Amy Winehouse was the biggest winner at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles February 10th, winning five of the six awards she had been nominated for. The evening's final award, Album of the Year, went to Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, a tribute to the songs of Joni Mitchell, preventing Winehouse from winning a clean sweep.
Winehouse, who was not able to attend he ceremony because she hadn't received a visa to enter the U.S. in time, watched the show and performed at a London studio, playing two songs, "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab." She was visibly stunned when she saw that she had won Record of the Year for "Rehab." She also took home Best New Artist; Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance for "Rehab"; and Best Pop Vocal Album for her Back To Black.
Winehouse is currently in rehab herself now, for highly-publicized drug and alcohol abuse.
Winehouse's visa request had originally been turned down by the U.S. government, but the decision was reversed on Friday. At that point, however, it was too late for her and her band to fly to Los Angeles.
Winehouse ended her Record of the Year acceptance speech with "Camden Town ain't burning down!" a reference to the fire that struck the Camden Town neighborhood of London Saturday, gutting her favorite bar, the Hawley Arms.
Kanye West, who had led the field with eight Grammy nominations, took home four: Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger," Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group for "Southside" by Common featuring Kanye West, Best Rap Song for "Good Life," and Best Rap Album for Graduation.
West performed his hit "Stronger," in a black suit and white glasses, outlined in white under ultraviolet lights, with a likewise outlined orchestra and DJs behind him. He then followed it with "Hey Mama," a tribute to his mother Donda West, who died last fall. Video of an angel moved in and out on the screens behind him. He also had "Mama" shaved into the back of his hair.
While accepting Best Rap Album for Graduation, he said "it would be in good taste to stop the music," stopping the orchestra which had been playing to signal that his time was up.
Performance highlights included:
Alicia Keys opening the show, singing a duet of "Learnin' The Blues" with a projected Frank Sinatra. Prince later joked that Sinatra "looked good for 150."
Carrie Underwood sang her hit "Before He Cheats" backed up by women rhythmically beating with metal bars on a junkyard of car parts. The Time reunited to perform their hit "Jungle Love" in a medley with Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop the Music."
Tina Turner performed "What's Love Got To Do With It" and "Better Be Good To Me," and was joined by Beyonce for "Proud Mary."
A special tribute to the Beatles featured the cast of the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show LOVE performing "A Day in The Life," with dancers and acrobats, and members of the cast of the film Across The Universe performing "Let It Be." Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison were all in the audience.
A special gospel segment featured Aretha Franklin, Bebe Winans, the Clark Sisters, Trinity Five-Seven, and Israel & the New Breed.
John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard performed an early rock n roll medley.
While the final credits rolled, the costumed Cirque du Soleil cast of The Beatles LOVE danced around the stage under confetti and streamers, to "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club band."
Presenters included Akon, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Dierks Bentley, Chris Brown, Cher, Natalie Cole, Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Nelly Furtado, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Juanes, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Kid Rock, Carole King, Solange Knowles, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, George Lopez, Lyle Lovett, Ludacris, Joe Mantegna, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Roselyn Sanchez, Keely Smith, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Taylor Swift, Usher, Will.i.am, Andy Williams, and Stevie Wonder.
Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama won Best Spoken Word album for the audio version of his book The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream
PERFORMANCES:
Alicia Keys with Frank Sinatra - "Learnin' The Blues"
Carrie Underwood - "Before He Cheats" with girls slamming car parts in a junkyard
The Time with Rihanna - "Jungle Love," "Umbrella," "Don't Stop The Music," "Jungle Love"
Cirque Du Soleil - "A Day In the Life," with dancers and an acrobat
Across the Universe cast - "Let it Be," sung by Carol Woods, Timothy T. Mitchum and church choir, against a backdrop of images of war and funerals
Kanye West - "Stronger," "Hey Mama"
Fergie with John Legend - "Finally"
Beyonce - spoken and sung intro, name-checking previous women who have performed at the Grammys: Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Mahalia Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Lena Horne, Anita Baker, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Janet Jackson, and Whitney Houston.
Tina Turner - "What\'s Love Got To Do With it," "Better be Good To Me"
Tina Turner with Beyonce - "Proud Mary"
Foo Fighters - "The Pretender," played outside the Staples Center with an orchestra conducted by John Paul Jones, and featuring My Grammy Moment contest winner Anne Marie Calhoun on violin.
