Grammys in Your Jammies 2012

Hello faithful blog readers, it's time for the annual Grammys in Your Jammies post. This year feels both very sad and very exciting. Sad because of the sudden death of Whitney Houston yesterday, exciting because Adele is going to make her triumphant return to the stage tonight. I really do think she deserves to win tonight. I'm excited about LL Cool J hosting... I don't know why, but I've always liked him. I was wondering how they were going to honor Whitney - I liked LL Cool J's prayer... I like that they weren't afraid to pray - a very touching tribute.

I've never really posted a picture of the legendary Grammys in Your Jammies, but I decided to do one today. Shadow very grudgingly participated:

Camping Out On The Sofa

Performance Reviews

Bruce Springsteen: I could have done without the very 90's earrings, but he's a rocker so I guess he can get away with it. The man can still rock and "We Take Care of Our Own" is a pretty catchy tune. I really liked this performance. Mike and I even looked up tickets to his 2012 tour just now - sadly, he's going to be in San Jose on a Tuesday night and we both have to work on Wednesday. Boo. I bet it would be a great show!

Bruno Mars: I love, love, love the old school vibe to his performances. From the pompadour hair to the cheesy choreography, I love it all. I bought his album last year and was really impressed by it. I think his concert would be another really fun one to go to.

Alicia Keys & Bonnie Raitt: They sang "A Sunday Kind of Love" as a tribute to Etta James. Bonnie Raitt still has an amazing voice - I was really surprised because I haven't heard much from her in the last few years.I would have rather seen Alisha Keys at a piano instead of a cheesy sounding keyboard, but I think this was a pretty good performance.

Chris Brown: I've had a hard time with this guy ever since he beat the crap out of Rihanna. I'm fairly certain that he was lipsynching "Turn Up The Music", which completely pisses me off since this is the freaking Grammys... a show about MUSIC. And what the heck was up with the guys with the capes and SARS masks? Two thumbs down on this one.

Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson: I absolutely love "Don't You Want To Stay". Oops - they forgot to turn her microphone on. I love when two people dueting a love song sing to each other like they're really in love. I liked her voice a little better in this performance than his... he seemed a little bit nervous and warmed up as the song went on. And now his microphone died. Get it together Grammys.

Foo Fighters: Maybe I missed it, but why are the Foo Fighters performing in the parking lot? Mike thinks they wanted a rock audience to play in front of and that the Staples center might have been a little too high brow. Their song was called "Walk" from their latest album. I love the Foos (as I call them) because they're true to their music and just legitimately a great band.

Rihanna & Coldplay: I have never really been a Rihanna fan - something about her voice just kind of irks me. Her dancing looks like it's out of an 80's aerobics video. I think she was lipsynching too - there was a point where she moved the microphone away and the singing kept going. So lame. She sang the whole first song alone ("We Found Love" in case you're wondering) which really doesn't constitute singing with Coldplay. Chris Martin came out to sing "Princess of China" a capella and then she joined him on the yodeling. It was really bad. Just plain not a good match up in my opinion. Finally the band joined in, which was a little better, but I wasn't really a fan of this one.

Maroon 5, Foster The People & The Beach Boys: I love Adam Levine and I think he did a great job on "Surfer Girl". I haven't heard of Foster The People, but I really liked their version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice". I'm not sure what their normal music sounds like, but they did a great job covering. It was great to see the Beach Boys back on stage - who doesn't love their awesome sound?! "Good Vibrations" sounded awesome and I can't believe these guys can still sing that well!

Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, & Diana Krall: First of all, I love Joe Walsh. I wasn't a super huge fan of this song ("My Valentine"). It was sort of sad and weird and all minor. I like my love songs to be in major keys. The whole performance was a little blah for my taste and if you didn't know who Diana Krall was, you wouldn't have even known she was there...

The Civil Wars: I haven't really heard of them, but I sorta dug their weird little song. Mike liked them too.

Taylor Swift: While I think her songs are catchy on the radio, I think her performances haven't really improved over the years. In fact, she tends to be just a little off key, which I find disappointing (although it does prove that she's not lipsynching... so she's got that going for her). I'm also a little tired of the teen-angsty songs... Taylor, you're 22 now. Move on to grown up topics.

