Santana Wins Big at Latin Grammys

September 14 -- The inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, held Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was as polished as any other major entertainment-awards show. Which is to say, audiences were treated to bad jokes, so-so musical numbers, jaw-dropping fashions, and Melanie Griffith sounding like a spooked 5-year-old (is that all the Spanish that Antonio's taught her?) as she fumbled through her presentation spiel.

On the other hand, the ceremony — the first awards on prime-time U.S. television dedicated to Spanish- and Portuguese-language music — didn't end with a brawl, nor were any of the performers arrested, unlike the Source Hip-Hop Awards or last week's 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

Veteran musician Santana — who is rapidly running out of space on his mantle for gold statuettes — added to his collection of eight awards won at the regular Grammys in February, taking home the Record of the Year prize for his collaboration with Mexican band Maná on "Corazon Espinado." Both also won top honors in their respective pop categories for group and instrumental performances.

The Album of the Year honor went to Mexican crooner Luis Miguel for Amarte Es un Placer; "Tu Mirada," from that disc, scored him the award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Marc Anthony's "Dimelo" won the Song of the Year prize for its co-songwriters Anthony (who missed the show, due to complications with his wife's pregnancy), Robert Blades, Angie Chirino, and Cory Rooney.

Raspy-voiced Colombian singer Shakira won two Latin Grammys, one for Best Female Rock Vocal Performances for "Octavo Diá" and the other for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ojos Así." Ibrahim Ferrer, septuagenarian star of Buena Vista Social Club, was anointed Best New Artist.

In between dishing out prizes and introducing presenters, co-hosts Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, and Jimmy Smits fumbled through horrible banter invoking Christina Aguilera's bellybutton, Ricky Martin's underwear, and Britney Spears' breasts ("the finest congas money can buy").