awards for which she was nominated, though I suppose a win for Best Dance Recording is better than nothing.

I love "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" enough to dance to it all night long. But Song of the Year? Isn't this award supposed to honor great achievements in songwriting? Yes, the video was hot, and the single rocked. But "If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it" is not exactly Shakespeare.

I'm not sure what Alfre Woodard (above) has to do with the Grammys. (Oh, yeah, like pretty much everyone under the sun, she can now call herself a Best Spoken Word Album nominee.) But I can't get enough of her. So how can I pass up the opportunity to run a fab photo of her?

Was it me, or did Pink, up against Adele, Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, look like she thought she actually had a chance? For once in the evening, the best woman won: Beyoncé for "Halo."

As usual, the performances were more interesting than the actual handing out of awards. Stevie Nicks, performing with Taylor Swift, showed us the difference between a pop star and a true artist and how it's actually possibly to be both. Taylor, you just haven't earned it yet, baby.

Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Smokey Robinson underscored the fact that Michael Jackson's greatest peace, love and understanding anthem was not "Heal the World," "Man in the Mirror" or "We Are the World," but "Earth Song," a massive international hit that inexplicably was never released as a single in the U.S.

Leon Russell is the man. Did you know that he wrote "Superstar," "This Masquerade" and "A Song for You"? He may look like the world's oldest hippie, but he sure knows how to pull the heartstrings.

But the night's real show stopper was Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake (I think I love you!) and Travis Barker, who performed their single "Forever" (without a conspicuously absent Kanye West -- we couldn't have him possibly interrupting Taylor's big moment, could we?). This is the real definition of cool. Sexy is back. Again.

(For more of my Grammy reactions, go here.)

Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake and Travis Barker "Forever"

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