Grammys pay tribute to Jackson

The Grammys rode the 3D wave today with a special effects laden tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Usher performed in the tribute, mingling their voices with the voice of the late King of Pop against the backdrop of a 3D film featuring Jackson's 1995 eco-friendly Earth Song.

Free 3D glasses were distributed across the US so viewers could watch the show in 3D from their living rooms.
The Grammys' 3D effort follows the huge success of James Cameron's Avatar, which recently became the highest-grossing movie worldwide.

Jackson's children - Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11 - appeared after the tribute to accept a lifetime achievement award for the singer, who died in June of a prescription drug overdose.
"We are proud to accept this award on behalf of our father," Prince said.

There were plenty of other spectacular moments during the Grammys telecast, which opened with the flamboyant Lady Gaga performing her hit Poker Face in a glittery green butterfly outfit, falling prey to a faux kidnapping onstage and then materialising to perform opposite Elton John.
Multiple Grammy winner Beyonce belted out If I Were A Boy while Pink sang Glitter In The Air scantily clad and suspended from the air on a rope above the audience.


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Beyoncé, Swift score key Grammy Awards

It's turning out to be ladies night at the Grammy Awards as chart-toppers Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga dominated the stage at popular music's biggest night.

Coming into Sunday with a leading 10 nominations, pop diva Beyoncé proved a dominant force as she picked up four trophies at the non-televised Los Angeles gala Sunday afternoon: contemporary R&B album for I am...Sacha Fierce, best R&B song and best female R&B vocal performance for Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) and traditional R&B performance for At Last, from the film Cadillac Records.

She then earned the televised show's first award of the night — song of the year for Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) — and turned in a spirited performance of her song If I Were a Boy and Alanis Morissette's You Outta Know. Country ingenue Swift was honoured with the best country album Grammy for her bestselling release, Fearless.

"This is my first time walking up those stairs to accept a Grammy on national television!" she exclaimed. "I just feel like I'm standing here accepting an impossible dream."
She showed as much enthusiasm as when she accepted a pair of trophies (female country vocal performance and country song for White Horse) at the pre-show ceremony and declared, "This is my first Grammy, you guys!"

Outrageous dance-pop artist Lady Gaga kicked off Sunday night's broadcast with a fiery, eye-popping performance that segued into a duet with British icon Elton John. She too started the gala with a pair of Grammys already under her belt: dance recording for Poker Face and electronic/dance album for The Fame.
The Black Eyed Peas, another top contender this year, came into the broadcast having already won a trio of Grammys: for their album The E.N.D. (pop vocal album) and their hit songs I Gotta Feeling (pop performance by a duo or group with vocals) and Boom Boom Pow (short-form music video).

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Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga lead the way at 52nd Grammys

Divas and dance pop will rule the 52nd Grammy Awards Sunday. Whether their prominence says something about the need for escapism after a year in which reality TV shows were better than brutal reality or about the music industry's glomming onto pop success in an attempt to shore up its ever-shrinking bottom line, is anyone's guess.

At this year's popular-music celebration -- airing live from L.A.'s Staples Center at 8 p.m. on WFOR-CBS 4 -- Beyoncé, with 10 nods for I Am . . . Sasha Fierce, tops the nominations the way she has topped the charts and pop consciousness. Country-pop teen queen Taylor Swift follows with eight for Fearless, and Lady Gaga, who makes drag queens look demure, has five for The Fame. All three are up for the big categories of Album, Record and Song of the Year.

Ruling urban dance tribe Black Eyed Peas (with trademark femme Fergie) has six nods, including Album and Record of the Year, for The E.N.D. So does misbehaving rapper Kanye West, but his nominations are mostly for rap collaborations rather than for the major categories he has dominated in the past. No rap artists are nominated in the big, general categories, in contrast to recent years when Lil Wayne and West were widely lauded.

Most of the top nominees will perform Sunday night: Beyoncé, the Peas, Swift and Gaga. Dave Matthews Band, the lone rockers up for Album of the Year, will also play, as will Southern rock newbies Zac Brown Band, the token Best New Artist nominee.

A tribute to Michael Jackson features Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher and will include the premiere of a 3-D mini-movie for Earth Song that Jackson created for his This Is It tour. And the Recording Academy, in a bid for relevance and digital visibility, will let fans follow the awards on Facebook and Twitter.

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Lady Gaga, Green Day, Pink to play at Grammys

Lady Gaga, Pink, Green Day, Dave Matthews Band and Zac Brown Band are the latest acts scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards on January 31, organizers said Tuesday.

Taylor Swift to Perform at Grammys

Taylor Swift, whose eight Grammy nominations are second only to Beyoncé's 10, will be a performer and presenter at 52nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, an inside source tells PEOPLE.

The 20-year-old practically stole the show at the Grammys last February by performing a duet with Miley Cyrus of the song "Fifteen," featured on Taylor's album Fearless.

Grammy Awards' best and worst moments

Here's a look at some of the highlights and lowlights at this year's Grammy Awards telecast:

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WAY TO GO, J-HUD: Jennifer Hudson has a Grammy to go with that Oscar. A week after her return to the national stage at the Super Bowl, the actress-singer picked up the first award of the telecast, Best R&B Album for her namesake solo disc. Hudson's victory is bittersweet, coming several months after the killings of her mother, brother and nephew. In her acceptance speech, Hudson gushed: "I'm just in awe right now. ... I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are here today."

