Winehouse, West, and Music Veterans Rule Grammys

By Pamela Mortimer

It was a wild night. The nominees were as varied as the styles of music. From Amy Winehouse to Brad Paisley to Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin, the house was packed to the rafters with the most talented people in the industry. Well, except for Amy Winehouse. The troubled pop star, who had been nominated for six Grammys, wasn’t able to make the actual awards ceremony. In a performance via satellite, Winehouse belted out "You Know I’m No Good," a song reflective of her recent troubles with drugs and the law. Following was the smash hit "Rehab," performed in a London club with Winehouse’s marked defiance.

There had been a great deal of talk that Winehouse wouldn’t be able to do the performance, or if she did, it would be a train wreck. After spending time in rehab (despite her protestations of "no, no, no"), Winehouse had also been canceling performances. But the girl pulled through.

The final shocker of the night was when Winehouse lost the award for Album of the Year to jazz legend Herbie Hancock for his offering, "River: The Joni Letters."

"You know it’s been 43 years since the first and only time that a jazz artist got the album of the year award," Hancock said, then proceeded to honor "the giants upon whose shoulders I stand, some of whom like Miles Davis, John Coltrane ... unquestionably deserved the award in the past. But this is a new day that proves that the impossible can be made possible."

Other dramatic moments of the night included an impassioned performance by four-time winner Kanye West. West performed "an electric, glow-in-the-dark rendition" of "Stronger," followed by a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Donda West, who died just a couple months ago from complications after undergoing plastic surgery.

West won awards for Best Rap Album for "Graduation," Best Rap Song for "Good Life," Best Solo Performance for "Stronger," and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his alliance with Common on "Southside."

The orchestra, known for prompting award winners to move along, upset West when he began speaking about his mother, who was also his manager.

"It would be in good taste to stop the music," West said. The music stopped.

"I know you’re really proud of me right now and I know you want me to be the No. 1 artist in the world and Mama," West continued, "all I’m going to do is keep making you proud. We run this."

Other outstanding moments included a performance by the iconic Tina Turner, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Cirque Du Soleil’s tribute to the Beatles with "Love", and "Across the Universe," the Beatles’ inspired movie. Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, George Harrison’s widow, were in attendance for the show. A retro inspired Alicia Keys also stole the spotlight with a duet with the late Frank Sinatra, a la Natalie Cole’s performance with her late father, Nat King Cole.

"Frank Sinatra looked good for 150, didn’t he?" Prince joked before introducing Keys as the best female R&B vocal winner for her hit "No One."