Okay, first the obvious: How did Herbie Hancock win album of the year?! I know that he is a jazz legend and everything and I’m sure that the album is good, but how does he beat any of the other four albums? I’m not a Vince Gill fan, but when you put out a 4-disc set of all new material that is as good, if not better than anything else he’s done, that’s saying something. Or how about my beloved Foo Fighters? I’m a die-hard Foo fan and I love their new album. It’s their best work since “The Colour and the Shape” and rightfully belonged in the top five. I would have been all right with them losing to any of the others, but not Hancock. And what does Kanye West have to do to win Album of the Year. He is the only artist to have his first three albums nominated for the award and he hasn’t won yet. He continues to get other awards, but at some point the acadamy has to give him the top prize. He may have a bigger ego than Bono and Shaq put together, but you can’t tell me that he doesn’t deserve that award. (And his performance was one of the best of the show, as usual.)

And then there is Amy Winehouse. Yes, she has issues. A lot of issues. But she’s a great artist. I bought “Back to Black” strictly based on all of the buzz and I love it. She was nominated for six awards and won all, but the coveted Album of the Year award. Honestly, out of the five nominated, I would’ve voted for Winehouse (even though I love the Foo Fighters and Kanye is more than deserving). Her album does for soul what Norah Jones did for lite jazz and Lauryn Hill did for hip/hop. Now let’s hope she can keep her head on straight.

I got to thinking about Winehouse when she was performing and comparing her to Britney Spears. Both are troubled and in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Britney performed at the MTV VMA’s and was terrible. It started her downward spiral that has captivated the douche bags who actually give a crap. Winehouse performed on the Grammys and knocked it out of the park. She was dynamite. She looked healthy, on top of her game and like she was having fun. But the highlight was her reaction when she found out that she won Record of the Year for “Rehab.” She was flabbergasted. She looked like a deer in headlights. She didn’t know what to do with herself. It was the same reaction Christina Aguilera had when she won Best New Artist. But I’m happy for her. I hope that Winehouse uses this to boost her career and become a bonafide superstar. Don’t go the way of the Britneys.

As for Herbie Hancock, this seemed more like a lifetime achievement award (just like when Steely Dan won for “Two Against Nature” and Bob Dylan won for “Time Out of Mind”). He’s undoubtedly a jazz legend, but the other four albums were more deserving.

As for the other performances: What was the deal with will.i.am’s little mash-up? That was just strange and should have been scrapped. Fergie actually sounded really good with John Legend. I’m not a Fergie fan, but she nailed it. The string interlude during the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” took all the steam away from the song, but it still rocked. Aretha still has it. John Fogerty does not. At all. And there is no way that Little Richard is three years older than Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis looked like my grandpa and Little Richard looked like he was teleported straight from the 60’s. Alecia Keys is extraordinarily talented, so why does she think that she needs to dress like a skank and strut around the stage. Yes, you’re beautiful, but keep to doing what you do best…singing and playing your heart out.

That’s all for my Grammy thoughts, please feel free to comment.

Eye of the Storm

Tango Palace Entertainment

The press release says it wants to introduce us to “Greg & Brian,” but the picture on the CD has three people on it. Who is the omnipresent third person? Is it the person that makes this album suck so hard?

http://www.tangopalace.com

In Between

Mute USA

Close your eyes. Imagine you are at a swank trendy nightclub. Drinking a cosmopolitan with Lindsay Lohan. This is the soundtrack.

www.paulvandyk.de/

Tighten the Noose

Mt. Fuji Records

Heartbreakingly sincere. Lyricist/vocalist Landon Hedges sounds like he’s 12, but writes like he’s 52 and been through the ringer. Lyrically wonderful and musically decent.

http://www.littlebrazil.net

Baseball

What you know: One of the greatest sports records of all time is going to be broken by an admited steroid user. Barry Bonds will have passed 755 home runs (set by Henry “Hank” Aaron) and the backlash is like the humidity in New Orleans: Overbearing. Bonds said to a grand jury that he had taken a substance called “The Clear,” but he didn’t know what it was. Hmmm, I don’t know what this lotiony stuff is, but I’ll go ahead and rub it all over my upper body because it’s supposed to help me on the field. Anyone who knows Bonds personally (which I don’t, but have read interviews with some who do) knows that he knows everything that he puts in and on his body. He still won’t admit to using steroids, but it’s virtually impossible to go from a slender speedy outfielder with power to a slow monsterous home run pounding machine in a matter of a couple of years. Bonds may never admit that he used, but the circumstantial evidence in the court of public opinion is overwhelming.

