Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards program has now been reviewed completely on all media outlets. Whatever one could say, the show's redemption is the live music performances. Despite the low points, the pandering to supposed taste, and the long commercial breaks, a chance for real live music performances trumps any hour of 24, The Closer, or Lost. Briefly, a few comments:

Good things:
---Mary T. Blige, especially the performance with Ludicris
---Gnarls Barkley, strange costumes all the better
---Justin Timberlake, didn't overplay his cool
---Shakira and Wyclef Jean, so at ease, when Wyclef came strutting across the stage toward Shakira mid-song it was so casual and spontaneous one could only laugh in recognition
---Christina Aguilera, great performance by the best female vocalist and performer today. Having the bad luck to be paired with Britney Spears at the beginning of her career and the supposed good fortune of being so attractive that no one listened to her, she is just beginning to get real recognition for her amazing talent.
---Stevie Wonder, just being real
---Ornette Coleman, baffled maybe, but an almost strange and dignified presence

Things that can't be explained:
---the Lifetime Achievement Awards or whatever the heck they were, maybe they're just getting around to the Greatful Dead and Doors because they were on steroids, who knows about Maria Callas and Bob Wills
---Tony Bennett, he really did plug Target
---Red Hot Chili Peppers, much heralded performance is ho hum with embarrassing rain of white confetti in still cocaine addled L.A.

Things that just are:
---Carrie Underwood, cute but what does she add to anything
---Dixie Chicks, enough already, that one song is terrific
---The Police, what company paid for this promo