With the red carpet rolled-up, the Staple Center emptied and the flashy outfits closeted, Santa Monica streets are a bit quieter this week.The 44th Annual Grammy Award winners were announced during last Wednesday’s primetime CBS broadcast. Competition abound reinforced the ideaAmericans are crazy for their music.The hype for an award show is impressive, but the scrutiny of the event is where the real fun begins.THE AWARDSThe evening’s biggest winner, by far, was Alicia Keys. Her sultry voice in “Fallin'” captured Song of the Year. Best New Artist was just one of a host of different awards this newcomer captured.Album of the Year went to the soundtrack for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Three cheers for folk music, which is not often seen on the big screen. U2’s “Walk On” won a much-deserved Record of the Year.Houston’s own Destiny’s Child brought home Grammy gold in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal category for its album, “Survivor.” Even Dolly Parton snatched a piece of the Grammy pie. Parton won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Shine.”Heartthrob Harry Connick, Jr. (one of my personal favorites) took home the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his “Songs I Heard.” Even some fictitious singers won an awardElmo took home the Best Musical Album for Children title for his collection of songs on “Elmo and The Orchestra.”THE FASHIONFrom Alicia Keys’ sheer blue mideastern attire to Bootsy Collins’ leopard giddy-up, the fashion trends seen at this year’s Grammys varied almost as much as the awards themselves. The award show had its fair share of fashion ups and downs. Celine Dion made a much-awaited public appearance, showing she is a true American diva in her ultrachic crepe Christian Dior dress. Britney Spears was the fashion surprise of the evening. The teen queen opted for a relatively conservative crimson red evening gownvery “Manhattan Barbie.”Kid Rock’s Coors Beer T-shirt was a distasteful compliment to sweetie Pamela Anderson’s barely-there gold number. Nelly Furtado, on the other-hand, looked smashing. Even Miss Cleo couldn’t have predicted sherbet as the hottest color for the new millennium. THE PERFORMANCESThe evening would not have been complete had it not been for the musical performances. The evening was chock full of quality performances from a variety of artists. Alan Jackson, Al Green, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Brian McKnight, among others, wowed the crowd at the Staples Center. The performance by host Jon Stewart wasn’t half bad either. The only real complaint I have about the Grammys is the decision to enlist the help of a sponsor. The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were in association with America Online. Looks like even the academy needs a sponsornothing can escape the power of commercialism.
Sections