Grammys

50th Annual Grammy Awards - Live Blog

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― What a night! 1,064 nominees in 110 categories, 500 feet of red carpet and three-and-a-half hours of 2007's best music. I'm webcaster/web producer Jenn McBride with a behind-the-scenes look at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. 

Recording Academy Says 'Yes, Yes, Yes' Amy Winehouse

It's been a tumultuous year for "Record Of The Year," "Best New Artist" and "Song Of The Year" winner Amy Winehouse. Her fans were devastated when the U.S. Embassy said "No, No, No" to issuing her a visa. Then we heard she was coming. In the end, she didn't make it to Los Angeles, but her performance via satellite from London certainly didn't disappoint, AND she won five of the six awards she was up for. It's easy to see why: How often does an artist with such an unmistakable voice, raw talent (and a signature beehive hairdo) come along? I didn't want her to stop singing and wouldn't have been disappointed if she performed for the remaining 30 minutes of the show. However, when she thanked her "incarcerated Blake" it made us all realize that we were lucky to even see her perform after all she's been through this year.

Next Time, He'll Think Before He Cheats

"I vote for myself often, actually. I have no shame. I pay to be a member!" Carrie Underwood joked backstage after winning Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Before He Cheats." We all understood why she carved her name in that jerk's leather seats, so it was fitting that she incorporated some angry STOMP into her performance tonight. We don't think he'll cheat again, Carrie.

R.I.P. Luciano Pavarotti

Who better to pay tribute to the late tenor than Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban? The duo's angelic performance of "The Prayer" reminded us that we lost one of the world's best musicians this past year.

"No One" Like John And Alicia

No one rocked the stage like John Mayer and Alicia Keys. The Best Female R&B Performance winner and the Best Male Pop Vocal nominee opted for Keys "No One" instead of their duet, "Lesson Learned." Mayer and his signature guitar and Keys' powerful vocals left the crowd dancing and I'm guessing, fans searching the Internet for a recording of this magical performance.

Foo Fighters Win Big

"This doesn't get old!" Dave Grohl said when he took the stage with his fellow Foo Fighters to accept the award for "Best Rock Album." There certainly has been life after Nirvana for Grohl, who started the band nearly 13 years ago. (Can you believe it's been that long?) The group also took home an award for "Best Hard Rock Performance." No, Dave, six grammy awards in eight years can't possibly get old.

Feisty!

I absolutely love Feist. She's been around for a while, but her big break came last year when her hit song "1234" was featured in an Apple commercial. She may have lost "Best New Artist" to Amy Winehouse, but her performance was sensational tonight. No wonder she was nominated for, let's count them, 1, 2, 3, 4 awards!

Tina Turner Keeps On Turnin' Heads

Jaws dropped and some people even gasped in the press room when Tina Turner took the stage with Beyoncé. They both looked absolutely stunning in silver, and what a treat to have both beauties sing "Proud Mary."

A Tribute To The Beatles

They arguably shaped the past four decades of music, so it only makes sense that the 50th Annual Grammy Awards paid tribute to The Beatles with a performance by Cirque du Soliel. It was also more than fitting when Ringo Star later accepted the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for "Love." 

My Grammy Moment

Let's just say the My Grammy Moment contest has become an awesome tradition. Last year, Robyn Troup wowed us when she sang "My Love" alongside Justin Timberlake. This year, violinist Ann Marie Calhoun's beautiful sound brought a softer touch to the Foo Fighter's "The Pretender." How much fun is it to vote live, too?

Rihanna, Please 'Stop The Music'

There is no denying Rihanna is gorgeous. And every time it's pouring outside you catch yourself humming, "Grab the umbrella, ella, ella, ella…" But her performance with The Time tonight was hardly as exciting as it is when one of her catchy tunes comes on the radio. She certainly didn't have me screaming "please don't stop the music."

Rihanna Part II

"Dad, I know I promised you I'd give you my first Grammy, but we're going to have to fight for this one," Rihanna quipped when she and Jay-Z accepted the award for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" for "Umbrella." These two should be receiving a call from GEICO in approximately 12 hours. Jay-Z interrpreted Rihanna's thank you speech just like the "actors" in those redundant commercials, but it was cute when she gave him a soft punch on the arm to shut him up.

Hey, Momma

If you don't shed a tear when watching Kanye West sing the words "Last night I saw you in my dreams and now I can't wait to go to sleep, Momma," you have no heart. After getting the crowd fired up with his chart-topping hit, "Stronger," he left us all in tears. West's mother, Donda, passed away at the end of last year. Kanye took home four of the eight awards he was nominated for, including "Best Rap Album." When that dreadful "wrap-it-up" music came on as he was about to thank his mother early in the evening, he snapped, "It would be in good taste to stop the music then." He continued to thank her and vowed, "Momma, all I'm gonna do is keep making you proud." I'm sure he is.

Hooray For Herbie

Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang's performance of "Rhapsody In Blue" (with an unbelievable orchestra) was simply mesmerizing. I actually thought it was one the highlights of the entire night, so when Hancock accepted the final award for "Album of the Year" for "River: The Joni Letters" it was the perfect segue into the "Sergeant Pepper" finale. What a show!

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