NYTimes Grammy Review/Salon Behind the Scenes

[DudeAsInCool]

Grammy Nods to Newcomers and the Dearly Departed

February 9, 2004

By NEIL STRAUSS

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8 - In a rare occurrence, popular,

critical and Grammy-voter tastes all coincided at the 46th

Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday at the Staples

Center here. The witty, innovative Atlanta hip-hop duo

OutKast walked away with the top award, album of the year,

for "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." Music from that diverse

double-CD, which topped critics' year-end Top 10 lists and

has been hovering at and around the No. 1 spot on the

Billboard charts since its release five months ago, earned

the band three Grammys.

The other big winners were Luther Vandross and Beyoncé. Mr.

Vandross, who was not present because he suffered a major

stroke last year, won four awards, including song of the

year (an award given to songwriters, which he shared with

Richard Marx) for the title track of his latest CD, "Dance

With My Father."

And Beyoncé, who opened the show performing alongside a

purple-suited Prince, swept up the most awards of the

evening, winning five of the six awards she was nominated

for based on music from her first solo CD, "Dangerously in

Love." She lost only the record-of-the-year Grammy, in a

surprise upset to a rock song, "Clocks," by Coldplay.

"I love that song, and they definitely deserved it," a

well-mannered Beyoncé said of Coldplay's win in the press

room backstage. "That song is just genius."

It was an event that belonged to the lonely and the dead.

First-time solo artists (including Beyoncé and Justin

Timberlake) and the recently deceased (including Johnny and

June Carter Cash, Warren Zevon, George Harrison and Celia

Cruz) garnered most of the recognition.

Mr. Timberlake received two awards, including best pop

album, for "Justified." And OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The

Love Below" is packaged as a double CD consisting of a solo

album from each of its members. Accepting the honors for

best rap album, André 3000 of OutKast delivered what must

be among the shortest Grammy speeches on record: just a

terse, smart-alecky "thank you."

The specter of Janet Jackson, who had been scheduled to

introduce a Luther Vandross tribute on Sunday, hung heavy

over the show. She was notable by her absence from CBS's

broadcast of the Grammys after she flashed a breast during

a Super Bowl performance with Mr. Timberlake.

The Grammys ceremony began five minutes ahead of schedule

so that it could be broadcast with an uncharacteristically

long five-minute delay.

The subtext was that even at the relatively staid and

surprise-free Grammys, the conduct of pop stars is not to

be trusted. (Neil Portnow, president of the National

Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the

Grammys, said that "not a second" of the show was

censored.)

The rapper 50 Cent was a rare wild card, rushing onstage

and cutting off members of Evanescence as they were

accepting the coveted best new artist award, which he had

no doubt hoped to win.

"I expected him to win, as well as I guess he did," said

Amy Lee of Evanescence. "I guess it was a statement from

him that he felt he should have won."

The only other major gaffe came from the show's production

team, which had Celine Dion singing into a dud microphone

at the beginning of her tribute to Mr. Vandross.

Referring to the Super Bowl halftime half-reveal during an

acceptance speech, Mr. Timberlake said, "I know it's been a

rough week on everybody, and, um, what occurred was

unintentional, completely regrettable, and I apologize if

you guys were offended."

Commenting on the incident backstage, Dave Matthews, who

won for best rock vocal performance, said deadpan that "the

interesting thing" about the uproar was that there have

been breasts "since before there was entertainment."

And P. Diddy, who performed at the Super Bowl halftime

show, said: "I have three sons. I don't mind. I'm very

happy for them that they were able to see one of Janet

Jackson's breasts in their lifetime. I don't think they'll

be scarred for life." He added that if he had known of Ms.

Jackson's plans, he "would have exposed America to

something that you still would have been talking about."

Accepting an award for producer of the year in the

nontelevised portion of the ceremony, Pharrell Williams of

the hit-making team the Neptunes was the first person at

the ceremony to break the Janet Jackson silence, speaking

with some trepidation. After sticking up for both parties

involved, he said that the Federal Communications

Commission, which received 200,000 complaints, "wouldn't

have gotten half of those complaints if the news didn't

keep it on TV all day."

When Christina Aguilera stepped on stage to accept an award

for best female pop vocal performance for her soaring

ballad battling feminine insecurity, "Beautiful," she made

a show of her struggle to keep her low-cut pink dress in

proper form; in case she failed, the cameras quickly zoomed

in for a close-up from above the sternum.

Ninety-four awards were presented before the televised

portion of the ceremony. The first went to one of the most

moving musical statements of last year, Mark Romanek's

final video for Mr. Cash, "Hurt," which won best short-form

video. June Carter Cash, who died four months before Mr.

Cash, her husband, won best traditional folk album and best

female country vocal.

Mr. Harrison won best pop instrumental performance for

"Marwa Blues." And Mr. Zevon, who also died last year, won

for best contemporary folk album, a rather odd category for

his rock album "The Wind." He also won for best rock duo or

group, which he shared with Bruce Springsteen, for

"Disorder in the House." Finally, Ms. Cruz, who died in

July, won best salsa/merengue album for "Regalo del Alma."

It seemed so certain that the deceased would triumph over

the living in each category that it was a surprise when

Tony Bennett and K. D. Lang won over Rosemary Clooney for

traditional pop vocal album ("A Wonderful World"). In

keeping with the theme of the night, Mr. Bennett said in

his acceptance speech that he would like to pass on the

award and "give this one to Rosemary Clooney."

Eminem was among rap's top winners, with two awards for

"Lose Yourself," including best rap song.

And the rock star of the moment seems to be Jack White of

the White Stripes, which delivered one of the most

electrifying rock performances in recent Grammy memory. Mr.

