Quite a few double entendres in this tune …
Jay-Z has won 16 GRAMMYS, his wife 17. She’s 32, he’s 44. Do you suppose they’re comparing? Competing? Keeping track?
As the song says, they’re on fire. They be all night.
For more Grammy updates I'm @NicolePajer! Will be posting from press room soon:-)
Well, Jay & Bey nailed it. And if Jay-Z feels anything other than happy to be here — he IS up for nine GRAMMYs tonight, including Best Rap Album for “Magna Carta” — he doesn’t show it. Smooth operator, that guy.
Here he is, our host, looking like he was born to emcee. Dapper as ever. Eye-twinkle in place.
This is LL's third year GRAMMY hosting.
Daft Punk have shined up their helmets for the occasion
Taylor Swift, in the audience, in a chain mail dress!
… in addition to all that charm, LL doesn’t waste time. We’re about to find out who’s going to take home Best New Artist, courtesy of our first pair of superstar presenters, Anna Kendrick and Pharrell. My money’s on Lorde, what about yours?
And tonight's first award -- big huge one! -- goes to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The Staples Center ceiling can't hold them!
Humble acceptance speech. Was that a park ranger hat Pharrell was wearing?
Lorde has pretty much owned the spotlight since her debut album “Pure Heroine” came out in September. And face it: there’s no way you can begrudge her the attention. She’s 17! And a marvel.
Signature dark lips, but her hair is looking tamer than normal tonight, no?
“Royals” was on the best-song-of-the-year lists of Rolling Stone, Time and Spin in 2013. It’s nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
What’s particularly awesome about this minimalist song is its message. It’s a response to commercialism, consumerism, cultural entropy, crap music … all those bad C words.
Was that a scat interlude, Robin Thicke?
Early today Robin Thicke said he was "excited and nervous" about his performance. We didn't see any nerves!
What a pairing. What a performance. One for the history books.
… but we’ll have to write that chapter later because here comes Keith Urban and Gary Clark Jr., with the stunner “Cop Car” off Keith’s “Fuse.”
Here’s a song with a fun conceit: it’s about a couple who get arrested while trespassing together and fall in love in the back of a cop car.
Arrested? For trespassing? It may not happen all that often in real life, but Keith Urban breathes believability into these lyrics. Maybe he’s a sucker for a love story.
Gary Clark Jr. is a multi-genre marvel.
Back to those lyrics. If you’re like me, you’ll buy just about anything Keith Urban is selling. He’s in fine form on this midtempo number, all sincerity and shiny, perfectly mussed hair.