Award shows usually try to bring in viewers by manufacturing the impression that with the hoards of celebrities and big egos in attendance “anything can happen.” On Sunday night, the fifty first Grammy Awards delivered with cancelled performances, a star nominee in police custody, a song-theft controversy, a 9-month pregnant M.I.A. performing and another surprise winner for album of the year.
Last year the Grammy awards stunned the music world when Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters” was chosen as album of the year, beating out the more mainstream artists Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones.
This year the Grammy’s shocked the industry after Robert Plant and Allison Krauss’ “Raising Sand” won album of the year. Plant, the former lead singer of Led Zeppellin, and Krauss, a bluegrass/country music star, also picked up five other awards on the night, including the prestigious Record of the Year for “Please Read the Letter.” Krauss came into the ceremony as the leading female winner in the history of the Grammy’s and Sunday's wins bring her career total to 26.
“Raising Sand,” a mystic-minded album reminiscent of America's bluegrass roots beat out a popular contingent of nominees including "The Year of the Gentleman," by Ne-Yo and "Viva La Vida" from Coldplay.
Before the show even began, the producers were in a mad scramble when they found out that two nominees scheduled to perform, Chris Brown and Rihanna would not be able to attend. Al Green and Justin Timberlake were pressed into service, performing "Let's Stay Together," while Boys II Men and Keith Urban took the other spots.
The reason for their absence, was an early morning incident which involved the arrest of Brown and an injury to Rihanna. Not usually known for a wild lifestyle, Brown was arrested after a woman identified him as the man who atacked her. He was charged with criminal threats but released on released on $50,000 bail late Sunday. Authorities have stated that additional charges may be filed. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the woman was Brown's girlfriend Rihanna.
According to the LAPD, the 19-year-old Brown and an unidentified woman were in a vehicle in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles early Sunday when they began arguing. Police said the "woman suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker." Officers said Brown was not present at the scene when they arrived.
Rapper Lil Wayne came into the night with eight nominations, the most of nay artist. His album “Tha Carter III” was the best selling album of 2008, moving more than one million copies its first week of release. The self-proclaimed “best rapper alive” walked away with four Grammys including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for “Lollipop” featuring Static Major. He also won Best Rap Solo Performance for his addicting, bass heavy "A Milli." He accepted his award for Best Rap Album with his daughter and other family members behind him and exclaimed, “Thank God, thank New Orleans, thank these people right here, and thank you!”
During the show Lil Wayne was joined by piano legend Allen Toussaint and singer Robin Thicke to perform his song “Tie My Hands.” The song paid tribute to his hometown of New Orleans and the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as images flashed on the screens above the stage.
Coldplay came in with seven nominations but settled for only three awards, losing Album and Record of the Year to Plant and Krauss. The band performed their heartfelt song “Lost” during the show, where singer Chris Martin was joined onstage by Jay-Z who laid down his verse from the song's remix. They won Best Rock Album of the Year and Song of the Year for “Viva La Vida,” beating out hits such as “American Boy” by Estelle and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.
Coldplay's "Viva La Vida brought some controversy in December when guitarist Joe Satriani filed a copyright infringement lawsuit claming that the track was too similar to the melody of his song “I Just Wanna Fly.”
Before the awards ceremony, reports surfaced that the guitarist was planning on ambushing the Grammys and serving the group papers because the group had allegedly been dodging his attempts. Thankfully the band received no interruptions on the night, and also performed an energetic, uplifting rendition of their single “Viva La Vida.”
One of the most coveted awards of the night, Best New Artist, went to singer Adele, who is best known for her song "Chasing Pavements." The Jonas Brothers were favored to win, but were upset by the 20-year-old British soul singer. She said she wrote the song after a night on the town with her ex-boyfriend, who she realized wasn't worth pursuing anymore. She performed the song and was also nominated for Song and Record of the Year, but lost both. She also beat out a slew of popular artists including Leona Lewis, Pink, Katy Perry, Duffy and Sara Bareilles to win Best Female pop Vocal Performance.
Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Gnarls Barkley, Beck and My Morning Jacket were all nominated for Best Alternative Album. Each of the group's records made numerous top ten lists at the end of the year and had a good chance to take the award. Radiohead, nominated for six awards on the night, won for "In Rainbows," and also performed "15 Step" with the help of the University of Southern California Marching Band.
John Mayer walked away with two awards, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Say" and Best Solo Rock Performance for "Gravity." Bruce Springsteen won Best Rock Song for writing "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," beating out "Violet Hill" by Coldplay and "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab For Cutie.
Although Ne-Yo did not win Album of the Year, he did not leave the show empty handed. The smooth singer won Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Miss Independent." American Idol star Jennifer Hudson, who performed "You Pull Me Through" with the help of a full choir, won the award for Best R&B Album.
The Grammy's are usually remembered for the colorful performances rather than who actually accepts the awards, and this year's broadcast showcased nominated songs and artists.
The most interesting performance of the night was a very pregnant M.I.A. sharing the stage with rap stars Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I. (channeling The Rat Pack) to sing "Swagga Like Us." The Indian-born artist exploded onto the scene this summer with her hit "Paper Planes," which was featured in ads for "Pineapple Express" and also in the film "Slumdog Millionaire." M.I.A.'s performance was spirited and fun as she acted oblivious to the fact that she was 9 months pregnant and Sunday happened to be her due date. The song was nominated for Best Rap Song and won for Best Rap Performance by a Group.
Performances at the Grammy Awards can sometimes be a bit over the top, and that was the case with Katy Perry, who performed her nominated hit "I Kissed A Girl." She descended onto the stage in a giant banana, while wearing a fruit-themed skirt and was surrounded by dancers. More flashy, but just as good, were Estelle and Kanye West. The duo won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and took the stage to sing the cross-continental hit "American Boy." West was dressed shiny, decked out in a silver jacket and black pants, with his hair cut into a very 80s looking flattop.
With the help of Justin Timberlake on piano, T.I. performed the song "Dead and Gone," a tribute to friends that have passed on. The song was T.I.'s final performance before entering prison on gun charges. Timberlake was fantastic, crooning the chorus and providing back up on piano. T.I. ended his performance by saying, "Adversity builds character, character will take you places money can't, welcome to my road to redemption."
This year's Grammy's will most likely be remembered for the controversy involving Chris Brown and Rihanna, but the incident should not overshadow what turned out to be an entertaining show. The various combinations of talent and sound made for some fantastic performances and even made Blink 182 fans happy (yes, they are reuniting).
The producers of the show can only hope to duplicate the energy and creativity of this year's spectacle when Grammy time comes around again next year.
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