Backstage Pass

I wonder if this means Grammy organizers and producers will start listening to the avalanche of criticism they got this year for the weird nominations and the poor choice of performers. Probably not. Just so there's no confusion, this show didn't fail because of the writer's strike or the struggling music industry (though those things certainly didn't help), it failed because of bad booking and even worse staging.

Maybe they should try to put together a showcase more like the increasingly popular Country Music Awards and less like a bad spoof of the Tonys. That Beyonce opening was ridiculous, but was quickly forgotten after the fiery duet with Tina Turner. Will.i.am's painful "Mack the Knife" freestyle had no way of redeeming itself.

It's no surprise that the best performances -- Amy Winehouse's wobbly, but compelling medley and Alicia Keys' "No One" -- were gimmick free.

Amy Winehouse, You Know I'm No Good/Rehab

What happened to the Michael Jackson appearance?

When did Vince Gill get so funny? (Telling Kanye, "I just got an award given to me by a Beatle. Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?" was a stroke of genius, after West dissed Gill, Herbie Hancock and the Foo Fighters by saying only he and Winehouse deserved the album of the year award.)

Which Verve genius gets a massive promotion for the Herbie Hancock coup?

How much of a Grammy bump does Hancock's album get next week (especially since Grammy telecast producers, in their true genius, didn't let him play a song from it)? What about Winehouse?

How did the predicting go this year? (I got 6 of 10 -- though I did see the Hancock thing coming, but didn't want to believe in it)

Will next year be any better? 

British soul singer Amy Winehouse stole the Grammy show last night, delivering a strong performance and taking home five awards, including three of the top four top categories including, record, album and song of the year.

But jazz legend Herbie Hancock spoiled her sweep by winning album of the year for his tribute to Joni Mitchell, “River: The Joni Letters.” “I’d like to thank the academy for courageously breaking the mold this time,” he said, accepting the first award for a jazz album in the general category in 43 years.

Winehouse, who has been making headlines for her run-ins with the law and her alleged drug use, had been in rehab for the past two weeks and only left on Friday to get ready for last night’s show. Her powerful voice wasn’t as polished as it was in concerts last year. But Winehouse’s versions of the self-esteem-challenged, hip-hop influenced “You Know I’m Good” and peppy dismissal of drug counseling “Rehab” provided enough proof as to why she had been crowned a Grammy star last night for her breakthrough album “Back to Black.”

Winehouse performed in London via satellite instead of the Staples Center in Los Angeles where the awards were held because of visa issues that were eventually worked out. Winehouse seemed stunned as she received the record of the year award for “Rehab,” pausing before launching into her list of thank yous. “This is for London because Camden town is burning down,” she said, after thanking her jailed husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who she also paid tribute to by changing some of her lyrics.

So I really did expect Herbie Hancock to win album of the year for the pretty, but bland, "River: The Joni Letters" because it was one of those albums that had so many people involved in it that it gets a lot of votes from all those folks and the people who like them.

Also, it's on Verve and, man, do those people know how to run Grammy campaigns, as multiple winner Norah Jones has shown in the past and the surprise best new artist nomination for Ledisi showed this year.

For music fans, the Grammys are almost always about disappointment and this year is no different. For the jazz purists who will try to argue why this award is deserved, let's just see how many people will know Hancock's versions five, 10, 20 years from now compared to how many people will know Winehouse's songs from "Back to Black" or Kanye's "Graduation."

Kid Rock, Keely Smith and Dave Koz? Um, why?

When did Dave Grohl get so happy and kind of sappy?

How did Alicia Keys' "No One" not get nominated for song of the year? Better question: How are Grammy execs going to try to bend the rules to get it in again next year?

Kanye West's "Graduation" landed best rap album, giving him is fourth Grammy of the night. However, West may see the writing on the wall for an Amy Winehouse sweep.
In his acceptance speech, he said, "For Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, if I don’t get to get up here for album of the year, you deserve just as much as me. I deserve it too."

Could it be an Amy Winehouse sweep? She goes 4-for-4, picking up song of the year for "Rehab," which was probably one of the toughest of the categories for her.

