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A friend asked for help combing through the Grammy nominations for music worth listening to. My answer probably broke Facebook, but here it is:

I think it's a great Grammy day when such a diverse assortment of musicians is honored with a nomination. This time, there's some flash, but a whole lot of substance, too. Here are some to sample and some to rediscover out of the nominees, not all of them because of their musical inclinations, either. And for you, dear reader, add to the list at will.

Angelique Kidjo (right)
Cee Lo
Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs"
Mumford & Sons
Miranda Lambert
Florence + the Machine
Esperanza Spalding
Bruno Mars
Goldfrapp
Robyn
Muse
Jazmine Sullivan
Kem

(Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)

Relive the Grammys Nominations Concert by reading our live chat from the event:

What do you think of the nominations? Are the right artists being recognized? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

After Lady Gaga's exclusion from last year's Best New Artist category, most assumed the Recording Academy would change the rules before this year's ceremony. Wish granted!

Gaga was disqualified form the award because she'd been nominated the year before in a separate category, Best Dance Recording. Announced today, the rule change allows previous Grammy nominees to be eligible, as long as the artist hasn't released an entire album and doesn't win.

It was a veritable ladies' night as Taylor Swift took home the award for Album of the Year while Beyonce picked up a record-breaking six Grammy awards. Read Mario Tarradell's story on Sunday's Grammys.

Relive the Grammys by reading our official live-chat | Read our fashion writers' views on the red carpet looks | neighborsgo's Collin Quick provides Grammys commentary | Official Grammys Web site | Latest Grammy Awards headlines | A list of Grammy nominees and winners

Relive the Grammy Awards with music critic Mario Tarradell, Dawn Burkes, Erika Nunez and Anthony Williams. Read our live chat from Sunday night and post comments with your thoughts on the awards.

We've compiled a list of nominees and winners, too.

We've been conducting our Grammy poll all month to see who our readers think deserve Grammys. And boy, do you guys like Taylor Swift! (The results of the poll are after the jump.)

Do you think Swift will sweep at the Grammys on Sunday night? Join Mario Tarradell and other DMN staffers during the show right here on the Playlist blog as we chat live during the Grammys.

The Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 31. We've been keeping the nominees fresh in your mind with our Grammy nominees series in which I discussed a Grammy category each Tuesday leading up to the big show. This week: Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

Knowledge is power: Record of the Year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. This award goes to the performing artist, the producer, recording engineer, and/or mixer for that song. Album of the Year is awarded for a whole album, and the award is presented to the artist, producer, recording engineer, and mastering engineer for that album.

The nominees for Record of the Year are Beyonce's "Halo," The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me." (Listen to these songs on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

The nominees for Album of the Year are Beyonce's I Am... Sasha Fierce, The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D., Lady Gaga's The Fame, Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King and Taylor Swift's Fearless.

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best New Artist.

The nominees are Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings. (Listen to these artists on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best Pop Performances.

The nominees for Best Male Pop Performance are John Legend for "This Time," Maxwell for "Love You," Jason Mraz for "Make It Mine," Seal for "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and Stevie Wonder for "All About The Love Again." The nominees for Best Female Pop Performance are Adele for "Hometown Glory," Beyonce for "Halo," Katy Perry for "Hot N Cold," Pink for "Sober" and Taylor Swift for "You Belong With Me." (Listen to these songs on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best Dance Song.

The nominees are The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," David Guetta & Kelly Rowland's "When Loves Takes Over," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," Madonna's "Celebration" and Britney Spears' "Womanizer." (Listen to these songs on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best Rock Song.

The nominees are: Pearl Jam's "The Fixer," U2's "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," Green Day's "21 Guns," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" and Bruce Springsteen's "Working On A Dream." (Listen to these songs on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best R&B Song.

The nominees are: Jamie Foxx & T-Pain for "Blame It, Jazmine Sullivan for "Lions, Tigers & Bears, Maxwell for "Pretty Wings," Beyonce for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" and Pleasure P for "Under." (Listen to these songs on GuideLive's Blip.fm channel.)

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best Rap Song.

The nominees are: Drake for "Best I Ever Had," Kid Cudi for "Day 'N' Nite," T.I. & Justin Timberlake for "Dead And Gone," Jay-Z for "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," and Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West for "Run This Town." (Listen to these songs on our Blip.fm channel.)

In an unexpected twist, Miley Cyrus has been disqualified from the "Best Song written for a Soundtrack" Grammy category. Cyrus was nominated for her song, "The Climb," which wasn't originally written for the movie it appeared in, so it has now been disqualified.

But this disappointment for Hannah Montana fans comes with jubilation for fans of Where The Wild Things Are. Since Cyrus was eliminated, the nomination now goes to the song with the next-highest initial vote count, which was Karen O and the Kids' "All is Love" from the Where The Wild Things Are film.

