Rumor Has It Someone Like You has been wondering who decided to Take It All at the Grammys. Not only did British sensation Adele Set Fire to the stage with her first performance since her recent vocal cord surgery singing “Rolling in the Deep,” but she was the One and Only person who took every award that they were nominated for.
Adele absolutely dominated the Grammys last week, deservedly so. The pop singer from London racked up six awards in all, including Record and Song of the Year.
More controversially, Chris Brown made a couple appearances in addition to winning R&B Album of the Year, a fact that angered many.
But the jaw-dropping moment of the entire show came from up and coming Hip Hop star Nicki Minaj, who decided that a video skit coupled with an absolutely bizarre sacrilegious stage show was a good move. It was not.
Nicki Minaj sang her new single from her forthcoming album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. “Roman Holiday” took form of the movie The Excorcist as Nicki Minaj portrayed herself as Roman, a human being possessed by a demon. An exorcist came to relieve Minaj of the demon in full Pope’s regalia, but was unsuccessful as she levitated towards the ceiling.
After seeing that, the Catholic League issued a statement inquiring as to whether Minaj is actually possessed.
To the Catholic League’s president, Bill Donohue, “perhaps the most vulgar part” of Minaj’s show was “the sexual statement that showed a scantily clad female dancer stretching backwards while an altar boy knelt between her legs in prayer.”
Donohue asserts in his statement that “none of this was by accident, and all of it was approved by the Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys. Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of the Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam.”
With Whitney Houston passing just the day prior to the Grammys, many were wondering how they would honor such a musical legend. Tastefully, LL Cool J, the Grammys host, led what was seemingly the entire musical community in a prayer. Later in the show, former American Idol contestant and Oscar Winner Jennifer Hudson took to the stage in order to not try to imitate, but instead to honor Whitney Houston with a touching rendition of Whitney’s biggest hit, “I Will Always Love You.”
Other notable Grammy moments were: a duet in honor of Etta James with Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt, the Foo Fighters winning five Grammys putting them second only to Adele, Taylor Swift performing her hit “Mean” in what seemed to look like a potato sack, and Lady Gaga not winning a single award.
On the fan’s side of the awards, indie act Bon Iver’s win for best new artist caused a ton of confusion for music listeners that don’t follow Pitchfork Media. In the wake of their win, Twitter was flooded with comments along the lines of “Who the hell is Bonny Bear?” Maybe mainstream America just isn’t ready for Justin Vernon and his mountain-man beard yet.
Awards season continues this Sunday, as the focus shifts to movies when the Academy Awards take place. Tune in to the Academy Awards at 7 p.m. on ABC to see who takes home the most coveted prizes in film making.