Despite the weird Beyonce-as-beat-poet opening, her segment with Tina Turner was a thrill. Turner, who was as potent as ever on “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and “Better Be Good to Me,” kicked into a higher gear as she teamed with Beyonce for a raucous “Proud Mary.”

The fix is kinda in, though. The biggest stars are apparently supposed to play second fiddle to whoever they're paired with. I mean we got to hear more of "Deja Vu" than "Irreplaceable," which is only nominated for record of the year, the biggest award of the evening.

Do you think that Kanye West would have won album of the year if people got to vote after his magnificent performance of "Stronger" and "Hey Mama"? (Yeah, me too.)

Do you think Fergie and John Legend were bummed out by trying to follow him? (Yeah, me too.)

Amy Winehouse goes three-for-three, landing best new artist -- much to the delight of Cyndi Lauper. Apparently, Winehouse won't be accepting her awards via satellite, only performing.

Sorry Paramore, and our girl Ledisi, but Amy kinda deserved this one. 

The mashup of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and The Time’s “Jungle Love” actually worked pretty well, though, really, Rihanna on her own would probably have been better. When she broke into the “mamase mamasa mamakosa” bit, I was hoping Michael Jackson would walk on. Oh well. Disappointment may be this year’s Grammy theme.

I loved “Love” when I saw it in Vegas, but in this setting, it’s just kind of a time-waster, no? It seems even more unnecessary when placed against the gospel version of “Let It Be” from “Across the Universe” which was stunning.

Why on earth would Grammy organizers saddle the great Alicia Keys with the beyond-the-grave duet with Frank Sinatra? Wouldn't they need her star power on "No One," winner of best R&B song and best R&B female vocal performance, more?

Shouldn't the Grammy telecast have sight lines that aren't behind people's heads in the pit in front of Carrie Underwood?

Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and gospel group The Clark Sisters lead the list of winners with three Grammys apiece after the pre-show awards were handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles this afternoon.

Amy Winehouse, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, White Stripes, Chaka Khan and conductor Leonard Slatkin each received two Grammys.

West essentially swept the rap category, Springsteen tore through the rock category and The Clark Sisters dominated the gospel category.

West has three nominations left and Winehouse has four remaining, with both duking it out in the album of the year category.

Timberlake has one nomination remaining, record of the year, where he also faces Winehouse. Blige, who won best R&B group vocal performance with Khan and best gospel performance with Aretha Franklin, also has a chance to add to her total take, with a nod in the best female R&B vocal performance for "Just Fine."

The White Stripes' two wins came for best alternative album and best rock group performance. Slatkin's wins came for "Tower: Made in America" for best classical album and best orchestral performance. 

Bruce Springsteen landed three Grammys in the pre-show awards, picking up awards for best solo rock vocal and best rock song for "Radio Nowhere" and best rock instrumental for "Once Upon a Time in the West."

Maybe voters were trying to make up for snubbing him in the big categories, though that's probably something hardcore Brooooce fans won't forgive any time soon.

His fourth nomination -- best rock album for "Magic" -- will be decided during the televised broadcast. 

Amy Winehouse converted her first two nominations into her first Grammy wins for best pop vocal album for "Back to Black" and for best female pop vocal performance for "Rehab." Her producer Mark Ronson won for producer of the year, which bodes well for those rooting for a Winehouse sweep.

Her remaining four nominations will be part of the televised ceremony, another good sign for tea-leaf readers. Winehouse is scheduled to perform live via satellite from England. She is  expected to accept any awards she wins via satellite as well.

One supporter of Winehouse is singer Cyndi Lauper, who likes the natural sound used on her vocals. “You can connect to her voice,” Lauper told E! on the red carpet. “It takes courage to stand up and do a record like that. This is rock and roll we should not be conservative. We should not be safe.” 

PHOTO: Winehouse by Newsday's Bruce Gilbert.

Kanye West swept the early hip-hop categories, landing best rap solo performance for "Stronger," best rap song for "Good Life" and best rap group performance with Common for "Southside." Since he was up against himself in two of those categories, West also lost twice.

