Long Night...

It was, once again, a long night at the 51st Grammy Awards. With 110 categories for awards and so many performances, no wonder the show was long. They do hand out many of the, dare I say, unimportant awards before the show begins but the show is still quite long. (Did you know you can win a Grammy for best recording packaging? I didn't)

Many of the performances seemed rushed and not quite perfect. Neil Diamond phoned in his performance of "Sweet Caroline." (I have heard better renditions at weddings and karaoke bars.) The tribute to the Four Tops was a great attempt. However, the choreography was off (not that it is that hard) and Jamie Fox was lost at the end of the performance. If you looked closely you could see him running across the stage to make it in time for the bows. There was a wonderful guitar performance with B.B. King, John Mayer and Keith Urban (who seemed to play with everyone during the evening). But, it was not explained what the performance was for. I enjoyed it. It was one of the highlights of the night, at least for me.

Despite some no shows (Rihanna and Chris Brown) the 51st award show went fairly well, especially for Lil' Wayne. (He was the hardest working man in music in 2008. He deserved his boatload of awards.) There were some surprises along the way (album of the year) but that's why we watch.

A few days ago I listed my picks for the Grammy winners. Let's see how I did...

Best New Artist:
Adele
Winner: Adele

Album of the Year:
Coldplay, Viva La Vida
Winner: Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, Raising Sand

Best Alternative Album:
Radiohead, In Rainbows
Winner: Radiohead, In Rainbows

Best Dance Recording:
Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis, "Just Dance"
Winner: Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster Stronger"

Best Pop Performance, Female:
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
Winner: Adele, "Chasing Pavement"

Best Pop Performance, Male:
Paul McCartney, "That Was Me"
Winner: John Mayer, "Say"

Best Pop Performance by a duo or group with vocal: (this is where the categories, in my mind, get too specific)
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida" or OneRepublic, "Apologize" (I'm torn)
Winner: Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"

Song of the Year:
"Love Song" Sara Bareilles
Winner: Viva La Vida, Colplay

Record of the Year: (If anyone can tell me how this is different than song of the year it would be greatly appreciated)
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
WINNER: Robert Plant and Allison Krauss "Please Read the Letter"

I, personally, think Coldplay was robbed for Record of the Year. But, that's just my humble opinion.

For a complete list of Grammy winners visit www.grammy.com. Let me know what you thought of the show (highlights, disappoints, performances, winners or losers for that matter)

Grammy Awards

With the Grammy Awards just 4 short days away, I thought I would give you some of my picks for the awards this year. (We all know that there are too many awards at the Grammys to care about all of them.)

Best New Artist:
Adele

Album of the Year:
Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Best Alternative Album:
Radiohead, In Rainbows

Best Dance Recording:
Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis, "Just Dance"

Best Pop Performance, Female:
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"

Best Pop Performance, Male:
Paul McCartney, "That Was Me"

Best Pop Performance by a duo or group with vocal: (this is where the categories, in my mind, get too specific)
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida" or OneRepublic, "Apologize" (I'm torn)

Song of the Year:
"Love Song" Sara Bareilles

Record of the Year: (If anyone can tell me how this is different than song of the year it would be greatly appreciated)
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"

These are just my picks. Let me know what you think and be sure to check out the show on Sunday, February 8, at 8 p.m. on CBS. And check back here for my recap of all the show highlights and performances.