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JT MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER: Justin Timberlake performing "Let's Stay Together" alongside Al Green was a top-notch moment. Yeah, Keith Urban and Boyz II Men were somewhere on stage, but all eyes were on Timberlake's smooth moves and harmonies with Green.

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JONAS BROTHERS' WORST NIGHTMARE: Poor Nick and Joe Jonas, two-thirds of the pop-rock phenomenon. Who knows what went through the siblings' minds when their respective exes, teen phenoms Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift, took center stage to perform an acoustic duet of Swift's song "Fifteen."

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BEST PERFORMANCE AND WORST OUTFIT BY A PREGNANT WOMAN: Rapper M.I.A., who was due to give birth Grammy night, held her own during an all-boys' rap summit on "Swagga Like Us" with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and T.I. But, oh, that outfit. She exposed her belly in a sheer black top — or was it a dress? — that had a bikini cutout design, strategically covering her chest.

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KANYE EGO MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: West showed some sour grapes at not being recognized for being the greatest gift the music world has ever seen. The brash hip-hop star and singer Estelle presented the award for Best New Artist, and West couldn't resist slamming Grammy for bestowing the honor to past winners John Legend and Amy Winehouse "but somehow, not to either one of us."

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A TRIBUTE TO NEW ORLEANS: Robin Thicke, Lil Wayne and Allen Toussaint did the city justice with their rousing, soulful collaboration, supported by a brass band that had the audience on its feet.

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HE JUST WANTS TO DANCE: Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was way more animated than usual, dancing energetically during the band's performance of "15 Step."

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AN OVERDUE GRAMMY: The Four Tops, which never won music's highest honor, finally received their due with a lifetime achievement award; sadly, the group's lone surviving member, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, could not share it with his three former bandmates. But he did turn out one of the night's more memorable performances, joined by Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo and Jamie Foxx in a medley of the band's greatest hits. - AP

Whitney Houston makes triumphant comeback at pre-Grammy party

A stunning-looking and strong-sounding Whitney Houston made a triumphant return to the stage at a pre-Grammy party honoring her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis.

"I've got it, I've got it!" Houston, looking glamorous in a skintight leopard dress, sang early Sunday morning as she belted a line from one of her classic hits, "I'm Every Woman." But more than a lyric, it summarized to the crowd of A-list superstars and top industry execs that the superstar - whose drug use and erratic behavior had caused a shocking fall from grace just a few years ago - was back in top form.

"We all crossed our fingers that her beautiful story would end (happily)," said Jamie Foxx, who stood at the front of the stage and took video of Houston like he was just another fan in the crowd. "This is a new begining."

Houston's mini-concert put an exclamation point on a night that included a rousing performance by Kelly Clarkson, an unlikely but magical duet between Jennifer Hudson and Barry Manilow and a rambling monologue by Kanye West.

"I have to bow in the presence of greats right now," West said as he looked out into the crowd, which at one point included Sir Paul McCartney, Prince, Diddy, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Quincy Jones, and other luminaries.

"I'm just humbled by your greatness, and also Clive," West told the audience.

Davis, the music mogul who founded labels, signed greats ranging from Houston to Bruce Springsteen to Janis Joplin, and resuscitated the careers of veterans like Rod Stewart and Carlos Santana, was honored by the Recording Academy as an industry icon on Saturday, hours before Sunday's Grammys. For nearly three decades, Davis' pre-Grammy party and concert had become one of the industry's most coveted invites; this year, the Recording Academy took the event over and honored Davis instead.

But while Davis got an award, he still held court like it was his own party, acting as the evening's host as he introduced performers like Stewart, the Kings of Leon and Leona Lewis.

Diddy got the often staid crowd on their feet with a moving rendition of his tribute to the slain Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You," with Biggie's widow, singer Faith Evans, and a gospel choir.

Clarkson got one of the evening's biggest ovations with her performance of her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You" and the Joplin gem "Piece of My Heart."

But Hudson was perhaps the night's biggest star - until Houston hit the stage. Starting with the Super Bowl last Sunday, Hudson has been raising her profile after spending months in seclusion following the slayings of her mother, brother and nephew last October.

A smiling Houston performed her hit "Spotlight," which earned her one of her four Grammy nominations, and got a standing ovation from the crowd. But she raised the bar with a pairing with Barry Manilow, injecting one of his signature songs, "Weekend in New England," with a lacking ingredient - soul.

Afterward, the Oscar-winner joined the audience (and friend Fantasia), stood in the front and danced and sang as Houston performed. Houston started off with "I Will Always Love You," but didn't hit the high, sustaining notes that made the song such a dramatic, stirring hit. Instead, she kept her voice at medium power, deciding to croon rather than soar.

But as she got into hits like "It's Not Right, But It's O.K.," her voice appeared to get stronger - and louder, and while she never replicated the vocal gymnastics of some of her past work, delivered a mesmerizing performance nonetheless.

The 45-year-old, one of the best-selling artists of all time and among the greatest singers, hasn't made an album since 2002. Then she was was sinking due to drug use and a tumultuous personal life - a far cry from the princess image she cultivated since her debut in the 1980s.

But the singer is expected to release an album sometime this year, and unlike other reported returns, this comeback seems to be the real deal.

"She was on it, she was happy - she's back," said Foxx. "Everybody else watch out."

The Grammys air on Sunday on CBS. - AP