Now I really want "All Is Love" to win - maybe even more than the also-nominated "Decode" by Paramore.

There's a good amount of time between the announcement of Grammy nominees and the actual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31. So to keep the nominees fresh in your mind through the holidays, I'll be discussing a Grammy category each Tuesday from now until the big show. This week: Best Country Song.

The nominees are: Trace Adkins for "All I Ask For Anymore," Jamey Johnson for "High Cost Of Living," Lady Antebellum for "I Run To You," Billy Currington for "People Are Crazy" and Taylor Swift for "White Horse." (Listen to these songs on our Blip.fm channel.)

Relive the Dec. 2 Grammy Nominations Concert by checking out our live chat. Music Critic Mario Tarradell, Anthony Williams and I watched the show and discussed the performances and nominees. (Visit Grammy.com for a complete list of nominees.)

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Grammy nominees - we'll post the results before the Jan. 31 Grammy Awards.

Since "Just Dance" was nominated for Best Dance Recording last year at the Grammys, Lady Gaga is ineligible for the Best New Artist award this year, despite being quite the breakout hit-maker in 2009.

So who else should win? I'd like to see Owl City, Drake or Band of Skulls nominated. What about you?

The Latin Grammy nominations were announced in LA today; unlike many other awards shows, hip-hop duo Calle 13 led the list of nominees. The show is in Las Vegas on Nov. 5:

By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES -- Calle 13 leads the list of Latin Grammy nominated artists with five nods.
The alternative Puerto Rican hip-hop duo will compete for album of the year against Colombian singer-songwriter Andres Cepeda, Nicaraguan salsa singer Luis Enrique, folksy Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa and Brazilian musician Ivan Lins & The Metropole Orchestra at the 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards on Nov. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

(Photo of Spanish pop singer Shaila Durcal and actor, Grammy and Latin Grammy winner Andy Garcia announcing the nominations by Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press)

We're not supposed to divulge too many details of movies before they're released, but anyone who loves the music of Bruce Hornsby (as I do) should rush to a theater Sept. 4 to see World's Greatest Dad, starring Robin Williams. I won't tell you how and why Hornsby plays himself, or why he sings one of his signature songs, "Mandolin Rain." But he does, and writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait uses Hornsby to full comic effect. That's right, comic effect. I also recommend World's Greatest Dad to anyone who's ever been a parent. You may not know this, but Hornsby harbors two fascinating ties to the Dallas area: He's good friends with rocker Don Henley, who was born in Linden in the Piney Woods of East Texas and now lives in Dallas. He and Henley co-wrote "The End of the Innocence." And he's good friends with Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle, with whom he shares in common a basketball background and the fact that both play piano. Check out this Eddie Sefko story about that relationship and click the arrow in the video box below to hear Hornsby sing "The End of the Innocence." Lest I forget, World's Greatest Dad has another local connection: It's distributed by Magnolia Pictures, which is co-owned by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and business partner Todd Wagner.

Photo: The great Bruce Hornsby

Congrats to all the winners. Here's a recap of the 51st annual awards show in photos.

So Coldplay, Lil Wayne, Adele, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were some of the big winners tonight, but are you happy with that? Any major letdowns, wins you don't agree with? Or did they get it right every time?

Tell us what you took away from the show.

Here's Mario Tarradell's final analysis and a complete list of winners.

(Photo: Bono and U2 opened the show. By Mark J. Terrill)

Goes to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for Raising Sand, and our music critic Mario Tarradell called it. This win gives Ms. Krauss a record 26 Grammy wins, the most for a female singer. And for you trivia peeps out there, the all-time Grammy winner is the late Georg Solti of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with 31 wins and 112 nominations. Not what you expected, right?

Haven't heard Raising Sand yet? You can here.

Yes, you're not mistaken. He was scheduled to perform in tonight's show, but he had other concerns it seems. The Associated Press reports that he is currently being held on $50,000 bail after alleged battery incident.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles police say Chris Brown has turned himself in to authorities investigating an alleged felony battery involving the R&B singer. Los Angeles police officer Karen Smith says Brown walked into a station around 7 p.m. and was being interviewed by detectives. Smith said he was not in custody. Police say the 19-year-old singer and a woman were in a vehicle in the Hancock Park neighborhood early Sunday when they began arguing, and the argument escalated when they got out of the car. Police say the woman identified Brown as her attacker, but he was gone by the time officers arrived. Both Brown and his girlfriend, fellow singer Rihanna, were no-shows for Sunday night's Grammy Awards. Both were nominated and scheduled to perform.

Read here for more on how the program had to shuffle to accommodate the changes.

