Question: I was surprised to hear that both the Grammys and Oscars suffered some of their lowest ratings ever this year. Initially, I thought viewership would be "normal" considering the lack of new television on the air due to the writers' strike. Do you think the popularity of nominees affects awards-show viewership?
Answer: The lack of popular/populist best-picture nominees seems to have hurt the Oscars a bit, if you listen to some of the officials and analysts who've been quoted. Not so sure what the deal was with the Grammys; I was away when the show aired, but I thought they did a fair job promoting it as a big 50th-anniversary event. My take on all of this is to blame the aftereffects of the strike. TV viewership is depressed pretty much across the board, especially when it comes to entertainment (it didn't hurt the Super Bowl this year), and I can't help wondering if this whole sorry strike spectacle didn't simply sour many people against watching Hollywood come out to play — o ...
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Amy Winehouse by Barry Brecheisen/ WireImage.com
Amy Winehouse may be on her way to drug recovery, but she's still not feeling another court date. The singer's lawyer has asked a court in Bergen, Norway, to postpone a hearing set for Friday.Winehouse and husband Blake Fiedler-Civil were arrested in Bergen in October for possession of a quarter ounce of pot, and were released after one day and paying $715 each. Although Winehouse appealed the fine, the po-po in Norway are serious about making Amy appear for her day in court. The recent teary-eyed Grammy winner insists she never got an official letter regarding her day in court, but to the Norwegian fuzz, you don't need a letter to make it official — even for a winner of five Grammys. — Anna DimondRelated:• Winehouse Says No, No, No to Rehab No More
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Just as Natalie Cole and Amy Winehouse exited the après-Grammys ring, Aretha Franklin pulled Beyoncé in, taking issue with Ms. Knowles' introduction of Tina Turner at Sunday night's awards show. Setting the stage for her duet with Turner, Beyoncé name-checked Franklin and other high-caliber songstresses before hailing Tina as "one legend who has the essence of all of those things: the glamour, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent. Ladies and gentlemen... give it up for the queen."And that was a royal mistake. "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé," Franklin said in a statement. "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."Related:• Natalie Cole Disses "Crazy" Amy Winehouse's Grammys • The Grammys' Best and Worst Moments
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Natalie Cole by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com and Amy Winehouse by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
God bless the free-speaking elders. Former Grammy winner Natalie Cole told reporters at one of Sunday night's after-parties that Amy Winehouse is talented but "crazy," and that quintet of wins was questionable... all things considered. "I don't think she deserved it," the New York Daily News quotes Cole (herself no stranger to battles with drink and more) as saying. "She needs to get her life together first, and then get the awards later." (OK, but by that standard just how long would any Grammys ceremony be?) Overhearing Cole's rant, Ringo Starr commented, "Man, those are some grapes" — and no, a fruit platter was not being offered to him at the time. Nelly, for one, defended Winehouse's accolades, telling the News, "You can't hate a person for their personal life."
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Rihanna by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
Rihanna was in a fender-bender Sunday night after the Grammy Awards, where she had just won best Rap/Sung Collaboration for her smash hit with Jay-Z. The smashing of her car, however, went down when she was leaving the Island-Def Jam after-party. The accident occurred when she got into her waiting car on her way out. Rihanna's rep confirmed that another car rammed into hers, while still parked. No one was hurt in the incident — although there's been no word on whether the star's Grammy was still intact. — Anna Dimond
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Kanye West Performs “Stronger” with Daft Punk and “Hey Mama”As much as the cocky rapper continues to irk us with his high and mighty comments regarding who deserves certain awards (that acceptance speech definitely put us over the edge—see it here if you missed it), we still have to admit he is a damn good performer. His Kanye-from-the-future performance of “Stronger” was equally as good as his tribute to his mama. Amy Winehouse Performs and “Rehab” Via Satellite We all were waiting with baited breath to see if Amy Winehouse would either pull a Britney or kill it when it came time for her live satellite performance. Despite all the insanity going on in her life, Winehouse still managed to pull off a pretty good performance. You could see she was full of nerves, but she sung right through them and even managed to smirk for the cameras when it came time for the irony of her song lyrics in “Rehab.”Across the Universe CastPerforms T...
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Herbie Hancock by Michael Caulfield/ WireImage.com
The Grammy Awards celebrated their 50th birthday by showering kudos upon someone who could not even attend the show in person. Amy Winehouse, the famously troubled Brit who had to "appear" on the telecast via satellite (due to visa/rehab problems), walked away with five trophies, including best new artist and best song ("Rehab"). "I can't believe I've won five awards," Winehouse said after the ceremony, during which she performed "Rehab" with a knowing wink (literally) and "You Know I'm No Good." The 24-year-old later dedicated her record of the year win to "my [husband] Blake, my Blake incarcerated."Perhaps the biggest upset was dealt by Herbie Hancock, whose River: The Joni Letters won album of the year, an honor rather publicly sought by Kanye West. Though West afterward claimed to be "good" with the outcome, he blew past the post-show interview rooms and instead only posed for photos.One last note of interest: Obama defeats Clinton! Presidential candidate Barack Obama bested Bil...
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BEST MOMENTS1) The Beatles TributeGoosebump city!2) The Foo Fighters' outdoor concertThey rocked so hard, and frankly deserved more kudos than Rock Album of the Year.3) Tina and BeyoncéEven though Tina looked like a robot, she can move! And Beyoncé was a nice complement.4) KanyeHis cool Tron number and moving tribute to his mama were very cool.5) Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban I can't believe I just wrote those names together, and under a Best Grammy Moments header... but there's nothing else to talk about!WORST MOMENTS1) John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little RichardSloppy, weird and embarrassing (in no particular order).2) Alicia Keys and John MayerAlicia sounded squeaky, and John had the tiniest cameo at the end. What a disappointment.3) Beyoncé's weird dance/talk intro to Tina TurnerWhat the hell was that?4) Carrie UnderwoodBizarre set decorations clashed with one weird outfit for this overhyped number.5) Amy Winehouse Talk about sloppy. She looked like she was ...
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11:27: Hang on to your Kanyes! And the winner is... (Usher reminds Kanye there are no losers) the winner is HERBIE FREAKIN' HANCOCK! OMG... Kanye must be wiggin' hardcore. It's kind of satisfying. What a fitting end to a mediocre night.Thanks for hanging with me this evening! Wow, what a bizarre night. Next up, my best/worst moments of the night.Now playing on TVGuide.com's Grammy Awards site:• Review our complete list of winners and nominees• Check our editors' predictions. Do you agree?• Vote for your favorites in our reader poll!• Browse photos of Grammy highlights, on and off the stage• Watch videos of your favorite nominees• And, of course, the live Grammys recap blog
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11:12: What the hell is John Fogerty doing on stage with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard? My brain is about to explode.Wow, I'm so freaked out by how old and decrepit Jerry Lee Lewis is. He can still play the piano, but damn is his timing and balance off. He looks like he'll fall over any minute. Someone help him! Here comes Little Richard singing "Good Golly, Miss Molly," just in time! He's very understated in white and rhinestones, and a mullet to end all mullets. Awesome.Now playing on TVGuide.com's Grammy Awards site:• Review our complete list of winners and nominees• Check our editors' predictions. Do you agree?• Vote for your favorites in our reader poll!• Browse photos of Grammy highlights, on and off the stage• Watch videos of your favorite nominees• And, of course, the live Grammys recap blog
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