A strange night for the Grammys (Sums up the today's entertainment)

AP-Yahoo! ^ | February 14, 2011 | DAVID BAUDER

[greatdefender]

Much like the music world itself, the Grammy Awards is a colorful train wreck of a television show.

Inexplicable results and mesmerizing performances mixed with the mundane added up to a generally unsatisfying evening for CBS Sunday. Unless, of course, you're Lady Antebellum.

The Grammys are barely an awards show anymore. As the music business has splintered and sputtered in recent years, the Grammys have become a performance show, advertising musicians who need the attention. Show producers don't even bother with a host anymore. For the first hour of Sunday's show, only one trophy was given out — for a live version of a Train song done better in the studio.

In theory, it's a great idea. If you're unfamiliar with an artist's work, it's much better to watch him or her in action than to listen to speeches thanking managers, producers and hairstylists. Or, in Train's case, Howard Stern.

In practice, the show's success or failure is tied to whether the artists can bring the goods.

Whether they took trophies home with them or not, the night's winners included Janelle Monae, Eminem, Cee Lo and Rihanna. Among the losers were Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Rihanna.

Yes, you read that last part right. Rihanna was spellbinding for her part in Eminem's ominous "Love the Way You Lie." When she returned later to perform "What's My Name" with Drake, she curiously dropped her hand-held microphone to her waist a few times while the vocals continued on.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Great post.

[NRA1995]

Stopped watching the Grammies when “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” won Song of The Year

[Wyatt's Torch]

Did anyone else notice the “Don’t Tread On Me” Flag lighted in Red, hanging up high to the left of the stage?

That was part of the Muse set.

[truthfreedom]

how’d Muse do? I know the drummer a bit.

[truthfreedom]

Thanks. Days ago, LCD Soundsystem sold out Madison Square Garden in SECONDS. All the tickets were bought by scalpers. Stubhub has tickets available for $120. Fans were completely unable to buy tickets. So LCD Soundsystem added 4 shows at a large club as a screw you to scalpers. Interesting stuff. They’re another band no one has ever heard of. Indieland is getting bigger and bigger.

[truthfreedom]

Yeah, The Suburbs is not screaming.

[privatedrive]

Muse was awesome - best performance of the night!

[CharlesWayneCT]

However, I loved how, after they won, they were so excited that they took over the instruments and “played the show out”. Just because they wanted to perform more. Said something like “you all can leave while we’re playing...”.

[numberonepal]

Who is there doing real country music now who is less than seventy years old?

Zac Brown Band
Dierks Bently
Blake Sheldon and his charming wife Miranda Lambert
Alan Jackson
George Straight
Billy Currington
Trace Adkins
Jerrod Neimann
Jason Aldean
James Otto
Eric Chirch
I could go on. Country Music is America's Music. The South pretty much rules the record business and radio.

[Bitsy]

I was surprised that Barbara Streisand was there because I could swear she only performs at Democrat fundraisers.

Barbra still lives? Who knew.

[thefactor]

The writer obviously doesn't know much about the song. During the parts the writer is referring to, Rihanna's voice was indeed being heard, but it was the 'background' vocals. The primary vocals were sung live by her and she sounded good.

People sing backup on their own songs nowadays and it's just looped as part of the track. Her voice was live.

[truthfreedom]

Cool, I forgot about it last night. Would’ve watched, a friend of mine was there, or was supposed to be preparing for a gig that was related to the grammys in some way.

Good to see the full list of grammy winners.

http://www.grammy.com/nominees

Interesting that The Black Keys (who obviously someone at Fox got confused with the Black Eyed Peas) won Alternative Album of the Year. And they beat Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire won Album of the Year overall. Does this mean that The Black Keys would’ve won Album of the Year if they were nominated.

Up and down the line I’m looking at good choices. The categories I care about I see a lot of good bands and a lot
of the right band winning. The Grammys really did get it right.

I’d like to see some upgrade with the metal. Iron Maiden was a solid pick. They should have a Grammy if they don’t already. But 4 bands from the 80s/90s and one more recent?
I’d like to see Mastodon win a Grammy. Kylesa should at least get a nomination. That’s a minor point. Theres an active metal scene, and the Grammys should investigate it.
Basically just add a Pitchfork Metal band or maybe a Metalcore band. Converge deserves a Grammy for Jane Doe and they’re still making great music.

But up and down the line, good good stuff from the Grammys.

Back in the old days, the beginning of rock, grammy voters weren’t rockers, they were pre rock and didn’t like rock and almost didn’t understand it. And for a long time there was a lag behind the trends. But now, almost everyone in the grammys is from the rock era. those are the people who are voting. And the grammy voters being rock musicians from when radio music was much better, do not readily embrace the crap on top 40. Its good when Arcade Fire beats Lady Gaga and Katy Perry for album of the year.

[IYAS9YAS]

That’s the problem, everyone who is smart and cool can find their own music, the music they really want to listen to, and play it on their ipod.

Yeah, indies are so different - just like all the other indies.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Pretty well. Matt played a sweet double neck guitar. Sounded good but they had some weird dancers on the stage. It’s not the same as seeing them in a larger venue. That is a great show.

[muawiyah]

Lady Antebellum? I do tune in to pop and country and for some reason this group just never caught my attention. In fact I thought they'd done just one song and the various time's I've heard them or watched their video I thought it was just a different part of the same song.

I've never listened to a Justin Beiber thing more than the 5 or 6 seconds it takes me to get something else.

[truthfreedom]

Well, here’s the thing. Yes, if you mean by indies, you mean hipsters, or whatever they’re called these days. They all do dress alike and are readily identifiable. But they have so much more, much better music to listen to. A wide variety of styles of music, pretty much matching anything on commercial radio, but much much better, much much more interesting.

I was noticing that Commercial Radio Rock got nothing. The bands that get played the most on rock radio, especially active rock radio, not even a nomination. Active Rock radio is a wasteland of crap, except for the bands that are friends. Those bands are good. Give those bands Grammys.

My pick for #27, next year, Tim Bloom.

[dfwgator]

The best thing Rihanna ever did was the “Shy Ronnie” videos on SNL.

[Liberty Valance]

There was one really old guy on who threw his walker away while doing a tribute to Solomon Burke.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

So what were you doing last night to save the country?

[dfwgator]

Mick still has more energy than most performers half his age.