Gwyneth Paltrow, I so beg to differ. Radiohead is not one of the most influential bands of all time, as you pronounced in your introduction of the art rockers. The Beatles are one of the most influential bands of all time. The Eagles are one of the most influential bands of all time. The Rolling Stones are one of the most influential bands of all time. Heck, Pink Floyd is one of the most influential bands of all time. They influenced Radiohead. So there you go. Radiohead hasn't been around long enough to be one of the most influential bands of all time. Give me a break!

Well alright, this pairing isn't half bad. That's because the Foo Foos are essentially backing up Sir Paul. This isn't a duet. They are merely his backing band. Plus, it's cool to hear "I Saw Her Standing There" with a bit more rock punch.

M.I.A. has been a critic's darling for some years now, but as under the radar as a Spin magazine cover subject could be. Why she would make her big American coming-out party into a peep show? That dress (?) she was wearing was tantamount to a sonogram, it was so revealing.

I had read that she would be having her baby any day now, and I understand that she might have weighed the career boost Grammy would give her against the ratings boost Grammy would get should she give birth onstage. I get it. She felt she had to go to work. But, have some respect for your unborn child. If she stays famous, and it looks like she will, those pictures will be indelible.

It was great to see the modern Mt. Rushmore of rap onstage with her. It was only fitting since their "Swagga Like Us" piggybacked (read: sampled) her hit, "Paper Planes." Sigh. But the performance turned her into little more than a hook singer. I'm sorry, but any child deserves more respect than being bumped around for that. Heck, viewers deserve more respect than that; "Paper Planes" was nominated for record of the year, but that's the stage it got? Poor baby ... and I'm talking about both of them.

Yup, with the record of the year win, she now has 25 Grammy Awards. There's no way Aretha Franklin, who has 18 of them, can catch up now. She won't live long enough to pass her.

Interesting. She was hardly the highest profile of the nominees, which also included the Jonas Brothers, Duffy, Lady Antebellum and Jazmine Sullivan. I did not expect her to win. I'm not upset about it. She's good. But she isn't one that I would have predicted.

OK, how rude is this? Kanye West gets introduced to perform, but not Estelle. They do "American Boy" together, which is HER song. And yet, her name was never mentioned. How downright rude!

Watching and listening to Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers, not long after seeing Justin Timberlake with Al Green, makes me scream: NO MORE PAIRINGS! Do the Grammy people not realize that by pairing these young whippersnappers with legends you demean the legend?! And in turn you expose the newcomers' musical frailties. Stop that!!!

She, with duet partner Robert Plant, has picked up three Grammy Awards so far tonight. So her total number is now 24. That's just astounding. She's unbeatable. Without a doubt the most Grammy rewarded female artist ever.

Jennifer Hudson's performance of "You Pulled Me Through" with a full choir behind her was poignant and heartfelt. I'm giving her lots of love tonight. I think she's looking good, holding it together well and showing plenty of grace under pressure.

Having trouble keeping track? Here's a partial list of winners, including all the ones given away during the pre-show. Did you know that George Carlin won a posthumous Grammy for his comedy album "It's Bad for Ya"? Now you do.

It only took Texan George Strait more than 20 years to win a Grammy. Yes, folks, he picked up his first Grammy Award earlier today for his elegantly homespun Troubadour in the best country album category. Long, long, LONG overdue! Congratulations, King George!

I'm OK with this. Not so much because I felt Coldplay merited the honor, but because I wasn't particularly passionate about any of the nominees. Didn't dislike any of them, didn't love any of them. So...whatever...

Deserved! Sugarland's "Stay" remains one of the rawest, most potent country songs of the last decade. That award was so warranted. I also thought Jennifer Nettles was funny at the mike. She was trying to play it cool but she couldn't help losing control. It came off genuine.

Carrie, go pop, please! Do it! Go ahead, step over the line, that's it, one foot in front of the other. Cause what you sing isn't remotely country. That "Last Name" song is totally pop-rock. Please! Leave the authentic country music to artists that can do it. You'll feel better for it. You really will.

That's just wrong! That's all I have to say.

Justin Timberlake got his Al Green on, in what was definitely flattery for the soul man but kind of a little bit of torture for the rest of us. Though plenty of notes were missed between the pair, it's always a good time on stage when Al Green is up there. And you can tell Justin reveres the reverend. He just needs to be Justin and not try to be Al Jr. I wouldn't have passed up a chance to be eclipsed by Al, though, which is what I'm sure he was thinking.

And they just went on one minute too long ... didn't they? Grammy is known for its strange pairings, but they've never gone for gang warfare before. I mean, at no time, in no world, not even in an alternative timeline, should Boyz II Men ever be relegated to the background. Ever. And poor Keith Urban ... maybe he was trying to prove his chops for Rolling Stone magazine's next great guitarists list. Grrrr ...