Katy Perry: I don't really understand the draw to Katy Perry. I don't love her voice, I don't love the blue hair and she doesn't really dance. She comes across like a Bible school version of Lady Gaga, without the voice and without the balls.

Adele: I think she is so beautiful and I love how she stuck with a simple dress.  I'm so happy that her voice is back and that she's able to sing again. I absolutely love "Rolling In The Deep". I really love her performance style - just stand in the middle of the stage and sing your heart out. I absolutely loved this performance.

The Band Perry, Blake Shelton, & Glen Campbell: I really liked the Glen Campbell tribute and the Alzheimer's thing hits close to home. The Band Perry is one of my favorite new bands out there and I loved hearing them do that little bluegrassy version of  "Gentle On My Mind". Blake Shelton has one of those voices I just like to listen to - his version of "Southern Nights" was pretty good. Glen Campbell was awesome, as always. I loved when they cut away to the audience and Joe Walsh was dancing with his date.

Tony Bennett & Carrie Underwood: I love "It Had To Be You". I've actually been really impressed with Tony Bennett's voice in recent years. The man is 85 years old and sounds great! Carrie Underwood could sing the phone book make it sound good. This was a classy little duet.

Jennifer Hudson: I am so not ok with this performance. You are not, nor will you ever be Whitney Houston. Maybe it's too soon for me on this. "I Will Always Love You" was Whitney's signature song and anything someone else tries to do to it right now is just going to bastardize it. This is just a cheap imitation of Whitney. Mike and I both agree that if anyone was to sing it, it should have been Dolly Parton. I love Jennifer Hudson and think she has an amazing voice, but I found this to be a lame tribute.

Dance Music Mash Up: Maybe I'm just not over the Whitney thing, but I wasn't really into this. I like the idea of honoring dance music as it's definitely a genre that's around to stay, but I'm tired of Chris Brown. I don't really see how the Foo Fighters fit into the dance music thing unless it was just that they still didn't want to let them into the building...

Nicki Minaj: She sounds like a scared lamb. I can't get into her. And I don't dig the costume crap or the weird video stuff. This is not the Oscars. Learn to sing and then come back to the Grammys. I'm still bitter about Whitney. I dont' get the performance at all.

Paul McCartney: I suppose THE Beatle deserves an encore. I was sort of hoping for "Maybe I'm Amazed" (that was the first dance at our wedding) but I'll settle for some "Golden Slumbers". I loved when they had all of the guitarists come out on stage to jam with him... to me that's what music is all about.

Clothing Reviews

LL Cool J: I love his tux and even more, I love his newsboy cap.

Adele: I love her simple but sparkly black dress and her crazy sparkly shoes. Classic, yet fun. I think she's really beautiful and am so glad she's not giving into society's pressure to be thin.

Fergie: What the hell is that dress? Honestly, don't care to see your black bra and panties under your lacy red dress. Not even a little sexy.

Reba McEntire: Love her dress, love her hair and love her body. I hope that when I'm 56 years old I can still rock a kick ass dress like that.

Victor Cruz: Your pants are too tight. I don't even know why you're on the Grammys.

Adam Levine: I loved his striped shirt and vest.

Chris Brown: There was absolutely no need to show your ugly chest tattoo off. Button up your shirt. Now.

Paul McCartney: The man is looking pretty dang dapper in his white suit. I like it.

Kate Beckinsale: I love her little white dress. And apparently, she's British. I had no idea.

Mirnada Lambert: I loved her pretty sparkly dress. I love that she is a little curvier and is not afraid to flaunt it!

Carrie Underwood: I loved her dress, but her spider leg eyelashes scared me. A lot.

Diana Ross: Her dress was so pretty and she looks really good! I love how classy and elegant it was!

Who Got Screwed

The Mumford & Sons writers - it's not really that they got screwed, but more that it sucks they were nominated in the same year/category as Adele.

The Band Perry: They TOTALLY deserved best new artist. If I, a music enthusiast, can't name a single Bon Iver song, they probably shouldn't win best new artist. Lame. P.S. You should never use "sweet hookup" in your acceptance speech.

