And The Night's Big Winners Are....

It was nice to see Green Day. I wasn't sure if all of the members were still around...and alive.

Now it's time to hand out the night's biggest award: Album of the Year.

Most of the nominees in this category already have a couple awards under their belts. So basically, the person who wins this award is the evening's big winner.

And "Album of the Year" goes to...Allison Krauss and Robert Plant!!! Yawn...time for bed.

I felt like Coldplay or Lil Wayne would've been better choices. I think most of America would agree. Take a look at this blog: which post has the fewest comments? The one about this duo.

It's kind of a shame.

Here are the winners: http://www.grammys.com/grammy_awards/51st_show/list.aspx

Lil Wayne Rocks & Raps

After a very enjoyable performance with a slew of musical heavy-hitters, Lil Wayne just won for Best Rap Album for Tha Carter III. He led the Grammy nomination list with eight. I can't keep track of which he's already won so far but he's definitely gotten the ones in red:

--Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group - "Mr. Carter" featuring Jay-Z
--Best Rap Solo Performance - "A Milli"
--Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - "Got Money" featuring T-Pain
--Best Rap Song - "Lollipop"
--Best Rap Album - Tha Carter III
--Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group - "Swagga Like Us"
--Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - "Swagga Like Us"

Diamond's This Girl's Best Friend

It's really hard to type and sing along at the same time but I'm doing my best.

Another fantastic example of the fact that singing and oldie but goodie is often a much better idea than singing some new song that hasn't become a hit yet. The whole audience is singing along!

I use the term 'singing' losely for ol' Neil. He's kind of talk-yelling the words. But Neil Diamond could completely forget the words and sing Bum-bum-bum for 4 and a half minutes and I'd be a happy camper.

Go Neil!

Four Tops Tribute Rocks!

The Four Tops tribute was excellent! That was a great combination of the old and new, wasn't it?

It's great to see Jamie Foxx take part in things like this on an occassion. Ne-Yo sounds like a natural in this role.

A great tribute to some classic, timeless songs!! Kudos!

T.I. will be "dead and gone" for 366 days

Before heading off to jail for a year for possession of firearms, T.I. and JT did a fantastic performance of Dead and Gone. The bridge is great! I actually really like this song and didn't know until a few minutes ago that they sang it. I guess I'm slow!

Anyway, T.I. will be making the most of his time behind bars. It's actually going to be made into a reality show. Nuts! This MSNBC article says it's all about showing how he's changing his ways, not glorifying his crime, but I heard his interview on Kidd Kraddick and he seemed to be sad that he got caught, not that he armed himself against the "haters" in the first place.

Radiohead: Quiet Down Marching Band!!

Is Gwyneth Paltrow married to the dude from Coldplay or Radiohead? It's tough to tell by listening to her introduction for Radiohead. That was creepy.

The use of the USC Trojan Marching Band in this song is really cool...and can you imagine how cool it must be for the band members?

Though this is interesting, the sound mixing is a little wild. The marching band often overpowers the real band. If I was more familiar with the song, it may not be a big deal. However, I'm guessing not too many people out there are familiar with Radiohead.

I may be wrong though? It was nice to see something a little different, but I don't think it was memorable.

John Mayer's Male Vocal Performance

This is Grammy #7 for the tall, dark & handsome songwriter. Say is a cute song.
I don't think it was performed exceptionally well, but I don't judge this stuff for a living. Just once a year.

He won another Grammy tonight in the pre-show awards for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for Gravity.

I'm interested to see this double interview he and Jennifer Aniston did with Ellen.

Sir Paul and the Foo Fighters

I had no idea they were going to sing Beatles songs! I thought he was going to sing something new that no one's ever heard of, yet is obligated to love. Everyone wants him to sing Beatles hits!

The performance of I Saw Her Standing There wasn't particularly moving or special but any time McCartney performs it's great. The Foo Fighters didn't try to do anything fancy by taking over the vocals or mixing in one of their own songs... it was just a classic performance. Good job.

