The Grammys: In The House of Kobe, The Show Must Go On

The 62nd Grammy Awards went on Sunday night, hours after former basketball star Kobe Bryant and nine others went to their deaths in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles.  The event was held at the Staples Center, where Bryant had long starred for the NBA Lakers.  His presence was felt by the two uniforms numbered 8 and 24 hanging in the rafters.

Alicia Keys, who did her best to host the proceedings on the CBS telecast, did so in a manner that resembled a new age life coach trying to make sense to viewers in the wake of tragedy and Kobe shout-outs.  Oh yes, she sang and played the piano too.

Billie Eilish was the big winner, taking home the top four prizes:  Best New Artist, Album of the Year ("When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"), and Song and Record of the Year for "Bad Guy".  Nobody has done that since Christopher Cross four decades ago. (Anyone here remember "Arthur" and "Ride Like The Wind"?)  Eilish is 18.

Lizzo, the ubiquitous presence from TV commercials who spent enough time in Minnesota to qualify as an honorary citizen, didn't get as many Grammys as some had thought.  But she did get three, including Best Pop Solo Performance for "Truth Hurts".  Maybe it's that Minnesota Vikings reference . . .

Not a word was uttered during the telecast about Deborah Dugan, who was briefly Recording Academy president before being let go for allegedly being a "toxic" influence in the work environment there.  She fired back with an EEOC complaint, alleging conflict of interest, racial discrimination and sexual harassment within the Academy.

But there was plenty of room in the three-and-a-half-hour telecast for a lengthy musical tribute to outgoing TV director Ken Ehrlich, an all-star cast performing a number from "Fame" that served as a plug for the Academy's music education program.  Yes, it was one of those "only at the Grammys" moments Ehrlich helped put together over the past 40 years.

As the first month of 2020 comes to a close, the future of music according to the Grammys appears to be a green-haired teenage girl honing her talent in the bedroom with her brother, turning out songs of depression and climate change.  Which, when you think about it, is a reflection of the world we live in now.  Losing Kobe Bryant on a day of celebrating music is another.