By Adrienne Papp
What a great night for music! After a glamorous red carpet lead-in that featured Lady Gaga arriving in a large fiberglass egg, incubating for her evening’s performance, the 53rd annual music awards show kicked things into gear with a soaring tribute to the First Lady of Soul, that combined the inspired voices of Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) and Christina Aguilera in a medley of Franklin’s well-known hits. Each performer was given a chance to soar during the tribute and they didn’t disappoint.
Other standout performers during the broadcast included legends like Mick Jagger, Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan, along with current artists Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Muse, Arcade Fire and Lady Antebellum. This dynamic display of diverse musical styles and performers kept things exciting during the live telecast.
Despite the advertised problems of the record industry, this awards show served notice that the music scene is still going strong. Jagger’s performance, especially, as he pranced around on the Grammy stage for the first time singing “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” a tribute to soul great Solomon Burke, served notice that great rock and roll and soul music never dies.
Other performers of note included Barbra Streisand who sang her hit “Evergreen.” Rihanna and Drake performed their song “What’s My Name,” and Rhianna later joined Eminem on his “Love the Way You Lie.” Justin Bieber and Usher performed separately and together, and also brought in pal Jaden Smith during their performance. Cee Lo, a Muppets fan, performed in a peacock-like outfit with Gwyneth Paltrow and a band of Henson puppets, and pop favorites Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monáe combined their voices for a performance of “Nothin’ on You,” before Mars took a solo turn on his hit “Grenade.”
In key record categories, “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum won Song of the Year, and maybe as the biggest surprise of the night, Arcade Fire took the Album of the Year Grammy award Sunday night for their recording “The Suburbs,” – a real big surprise since the Canadian rockers beat out the favored Eminem. Another surprise winner was jazz bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding, who won for Best New Artist over the favored Justin Bieber, causing a lot of jaws to hit the floor. Wins by little known and Independent artists in categories that included the highly popular Bieber and Eminem added a phenomenon to the proceedings and avoided the predictable. It was a great way to start a New Year in music.
Viewers at home also got into the act, as the televised broadcast had its biggest audience in 11 years, according to the figures released by Nielsen. The 3 ½ hour broadcast, with its exciting and diverse group of performers and musical styles, attracted an audience of 26.7 million viewers, making the CBS broadcast the number one ranked show for the week.
About the Author of This Article: Lady Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View, Celebrity Society, Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, West Side Today among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicityand publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazineis owned by Atlantic United, Incwith Adrienne Pappbeing the majority shareholder.
About the Author of This Article: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist, economist and feature writer, who has written for many publications including Savoir; The Westside Today Publications ; such as Beverly Hills 90210; Malibu Beach; Santa Monica Sun; The Beverly Hills Times; Brentwood News; Bel-Air View ; Celebrity Society ; Celeb Staff ; It Magazine; Chic Today; LA2DAY; West Side Today among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicity and publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazine is owned by Atlantic Publicity that just opened a new extension to it : PublicityLosAngeles. Adrienne Papp is a member of the International Press Academy.She is the Founder, CEO and President of Youthful & Ageless ™, Bringing Information to Billions™, An Honorable Cause™ www.LatestAgeless.com. www.OurMediaVenuesAndCompanies.com, Atlantic Publicity Articles, Latest Ageless, Events Photo Collection, Linked In Profile, Movie Data Base Profile, Twitter, Instagram, Youthful and Ageless Google+, Atlantic Publicity Google+, Atlantic Publisher Google+, Adrienne Papp Google+, Adrienne Papp Personal Google+, Spotlight News Magazine, Atlantic Publicity Productions, Atlantic Altitude, Altitude Pacific, Atlantic Publicity Photography and Filming, About Adrienne Papp What Others Say AtlanticPublicitySEO, BrilliantMarketing365, An Honorable Cause, Academic Research, Knighthood Today, Youthful and Ageless™. She was knighted and became a Dame in 2010. Her official name is Lady Adrienne Papp and Dame Adrienne Papp. Voting Member of The International Press Academy and The Oscars: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is the Managing Editorial Director of The Beverly Hills Times Magazine, and Hollywood Weekly. She has a Master of Science in Economics majoring Logistics; an MBA Degree; An International Law, Trade and Finance Postgraduate: Marketing and Advertising Postgraduate from NYU and UCLA. Guest Professor at Oxford University; Director and Producer of TV and Airline On Camera Editorials; Adrienne Papp Enterprises