Preggers Performance & "Rap" Pack

Forget the "Rap" Pack...are you watching M.I.A.? The woman was set to deliver her baby today...yet she's performing at the Grammys. That's what I call one bad momma-to-be!

The see-through outfit is a little much though. Does anyone really want to see that?

This is quite a crew of rappers...Kanye, Jay-Z, T.I., and Lil Wayne. I'm a little surprised Kanye agreed to share the stage with anyone else. I figured his ego needed the entire building...if not the block.

I'm glad T.I. was given permission to perform at the Grammys before he heads to prison. Priorities.

A decent performance -- but I think we can all agree that Kanye's mullet stole the show!!!

Record of the Year

Please Read the Letter. Robert Plant is awesome of course. And Allison Kraus is like the Midas for singers. Stir a little of her into your pot and you'll have musical gold.

But seriously, who has ever heard it?! I had never heard this song until I started working on the blog earlier this week. I like country and folk music but haven't listened to it in a while. Is this song getting a lot of play? And who EVER would have thought the Led Zeppelin rocker would take a turn down the country road?

Their collaboration is also nominated for Album of the Year. They just might take it! We'll wait and see!

If I Have to Listen to Country, Give Me Chesney!

Let me begin by saying I'm not a big country fan...unless I'm driving through the rugged terrain of West Texas like I did this morning. It's only proper to plop a little country on the radio.

If I had to listen to country all day, I wouldn't mind listening to Kenny Chesney. I haven't heard anything from him that made me want to get sick...There's a reason he seems to take "Entertainer of the Year" at every People's Choice Awards Show.

I'm used to seeing him run around the stage and throw things...however, I enjoyed this softer side of him.

He's no Miley and Taylor -- but he'll do I guess ;)

American Boy and his Awful Hair

I love that song. Thought it was Natasha Bettingfield for a long time!

I don't like the performers stopping their songs and presenting.

Best new artist? Adele. She's nominated in the top 3 categories but since she won for best new artist that's all she's getting.

Kanye is such a dirtbag. He has to go around tooting his own horn ALL the time. Couldn't even present without making a snide remark! Get over yourself.

Katy Perry: Boring?

The set for Katy Perry's performance looks interesting....I guess --

I can't say much for her voice. She doesn't sound particularly good.

It's cool to see the videos of the fans watching --

I didn't know she danced....

I really don't know what to say -- largely uneventful and uninteresting!!!

Blink 180-Who?

Blink 182 is back!! Can the world handle such a colossal reuniting?

The band reunited just in time to present the award for Best Rock Album.

Any surprise? It's Coldplay!!! Poor Coldplay. They have to take the stage and accept an award after the monstrous Blink 182 announcement. Can they handle it?

Coldplay keeps mentioning Paul McCartney sitting in the front row. Plenty of people call Coldplay the Beatles of today. I'm not so sold on that.

Blink 180-who? Seriously...

Stevie Wonder? Just had a Cosby moment!

I heard the intro, "Kevin, Joe, Nick, and... Stevie!" I thought, is that their little brother who's in the oatmeal commercial with them?

Now I feel like Denise Huxtable, screaming "Stevie Wonder!" at the top of my lungs. Love that episode... I digress.

The Wonderboy just totally legitimized the Jonas Brothers. Who approached him and asked him to perform Superstitious with these guys? They don't exactly scream "funk" to me. It's really cool that they're playing instruments with such a talented instrumentalist but the vocals leave something to be desired. Still, that was a good TV moment!

He did perform the song with Big Bird... Maybe this was just his way of reminiscing.

Is Hudson the New Whitney Houston?

Remember when Whitney Houston was kind of a big deal? Cocaine has changed all that....and there's room for a new top songstress.

Is Jennifer Hudson that person?

She won an Academy Award (which I don't think she deserved from an acting standpoint) largely on her vocals. Her voice was somehow able to outshine Beyonce...which isn't easy to do.

Tonight's performance was strong and emotional. She received a standing ovation.

She's good -- but is she "old school" Whitney Houston good?

Fifteen, there's still time to lose...