Closing Comments

I loved Dave Grohl's acceptance speech - it's great to hear that someone still sits in their garage and makes music. I also loved that he talked about learning the craft of music and that it's not about being perfect - maybe a slight dig at those lipsynching?

I noticed a surprising lack of Lady Gaga this year - they showed her once when they were talking about album of the year. I guess it's because her album isn't new, but I would have thought some of her singles would have been nominated.

Finally, in case you're wondering every year like Mike and I what the difference between record of the year, song of the year and album of the year, here's the breakdown:

• Record of the Year is awarded for a single song. The award goes to the performer, producer, recording engineer and mixer for the song.
• Song of the Year is awarded for a single song. The award goes to the songwriter.
• Album of the Year is awarded for a whole album. The award goes to the performer, producer, recording engineer and mastering engineer.

Adele definitely deserved her sweep - congrats to her for her six wins! Good night!

Grammys in Your Jammies 2011

Welcome to the 2011 Grammys in Your Jammies review! This year I'm rocking my flannel owl jammies (Eva, you'll remember those from Hullabaloo a couple years back). Here we go! I do think it's sort of sad that we don't get to see more of the awards... I know that people want to see the performances, but it's like an hour in and I've only seen like 2 awards!

Performance Reviews

Aretha Franklin Tribute: Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams and Martina McBride performed a tribute to the great Aretha Franklin. Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson can do no wrong in my eyes - both have absolutely amazing voices. I'm pretty sure that Jennifer Hudson is making a name for herself as the Aretha of our generation. I liked the harmonies between all five of the women. Martina McBride was not bad, but I've had a hard time with her ever since she made that "oldies but goodies" album... something with her just doesn't click with me anymore. Apparently Florence Welch didn't get the memo that everyone else on stage was wearing black... I'm not gonna lie, I had to look up Yolanda Adams, but the woman can SING!

Lady Gaga: I've been very slow to get on the Lady Gaga bandwagon. Not because I can't stand her music but because sometimes I just plain don't get it. I actually think she has a great voice, but she's just a little too abstract for me... I really liked this performance of "I Was Born This Way"... she can definitely dance and put on quite a spectacle. I think I might want to see her live to see what I think. That said, her costume was totally see through... like the top part. Was it plastic?

Miranda Lambert: I absolutely love "The House That Built Me". I wish Miranda Lambert got a little more publicity... she has a really cool old time country voice. There has to be something said for standing in the middle of the stage and singing your heart out. I loved that she dedicated it to the people before her and then showed video of the greats.

Muse: They have always sounded very 80's band to me and this performance of "Uprising" was really no different. It was an ok performance... nothing to spectacular. It was very Depeche Mode meets the Queen guitar riff.

Bruno Mars, B.o.B. and Janelle Monae: I really liked the string version of "Nothin' on You". I loved the black and white doo wop feel to "Grenade". I haven't heard of Janelle Monae before but I wasn't really digging the whole cape thing. She sang "Cold War" and while it was a good performance, it wasn't as catchy as the first two songs. Seriously, what was up the weird crowd surfing?

Justin Beiber, Jayden Smith and Usher: Am I the only person on this planet who doesn't think Justin Beiber is all that and a bag of chips? I'll give it to him, he can dance. But his voice is a little annoying to me. Maybe I'm getting old? That said, I loved the drum stuff. Very Polynesian! Jayden Smith needs to do some more work with his dad on the rapping stuff. Usher's dancing was awesome, as always.

Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers: I sort of liked Mumford and Sons... they did a very cool little performance.The banjo player cracked me up... he was really rocking out! I also liked the Avett Brothers - maybe more folk music is making a comeback? And then came Bob Dylan... *sigh* I just have such a hard time with him. I'm sorry people, but he's not a singer. One of the best songwriters of our time? Absolutely. Singer? Not even a little. His performance was terrible. He sounds like he swallowed soap. More banjo, less Bob.

