Showbiz Commentary: Heidi Oringer
L O S A N G E L E S, Feb. 23 -- I waited patiently for the controversy — the flaming cars outside the Staples Center, the fistfights between Eminem lovers and haters, the mail bombs going off at GLAAD headquarters, the general chaos that promised to surround the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.
I'm still waiting, folks.
There was nothing. No fuss, no muss, just a lot of hype. I'm glad no one was hurt and there was no violence, but boy, talk about blowing smoke …
The Grammy Awards were decent. Performances by such acts as U2, Destiny's Child, Macy Gray, 'N Sync and Faith Hill were nice — a word often used to describe someone's unattractive cousin.
Elton Polka-Dotted, Eminem Bleeped
Madonna's big splash of an opening number wasn't much at all. First, she was completely dressed. She arrived onstage in a limo covered in mirror ball glass. It was a little too showy for my taste, although we'd expect nothing less from Ms. Madonna. (I would've done a feather-coated Humvee.)
Surprisingly, hearing her sing "Music" without a recording studio backup was, in a word, "ugly." The dancers/minions afforded some distraction, but her voice still shone through — the way the sun comes through that crack in the drapes and right into your eyeball when you're hung over.
I'd also like to mention that I'm even more disappointed in her shameless plug for her husband, director Guy Ritchie. The license plate on the car read "SNATCHED."
One of the outstanding performances (there were some), was the collaboration of Jill Scott, Moby and Blue Man Group. It was definitely a thrill. Eyeballs blinking, things flying around. It was a multicultural Cirque du Soleil. The performance was soulful and exciting and it's a good thing because it came halfway through the show and everyone needed a little pick-me-up to keep them from snoring through part deux of the ceremony.
And, of course, the much-ballyhooed Eminem/Elton John performance of "Stan" came toward the very end of the broadcast. From what I could tell, the engineer had a rough time bleeping the curse words, but there was no earth-shattering moment, no big crescendo, just Elton in one ugly pink polka-dotted suit and an overzealous audience who sprung to its feet for the night's only standing ovation. As my grandfather used to say, "Yep, yep, yep, yep. Thought so."
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