BFFNs Taylor Swift and Mylie Cyrus just rocked it out! They sounded great together, which such different vocal qualities. Swift, 19, is a ridiculously talented song writer, particularly considering her age. And Miley Cyrus' vocal talent is undeniable but, next to Taylor, shes kind of gives off the step-child vibe.

Swift wrote Fifteen and invited Cyrus to sing it with her. Or, at least that's the story they're stickin' to.

"It's a song I wrote about freshman year of high school," she told Ryan Seacrest a while ago. "It was the last year of my life I thought I knew everything. I had my first boyfriend when I was 15. I'm glad I was able to put it into words."

Miley then told him today that she went through a lot when she was 15, too. Like going on tour. And now that she's 16 it's time to look back... Leave all the back-story backstage. Makes the awesome performance so much cheesier.

Kid Rock? Who Invited Him?!?

I was going to start this by saying something is wrong with the Grammys for allowing Kid Rock to perform...

So what happens? He sings a song about making the world a better place...

Could this be a new, softer Kid Rock? So does this mean that Kid Rock is the new Michael Jackson? Will he put together a coalition of the world's greatest singers to sing this track ala "We Are the World?"

Of course, he has to ruin his patriotic, feel good performance with this silly song about smoking funny things and drinking whiskey with 14 year olds on the beach...It brings shame to "Sweet Home Alabama".

Now, he's onto a third song. Does Kid Rock have 3 songs? Bad idea --

Seriously -- who invited Kid Rock?!?

Song of the Year!

Duffy and Al Green just broke into improptu song. Sounded fantastic!

Anyway, they're already awarding song of the year, 45 minutes into the show. Grammy goes to... COLDPLAY for VIVA LA VIDA! I really thought Love Song was going to win. Austin and I are now changing our predictions to Coldplay, Coldplay, Coldplay. I haven't heard the album but it's probably going to win, and Viva la Vida might as well go ahead and get Record of the Year.

I was RIGHT about the Sgt. Pepper outfits! I'm a genius.

Sugarland Wins, But Rimes is the Story!

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group...not exactly my favorite category...but you can't win them all.

I'm going with Rascal Flatts since it's one of the only groups I know. Maybe Sugarland?

Sugarland it is! Much like Alison Krauss, it seems like they're always in the running for these things.

What an acceptance speech! Shouldn't everyone thank Paul McCartney? He's the man!

I was watching Leanne Rimes on the preshow. Doesn't she look amazing? I remember her as a plump 14 year old battling her weight. Things certainly change, eh?

Tweens across the Big Country stand down! The Jonas Brothers are just moments away!!!

Just Carrie.

I remember when Kelly Clarkson went from being "American Idol Winner Kelly Clarkson" to just simply Kelly Clarkson. Carrie Underwood seemed to get to that point a lot faster. She probably has Kelly to thank for that!

She's such a great singer. I wonder if she and her guitar player share hair extensions... That's just the jealousy talking.

Coldplay Sounds Great -- Too Great?

Coldplay -- who seems to be up for every major award -- is the evening's second performer.

It kicks off with Chris Martin playing piano on a stage by himself. What do you think of that jacket? I thought Coldplay looked a little too Nsync...but apparently, it's a Beattles tribute. Go figure.

I dig the addition of Jay Z to the performance. It reminds me of Jay Z's MTV Unplugged appaearance back in the early 2000s. Anyone remember? It was great stuff...

The subdued atmosphere quickly changes for the transition into Viva La Vida and we're onto the normal Coldplay performance we're used to. The sound quality is great. Anyone think this performance could be lip sync? It almost sounds too good...

A great performance: I'm just not sure if it was live!

Talented, Yet Random!

Boyz II Men, Al Green, Keith Urban, and Justin Timberlake? Ok... They performed Let's Stay Together, recorded by Al Green in 1972. Sounded great, but not particularly special.

Can you imagine how JT feels having Boyz II Men as his backup singers?! Wild! He did seem uncharictaristically nervous during the intro.

Hudson Takes Night's First Award

What a roller coaster few months for Jennifer Hudson!