Lady Antebellum: Excellent harmonies on "If You Don't Know Me By Now". I can't get enough of this group! I also liked the acoustic version of "American Honey". "Need You Now" is one of my favorite songs... I love Charles Kelley's voice. Again, I love when they just stand and sing... to me that's a true sign of an amazing performance. I'm so glad they won Best Country Album right after singing!

Cee Lo Green and Gweneth Paltrow: Puppets? Seriously? It's like the Muppets barfed on stage. And that was a lot of feathers. About two days ago, I did an album review saying how much I loved his new album... this weird performance knocked it down a little bit. I saw Gweneth sing this on Glee and she did a pretty good job... I liked it live too!

Katy Perry: I was actually pleasantly surprised by Katy Perry's performance of "Not Like the Movies". She's like the sparkly version of Lady Gaga. I thought it was a really cool touch to play her wedding footage in the background. Of course, she had to sing "Teenage Dream", which wasn't all that bad!

John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban: I LOVED their version of "Jolene". First of all, you have two of the most talented guitarists out there right now... and it was a cool folksy twist on a country classic. Norah Jones still has such a cool voice... I wish she got some more recognition!

Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Skylar Grey and Eminem: I really like the song "Love the Way You Lie". I liked the opening with just her and the piano. Eminem was awesome, as always... I don't think he puts on a bad show ever. When they transitioned into the new song "I Need a Doctor", they introduced Skylar Grey, who has a beautiful voice. And of course, Dr. Dre. I think it's been forever since he's performed live... this was awesome! Probably my favorite performance so far!

Mick Jagger: I love that man. He's so quirky and weird and it just works. The man is 67 years old and prancing around on stage like he's 20. Absolutely amazing. He sang "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" as a tribute to Solomon Burke, who died last year and the song went on forever, but in a good way. Totally felt like a live show.

Barbra Streisand: You either love or hate her, but you can't deny that she has a fantastic voice. Again, another just standing and singing performance (with an orchestra!). She still has amazing control over her voice!

Rihanna and Drake: Wow, Rihanna really teamed up with a lot of people this year! And apparently wanted to stay with the fire theme. She and Drake sang "What's My Name". I liked the dancing around the fire... kind of a different idea!

Arcade Fire: Not gonna lie, I hadn't heard of them.... but it was a very rock star performance with a twist of classical instruments and megaphones. Pretty neat... I'm going to have to look up their album! Joe Walsh so already beat them with the whole camera on stage thing, but the bikes were kind of fun.

Clothing Reviews

Ricky Martin: I actually said wow to his pants. Skin tight silver? Wow...

Bruno Mars, B.o.B. and Janelle Monae: I loved the throw back outfits, complete with retro hairstyles and spats!

Hayley Williams: (from Paramore) What the heck was up with that pink/black dress?! Pink and puffy at the bottom, black and see through in the middle... I was not digging it!

Lea Michele: I liked her dress... black but with a pretty bit of lace.

Miley Cyrus: Her dress was pretty, but she always looks like a little girl playing dress up to me... I think she needs to switch up her wardrobe a little bit!

Gweneth Paltrow: I was so worried for her boobies during the whole performance... it takes guts to wear something that plunges down to your belly. She definitely rocked it!

Seth Rogan: I really liked his suit! It was grey, but had some nifty texture to it!

Kris Kristofferson: He looks great and his all black outfit was really nice!

Jennifer Lopez: She looked HOT in her sparkly silver dress!

Who Got Screwed

Jay-Z: He really should have won for record of the year but because "Need You Now" and "Love the Way You Lie" were played so much more at the end of the year, I think he got overlooked.

EVERYONE in the Album of the Year category. Really? Arcade Fire over Eminem, Lady A and Gaga?

Quote of the night: "Country music is three chords and the truth". I love it!

Grammys in Your Jammies 2010

Here we are, in the fabulous year of 2010... I'm at Mike's watching again this year. We took Shadow out to the lake to swim and run around. He also go to meet Molly and Ruby, Tim and Nicki's dogs. He did so well with them and we had a fantastic time on a beautiful day! On to the Grammy reviews:

Performance Reviews

Lady Gaga and Elton John: Ok, now, Lady Gaga is growing on me, but seriously, Elton? You've stooped to paying with Lady Gaga?! I suppose the performance was good, but I just couldn't get past the fact that Elton was singing with her! I like "Poker Face" but would have liked to hear one of her newer ones!