I'm so glad Jennifer Hudson won R&B album for her debut disc. Yes, the victory was probably largely fueled by sympathy considering all the tragedy she's been through. And it's not a great album to start with. Still, she was gracious, it's a good enough record and she deserves a little joy right about now.

Yes, Whitney Houston looks great! But, um, is there something a bit too melodramatic, slow and measured about her speech, her actions? Get the impression Diva Houston had to study everything she did and said on that stage? Hmm...the comeback race begins, but can she see it through?

Even though tonight's 51st annual Grammy Awards show doesn't start until 7 p.m. (on CBS), some of the fun has already started. Over on the Shopping blog DMN fashion critic David Ninh is blogging on who's wearing who along the red carpet. Tune in to E! now to see Ryan Seacrest interview your favorite musicians before the show begins!

And for those of you watching with friends and possibly placing friendly bets, grammy.com has a nifty little ballot sheet you can print out and keep track of the winners.

Stay here on the Playlist music blog throughout the show as our music critics live blog our takes on the performances and wins to come. And share your opinions in the comments too!

The 51st annual Grammy Awards are Sunday night. Our music staff will be here on Playlist blogging throughout the show, so drop in and join the conversations and our takes on the winners and performances.

Just to hold you over until then, read Mario Tarradell's prediction for Album of the Year.

The show starts at 7 p.m. on CBS.

Continue reading for a list of nominees in the top five categories.

Eliza Gilkyson is one of those Austin-based singer-songwriters who learned long ago that the late Woody Guthrie knew exactly what he was talking about -- and warning about. Like Jimmy LaFave, Gilkyson celebrates the music of Woody Guthrie as a telling commentary on American life, how the rich get richer and the little get squeezed. So, is anyone's music more relevant now than Woody's? Gilkyson's 2004 release, Land of Milk and Honey, received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album and included contributions from Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris DeMent and Slaid Cleaves. And now Eliza is headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a pair of weekend concerts. She will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Greenville Avenue Music Sanctuary at the Unity Church of Christianity, 3425 Greenville Avenue in Dallas. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Info: 214-826-5683 or visit www.dallasunity.org. (Please click below to read on!)

Photo: Eliza Gilkyson

The New Zealand duo sets off on a North American tour beginning April 6 and they're making a Dallas stop on May 5 at Nokia Theatre.

Billboard.com reports "the outing is timed to the conclusion of the second season of Flight of the Conchords on HBO, as well as the release of the group's second full-length album on Sub Pop. Further details, including an album title and release date, are still being nailed down."

Their Wikipedia entry quotes them as selling themselves as "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo." Not sure what that sounds like? Two words: hilariously awesome. Don't take my word for it, though. Listen to Flight of the Conchords on their MySpace page.

These two are also up for the Best Comedy Album Grammy for their 2008 self-titled full-length debut. The group won that honor last year for its EP The Distant Future.

Watch the Grammy Awards live with us to see if they won as we blog throughout the show this Sunday, Feb. 8. 7 p.m. Be here.

(Photo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement / StarPix)

Jennifer Hudson, set to perform at the Grammys this coming Sunday and performing for the first time since her mother, brother and nephew were killed in October, "sang the cover off" the Star-Spangled Banner to start the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Dressed down for the occasion, compared with songstresses past, she looked truly awed by the opportunity and the enormity of the moment and took a long, deep breath before beginning.

I didn't care for the musical arrangement right from the start. It sounded a bit showtune-y or high school-musical for my tastes. Her pipes coupled with that song deserve a grand orchestral arrangement or a spare score, nothing in between. But when she opened her mouth, all else fell aside. Whitney, this one's knock, knock, knockin' at your door.

(Oh, and why did we get Faith Hill singing "America, the Beautiful"? I love her, and the NFL owes her a lot (see NBC's Sunday Night Football and her singing new lyrics every Sunday during the season to open the broadcast). But, for my money, you can just play video of Ray Charles' version and be done with it.

(Photo by DAVID J. PHILLIP/Associated Press)

Billboard.com reports the new acts to perform at the upcoming awards show.
Don't forget to join us here on the Playlist blog as we cover the show live Sunday, Feb. 8.

NEW YORK -- Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Justin Timberlake and the quadruple threat of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West have been added to the performance lineup for the 51st annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 8 at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

McCartney will be backed by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums, while Radiohead will be making its first live U.S. television performance in nearly nine years.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z, Wayne, T.I. and West will team to perform the hit single "Swagga Like Us," while T.I. and Timberlake will also perform together.

Previously announced Grammy performers include Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood.