She loses a loved one to murder and disappears from the spotlight to grieve. She makes a smashing return at the Super Bowl....and now wins the award for Best R&B Album.

It wasn't much of a surprise, was it? I mean, Boys 2 Men was nominated. Are they still even around?

Now the Rock is up...is he the comedy guy/host? Paul McCartney isn't impressed :(

Standing-O for U2!

Kick it off with the big guns, huh? U2 has an album coming out later this month, No Line on the Horizon, and they sang what will probably be their first single from it. The picture to the right is their album cover, according to Rolling Stone.

U2 floats my boat and I love analyzing their lyrics so I thought it was awesome that they actually had the lyrics on the big screen. And with the American flag flying behind them I'm guessing the song was aimed at America. We'll see! Looking forward to the album.

Chris Brown, Rihanna Out!

E! and Ryan Seacrest just confirmed Chris Brown and Rihanna won't be at tonight's show because of an ongoing police investigation. This following was posted on TMZ.com

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Chris Brown is being investigated by the LAPD in an alleged assault on a female.

According to police, Brown and a woman cops refuse to identify were arguing inside of a vehicle around 12:30 this morning when suddenly things allegedly turned violent. Cops say they received a 911 call, and when they arrived they noticed the woman had visible injuries.

We're told she then identified Brown as her attacker. Cops say Brown had left the scene by the time police arrived.Cops say they are looking to speak with Brown and may arrest him when they find him.

When we called reps for Brown's girlfriend, Rihanna, for a statement, her people told us, "Rihanna is well. Thank you for your concern and support."

Prediction Time!

I probably had about 70% of my Golden Globe predictions right...I don't feel so good about the Grammys. However, here's what I'm thinking:

Record Of The Year: Viva La Vida, Coldplay. I think Paper Planes could be a surprise because of its recent "second wind" in Slumdog Millionaire. I don't know much about the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss song. It seems like she's a contender each and every year.

Album of the Year: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Coldplay. I don't think Ne-Yo stands a chance in this category. I'm not sure the Grammys are ready to give an award like this to Lil Wayne. "In Rainbows" or "Raising Sand" wouldn't surprise me.

Song of the Year: Love Song, Sara Bareilles. I may be going out on a limb with that one. I also like the Jason Miraz song, but there words are silly. To be honest, anyone stands a chance in the category! This will be extremely interesting...

Best New Artist: Adele. I really have no idea who this person is...but when someone is nominated in the three biggest categories, I wouldn't be against he/she for a category like "Best New Artist." America will be hoping for the Jonas Brothers. I just don't think they'll get it :(

And the Nominees Are...

We're just four days away from the 51st Grammy awards! On Sunday night, as you watch the Grammys live on KTAB, hop on your computer and chat with us live here on the Abilene Grammy blog! We're going to talk about the winners, the losers, the clothes and, of course, the music.

Record of the Year:
Chasing Pavements (Adele)
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis)
Paper Planes (M.I.A)
Please Read the Letter (Robert Plant and Alison Kraus)

I have a feeling M.I.A. is going to win Record of the Year for Paper Planes. I really liked it and I think that's the direction pop culture went in this past year. Although, I did just read the lyrics, and it's all about selling drugs. If this was 1993 and I had purchased the album with my babysitting money, my dad totally would have made me sell it back to CD Warehouse.

Album of the Year:
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (Coldplay)
Tha Carter III (Lil Wayne)
Year Of The Gentleman (Ne-Yo)
Raising Sand (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
In Rainbows (Radiohead)

Not gonna lie. I have never heard more than one track off any of these albums. Help me out here, what do you think?

Song of the Year:
American Boy (Estelle Featuring Kanye West)
Chasing Pavements (Adele)
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)
Love Song (Sara Bareilles)
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

I'm a big fan of American Boy, I'm Yours, Love Song, and Viva La Vida! I'd be happy with any of the winners. I had never heard Chasing Pavements until I just Googled it. How 'bout you? (By the way, the winner is actually the writer, but I went ahead and put the artist's name.)

Click here for a list of all the nominees.