Insta-Analysis of the Grammy Nominations

• I had no idea they were even being rolled out tonight in a prime time gig. Glad I missed it.
• If previous years' awards are any indication, it's going to be a big night for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The Grammy voters love to give old warriors recognition, and they have a well-placed love for authentic roots sounds, especially when Ms. Krauss and T-Bone Burnett are involved. They also love to split the difference between similar contemporary sounds, and award vintage.
• Radiohead and Coldplay are competing for Album of the Year. The Brits who care about these things should probably feel awful proud of this. And prouder still that both bands are probably going to be beat by the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.
  
• The theme this year seems to be a generational clash, especially in rock. In the Rock Band Single award, AC/DC and the Eagles are up against Kings of Leon, Coldplay, and the ever generationally mixed-up Kid Rock. Truly, this should be a showdown between AC/DC and Kings of Leon, and as "Sex on Fire" is more of a pop song, it should finally be the case that the Grammys award AC/DC, a sentence which I, nor millions of others, ever thought they'd be in a position to write. And the fact that AC/DC could do it in competition with the Eagles...that's bliss. The best arena band of the 70's vs. the second worst arena band of the 70's (right behind Wings though sometimes you just want to hate the Eagles more). The fact that AC/DC has notoriously joined the Eagles as a Wal-Mart band only slightly sullies the moment.
  
• R&B has the age-clash dynamic turned on its head what with younger folks doing vintage and older folks trying to stay hip, and one hopes that Raphael Saadiq walks away with everything he's nominated for (including when he's up against Al Green - sorry Rev).
• It's kind of sad that the Rock Album award should go to some (well-schooled) posers like Kings of Leon. But when faced against has-beens like Kid Rock and Metallica (and for that matter, Coldplay) and whatever the hell that Raconteurs record is - that's really all that's left. But this truly assures why the Grammys have no place in honest music merit awarding.
  
• Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Gnarls Barkley, My Morning Jacket, and Radiohead are the nominees for Best Alternative Album. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
• Record of the Year should probably go to Leona Lewis but a win for M.I.A. would certainly make for one hell of an acceptance speech.
• I have no idea who Lady Antebellum, Ne-Yo, and Jazmine Sullivan are. I only vaguely know who Adele is.
• All the Pop nominations are offically terrible. Or I assume they are as I don't think I've heard any of these songs (except the Katy Perry song and I only know that one because I looked her up after someone told me she looked like you-know-who and speaking of....NOTHING? NOT ONE NOMINATION? NOTHING?!)
• The Dance field is much more interesting than the pop field. Brazilian Girls and Hot Chip for the wins.
  

Grammytone News!

• Never really into Hip Hop as a whole, certainly never into techno as a whole but damn, that Kanye/Daft Punk collab was the performance of the night.
• Amy Winehouse was not only respectable in her performance, her acceptance speech was actually thrilling. London! Rockbuster Clue: What did the vineyard owner say to the robber? "Hey! Me wine house!"
• Missed Feist but caught the Foo Fighters: this is why the Grammys stink. Even with Jason Bateman calling out the "idiots" for not knowing who John Paul Jones is.
  
• But this is why rock n' roll is the greatest: Fogerty with Little Richard and the Killer dwarfs all the unnecessary Beatles love tonight.
  
• Stripes went 2 for 4, winning Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Single by a Band. They lost the award for packaging for their USB key. Next year, for the brand new Best Merchandise Award, they'll be sure to win.
• Mainstream country music has been garbage for years but Vince Gill has always been one of the more appealing personalities and he proved it tonight for taking it to Mr. West, all in good fun.
• Barack Obama went 5 for 5 this weekend against the Clintons. He swept Washington state, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Maine over Hillary. Then he bested Bill for the Best Spoken Word Album Grammy.
• ART BRUT COMMERCIAL.
  
• I really don't get Kanye's need for recognition from the industry. Is this a gimmick?
  
• Best Album: not a shock after all. Kanye and Winehouse splitting it up all night, so split the difference and give it (as they usually do) to a legend. More Obama-rama: Herbie wins minutes after Will.I.Am's little thing, whatever that was, and of course Mr. Hancock was in Will's Obama-video. "Yes We Can" indeed.

So in summation: