by Marisa Ruiz  (@MarisaVictoria)

With the 54th annual Grammy Awards now freshly behind us, we can reflect on the best, the worst and the baffling demonstrations of entertainment produced for us this year. This is by no means a thorough recap of all that happened. There were just some stand-out moments that I couldn’t let pass without glorified comment.

Bon Iver’s (Justin Vernon) ballsy acceptance speech. When sharing his words for winning the Grammy for “Best New Artist”, Vernon both acknowledged gratitude and “mixed feelings” toward the awards institution that has widely turned a blind eye to indie music and a score of talented artists. He stated, “This award is hard to accept because when I started to make songs, I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I’m a little bit uncomfortable up here… With that discomfort, I do have a sense of gratitude. I want to say thank you to all the nominees and all the non-nominees that have never been here, and never will be here.” While some may be calling his mix of thanks and disdain contradicting, I applaud the guy for balancing the honor with candor. In fact, I think he was holding back and what he really wanted to say was, “Hey Grammys, new artist? I made a kick ass album called For Emma, Forever Ago in 2008. You know, as in FOUR years ago.”

Nicki Minaj’s trainwreck performance of “Roman Holiday”. Dude. Seriously. All I could think of were three letters: W,T and F. My theory is that there must be an underground Grammy contest between Minaj, Gaga and Katy Perry for “Strangest Shit Ever” that no one else knows about. I get that being theatrical can make for great performances. In fact, I’ll even say that Gaga is particularly gifted at showcasing her theatrics in a way that is often as artistic as it is bizarre. What Minaj brought to the Grammys, however, was the kind of theater you walk out of the room to avoid enduring. To be clear, I love me some Nicki Minaj. She’s a sick rapper and I can’t get enough of her interacting with those young British darlings Sophia Grace and Rosie – but she and other “artists” need to get a memo that states theatrics only work when your execution isn’t batshit cray.

When will Taylor Swift stop being shocked? Every awards show we see Taylor Swift win an award and react with an open-mouth stunned expression that stretches out for an uncomfortable interval of time. At first it was sweet and endearing. Now – not so much. While we were spared the surprise eyes when she lost to Lady Antebellum, we still had to endure the taken aback awe at the end of her performance of “Mean”. Not to be “so mean”, but you’d swear it was her first time on an awards show. Taylor, I too, am surprised (and impressed!) by how much money you rake in by turning your diary pages into hit songs – but this ain’t your first rodeo, honey boo-boo child. Please have a chit-chat with one of your uber famous friends who can share some tips on how to still be gracious without getting eye-rolls from thousands of viewers.

What’s with the double-booked performers? I can understand if a name as legendary as Paul McCartney ends up performing twice over the course of a multi-hour awards show. (Even that, I could have done without.) But what is with Foo Fighters and Chris Brown BOTH performing twice?! There is far too much talent in music to justify repeat performers on the live awards show that is intended to celebrate the best of music today. Not only is it upsetting to outright celebrate Chris Brown when his fairly recent domestic abuse is common knowledge – but it’s a slap in the face to the countless talented artists deserving of a national platform such as the Grammys. For example, last year Mumford & Sons performed as part of a collaboration with the Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan – and the next day, their song “The Cave” was number one on the iTunes charts. Think of the talented artists who would have benefitted so greatly from the exposure. (Some suggestions; Fitz & The Tantrums, M83, 2CELLOS, The Head and the Heart, James Vincent McMorrow, Of Monsters & Men, The Naked and Famous.)

But let’s give credit where credit is due. Despite the four-year lapse in recognizing Bon Iver as a new artist this year, the Grammys showed they can indeed be more current by inviting The Civil Wars to perform. The singer-songwriter team of Joy Williams and John Paul White was also recognized with two Grammy awards, including “Best Country Duo/Group Performance.” Really hoping this means we can look to future productions of the Grammys to help spread awareness of rising talent to a mass audience. Oh – AND team Grammy did bring some warbled bass to errybody by having Deadmau5 perform. You just *know* there were people ages 40+ watching the Grammys that have never even heard of dubstep and were gettin’ their mind blown. So kudos to them for making that one happen.

The crowning of Adele. Something special happened for Adele at the Grammys this year. I’m actually not even referring to the fact that she won all six awards for which she was nominated. That’s really only part of the majesty. You could hear what it was in the long rounds of applause during the standing ovation for her performance of “Rolling in the Deep”. Most clapping for live events feels obligatory, whereas the applause for her voiced a unanimous sincerity and awe. It felt like a message emanating from that grand room filled with 10,000 people. There were moments you could tell the magnitude of it all was hitting her; that she realized she had just inherited a throne with a title as the greatest voice of this decade.

Add to all this a breathtaking tribute to Whitney Houston by Chicago’s own Jennifer Hudson, the Beach Boys still rockin’ and respectable covers by Alicia Keys, Bonnie Raitt, Maroon 5 and Foster The People – and you have a Grammys production that won’t soon be forgotten.

Also, a social media shout out to all the live tweeters that added an extra element of amusement to the broadcast! @MenoxMusic @RollingStone @JohnEDugan @PasteMagazine @billboardcritic @GlassNoteMusic @DoubleDoor @Briar_Rabbit @nudd @TonyaLazar @SWEETFIX @kerrieieo @DJladyDJ @Miller_Dave @ShannonDowney @EmilyFWebber @Kimberly_Lucio @LisaFrame @RyanPlett @alwayssunday

Cheers,

-MV