Beyonce, Taylor Swift Dominate Grammys

Both Swift and Beyoncé, who are both apparently immune to overexposure, left little room for other contenders. Jay-Z's wife pulled the most awards, taking six trophies — the most ever for a female artist on a single Grammy night — including Song of the Year and Best R&B Song for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Halo.” Swift became the youngest musician to win Album of the Year, for 2009’s Fearless. She won four awards overall, including Best Country Album (also Fearless), Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance (both “White Horse”).

 

Other big winners included Eminem, who won for Rap Album (Relapse) and Best Rap Duo Performance ("Crack A Bottle"), Jay-Z who won for Rap Solo Performance ("D.O.A."), Rap Song ("Run This Town"), and Collaboration of the Year ("Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West), while Lady GaGa won for Best Dance Recording ("Poker Face") and Dance Album (The Fame), . 

 

Kings of Leon grabbed three awards, all involving their hit “Use Somebody,” which has earned itself a right to go the hell away now. Stephen Marley won best reggae album for "Mind Control - Acoustic," while Ziggy Marley captured best musical album for children for "Family Time." The Black Eyed Peas won three Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album for The E.N.D., and I suppose there's no getting around that. But for all the flash, glamour and back-patting, some powerful performances lent the hyperbolic congratulatory nature of the event a little credence. 

 

 

Gaga, the walking space-cadet rotating wardrobe herself, opened the show with the song "Poker Face" before a memorable two-song duet with Elton John. Green Day, who unjustifiably won Best Rock Album for 21st Century Breakdown, turned in a solid performance of tired station-changer “21 Guns” with the American Idiot musical cast. Beyoncé lost some sheen and showed that she's overdue for a break with her performance, backed by a SWAT team of dancers. Pink spun from the ceiling, soaking wet, during an acrobatic performance of “Glitter in the Air.” Put that girl on "Dancing With The Stars" and be done with it, alright?

 

Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake and Travis Barker issued a profanity-laced medley of Rebirth’s “Drop the World” and “Forever,” before Jeff Beck led a special Les Paul tribute while Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It” managed somehow to mix T-Pain, opera, Doug E Fresh and Slash performing the “November Rain” solo into one strange melting pot performance. I still can't figure out what the hell I was watching.

 

An overwrought 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson followed, featuring Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Carrie Underwood singing along with the King of Pop’s “Earth Song.” Prince and Paris, Jackson’s two eldest children, accepted their father’s posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award (but Blanket was in the house!). 

 

Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks, a beautiful portrait of idiocy, also joined Taylor Swift to duet on “Rihannon” and “You Belong With Me”. It was an unsuccessful collaboration, with the two having absolutely nothing in common with one another, and no chemistry to speak of. Nevertheless, Swift was beaming throughout the performance, 

 

 

Full list of 2010 Grammy Awards winners on page two.