GRAMMY Live Blog

11:29 PM

Last year's Grammy Show was superior. Even though this one had Radiohead, U2 and Macca. I thought that Springsteen was invited. Glad we didn't go after all. Save the dough for next year. We have Springsteen and U2 to look forward to next time anyway. OK, in the morning, I'll format this blog into chronological order. 

Checking the non-televised winners, I find some solace. Duffy won pop album of the year for Rockferry which improves with each play. Zappa Plays Zappa won best rock instrumental! Springsteen's Girls In Their Summer Clothes won best rock composition aka song. Hands down, the best lyric of the past several years in any genre. Peter Gabriel's spiritual Down To Earth from Wall-E nabbed best song written for a film. My choice for video, Weezer's Pork & Beans was a winner. I got the long-form Grammy winner Peter Bogdonovich's Running Down A Dream for my birthday this weekend (thanks, cousin Chris). So the pre-awards would have been fun to attend. Problem is you have to buy the ticket for the big show (which is always a bit of a let down). 

Time to power down the blog. Phew. Goodnight, Tonight.

Peace & Disco Beats

11:22 PM

As big a let-down as last year for Album of the Year. I saw this coming from miles away. Plant and Krauss made a quality disc, but the punctuation at the end of this slate is a little flat. Robert Plant is deserving for maintaining. The academy though is doing itself no favors by having these younger acts performing, but not winning. This could be the final nail in the retail music coffin.

Time to wrap up. The wrap up music is playing. Wrap it up. 

Back to a ringer: Stevie Wonder. However I don't recognize the song he's playing. Am I out of touch? Nope. It will be back to Franz Ferdinand in the morning.

11:17 PM

Plant and Krauss are on. The sound is horrid. What's going on!? At least they've got a light fan going to get those golden locks moving on both of them. I have to imagine that the sound on the stage is alright, because they are in tune. Just sounds like there is no accompaniment. Heaven knows that Led Zeppelin probably deserved any number of Grammys in their time, but I'm not sure this collaboration is representative of the best work of the nominated artists this year.

Hooray, Rick Rubin is producer of the year.

11:08 PM

I'm going to predict (again) that Plant/Krauss win album of the year. Just a feeling the way this is going. Although Shi'staynze and Coldplay are nice bets. Ne-Yo has no chance and Radiohead is still too avant garde for the Grammys.

Nice to see trumpeter Terence Blanchard and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band during Allen Toussaint's tribute to Nawlins. I met Mr. Blanchard at last year's Grammys, a dear and talented fellow. What's happened in the last 30 minutes that I didn't blog. Well, Neil Diamond performed. I walked the dog in the rain. Made sweet green tea.

10:38 PM

Jamie Foxx could have been a star at Motown in the '60s. He's one of the few acting talents that can really sing. This tribute to the 4 Tops is amazing. The producers chose really good people (Smokey, T.I. & Foxx) to join original Top Duke Fakir. Doesn't hurt that those are two of the best records ever. 

10:30 PM

Now, I like JT, but he's the male version of Carrie Underwood. He's ubiquitous and now he's sung twice tonight. Someone show T.I. how to wear a hat. The hip-hop summit was ok (it was saved by M.I.A.'s presence). Neil Portnow is talking about Obama. I remember when the President won his second award for reading his autobiography. That makes him the first Grammy Winner to hold the highest office in the land. Represent!

10:26PM 

Forget the Avengers movie, Samuel L. Jackson will apparently be playing Waldo in the new film Where the F is Waldo. Only Sam could make those glasses look hip. 

10:17 PM

Gwyneth Paltrow IS the walking disco ball. She just introduced the "utterly brilliant" Radiohead. Uh, Gwyneth, Coldplay is in the room... 

Thom Yorke is doing his thing with the USC marching band. That's a cool gig for the students. Radiohead are outclassing the rest of the field with this perf. Easily the most interesting act.

10:11 PM

Respect to Neil Diamond, but I can't hear his songs without thinking of Will Ferrell's riotous spoof of him on SNL. Or Diamond in black face in the Jazz Singer remake with Olivier.

10:06 PM

Yawn. Sugarland and Adele are earnest. But at the 2/3 mark, this show needs pep.

McCartney was in fine form, although good old Dave Grohl was overplaying. I Saw Her Standing There is a ringer. A Beatle is a ringer. You have to enjoy it. It's good for you. 

Kudos for the due-today M.I.A. for her performance. She held her polka-dotted and very pregnant own with Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye and Lil' Babee Shi'staynze. In fact, for my money, the producers could have let M.I.A. do all of Paper Planes.

