Whew!

OK, I'm about blogged out, but I'm hanging in there to see who wins Album of the Year. I'm 90% sure that it's gonna be Coldplay, but you never know. Until then, I have a few hits and misses:

• I can't get over Neil Diamond's terrible rendition of "Sweet Caroline." I'm a Neil Diamond fan from way back but he just talked his way through that song. It was a big yawn.
• M.I.A. showed up all the boys during the Rap Pack segment. Here she is ready to have a baby at any moment and not only does she have a crazy/awesome outfit, she was the best performer out there. OK, Jay-Z was a close second.
• I thought the Four Tops tribute was really nice. I usually cringe when they bring out the old guys but the whole performance seemed really fun and sweet.
• What's up with Green Day wearing suits? Are they all grown up now?

Wow! The old people win again. That was a pretty lukewarm reception for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for album of the year. I guess everyone else was expecting Coldplay, too. Maybe it goes back to my original thought that "Viva La Vida" is a great song but the rest of Coldplay's album is just meh. Now, shut up Robert Plant and let us go home.

Fifteen steps, then a sheer drop

The Grammys are constantly trying to create special moments. That's the point of all those silly duets. Most of them are cringe inducing or at least laughable. Then Radiohead comes along.

They performed the strangest song of the night, "15 Step" with the USC marching band and rocked the house. That's how it's done, Jonas Brothers. I kind of hope they release an mp3 of their performance so we can all buy it on iTunes. Or maybe we can just pay what we want for it.

She was just 17?

Have you ever thought how creepy it is that Paul McCartney still sings "I Saw Her Standing There"? The dude is 66 now and he's still singing about 17 year-olds. The song is also slipping out of his range. I know the crowd likes it but maybe he should find a new tune.

I'm also against his dyed hair. Leave a little gray in their. Just For Men has a special product for that now.

A fool could read the signs

So it looks like the infamous old Grammy voters finally reared their heads by giving Robert Plant and Alison Krauss the Grammy for Record of the Year. It's not a bad song, but it really looked like Coldplay was going to sweep everything tonight.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have to give them props for giving the Best New Artist award to Adele. She's like Amy Winehouse without the crack addiction. She's got a little more Dusty Springfield going on than Amy, and if you don't have her album you should go check it out.

What's my age again?

Is Blink 182 really getting back together? If they are I'm kind of excited about that. I was just thinking the other day about how all of their solo projects have been pretty terrible and gone nowhere. I'll be interested to see what they can come up with. I'm not sure they can still do songs about getting in trouble with their parents since they're all like 35 now.

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I once read a review of Hanson (remember them?) where it was mentioned that they weren't terrible teen pop because there was an underlying musicality to their work. The idea was that young fans would be drawn to their bubblegum pop but then grow into different music as they discovered the band's influences. That's sort of the way I feel about the Jonas Brothers. They're nothing I would listen to, but a young fan might start with them then check out Stevie Wonder or Elvis Costello. They're like gateway rock.

'Cause when you're 15 and someone tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them

I have to admit that I thought Taylor Swift was another Disney creation. I just read her Wikipedia entry, though, and she seems like someone who really worked her way up the ladder. I have to give her props for that.

What's up with Miley Cyrus' nasal singing? Is that her country voice? I've never heard her sing like that before - not that I hear a lot of Miley Cyrus.

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Two more things:

(1) Robert Plant always reminds me of a wet Labrador.

(2) T Bone Burnett is the secret genius of the music business. He has produced an album you love. Seriously, go look it up.

It was 1989 my thoughts were short, my hair was long

Some more random thoughts from the Grammys so far:

• I think we've established that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is not Duffy's song.
  
• I will give Coldplay props for admitting they ripped off the Sergeant Pepper's outfits, but I think the Paul McCartney shout-out count is already up to 4 and we've just started.
• I would perfectly happy if Kid Rock never recorded another song again. Even if it's not really his song like the "Sweet Home Alabama" rip off he does. Also, who let him do a medley? Isn't one song from him enough?

I used to rule the world

I have to say that Coldplay's new album is growing on me, I was an instant fan of "Viva La Vida" but the other songs were a little too dense for me (by dense read overproduced). I am really warming to "Lost" and I'm a sucker for the remix with Jay-Z. I think it's really become an anthem for me since I got laid off ("just because I'm losing doesn't mean I'm lost.") and I loved the stripped down performance they did tonight.

They need to stop wearing those silly outfits they designed, though.

Liveblogging the Grammys

I never mean to write about the Grammys. Heck, I never usually mean to watch the Grammys. It is a way for me to catch up on all the Top 40 music I never listen to so I guess it's good. A couple quick things:

• I thought when they said U2 would be playing an all new song it would NOT be their single. Thanks guys but I've already heard that song.
  
• Is Jennifer Hudson's win like how Heath Ledger is going to win an Oscar? I haven't heard the album but I'm wondering if there's a pity vote there.
• From the quick glimpse we got of Paul McCartney, I'm worried that he might have gone crazy with the hair dye again. We'll have to keep an eye on that,

More to come...