Soprano Olivia Harris and alto Jazzmeia Horn, both students at Dallas' Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, have been chosen to sing in the 2009 Grammy Jazz Choir, it was announced today. According to the press release, "the ensembles will perform at various Grammy week events including public performances at Spaghettini's Italian Grill & Jazz Club on Feb. 2 and the Vic on Feb. 4. For the first time ever, the ensembles will perform at the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute on Feb. 6, which this year will honor Neil Diamond. As a grand finale, they will attend the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8 as guests of The Recording Academy and will perform at the Grammy Celebration After Party."

Pretty cool, huh?

Photo: The golden Grammy.

What an eclectic bunch. The Grammys announced its first wave of performers for the Feb. 8 telecast. Performers include Lil Wayne, Katy Perry (right), the Jonas Brothers, Coldplay and Kenny Chesney. Here's hoping none of them will try to duet. Each performer is also a nominee. Lil Wayne leads with eight.

Katy Perry's performance will be interactive, according to Billboard. Fans are uploading video of themselves singing her hit, "I Kissed a Girl," and the chosen videos will run during her performance (oh, and the person singing will win $5,000). Of course, it involves voting and CBS, which will broadcast the show.

(Photo by RICHARD DREW/The Associated Press)

Well this doesn't happen often. The five CDs vying for the best country album prize are all unequivocally great. That's right. Not a single dud in the bunch. They are Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song, Trisha Yearwood's Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, George Strait's Troubadour, Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights and Randy Travis' Around the Bend. Any of them could win and truly exemplify the artistic hallmarks of the genre. I'm rooting for all of them.

Photo: Patty's lovingly recorded Sleepless Nights treasure.

This isn't a judgment call, folks. All you Jonas Brothers fans don't wish me bodily harm. I think the JoBros make catchy, fun power pop. They're OK with me. But I can't get passed the trio's Grammy nomination in the best new artist category. It just seems so...late. Never mind that they are on their third CD, A Little Bit Longer, which was released Aug. 12. But also, their breakthrough disc, Jonas Brothers, was released Aug. 7, 2007. That means the guys are no longer eligible for that award. Jonas Brothers was successful from the get-go, debuting at No. 5 immediately. The correct year for them to vie for this honor was 12 months ago. This makes no sense. Yet another screw-up in Grammy's most incomprehensible category.

Photo: Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas at the recent American Music Awards (Phil McCarten).

Say what you will about the just-announced Grammy nominations -- and you know you have an opinion, as do I -- but you gotta admit those album of the year contenders sure are a politically correct bunch. Think about it: We've got a rap CD (Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III), a couple of rock records (Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends, Radiohead's In Rainbows), a country/roots music disc (Alison Krauss & Robert Plant's Raising Sand) and an R&B effort (Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman). Pretty much all the major bases are covered. Is this a good thing? Eh. It's fine. I'm not really against any of these nominees. I can certainly understand why each made the final five. For a full list of Grammy hopefuls, go to www.grammy.com.

Photo: Tha Carter III could be the next Grammy album of the year.

It's official: Colombia's Juanes swept the 9th annual Latin Grammy Awards. The deservedly lauded singer-songwriter nabbed record and song of the year for the insanely catchy and rhythmic "Me Enamora" as well as album of the year and best male pop vocal album for La Vida...Es Un Ratico. Also, he took best short form video for the "Me Enamora" clip. So now he has a whopping 17 Latin Grammy Awards. He just surpassed Spain's Alejandro Sanz, who has 14 Latin Grammy Awards.

Photo: Juanes takes it all! (Cheryl Diaz Meyer/DMN)

I dig Victor Manuelle. He remains one of the best young salseros in a genre lacking in quality modern-day salsa artists. He sang "No Soy Quien" from his latest CD, Soy. He brought the house down with a full band, plenty of percussion, dancers and loads of joyful showmanship. The New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent is just now hitting his stride at the ripe age of 38 and with 12 albums under his belt.

Photo: Victor! Victor! (Courtesy of Univision Network).

Kudos to Cafe Tacuba for winning best rock song, "Esta Vez" from the group's beautifully melodic album, Sino. Speaking of stunning albums, Colombia's Juanes took home album of the year honors for La Vida...Es Un Ratico. Yes, yes, it's gratifying to watch great music get recognized.

Photo: The Tacuba boys (Courtesy of Universal Music Latino).

Medleys! Gloria Estefan sang a medley of her hits before receiving the Person of the Year award. Onstage with her were Carlos Santana and Jose Feliciano (two performance trends in one). Los Tigres del Norte also cranked out a medley of their staples. I'll say the same thing I said before: These are stage stints tailored for ADD audiences.

