By: Mary Fran Bontempo
I’ll admit it: Watching the Grammy Awards makes me feel old.
About a million years ago, I knew most of the performers being recognized for their work in music. Their names were recognizable, the songs, sing-able.
Now, not so much.
With foul-mouthed “artists” (Isn’t it interesting that world-class singers like Frank Sinatra were simply called “crooners” while invective slinging rappers like Eminem are called “artists”? But I digress….) like Nicki Minaj, and songs like Pink’s “F***in’ Perfect” nominated for awards, it sometimes seems like the Grammys are celebrating the worst in music instead of the greatest achievements.
I’m betting one of the busiest people on Grammy night will be the person working the telecast’s censor button. Hey, here’s an idea for a Grammy party game: The person who guesses the correct number of bleeps wins a prize!
That said, the 54th annual Grammy awards, shown February 12th at 8 PM on CBS, does promise some relief from the profane assault. In addition to performances by Chris Brown (yes, the guy who beat up Rhianna), Lil’ Wayne, Deadmau 5 (Who?) and the potty-mouthed Minaj, viewers will hear some interesting vocal groupings as Tony Bennett performs with Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and relative newcomers The Band Perry join with Glen Campbell and The Beach Boys reunite for a number with chart-topping Maroon 5 and Foster the People.
And of course, no recent awards show would be complete without a performance by Taylor Swift, the darling country crossover “artist” who has taken the world by storm.
But if record sales are any indication, the night may well belong to sultry-voiced British import Adele, nominated this year for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. The 23-year-old’s husky, mellow tone is downright mesmerizing, as is evident by her firm grip on the top of the Billboard charts.
I plan on watching the Grammys, especially to hear Adele. As for the rest of the broadcast? I’ll have my finger on the remote’s “Mute” button—just in case.
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