The Great, and the Not-So-Great, of the 51st Grammy Awards

February on Commonwealth Avenue means spring break is still far off, and we are all still hard at work; but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a breather to appreciate the goings-on just 3,000 miles west on sunnier shores. Award Season has begun, and last night the 51st Grammy Awards did not disappoint — at least where gossip is concerned.  Like most Tinseltown soirees, the Grammys were chock full of performances, drama, and of course stylists we’d love to hire — and stylists who should be fired, immediately.  Although there were some disastrous dresses, my biggest qualm with the Grammys 2009? I don’t know when the biggest event in the music industry became the likes of a middle school talent show, but every time I looked up at the TV I saw yet another pre-pubescent tween on stage, oddly enough, presenting awards to the likes of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin — whom they’ve probably never heard of.  Putting my own personal problems with Myley Cyrus aside, what follows is a recap if you missed last night’s event.

Myley Cyrus breathily belted alongside actual talent Taylor Swift to a song from Swift’s “Fearless” album, aptly titled “Fifteen.” The Jonas Brothers collaborated with Stevie Wonder — of all people — who was later reported to have said, “if I could see that they were 12, I would have never agreed*” (*That may or may not be true…) Boston got a shout out of our sorts when Neil Diamond performed “Sweet Caroline,” and before T.I. makes his prison debut next month, he graced the Grammy stage with none other than Justin Timerblake, performing “Dead and Gone”. Katy Perry’s performance was very much like her hit song — hot and cold — and as such the clip has been taken down as of 8 a.m. Monday. Call it nerves or lack of talent, Perry fans would be doing themselves a favor to just listen to her on CD. She also chose her first Grammy appearance to come dressed as a Chiquita Banana. There was one performance truly Grammy-worthy, however it didn’t even take place at the actual ceremony. At Clive Davis’s pre-party, Miss Whitney Houston is making her comeback! 

Speaking of Clive Davis’s after-party, it would seem as if all the Grammy drama went down here. There was a scheduled performance that never made it to the stage, reportedly because the pair couldn’t make it out of Clive Davis’s without keeping their hands off each other - in a fist fight.  Chris Brown and Rhianna canceled their Grammy appearance because Rhianna is allegedly nursing her bruises while Chris Brown turned himself in to Los Angeles police. According to FoxNews.com: “According to sources and a Los Angeles Police Department report, at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Brown and a woman got into an argument in a rented Lamborghini after the pair left the pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton. Brown stopped the car in upscale Los Angeles neighborhood Hancock Park, the two got out, and the argument escalated. A witness called 911 and a woman with visible injuries identified Chris Brown as her attacker. Brown had already left the scene by the time authorities arrived. R&B singer Chris Brown surrendered to police Sunday night and was charged with a felony in connection with a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. Brown turned himself in to authorities as the Grammy Awards were being broadcast and was briefly held before posting $50,000 bail Sunday night, jail records showed.”

Moving on to the outfits, like the rest of the Grammys this year, the Red Carpet left much to be desired. Of the best was Kate Beckinsale, although I don’t know why she was there, she sizzled in Reem Acra. T.I.’s girlfriend, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, in Herve Leger doing sequins the right way. Taylor Swift and (surprisingly) Myley Cyrus made best dressed (I’ll give credit where it’s due) mainly because most of the showings were just god-awful. 

And for the worst?

I wish this outfit for one, was M.I.A. 

Paris Hilton was inappropriately scantily clad… there’s a shocker.

In this attempt at a Grecian goddess look, Paula Abdul fails to be anyone’s idol. 

In the end, all cattiness aside, the Grammys is about celebrating the best in music. Big winners last night were Robert Plant and who? Apparently she is bluegrass singer Alison Krauss. Making up for the Grammys Led Zeppelin never won but surely deserved, Plant and Krauss walked away with 5 golden horns, including Album of the Year, and Record of the Year. Coldplay racked up the second most awards with three Grammys for their latest album Viva La Vida, including best Rock Album and Song of the Year. Best New Artist went to Adele, and Radiohead walked away with best Alternative Music Album. John Mayer, Duffy, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson and Lil’ Wayne were also among the recipients this year. But if you ask me, the entire event was one giant Lupe Fiasco, but isn’t that what we love about award season?