Tonight's Grammy Awards

Awards shows are never satisfying. Everybody wants their favorite acts to win every award on every show, and obviously that can never happen.

But the Grammy Awards, just like the Oscars, are the most legitimate. Awards aren't handed out in exchange for a celebrity appearance, like they are at the VMA and American Music Awards. Critically-acclaimed releases that the general public never heard are generally given the shot they deserve, while bubblegum pop is not considered award-worthy.

Or at least that's the general rule. There's talk that because of declining ratings, the voters have been urged to go more mainstream than in the past. Normally, fluff like Lil' Wayne or the Jonas Brothers had little shot to nab any trophies. This year, there's real talk that Lil' Wayne will indeed sweep the major categories.

I still predict that Grammy voters won't go against precedent, and the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss collaboration will nab a good portion of the major prizes. The Jonas Brothers will win for Best New Artist, but that's a crime I can live with.

Although Radiohead has already won a pre-telecast award for the packaging of the deluxe version of In Rainbows, there will be an industry backlash against them for not only going completely independent but for giving In Rainbows away to their fans. This is a poor move for the increasingly conservative-minded music industry that should applaud anybody who comes up with innovative ways to distribute their product.

If you are a "twiterer", I'll be posting updates tonight as I watch the telecast. Those who aren't on Twitter can read my updates on the left portion of this blog.

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