Of his night-leading eight nods, West has three left -- album of the year, best rap album and best rap/sung collaboration.

"I'm so glad Kanye West won everything because you know how cranky he gets when he loses," joked host Patti Austin.

Chaka Khan was an early double winner, winning best R&B group performance with Mary J. Blige for "Disrespectful" and best R&B album for "Funk This."

PHOTO: Nabil for Roc-a-Fella Records. 

With so much of this year's Grammy telecast getting taken up by performances that are related to the 50th anniversary of the awards instead of the winners of 2007, there will be more pre-show awards than usual.

Luckily, the Grammys are streaming them online for the first time, allowing us to catch cute acceptance speeches from Duncan Sheik ("After being described as a Grammy nominee for 10 years, I think I like the new designation better") for winning best musical show album for "Spring Awakening" and Patti Austin ("You can tell I'm in shock, I'm wearing Crocs") for winning best jazz vocal album.

Among the early winners, Barack Obama beat out two former presidents -- Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter -- as well as Maya Angelou and Alan Alda for best spoken word album. And some Long Islanders got some Grammy love second hand, as a Benny Benassi remix of Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" won best remixed recording, non-classical, and the Turtle Island Quartet's "A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane" won best classical crossover album, beating out Massapequa native Brian Setzer's "Wolfgang's Big Night Out."

Let the Grammy mania begin! (Hey, stop yawning!)

“Music’s Biggest Night” – a title that may have to be retooled if the Country Music Awards continue to tie or beat the Grammy ceremonies in the ratings – is starting to shape up a bit, with Amy Winehouse confirmed to perform, fresh from leaving rehab today. The rumored Kanye West performance, a tribute to his late mother, is apparently a reality. The rumored Michael Jackson performance is apparently not.

After that, though, the slide on the interesting scale gets kinda steep. Sure, Beyonce and Tina Turner should be cool, but does anyone really want to see Fergie and John Legend together? How about Josh Groban and Andre Bocelli? Rihanna and the reunited The Time? (Wouldn’t they have to sing “Jungle Love” since no one would probably recognize another song from The Time?)

And for those looking to plan their bathroom breaks, there are also planned performances by Eldar and the odd combos of Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang and the casts of Cirque du Soleil’s Beatle musical “Love” and the Beatle movie “Across the Universe.” Interested? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

No matter how the show turns out, the awards are still important – something producers might want to remember before they start turning down album of the year nominee Vince Gill, while letting Kid Rock play – and there will be plenty of real-life drama thanks to Winehouse and West.

We’ve got plenty of pre-Grammy stuff to chew on: Grammys at 50 starting show their age / Not every Grammy decision was a winner / Ledisi is the 'definition' of new artist / Our picks / More 

And, of course, we'll be back here Sunday night. 

PHOTO: Winehouse by Newsday's Bruce Gilbert.

Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley and Feist are the latest performers to confirm their appearance at the Grammy awards on Feb. 10, the show's organizers announced this morning.

The first presenters to be confirmed include Natalie Cole, Juanes, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt and Cyndi Lauper. The Grammys also announced a special Beatles-themed segment starring the casts of Cirque du Soleil's "Love" and the Julie Taymor film "Across The Universe." The albums of those productions are both nominated for Grammys.

The confirmations come on the heels of the striking Writers Guild of America's waiver to the Grammy broadcast and a promise not to picket the show. Among the other stars already announced are Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige and Carrie Underwood.

Before Amy Winehouse ran into tabloid-worthy trouble, there was this -- a great singer with a gorgeous voice who wrote her own simple, yet stylish, soulful songs that could melt even the coldest heart.

Now -- through much of her own doing, sure -- she's become a cartoon character, someone who it's OK to make fun of even on what should feel like one of the best days of her life. I don't have a problem with George Lopez telling jokes about her, saying that she's so drunk "she makes Lindsay Lohan look cool." But I do have a problem with him doing it on stage at the Grammy nominations ceremony, right after he announced her honor. Classy.

Anyway, Winehouse could presumably take home 6 Grammys on Feb. 10 (the same number as Kanye West, by the way, since West is up against himself in two categories) and it could be another turning point in her life -- one that takes her back to the Winehouse in this video.