Brad Paisley - "Ticks"
Gospel segment, featuring Aretha Franklin and Bebe Winans, Clark Sisters and Trinity Five-Seven, Israel & the New Breed
Feist - "1-2-3-4"
Kid Rock & Keely Smith with Dave Koz on sax- "That Old Black Magic"
Alicia Keys - "No One," featuring John Mayer on guitar
Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock - "Rhapsody in Blue"
Amy Winehouse - "You Know I\'m No Good" and "Rehab," live from Riverside Studios in London
Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban - "The Prayer"
John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard - "Comin' Down The Road," "Great Balls Of Fire," "Good Golly Miss Molly"
THE SCENE BACKSTAGE:
Jill Scott noted that her previous Grammy was for a jazz collaboration, while her latest is for a hip-hop collaboration. She said she'd like to continue the cross-genre trend in classical and country, and complimented country performer Brad Paisley: ["So I'm hoping maybe next year I can win one with a classical vocalist and then the year after that-- so that's jazz and hip-hop, so maybe classical next year. And then you know, country. Brad Paisley, is that his name? Brad Paisley? He did his thing tonight. I didn't know him before, but, hmmm... "] SOUNDCUE (:18 OC: ... before, but, hmmm.)
Brad Paisley noted that Jill Scott's comments about him only demonstrated the power of the Grammy ceremony: ["That was the point, I think, with the importance of this performance, is for people like Jill Scott hearing a song that we sang about, well, whatever it was, certainly a chance to reach people that we've never reached before. And that's the beauty of the Grammys, it's all of this stuff in one place. And honored to get to perform for people like her and have her say something real nice like that."] SOUNDCUE (:23 OC: ... nice like that.)
T-Pain said that with a Grammy under his belt, he might have to get a little more of the Kanye West attitude: ["If anybody's ever said Kanye is arrogant, he has a reason to be, you know what I'm saying? Like, I appreciate him and his arrogance, you know what I'm saying? I'd probably -- a couple more of these I'd probably feel like him too, jumping up on stage and such things (laughs)."] SOUNDCUE (:15 OC: .. such things (laughs).)
Chaka Khan earned two Grammys this evening and said that every win feels like the first. Asked about the 50th anniversary, she noted: ["Well, I wasn't around for the whole fifty years, obviously. (Laughter) But it feels like, every time like I get one it feels like it just I'm getting a new one, for the first time, kinda, it really does. You know, I don't expect anything. You know, I have low expectations so that I wouldn't be disappointed. But I couldn't be disappointed anyway because I have so much."] SOUNDCUE (:23 OC: ... have so much.)
Carrie Underwood, asked about her American Idol roots, said she'd reconnected with AI judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul the previous evening. She said: ["I see them often. I actually saw Randy and Paula last night at Clive Davis' party. And you know they're just so happy to see anybody. We're their kids, we're their babies, and they knew us when. They knew us when we all looked goofy and we're starting out and they've seen us blossom and mature. "] SOUNDCUE (:21 OC: ... blossom and mature.)
Amy Winehouse producer Mark Ronson said that working with the British artist on her debut album was interesting because of her direct personality, He said: ["In the studio you've always got people walking on eggshells trying not to offend each other, and Amy's just like, 'I hate it.' Like, straight out, the minute you play something she doesn't like. And it's kind of, it's hard to deal with at first the first time you hear it. But at the same time it makes everything that comes out of her so honest there's never any kind of like -- but she's really honest and she's no BS, how's that?"] SOUNDCUE (:19 OC: ... BS, how's that?)
