Fast-forwarding through the Grammys

I know I’m not alone when I say I only tuned into the Grammys last night to see how they would honor Whitney Houston.

While I’m a lover of music, my tolerance of the Grammys has waned through the years. Having to sit through more than three hours of a television show full of acts I usually have not heard of or listened to is not my idea of a productive evening.

Besides, the Grammys can be quite boring.

Hence the reason I waited two hours after the show began to start my DVR recording playback. Watching this show and being able to fast forward past the stuff I have no interest in was the only way I could sit through the ceremony. 

The inventor of the DVR is a great individual; I was able to watch a 3½ hour program in an hour and a half.

While there really wasn’t one moment that stood out for me, here are my highlights:

LL Cool J is to be commended for opening the ceremony with a short, but heart-felt prayer for Whitney (which were his own words). He tastefully acknowledged “the death in the family,” and was able to keep the show moving along, despite the previous night’s events.

Oh, and he looked damn sexy on that stage. He gave me a reason to slow down on the fast forward at times. That man’s physical features only improve as he ages.

Bruno Mars telling the audience to “get off your rich asses and let’s have some fun?” Hilarious! Especially because they got up!

The Alicia Keys/Bonnie Raitt tribute to Etta James was poignant. Both have incredibly strong vocals, and singing one of their favorite Etta classics, Sunday Kind of Love, will hopefully keep the memory of Etta going.

We all know Chris Brown is an incredible dancer, but the Grammys is about the music. While he did his thing, I would have preferred more singing to go along with all that jumping around he was doing.

When it comes to selecting the “best,” I wonder what the thought process is of the members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science. Have they actually listened to the music they select, or is it more of a popularity contest?

Chris Brown looked and sounded surprised (I was surprised myself) when he won his first Grammy over Ledisi (his open shirt was not sexy). I might be a bit biased because I love Ledisi and think Chris’ music is alright, but there is no way his F.A.M.E. should have beat her Pieces of Me for Best R&B album.

Ledisi also lost out to Cee Lo Green in the Best R&B Song category. Cee Lo won for Best Traditional R&B Performance as well. Now, I’ve listened to a few Cee Lo songs, and nothing about his music screams “traditional” R&B.

Which brings me to another point. Many of Adele’s songs sound more R&B yet she was nominated in the pop categories. Cee Lo's sound is more alternative or even pop, not R&B. Whoever is deciding what music fits where needs to look beyond race when making classifications.

Even after winning five trophies (which included Record of the Year where she stated, “I know it’s not really a pop record”), Adele looked genuinely surprised when her name was called for Album of the Year. Her almost “ugly” cry was touching because she really did appear to be overwhelmed with all the recognition.

It amazes me how Stevie Wonder usually always receives a standing ovation whenever he’s on a program; shows just how loved and revered he is.

I’m not quite sure what to say about Nicki Minaj’s performance. It was, um, different? Interesting? Convoluted? Controversial? Or was it just a hot ass mess?

Katy Perry, on the other hand, sounded like she was sending a message to her soon to be ex-husband Russell Brand. Lyrics from Part of Me include, “So you can keep the diamond ring/it don’t mean nothing anyway/in fact you can keep everything/except for me.” Tell him girl!

Even though I skimmed through the show, I didn’t appreciate the tribute for Whitney being almost two hours and 45 minutes into the telecast.

But, Jennifer Hudson appearing composed a little more than 24 hours after the loss of one of her idols, singing such an emotional song shows the professionalism and strength Jennifer obviously possesses.

Accompanied only by a piano, she didn’t over sing the song; didn’t go for the well-known high note Whitney had hit countless times before. It was a tasteful and an appropriate way to honor the legacy of greatness.