White received two awards, his first Grammys.

In country music Alison Krauss, who seems to be joining the

ranks of Pierre Boulez and Jimmy Sturr as a perennial

favorite of Grammy voters, won three awards. And "Livin',

Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers" (which

features Ms. Krauss and other stars) won best country album

in what was a slow year for the genre.

Manuel Galbán, who was denied a visa to enter the United

States, could not accept his award for best pop

instrumental album for "Mambo Sinuendo," his collaboration

with Ry Cooder.

The Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer, who won best traditional

tropical album, was also absent because his visa

application was rejected. In the press room backstage Mr.

Cooder said that 45 Cuban musicians who had planned to

attend the Grammys were denied visas.

For best classical album, two recordings of Mahler's

Symphony No. 3 were competing. The version conducted by

Michael Tilson Thomas won over Mr. Boulez's, though the

Boulez album took the honor for best orchestral

performance. Winning three awards was Yo-Yo Ma's "Obrigado

Brazil."

Only albums released between Oct. 1, 2002, and Sept. 30,

2003, were eligible for this year's Grammys. Winners were

selected by the roughly 12,000 voting members of the

academy. The voting body consists of recording-industry

professionals who have creative or technical credits on at

least six albums or songs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/mus...d2eaa3be610b88c

[DudeAsInCool]

In addition to the Prince-Beyonce sizzling opener, there were a number of highlights to this show, including the White Stripes, Earth Wind and Fire, The Foo Fighters with guest star jazz pianist Chick Corea, and Pierre Cosette, who has produced the show for 25 years was honored. Somehow, this show seemed to be a bit classier than most. Beyond the grammy winners, I thought it was the best produced show I've seen in a long time.

[DudeAsInCool]

 The Fix

Janet doesn't show, but she dominates Grammy talk anyway. Plus: Historic Beatles rerun tonight, and "Sex and the City" to hit the big screen?

Feb. 9, 2004  |  It was a slow night for breast exposure, but a big night for discussing it. Janet Jackson, as you likely know by now, was disinvited by CBS from the Grammys and then reinvited -- on Saturday -- only on the condition that she apologize for her infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction." She declined.

Justin Timberlake, meanwhile, took CBS up on its offer, winning two Grammys and issuing his requisite mea culpa: "I know it's been a rough week on everybody. What occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable, and I apologize if you guys are offended."

What's more, the 5-minute-delay-aided censors at CBS apparently took pains to make sure that Christina Aguilerawould not be the next one to issue an apology for a televised mammary moment, pasting a graphic over her chest as she fussed with the low-cut dress she'd changed into to accept the award for best female vocal performance. (Though the dress was, of course, far less shocking than the buttoned-up suit the finger-emoting singer wore while she performed "Beautiful.")

"I don't want to have the same thing happen that Janet had done ... if I can keep it together," said a gown-clutching Aguilera.

The censors did, however, keep their mitts off Patti LaBelle's defiant mention of Janet Jackson during the introduction of a salute to Luther Vandross. (Likewise left intact were 50 Cent's rather frightening run for the stage after he failed to win the award for best new artist, Celine Dion's sound problems and Coldplay frontman Chris "Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow" Martin's dedication of his album of the year award to Johnny Cash and John Kerry, "who I hope will be your president someday.")

But much of the boob talk happened before the show on the green (not red, thanks to Heineken's sponsorship) carpet and backstage.

Grammy-winning producer Pharrell Williams blamed the media for the ruckus over Janet's bared boob: "You wouldn't have gotten half of those complaints if the news wouldn't keep it plastered on TV all day," he griped.

Dave Matthews said, "I'm surprised that it's shocking that a boob might be seen somewhere outside 'National Geographic Explorer.' That was surprising, that such a big stink could be made over such a little [thing]."

Christina Aguilera waxed philosophical: "What is too raunchy? Everybody has a different opinion of what is too much or too little. Music itself is an expression, so who are we to say what is too raunchy and what is not? Who are we to be the judge of that? It's a state of mind, and it's whatever you think it should be."

Yoko Ono, who was occasionally photographed naked with her late husband, related: "We were attacked, too. I think it's just an interesting dialogue that is going to upset some people. I'm sure that [Jackson] is ready for it."

T-shirt clad "Joan of Arcadia" star Amber Tamblyn did not relate, saying, "As you can see, that's not going to be my problem tonight."

Jennifer Love Hewitt took pains not to relate: "I am so taped in I can barely breathe."

Sean "Puffy/P. Diddy" Combs relates more than one might like: "I have three sons, and I'm very happy for them that they were able to see one of Janet Jackson's breasts in their lifetime -- I don't think they'll be scarred for life. I think there's bigger things going on than to try and lynch Janet Jackson; she doesn't hurt nobody. I just want to say to America that you should be happy with that because if I would've known about it -- if I would've known that she was going to steal the thunder -- then I would've whipped out something you'd still be explaining to your kids."

Non-breast-related Grammys money quote:

Richard Marx, who won the Grammy for Song of the Year for his collaboration with Luther Vandross, "Dance With My Father": "Rolling Stone voted me worst male singer of 1988, and now look at this." (The Hollywood Reporter)

Morning Briefing:

Fab Four-ever: Tonight, David Letterman, who of course tapes the "Late Show" in the Ed Sullivan Theater, will mark the 40th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" by playing a clip of John, Paul, George and Ringo from that historic show. (N.Y. Daily News)

Big-screen "Sex"? Word is that a movie version of "Sex and the City" is in the works and that "Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon will all be in it." (Page Six)

-- Amy Reiter

http://www.salon.com/ent/col/fix/2004/02/09/mon/