Photo: Jorge Hernandez of Los Tigres del Norte (Eric Jamison).

Three early winners I'm excited about: Puerto Rico's Kany Garcia taking best new artist. She's a singer-songwriter with a bright future. For sure. Male pop album went to Juanes for La Vida...Es Un Ratico, another stellar project from him. Gloria Estefan, her husband Emilio and two other songwriters taking best tropical song for "Pintame De Colores" from her exceptional CD, 90 Millas. I'm OK with Emilio Navaira winning best Tejano album for De Nuevo. But come on, it's obvious he got that on sympathy votes because of his recent accident. Otherwise that award probably would have gone to perennial winners Jimmy Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz or Freddie Martinez.

Photo: Yay Kany! (Sony BMG)

So the 9th annual Latin Grammy Awards are a little more than an hour old and already there's an annoying trend. What's up with all the forced collaborations onstage? We saw Juanes with John Legend, Jenni Rivera with brother Lupillo Rivera, Olga Tañón with Ms. Rivera and Vikki Carr, Flex with Belinda. It's as if the producers of the show, held in Houston this year, figure the crowd watching suffers from attention deficit disorder and needs a sensory overload to stay focused. For me, it did the opposite. I frequently lost track of the musical progressions because there was always somebody new thrown at you mid-song.

Photo: The always provocative Jenni Rivera (Caesar Lima).

The Grammy Museum celebrates its grand opening Dec. 3-7 in downtown Los Angeles. The 32,000 square foot, four-floors facility "will explore and celebrate the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music," according to a press release sent today by The Recording Academy. The museum will also feature interactive, permanent and traveling exhibits. The to-be-revealed museum coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards, still considered the most prestigious music honor. For more info on the Grammy Awards, visit www.grammy.com.

Photo courtesy of CBS.

Screen grab of Amy Winehouse's performance in London via satellite

• Slideshow: See photos from the show
• Thor's story: Awards show roundup
• Mario's story: Performance roundup
• Winners: Complete list of winners and nominees

I am. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters wins Album of the Year? I thought that the major awards would be split this year, but this is a left-field selection if ever there was one ... did the others all cancel themselves out?

I think so: one rock album, one retro-pop album, one hip-hop album, one country album and one jazz album were nominated. And Herbie is by far the most revered name of the five throughout the industry. The curmudgeonly Grammy voter base strikes again!

....the tux is a good look, but will seems constrained, like he's ready to rip the jacket off, toss the hat, jump in the aisle and do some pop-locking. It's nice to Usher looking well after losing his dad last month....his own foray into fatherhood looks like it's treating him well, but Quincy looked ready to nod off for a minute.
Dag....another shot at Kanye! Ursh may want to rethink that, he might want a collabo with the rapper for the new upcoming CD. Congrats on the win Herbie, it's SO overdue! He's ignoring the exit music, but this moment was an overwhelming one for the musician, we'll give the man a pass....

... and I have to say that Little Richard is winning handily.

John Fogerty, Jerry Lewis and Little Richard; now THERE'S a sight you won't encounter again in this lifetime! Jerry's struggling a bit vocally, but given his age and hell-raising past, it's expected. Little Richard and Tina Turner must've run into each other at the Wig Depot from the looks of things, but he's still flamboyant fun to watch and listen to. I'm bracing myself for an inevitable 'SHUT UP!" any minute now....

What's with all the shagginess in this performance? I can forgive Andrea Bocelli, since he's blind and all. But come on, Josh -- how about mixing in a razor when you are performing a fairly classy song on music's most formal night of the year?

Seeing Pimp C on-screen, especially after learning of his cause of death, was startling. He had so much to offer the rap game, and the way his life ended, especially so soon after his release from prison, was tragic. And then there's the late Ike Turner, who passed away less than one year after winning his first Grammy...that was a bittersweet moment as well.

One of Amy Winehouse's favorite wine houses went up in flames last night: the Hawley Arms, which is also a haunt for that fascinating cantankerous Brit ex-couple, Pete Doherty and Kate Moss. (That's what Ms. Winehouse was alluding to with the "This is for London, 'cause Camden Town is burning down!" line that she closed her acceptance speech with.)

Just three weeks ago I was in Camden Town, which is the punky-artsy neighborhood that the Hawley Arms is located in. It's my favorite area in London, and I was crestfallen when I'd heard that the upper part of its famed outdoor market had gone up in flames on Saturday night. In that respect, I'm right there with you, Amy. Let's both hope that the Arms is open again in a couple of months (I'll be back in late March).

Maybe we can meet up and share a pint and a fag to celebrate, Amy? Eh, yeah ... Probably not.

