May 29, 2023 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Inside the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards

Grammys 2011
What a great night for music! After a glamorous red carpet lead-in that featured Lady Gaga arriving in a large fiberglass egg, incubating for her evening’s performance, the 53rd annual music awards show kicked things into gear with a soaring tribute to the First Lady of Soul, that combined the inspired voices of Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) and Christina Aguilera in a medley of Franklin’s well-known hits. Each performer was given a chance to soar during the tribute and they didn’t disappoint.

Other standout performers during the broadcast included legends like Mick Jagger, Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan, along with current artists Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Muse, Arcade Fire and Lady Antebellum. This dynamic display of diverse musical styles and performers kept things exciting during the live telecast. Despite the advertised problems of the record industry, this awards show served notice that the music scene is still going strong. Jagger’s performance, especially, as he pranced around on the Grammy stage for the first time singing “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,†a tribute to soul great Solomon Burke, served notice that great rock and roll and soul music never dies.

Other performers of note included Barbra Streisand who sang her hit “Evergreen.†Rihanna and Drake performed their song “What’s My Name,†and Rhianna later joined Eminem on his “Love the Way You Lie.†Justin Bieber and Usher performed separately and together, and also brought in pal Jaden Smith during their performance. Cee Lo, a Muppets fan, performed in a peacock-like outfit with Gwyneth Paltrow and a band of Henson puppets, and pop favorites Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monáe combined their voices for a performance of “Nothin’ on You,†before Mars took a solo turn on his hit “Grenade.â€

In key record categories, “Need You Now†by Lady Antebellum won Song of the Year, and maybe as the biggest surprise of the night, Arcade Fire took the Album of the Year Grammy award Sunday night for their recording “The Suburbs,†– a real big surprise since the Canadian rockers beat out the favored Eminem. Another surprise winner was jazz bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding, who won for Best New Artist over the favored Justin Bieber, causing a lot of jaws to hit the floor. Wins by little known and Independent artists in categories that included the highly popular Bieber and Eminem added a phenomenon to the proceedings and avoided the predictable. It was a great way to start a New Year in music.

Viewers at home also got into the act, as the televised broadcast had its biggest audience in 11 years, according to the figures released by Nielsen. The 3 ½ hour broadcast, with its exciting and diverse group of performers and musical styles, attracted an audience of 26.7 million viewers, making the CBS broadcast the number one ranked show for the week.

Related Posts

Don’t Miss Your Last Chance to Experience CORTEO by Cirque du Soleil!

April 25, 2023

April 25, 2023

The Show’s Run At The Microsoft Theater Ends On April 30  Time is running out for fans of CORTEO by...

Enforcement of LA’s Home Sharing Ordinance for Short-Term Rentals Falls Significantly in 2022

April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023

Better Neighbors LA report highlights the inadequacies of enforcement measures for short-term rentals in Los Angeles, calling for increased regulation...

Tragic Fire Claims Lives of Elderly Couple and Their Cat in Mar Vista

February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

Doris Bergman and Albert Sassoe Jr. victims in Wednesday morning fire By Sam Catanzaro An elderly couple and their cat...

4 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job

January 2, 2023

January 2, 2023

New graduates have fresh skill sets and they are driven by a desire to succeed. Hampering this desire, however, is...

Cancer Cartel Provides Financial Help To Cancer Patients

November 16, 2022

November 16, 2022

Cancer Cartel is helping cancer patients focus on their treatment, not the financial stress of living with a diagnosis. Learn...

Column: Tenant Support Could Tip the Political Scales in CD-11 Council Race

October 29, 2022

October 29, 2022

Darling pushes advocacy of renter’s rights over Park in tightly contested battle to succeed Mike Bonin! By Nick Antonicello In...

100 Miles of Bus-Only Lanes Coming to L.A in Five Years?

October 17, 2022

October 17, 2022

L.A’s public transportation network is known for being slow due to traffic congestion. A new motion by L.A. City Council...

How to Make Your Writing Sound More Professional and Sophisticated

April 6, 2022

April 6, 2022

As a writer, your job is to communicate clearly and effectively with your audience. But as a writer, you also...

The Future of Online Shopping

March 30, 2022

March 30, 2022

Imagine that you need a couple of ingredients to make pizza for dinner, but realize that you don’t have any...

Most Beautiful College Campuses in California

March 29, 2022

March 29, 2022

Are you about to go on your first collegiate tour of the state of California? Interested in relocating to one...

Can You Play Live Dealer Casinos from California?

March 23, 2022

March 23, 2022

The Golden State has a rich history of gambling, dating back to the 19th century. It is the nation’s largest...

Colorado’s Gambling History & Current Overview

March 17, 2022

March 17, 2022

Gambling is when one or more individuals puts something at stake in the hopes of winning another item of more...

Stunning Music Academy in Brentwood will celebrate its Grand Opening, Sunday, February 20th.

February 18, 2022

February 18, 2022

Introducing the second location of the highly successful Angeles Academy of Music, which has become an icon of Westwood Village.  ...

7 Great Reasons to Visit NYC This Spring

January 31, 2022

January 31, 2022

Arguably the most famous destination in the world, New York City welcomes millions of people from all over the globe...

Best Horse Racing Tracks Near Los Angeles

November 29, 2021

November 29, 2021

Los Angeles, and in particular California, is a hot spot for tourism throughout the year. However, many that visit the...