Green Day: love, love, love them. "21 Guns" is one of my favorite songs that they sing. I wish they wouldn't have had the Broadway singers with them. That first one had scary dead eyes. And honestly, I just wanted to hear Green Day... it's not that I have anything against Broadway, it's just I like my Green Day plain.

Beyonce: Good God, she sure can sing. "If I Were A Boy" is sort of an odd choice for a big show like this... that said, I really liked the Alanis cover! I don't, however, get the whole writhing around on stage. Seriously, just sing!

P!nk: I saw her with Justin Timberlake one year... this girl can sing, but covers it up with a lot of production. I wasn't really digging the whole white robe thing, but she can still definitely sing. I'm not sure what the song was... I haven't heard it before. Ok, now she just took the robe off and looks almost naked. Yikes. That takes guts. And now she's a sprinkler? I don't get it. I'd put my money on lipsynching. I don't think you can sing upside down for 5 minutes straight.

Black Eyed Peas: SO excited to see them in April! "Imma Be" has me hooked right now! I also like "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night". Overall, a pretty good performance!

Lady Antebellum: I LOVE the song "Need You Now". I would love to see them live in concert!

Jamie Foxx, T-Pain and Slash: "Alcohol" I don't want to like it, but I do. Why do you have to make fun of opera, Jamie? Nice touch to have Slash come out... it's the only thing that saved the song for Mike.

Zac Brown Band: You can't go wrong with good harmonies! "America The Beautiful" was, well, beautiful. Then they followed up with "Chicken Fried" and some AMAZING guitar picking!

Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks: I've seen her live, and to be honest, this wasn't one of her better performances. Maybe just an off night?I liked the duet with Stevie Nicks a little better, but I still think she was just off a little bit tonight.

Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson: First of all, 3D sucks when you don't have 3D glasses. I like the concept, but apparently Mike and I missed the memo. I do love "Earth Song" and I really did like the big names coming together to sing it. The movie in the background just about killed Mike (who, by the way, hates both Celine Dion and Michael Jackson, so this little song was a real treat for him). Super sad to see the kids on stage afterwards.

Bon Jovi: LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I can't believe they've never played the Grammys before! So good to see them on stage! I love "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and it was awesome that they brought Jennifer Nettles out for it! "Livin' on a Prayer" is a classic... of course the fans picked it!

Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli: I love "BridgeOover Troubled Waters" and it sounds beautiful in Italian... you can't go wrong with Andrea Bocelli! Mary J. Blige was meant to sing these kind of tribute songs... she has so much passion. What a great tribute to Haiti!

Dave Matthews Band: I really want to see them the next time they come back to town... they went through a weird period and are back to being the DMB I fell in love with in high school! "You and Me" is a great song!

Maxwell and Roberta Flack: Meh...

Jeff Beck (Les Paul Tribute): Nothing like a little guitar on a Sunday night!

Drake, Eminem and Travis Barker: Weird little combo, but I think it worked on this one! Too bad half of it was silent because it had to be censored!

Clothing Reviews

Jennifer Lopez: horrible white and silver dress. So not flattering.

Kristen Bell: I kinda liked her black and gold dress. It had a slightly weird cut at the top, but it was sorta cool.

Taylor Swift: I LOVE her blue dress. I must have one. That's my color!

Miranda Lambert: I like the color of her dress, but I think the dress itself wasn't totally flattering.

Miley Cyrus: Is she wearing shoulder pads?

Robert Downey Jr: Horrible suit. No reason to have weird strips.

Beyonce: The metal dress isn't fantastic.

Who Got Screwed

Taylor Swift and Beyonce: Seriously? Kings of Leon won Record of the Year? Should have been Beyonce or Taylor Swift.

Best line of the night goes to Stephen Colbert: "This was a Christmas album, so obviously, I should thank Jesus Christ."

Also, what the heck is up with Kanye West? He steals other people's awards, complains when he doesn't win, yet he finally gets one and isn't there to accept it? Weak.