I was thinking that it was kind of random, but now we know why the Time performed. This, from the AP:

Morris Day and The Time have recorded an fresh CD, their first in 18 years, and expect to tour again soon, band members said backstage at the Grammys.
“We plan on going into the studio and getting out on the road,” Morris Day, wearing a gold suit, said after the group performed a set with Rihanna.
“Don't lie to them,” guitarist Jesse Johnson said. “We've got an album in the can that's so ridiculous. We can't believe we did it.”
The group had been eating meals together the week before reuniting at the Grammys.
“We're having too much fun. We'll keep it going,” producer Jimmy Jam said.
Of performing with Rihanna, Day said: “I think she is a sexy young lady. I have kids as old as her, but I did enjoy it. That did not deter me from noticing at all.”

Sorry, folks. I'm not all that into Amy Winehouse. I understand why her music is resonating with Baby Boomers, music-industry insiders and pop cultural trainwreck chasers. She's awfully poetic; I'll say that ...

... but like the vast, vast majority of British pop acts, she's almost banally derivative. Her songs are proto-big band romps with sharp hooks and decent arrangements. It's her voice that makes them, as well as her delivery when she's sober, on and into the song.

Tonight via satellite, she was in and out of the songs. To my eyes she struggled at times, though it only took her a second or two to pull herself out of the trances she appeared to be nodding off toward. Dang, but she's got a fantastic voice for the material, though ...

And now she just won for Record of the Year. I get why (Mario? I feel ya here). But I don't necessarily agree with it.

"Uh ... thank you ... to everyone ... " Ugh. I think this will either clean her up or push her over the edge.

Amy could stand a few burgers (those matchstick legs are KILLING me!), but she does look bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and like she's certainly enjoying herself. Performing 'Rehab' with that self-possessed smirk on her face is priceless, by the way...

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration went to Rihanna and Jay-Z. Well, not my pick, but it did provide us with one of the (actually intentional) funnier moments. Jay-Z kept repeating parts of Rihanna's acceptance speech, saying nothing for himself. She was annoyed and showed it, punching him in the arm as they were exiting the stage. She should thank him; he's had his moments, now he's letting her have hers.

"Is that Brad Pitt? No ... Colin Farrell? Nope ... Oh heck! It's Juanes! Sweet!"

To heck with Brad Paisley. That Juanes dude is cool.

As it should be! Nobody, nobody, I mean NOBODY writes four CDs worth of material, divides them in styles and employs a house full of stellar musicians and vocalists. Oh, and there's not a bad song in the bunch. When Vince said making These Days took a year out of his life, all I have to say is....that was a year well spent!

The gentlemanly, stoic and measured Vince Gill, asking Kanye West if he's been handed an award by a former Beatle after he got his Grammy Award for Best Country Album from Ringo Starr?

Classic! I'm still rolling after seeing that! Bwaaa-hahaha! Take that, 'Ye! (at least he smiled with what seemed like good nature ... )

Boy howdy, that woman has it all. Fantastic and athletic voice, tenderness when needed and attitude when needed, piano chops up all sorts of wazoos ... she's even getting the mid-event wardrobe change down, even though that gold-and-black glittery blouse is a bit off the flattery radar in my eyes ...

But I will say this: those are the most magnificent pair of hoop earrings that I've ever laid eyes on. And I love me some hoops on a gal's lobes ...

And look at John Mayer fly on the guitar ... with a nice-n-neat semi-pompadour haircut and with almost no discernable face-making as he strums. I think Alicia's poise rubs off on him.

...Berry Gordy Jr. is certainly overdue for a tribute, and no one is better than Stevie Wonder to give it to him; he's sweet, humble, he's got jokes and knows when to get off the stage besides. The make-up is slathered on kinda thick, but Ms. Keys is becoming a more animated and bootylicious performer, which I'm sure her fans appreciate. Love the door-knocker earrings and the wild mop top Alicia, work it!

Not bad singing from the Detroit rapper-turned-Southern-rock impresario ...

... and he said the right words regarding the Best Rock Album Grammy. Foo Fighters deserved it with Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. It was probably a close race between he and Bruce Springsteen's Magic, I figure. But to me, Magic was only very, very good, as well as somewhat stilted in flow; it was not great. Bruce has another great CD in him, and I bet that the Grammy voters realize it. The Foos, as consistent as it's been, may not.

I love Feist, love that song, and I can't wait to see her this spring. But she is challenging John Mayer for the title of Monster Face Champ. Much the same way the Mayer's face goes all crazy when he's playing a guitar lick, she was cranking out the weird twitches. Just gets kind of distracting is all I'm sayin'...

I'm thinking not.

It took some guts to present "1, 2, 3, 4" to the Grammy audience as a near-acoustic and unaccompanied number with some scatty oddball horns for accompaniment. But to me, the performance fell flat because Leslie Feist's voice didn't project well at all (it never does, to be sure, in her case), and she appeared quite stiff and unnatural.