WINNERS LIST
RECORD OF THE YEAR: "Rehab "- Amy Winehouse
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
SONG OF THE YEAR: "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
BEST NEW ARTIST: Amy Winehouse
BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL: "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCAL: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE: "One Week Last Summer" - Joni Mitchell
BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM: The Mix-Up - Beastie Boys
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM: Back To Black - Amy Winehouse
BEST DANCE RECORDING: "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake
BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE RECORDING: "We Are The Night" - The Chemical Brothers
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM: Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Buble
BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL: "Icky Thump" - The White Stripes
BEST HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE: "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE: "Final Six" - Slayer
BEST ROCK INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE: "Once Upon A Time In The West" - Bruce Springsteen
BEST ROCK SONG: "Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen
BEST ROCK ALBUM: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM: Icky Thump - The White Stripes
BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "No One" - Alicia Keys
BEST MALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "Future Baby Mama" - Prince
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL: "Disrespectful" - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "In My Songs" - Gerald Levert
BEST URBAN/ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE: "Daydreamin'" - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
BEST R&B SONG: "No One" - Alicia Keys
BEST R&B ALBUM: Funk This - Chaka Khan
BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM: Because Of You - Ne-Yo
BEST RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE: "Stronger" - Kanye West
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP: "Southside" - Common Featuring Kanye West
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION: "Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
BEST RAP SONG: "Good Life" - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain
BEST RAP ALBUM: Graduation - Kanye West
BEST FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
BEST MALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE: "Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban
BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL: "How Long" - Eagles
BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS: "Lost Highway" - Willie Nelson & Ray Price
BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE: "Throttleneck" - Brad Paisley
BEST COUNTRY SONG: "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM: These Days - Vince Gill
BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM: The Bluegrass Diaries - Jim Lauderdale
BEST NEW AGE ALBUM: Crestone - Paul Winter Consort
BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM: River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM: Avant Gershwin - Patti Austin
BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL SOLO: "Anagram" - Michael Brecker
BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM, INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP: Pilgrimage - Michael Brecker
BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM: A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina) - Terence Blanchard
BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM: Funk Tango - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet
BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE: (tie)
"Blessed & Highly Favored" - The Clark Sisters
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" - Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige (Featuring The Harlem Boys Choir)
BEST GOSPEL SONG: "Blessed & Highly Favored" - The Clark Sisters
BEST ROCK OR RAP GOSPEL ALBUM: Before The Daylight's Shot - Ashley Cleveland
BEST POP/CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM: A Deeper Level - Israel And New Breed
BEST SOUTHERN, COUNTRY, OR BLUEGRASS GOSPEL ALBUM: Salt Of The Earth - Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
BEST TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM: Live - One Last Time - The Clark Sisters
BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B GOSPEL ALBUM: Free To Worship -
Fred Hammond
BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM: Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas - Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards
BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM: The Road To Escondido - JJ Cale & Eric Clapton
BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK ALBUM: Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm
BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK/AMERICANA ALBUM: Washington Square Serenade - Steve Earle
BEST NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC ALBUM: Totemic Flute Chants - Johnny Whitehorse
BEST HAWAIIAN MUSIC ALBUM: Treasures Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Various Artists
BEST REGGAE ALBUM: Mind Control - Stephen Marley
BEST TRADITIONAL WORLD MUSIC ALBUM: African Spirit - Soweto Gospel Choir
BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC ALBUM: Djin Djin - Angelique Kidjo
BEST POLKA ALBUM: Come Share The Wine - Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra
BEST MUSICAL ALBUM FOR CHILDREN: A Green And Red Christmas - The Muppets
BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM FOR CHILDREN: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Jim Dale
BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM: The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream - Barack Obama
BEST COMEDY ALBUM: The Distant Future - Flight Of The Conchords
BEST MUSICAL SHOW ALBUM: Spring Awakening - Original Broadway Cast, Duncan Sheik, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR A MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA: The Beatles LOVE
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR A MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA: BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR A MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA: Ratatouille
BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION: Cerulean Skies - Maria Schneider
BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT: "In A Silent Way" - Joe Zawinul
BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT ACCOMPANYING VOCALISTS:
"I\'m Gonna Live Till I Die" - Queen Latifah
BEST RECORDING PACKAGE: Cassadaga - Bright Eyes
BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE: What It Is!: Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
BEST ALBUM NOTES: John Work, III: Recording Black Culture - Various Artists
BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM: The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie In Performance 1949
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL: Beauty & Crime - Suzanne Vega
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL: Mark Ronson
BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL: "Bring The Noise (Benny Benassi Sfaction Remix)" - Public Enemy
BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM: The Beatles LOVE
BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO: "God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash
BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO: The Confessions Tour - Madonna
MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR: Aretha Franklin
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:
Burt Bacharach
The Band
Cab Calloway
Doris Day
Itzhak Perlman
Max Roach
Earl Scruggs
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