9:41 PM

Herbie Hancock out-dressed P.Diddy. Wild. Record of the Year. I voted for M.I.A. Denied. It's the Plant/Krauss show. Keep in mind this is the award for the the best single of the year. There's no way this recording was tops in that category. I like Robert Plant, but this is mystifying. Their song was not a hit single! But that's why I vote, so I can comment

9:32 PM

How committed am I to the live blog? Not very. I love the Grammy Awards, but I'm underwhelmed. Patty said (since the show is not live here in L.A.) that we'd be home by now. Or at least out at dinner after the awards. This is my first real attempt at a real time blog not including Election night, which was amazing. I might limit it to a check in every half hour. Katy Perry took a lot out of us.

9:27 PM

Kanye is needing his S-curl spray. The Mullet-fro is taking me back to 1984. He's channeling Andre Cymone more than Michael. Oh, the music dropped out again. Too bad that didn't happen during Katy Perry's act. I hope Duffy wins best new artist!

9:20 PM

Does anyone really care about Katy Perry? She descended in a jumbo chiquita banana! Nothing says Grammy like giant pieces of fruit on stage. Carmen Miranda would approve... of the mutated produce. Katy looks good, but she can't really dance or even move. She kissed a girl, but couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. Patty is pained and says "Katy, get back in your banana."

9:16 PM

I know I supported Kid Rock for best Rock Album. Coldplay certainly sold the most albums that featured a band playing its own instruments. Wondering why Chris Brown is on the run from the law. CBS keeps touting him during the show, but the news bumpers say he's on the lam.

I won't bag on the kids too badly. This will probably be the most viewed Grammy Awards since Michael's heyday by virtue of the Jonas/Miley appearances.

9:13 PM

Superstition. Don't let the Jonas Brothers sing a long with this song. "Very sacrilegious."

9:10 PM

Stevie Wonder must have gotten a call from the Obama's to play with the Jonas Brothers. It was pointed out to me that though they play their own instruments, no one takes a solo within the context of the JB's music. Stevie's not mixed in this well, but he's singing the heck out of this song, like the boys can't. And soloing no less.

9:05 PM

Jennifer Hudson's outfit made much more sense this time around. And her vocals were great as usual, even if the mix left something to be desired. I have to remind myself that she's already an Oscar winner, a Golden Globe winner and a Grammy winner in the past 24 months since NOT winning Idol. 

I predicted back in December at the nomination show that the Plant/Krauss team-up will win a grip of hardware. Let the count begin.

8:52 PM

"It's Miley!!"

8:45 PM

Kid Rock is playing a medley of his songs, including All Summer Long which was a surprise hit this Summer. The sound mix is getting curious. I can't imagine all of these vocal break-downs are intentional.

8:42 PM

At least Coldplay acknowledged that they were trying to be Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band. I wanted Sara Bareilles to win the songwriter's award for Love Song. Duffy and Al Green did a nice job of presenting. Al's brief take on Moon River has been the best performance so far.

8:28 PM

I understand she's popular, an Idol veteran, and is racking up Grammy's, but Carrie Underwood doesn't need to be on the show every year. Wow and flutter, the sound is going in and out. That ain't my TV. 

8:20 PM

Michael Caine called, he wants his glasses back. Coldplay are performing Lost. 60 Minutes did a piece on them right before the telecast.  Chris Martin apparently repaints his piano on a regular basis. And he wishes his band had more personality. I found that interesting. Been there.  So, as a result they spared us a moment with Andy Rooney. But we get Jay-Z! And now Viva La Vida. Hard for them to follow U2. They're like a technicolor, kid brother version of the monochromatic (much more impressive) U2. 

8:13 PM

Timberlake cannot keep up with the Reverend Al Green. This is a 50th GRAMMY moment. Complete with wonky sound mix. Or maybe that was intentional. Al looks good though!

8:09 PM. 

The Grammy Awards are on (previously recorded)! Bono and U2 opened and ran through their song, Get On Your Boots. So new that the lyrics had to be flashed on screen behind them. Not their strongest lead single, but it's U2. Always entertaining.

Whitney Houston just presented the Best R&B Album award. She seemed a little tipsy or woozy or whitney. Jennifer Hudson, your winner, brought her purse on stage with her. She can just tuck that gramophone in their and get back to her seat. Miss Hudson's outfit was not as flattering as it should have been.

Let's leave the comedy to the comedians. Poor JT and the Rock not working the room very well.