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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.