A quick once over of this year's Grammys

Yes,the Grammy Awards were held this past weekend and while I only watched the last hour and a half(had a couple of other shows to check out first),that doesn't mean that I don't have a few things to say about it.



The show seemed to go along without any major mishaps,apart from Christina Aguilera's slight stumble on stage(I like Christina but she's on her way to becoming the Chevy Chase of pop if this keeps up).

Arcade Fire was so stunned that they won Album of the Year that they went right into an unexpected encore performance and it was nice to see such genuine joy,even if you aren't one of their fans. As for the rest,here's a rapid rundown of what particularly caught my pop culture eye:


BEST RED CARPET ENTRANCE

Lady Gaga's arrival to the Grammys in a giant egg being carried on the shoulders of her musical minions was the most spectacular celebrity entrance that I've ever seen for any awards show. Say what you will about Gaga,she knows how to be a show stopper before the show even starts:





BEST PERFORMANCE THAT I MISSED

One of my few regrets in tuning into the Grammys late was not seeing Cee-Lo Brown in full Elton John Muppet Show gear performing his infamously fine song "F*** You" with a special guest appearance by Gwyneth Paltrow to boot.

It was amusing whenever Cee-Lo's tune was mentioned during the nominations to hear it be referred to as "The Song(Also Known As Forget You)"-granted,the true title is not FCC approved but this sounded like an alternate album title by Prince here. Anyway, this was a fun number to behold-better late than never,I guess:





BEST PERFORMANCE THAT I DIDN'T MISS

During an early commercial break,I did get to see Lady Gaga emerge from her egg and belt out her new single "Born This Way",the title track to her upcoming album this spring.

The song itself is receiving a mixed reception and while I agree that it's a bit of a melodic Madonna era muddle,the onstage antics that accompanied it were greatly entertaining. From the serious hair whip action which gives Willow Smith a run for her money to the fried egg hat and scary shoulder attachments,Gaga was truly in her glory. My favorite part was the tip of the hat she gave to the Phantom of the Opera towards the end:





BEST SURPRISE WIN

Plenty of people were stunned when Esperanza Spalding was given Best New Artist,an award that has been a blessing for some and a jinx for others. Considering that Esperanza appears to be an exceptional jazz singer,this sounds like a well deserved honor for her.

While many of Justin Bieber's fans,including Kayne West,were not happy about this(and shame on you to those who hacked Esperanza's Wiki page),they should take heart-after all,he's incredibly young and if Beiber manages to grow artistically beyond the teen idol stage,other awards await him in the future.

In the meantime,do the mature thing and give this talented young woman a listen. You may be pleasantly surprised,indeed:





BEST MINI-SWEEP

Lady Antebellum did better than expected,taking not just the Country categories by storm but also winning Record and Song of the Year as well.

I know that "Need You Now" may not be the most hip song out there but hey,sometimes a sweet slow sad love song that's not depressing is just the tuneful ticket. A good song covers all of the genre waterfronts,if you ask me:






So,we've had our big music moment on the award show circuit and now all of our precious pop culture attention can be tuned into the upcoming Academy Awards(and their other sister ceremonies).

One artful aspect of the Grammys aftermath will definitely be the fierce fashions on display. It's been awhile since the Oscars have had a major outfit alert and based on the garb many of the songstresses wore that night,clearly the Academy's red carpet is on style notice.

Designers and personal stylists don't fumble this crucial fashion moment! Rev up your flair and let the gorgeous gown games begin!: