Week in Rock: Awarding Edition

The Grammys Succeed

While it's not without faults, The Grammys accomplished something it's been fighting to maintain for quite some time now: It felt relevant. The 51st annual awards show, which will never be able to completely shake its reputation as a celebration of the old and established, took some impressive strides in keeping up with the kids this year. The show's focus was on the live acts, only actually presenting 10 trophies over the nearly 4-hour telecast and packing the rest of the night with performances spanning the genres. Not only were they able to get seemingly every recognized popular artist on stage, from Katy Perry to Radiohead, but they even pulled off a couple "once in a lifetime" collaborations. While nobody will (hopefully) think back fondly on the Jonas Brothers teaming up with Stevie Wonder, the MIA/Jay Z/T.I./Kanye/Lil Wayne extravaganza was one for the ages. While in the end, the awards settled in their comfort zone, giving the predictable Alison Krauss/Robert Plant record Album of the Year, it was not without its moments. As the MTV awards flounder further year by year, the Grammys seem to have picked up the slack this time around.