These aren't her homies. I'm just glad she got through it relatively unscathed.

Another 'DUH!' from the Academy; even my 80-year-old grandmother knows 'Umbrella,' they played the song so much. Jay-Z's flashes of ego wre unexpected, but after 12 years in the game, he's earned it. Rihanna kept her speech short and sweet and gave a shout-out to her daddy besides, awww.....

Daughtry's nomination speaks well of the band. Why is the drummer doing an impersonation of 'Itchy and Scratchy' at the podium? He's also looking around like he doesn't get out much. No offense Mike, but ew....

Wow---I remember this 'Sunshine...' song from my childhood, and the Clark Sisters look practically the same, give or take a few pounds/extensions. Aretha has lost a bit of weight, but that lime green/yellow (?) number wasn't the most flattering look for the Queen. Her vocals weren't hampered by her fashion sense, thank goodness.

OK, it's official -- Kanye West could not be more full of himself if he started eating his toes and worked his way up the rest of the way. His talk started out interesting when he spoke of the state of hip-hop and its importance, but when he started dissing Common and opining about who should win album of the year along with him, it got to be all about Kanye again. And then he gets mad when he runs out of time to pay tribute to his recently deceased mother. Here's a tip Kanye -- if you've got something really important to get out of your mouth on the stage, do it at the beginning, and then you can tell us how great you are until the music comes on.

I thought that the word 'mama' being carved into his head would keep his mind on her and keep him a bit more humble, but I guess not; Kanye talked all over the exit music, rambled and petulantly stayed on stage way past time. Celebrate, but get a clue Ye': it may be your home, but you still don't show out when company's watching.

Kanye, winning for Best Rap Album for The Graduation, mentioning his deceased mom in his acceptance speech and saying "it would be in good taste to stop the music now" as some electro-jazz soundtrack had been prompting him to wrap it up for a good half a minute.

The producers turned it down, then off. Good choice. All the Grammys would have needed was another dis' of Kanye. But I'm not so sure of his telling Common to release an album on a different year than he ...

...Chris Brown's candy cane tux is NOT the business; it looks like an eager nerd's at his first prom. Beyonce's sister Solange's outfit is also questionable, but Kanye's win certainly wasn't. Keep that futuristic bling Ye!!!

Love the guy, love the look, love his guitar chops (though I did notice a muff on one of the closing riffs). But man ... where's the energy? His performance was clean, efficient and mega-twangy ... but he and everyone else just stood there. He really didn't look like he was having much fun ... Mario? Was Brad just not feelin' it 'cause these weren't his CMA peeps?

Brad Paisley is so cool. That says it all.

I must say that Foo Fighters performance of "The Pretender" was exciting. I'm not a rocker at heart like Mike is, and my knowledge of the Foos is really limited, but that was a firecracker of a stage stint. Go, Dave, go!

... 'cause the Foos just have too much energy to keep a lid on ... heh.

... but really: Why can't all of the performances be inside the Staples Center? This trend toward live-music performances being held outside the actual events that they're supposedly associated with is one that I'm not totally on board with. Seems to me that the peeps inside the ceremony are being robbed a bit ... and in this case, aren't the peeps inside the ceremony the ones being honored with performances by nominated bands?

Oh, wait: this is a TV telecast that darn near didn't have anyone to write exchanges and dialogue for it. But isn't that more of a reason for all of the performers to be inside the Staples Center?

Check out the AP's roundup of random quotes heard at the awards:

"Frank Sinatra looked good for 150, didn't he?" — Prince, after Sinatra appeared in archival footage in a duet with Alicia Keys.

"Together these four men made music that changed the history of our planet. Tonight we honor the power of the Beatles. The power they still create in our lives." — Tom Hanks, introducing a tribute to the Beatles.

I adore Foo Fighters. I'm an admitted rocker at heart, and "The Pretender" is a fine, fine rock song. So excuse me while I stop thinking and bang my head for a few minutes ...

"Rehab" is far from my fave track on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. But it deserves song of the year. That song defined 2007, not only because it's from the year's most talked about newcomer (and deservedly so), but also because we live in a world increasingly filled with celebrities in rehab.

Amy is killing it tonight, and I bet Beyonce is picking herself up off the floor for not taking the trophy for 'Irreplacable.' That was a 10-week number one hit last year, but the loss could've been a casualty from B backlash....the writing's on the wall that talented or not, people are tired of seeing/hearing her everywhere and on practically everything. I'm tempted to pull out my driver's license just to make sure it's still my picture and not Beyonce's. Okay, I couldn't resist, it's still me, whew!