GRAMMY – Janet’s Breast Eats Awards Show

I had a good time watching the Grammys last night – I will do a detailed recap later – but I had a weird feeling throughout the show that something was missing. I slept on it for about four hours before getting up at 4:30am to get my thoughts on the matter in to MSNBC by 9am.

They’re up now here:

Grammys sanitized for your protection

Five-minute delay casts pall over cleaned-up awards

On a night already heavy with absence – June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon, George Harrison all won awards posthumously, and Luther Vandross is recovering from a stroke – fallout from Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl breast revelation forced an atmosphere of guarded caution on last night’s 46th Grammy awards telecast and kept a tight lid on the recording industry’s celebration of itself.

CBS’s response to the previous week’s Super Bowl halftime scandal included a “enhanced” five-minute delay on the “live” Grammy telecast, banishment of Jackson from the kingdom, and a requirement that Justin Timberlake – who took home two pop vocal awards – apologize on-air for the incident. He did so rather sheepishly, saying, “I know it’s been a rough week on everybody – what occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable, and I apologize if anyone was offended.” Okay little boy, your timeout is over.

Despite some outstanding live performances by Album of the Year champs OutKast (both “I Like the Way You Move” and “Hey Ya!” from “Speakerboxx/The Love Below”), five-award winner Beyonce (who appeared in a medley with Prince and elegantly performed her own ballad “Dangerously In Love” against the backdrop of a living painting), the White Stripes, the Black Eyed Peas, and a rousing funk-fest featuring Earth, Wind & Fire, fiery steel guitarist Robert Randolph, and George Clinton’s P-Funk troupe, the evening had about it the whiff of disinfectant…..

More sleep-deprived thoughts follow.