What you should be hearing about: I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but this has been the year for milestones. Two of my all-time favorite players have reached or are about to reach career milestones. Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run and Ken Griffey Jr. is approaching his 600th. Sammy Sosa (another alleged ‘roider) hit his 600th homer and Alex Rodriquez is about to become the youngest player in MLB history to hit 500 homers, and he’s only 31. Tom Glavine is approaching 300 wins (which almost guarantees a Hall of Fame induction) and Yankees could very well be out of the playoffs for the first time in forever, which will make New Yorkers cry and every one else rejoice. I may not be a big baseball fan, but I sure have found a lot to love about the game this year.

Football

What you know: Oh buddy, where do I begin? Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted on Federal charges that he ran a dogfighting ring from one of his residences. There are dozens of rumors to go along with this, but here are the facts. The FBI raided this specific place (the home of “Bad Newz Kennels”) twice. The second time they were looking for, and I am not kidding, dog carcasses. And they found 30+ of them. The rumors that go along with this are that Vick was a high dollar better and that he not only collected the money at one of these matches, but that he was there for some of the brutal killings of some of these dogs (including electricution, hanging and drowning). It pains me to even think about, as I used to have a dog of my own and I still think about how much I loved him. This is grotesque and just plain repulsive. That being said, Vick has only been charged with running it, not actually doing any of the killing or betting. Does that make it any better? Hell no. This is not just against the law. It’s betraying the trust that every dog puts into its owner. This is the one story that just disgusts me and one that I pray to God is not true, but count me in with the skeptics.

What you should know: While the NFL is cracking down on athletic idiots (see Adam “Pacman” Jones and his involvement in a strip club shooting that got him suspended for the entire year WITHOUT pay), there are some great comeback stories. Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley is back after injuring his knee in the first contact drills of training camp last year. It could have been career threatening. But he’s had four surgeries and looks to be good to go. Also, the New York Jets gave Defensive Tackle Andre Wadsworth another shot at stardom. He had been running a few restaurants in Florida and hasn’t played since 2000. You try being 300+ pounds and stay in shape waiting for a phone call for seven years.

What’s going on with sports today? The big three sports each have a huge story that breaking into the national spotlight and none of them are good. There are good things happening that should be spotlighted but are getting overshadowed by the negative. Here’s part one of a rundown of what you probably already know about the bad and the good that should be broadcast.

Basketball

What you know: NBA referee Tim Donaghy was accused by the FBI of betting on professional basketball games including ones that he officiated. There have even been whispers about mob ties. His neighbors say that he was a loner and didn’t get along with anybody. This is slowly turning into an episode of The Sopranos. NBA commish David Stern said that he thinks Donaghy is a “rogue, isolated criminal.” Stern better hope that this is an isolated incident or the entire league (which has already seen it’s share of trouble from Kobe “I made a mistake” Bryant and Carmelo “suckerpunch” Anthony) could come crashing down on him.

What you should know: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming was harassed by his native Chinese government for reporting late to national team training. He was told that “No matter how sweet personal life is, it can’t be compared to the exultation of capturing glory for one’s nation.” I’m sorry, Yao should have known better than to plan his wedding during the NBA offseason. You know, the NBA that pays him millions of dollars a year to play the exact same game that you’re asking him to play for nothing. And as for Yao taking time to visit children at the Special Olympics? “No matter how lofty public welfare activities are, they can’t be allowed to take first place in a player’s life,” the Chinese newspaper is quoted as saying. Yao is using his global appeal and genuinely good guy image to do good things and all the government can do is whine and complain that he’s not at a friggin’ practice?! Screw the Chinese government. Yao is one of the few good apples in the NBA. He has never been arrested and he’s not creating babies with various women all over the globe. He’s a good guy trying to do the right thing. The Chinese government needs to lay off. He’ll be there and he’ll be ready. Until then, let him be. Just let him be.