On the jump, another stripped down version of "Love Is a Losing Game," which will be her next single and hits stores on Monday.

     It will be the battle of the Long Island rock guitar gods in the best rock instrumental performance category at the 50th annual Grammys.
    Westbury native Joe Satriani’s “Always With Me, Always With You” will take on Carle Place native Steve Vai’s “The Attitude Song” for the honor, against heavyweights Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and Rush. However, competition between Satriani and Vai will, no doubt, be a healthy one since they also share a record label, Red Ink, distributed through Epic Records.
    The other Long Island Grammy battle is a more conceptual one, as Massapequa’s Brian Setzer, with his album “Wolfgang's Big Night Out,” takes on the Turtle Island Quartet’s album “A Love Supreme: The Legacy Of John Coltrane” in the best classical crossover album category.
    Other nominees with area ties include Patchogue’s Chrisette Michele, up for best female R&B vocal performance, Great Neck’s Nikki Blonsky, nominated for her part in “Hairspray,” up for best compilation soundtrack, and Ryan Shaw’s “This Is Ryan Shaw,” up for best traditional R&B vocal performance, which was recorded in Roslyn.

PHOTO: Chrisette Michele for Def Jam Records. 

When Jimmy Jam read off the nominees for album of the year and paused to look at Hancock, he had to say, "Yes, you."

Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters" is a pretty reimagining of Joni Mitchell's music, with some superstar help from Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, and even Mitchell herself. It's a grand album and Hancock is clearly a master, but it will be interesting to hear the defense of this nomination as the months unfold. Clearly, excellence should be rewarded in the album of the year category, but so should impact. Does "River" really stand up against Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" or even Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full"?

Verve Records, which is also home to best new artist nominee Ledisi, clearly put on a great campaign with Grammy voters.

And as much as I like the Foo Fighters, I admit I was rooting for Linkin Park's ambitious "Minutes to Midnight" to get the "rock slot" in the nominations. That said, Dave Grohl and friends are still pretty deserving after all these years.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
Foo Fighters, "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
Vince Gill, "These Days"
Herbie Hancock, "River: The Joni Letters"
Kanye West, "Graduation"
Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black"

Check out Hancock and Norah Jones tackle "Court and Spark" on the jump

While I'm still sorting through the full Grammy nominations list, I thought I'd link to something from best new artist nominee Ledisi, a neo-soul singer who is a virtual unknown and whose name even stumped music lovers Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. "She's so new, we don't even know," Hawkins said.

Of course, the rest of the nominations in the category were delayed by all the hugging once super-cute country teen Taylor Swift got her nod and began hugging the Foos as well as pretty much everyone else onstage.

Ledisi's album "Lost and Found" (Verve) garnered some attention this summer when it rolled out, but her nomination is quite the head-scratcher. Why her instead of the similarly styled Chrisette Michele? What about Daughtry? Or Plain White Ts? Or Lily Allen?

And for those quick to point out that Feist's debut came out in 1999 and Winehouse's in 2003, Ledisi's "Soulsinger" arrived in 1998.

BEST NEW ARTIST NOMINEES:
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

MORE: Kanye West, Amy Winehouse lead Grammy nominations[Newsday]

Can a boatload of Grammy nominations help save Amy Winehouse? Let’s hope so.

With the ballots set to be announced Thursday morning, Winehouse and her breakthrough album “Back to Black” (Universal) should be among the top nominees – with a shot at nods in the top four categories and possibly another three in the pop and hip-hop categories. (Her “You Know I’m No Good” remix with Ghostface Killah seems like a shoo-in for best rap/sung collaboration.)

Will her tabloid exploits – the rehab, the run-ins with the law, the tour cancellations – derail her Grammy chances? We’ll find out Thursday.

Her competition for top honors will likely come from Bruce Springsteen, sales champ Daughtry and possibly Fergie or Akon. Look for country teen phenom Taylor Swift and Winehouse’s less tabloid-challenged U.K. compatriot Lily Allen to do well too.

Check my shot-in-the-dark guesses at the nominees in the top categories after the jump.