grammys 2011

The 53rd Grammy Awards

The world stood still on February 13, 2010 for the 53rd edition of the highly rated and most celebrated music awards in history, the Grammys. the venue was the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, and like the tradition, tickets were completely sold out and the hall was filled to the brim with celebrities and music lovers.

A highlight of highbrow events is the red carpet and this year’s Grammys was no exception. Celebrities walked the red carpet in their dazzling outfits. Teen sensation Justine Bieber looked cool in his Dolce and Gabbana velvet tuxedo, shirt and tie, Lady Gaga lived up to expectation as Hollywood’s weirdest dressed celebrity in a giant egg dress, singer Jennifer Lopez looked fabulous in her mirror like dress, Katy Perry looked heavenly in her Armani gown, Selena Gomez looked simple and elegant in her floor length J. Mendel Gown and Rihanna looked sexy in her see through ruffly gown, which many people thought was a little over the edge.

Opening the stage of the 53rd Grammys with an electrifying performance was Christiana Aguilera singing what a Girl Wants. After missing words of the U.S national anthem at the Super Bowl XIV opening ceremony, everyone was watching to see if there would be a repetition of that incidence but the veteran singer gave a flawless performance. Other performers of the night were Rihanna and Drake, Lady Gaga, Justine Beiber with Usher and Jaden Smith, Arcade fire, Eminem, Mick Jagger, Muse, Bob Dylan, Cee Lo Green and many others who thrilled the audience, making them to clap and cheer throughout the night.

The moment that everyone had been waiting on came, the presentation of the Grammy Awards the biggest winners of the nights were Lady Antebellum, Pop star Lady Gaga and rapper Eminem. the presentation of the awards went on until the biggest shocker of the night came with the announcement of Esperanza Spalding as the best new artist, beating Justine Beiber, Drake, Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons. she was the least expected to win the award and this generated murmurings from the audience. Lady Antebellum went home with four Awards including Record of the Year, Lady Gaga went home with two Awards including Best Female Pop Performance, and Eminem went home with two Awards including Best Rap Album. Other winners on the night were Usher Best Male R&B Performance, Fantasia Best Female R&B Performance, Rihanna Best Dance Recording, Bruno Mars Best Male Pop Performance, Muse Best Rock Album and many others.

The 53rd Grammys was no doubt a wonderful event and would be in the mind of many people for a very long time.

Beyonce Giselle Knowles’ Show Stopping Outfit at the 2010 Grammy Awards

Beyonce won 6 out of a possible 10 nominations at the 2010 Grammy Awards, making her the most awarded female on a single night ever in Grammy history. Originally born and raised in Houston, since her birth in 1981 Beyonce Giselle Knowles has never ceased to surprise and please her millions of fans around the world. however, in addition to her tremendous singing and acting skills, attention is always drawn to her image and fashion look. the 2010 Grammy Awards was no exception in this regard.

Beyonce set the record Sunday, January 31 at the Staples Center in LA, raking in the awards for Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It); Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Halo; Best Traditional R&B Performance for At last; and Best Contemporary R&B Album for I am. Sasha Fierce.

The Giorgio Armani Prive silver and gold chain metal gown she wore during her acceptance speech was show stopping, but even more so was the outfit she wore for her performance. you would be excused for thinking that the Versace Atalier mini dress made of cutout leather would be attention-grabbing enough, but it is always all or nothing for the unstoppable Beyonce. In addition to the designer mini dress, she wore a pair of peep toe ankle booties that really finished off her look. her shoes had mad sparkle and glitter for a pair of boots, thus making her outfit one of the biggest surprises of the evening.

Her fans around the world can rest assured that Beyonce will continue to influence both fashion and music in the years ahead. having already established her own contemporary women’s fashion line in 2005, Beyonce is actively involved in creating both clothing and shoes. many of the proceeds from her many projects are donated to wide range charities that Beyonce is involved in. do not be surprised if Beyonce starts to influence the world of philanthropy as well.

The Grammys

The Grammy Awards are one quarter of the top four awards ceremonies to occur on a yearly basis, with the other 3 being the Emmys for TV, the Academy Awards for movies, and the Tony Awards for theater. The Grammys concern music, and are award to the top musicians, songwriters, technicians and business people in that world.

The Grammys started in 1958 and got their name from the name of the first record player, which was called a gramophone. The way it works is that nominations are sent by anyone related to music, whether it be musicians, studios, or other interested parties. these bids are sent to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who filter through all the submissions and determine the top 5 names in each category. Then those names are sent out to all the members of the Academy, who then are requested to vote for someone in the general categories and also concentrate on those who are in their own specialties or genre. The four general areas are: Album of the Year; Record of the Year; Song of the Year; and Best new Artist.

The Grammys are considered the pinnacle of the music awards, but they also generate the most controversy. some have called the awards elitist or illogical because many songs or albums that are nominated didn’t sell well, and sometimes honor names that many people haven’t heard of. that works well for technical awards but not as well when these artists show up in popular categories. There’s also criticism that not enough attention is paid to some of those who are considered for the awards, and this was highlighted most specifically in 1990 when Milli Vanilli won the Grammy for Best new Artists before being exposed as not being the artists that performed on their record or in concert.

Another controversy is that, unlike other awards, not all music or artists are known by those who vote in these categories. Whereas the Emmys and Academy Awards send items to its voters for them to peruse, and voters for the Tony’s must have seen every show to vote, the Grammy’s don’t provide materials and rely on their voters to do all of this for themselves, which everyone knows they don’t do. therefore, some choices might be based on an overall body of work for an artist rather than whether or not it was the best for that particular year.

Also, voters are supposed to only vote on quality and not quantity, which also courts controversy. Many rock bands have boycotted the Grammys, feeling their music doesn’t have a chance to compete against pop artists well known by the voters or that those who nominate artists aren’t as familiar with what they do, and thus they feel excluded. Even those that win sometimes decide to boycott the proceedings.

In general, though, the Grammys are still the pinnacle awards for musicians, and even if an artist never has the love and publicity again, winning a Grammy is about as good as it gets for anyone in the musical field.