At The Grammys, The Rewards Go To The (Taylor) Swift

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It was billed as "Ladies Night" at the 52nd Grammy Awards Sunday night with Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift leading the pack (and CBS' promotional push) in nominations and in-demand performances.  And that it was, but there were a couple of interlopers.

Six Grammys went to Beyonce (a record for a female performer) mostly for "Single Ladies", one of which was for Song of the Year, an award that goes to the songwriter.  Considering that she's a married lady now, she's already got her ring courtesy of Jay-Z.  So for her, the song is out of date now, isn't it?

Taylor Swift's album "Fearless" won some Grammys, including Album of the Year.  And Kanye West was nowhere in sight.  She even performed with Stevie Nicks, which might not have been a wise idea since Nicks' voice is more powerful than Swift's.  It'll be more interesting to see how her career pans out when she's had a little more life under her belt.

We mentioned the interlopers.  Record of the Year didn't go to a woman, as was expected.  Instead, it went to "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon.  And the Best New Artist went to the Zac Brown Band, who will now take their place with those past winners who have since found success.  If we only knew who they were.

Other things we took from the Grammys:

• Lady Gaga opened the TV show duetting with Elton John.  Which is only appropriate because both of them share a taste for outrageous wardrobes.
• The Grammys' inevitable tribute to Michael Jackson, who died last year, was wasted on a weak "heal the world" tune that was broadcast in 3D.  (Even without those glasses, seeing it can still induce headaches)  Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Usher became backup singers to an invisible voice. For this Jackson received a special award, which was accepted by his two children. But it was better than an all-star cast attempting to sing Jackson's classics.
• Instead of the usual pronouncements of celebrities pretending to care for the plight of Hatians, we got Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli collaborating on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as their musical tribute to that earthquake-stricken country.  One thing:  In Haiti, those bridges crumbled.  And the ones that are still standing aren't the ones you'd want to be anywhere near right now.
• We also got a rap collaboration between Drake, Eminem and Lil' Wayne, in which half of the lyrics were bleeped out by CBS.  And you wonder why hip hop is so popular.