There are many things about the Grammy's I found confounding. Who does the voting? Who determines the details of the show? Is it an executive committee like the Oscars and if so, why is rap and hip hop emphasized at the expense of rock? Or is rock too white to be politically correct for the producers? Apparently so. Get this-
The most disgusting review of the show was the lead article in USA today the morning after, where the reviewer was angry the lead awards did not go to people of color. He found this particularly disappointing since he was elated the nominations had so many. I couldn't believe this flagrant racist remark, and moreover, that USA today would actually print it. Can you imagine that? This guy basically said that Bruno Mars is too white to win Album of the Year. Can you imagine what they would do to a white reviewer if it was the other way around?
Could the focus on rap and hip hop be the cause of the 20% decline in viewership this year?
I can't say I'm a huge fan of rap or hip hop but I do appreciate the artistry, especially the choreography. For me, rap isn't music, it's theater. I try and understand it but who can understand it if you can't make out the words? Am I supposed to tape it and play it back at half-speed? And while I appreciate that some used the show as a political bully pulpit, I thought this was supposed to be an award show for music? I really had to bite my tongue for many of the political sentiments, but that's not the point. I just didn't think that was the forum for politics as opposed to celebrating the best of the year's best music, which they didn't do very well. Or rather, they pandered to a select audience, and it sure wasn't me.
The best comment of the night on the show was when James Corden introduced his parents and noticed they had a Hamilton Playbill on their lap. When he asked them incredulously if they saw Hamilton, his dad replied, "well, you know this show is so long we thought we would duck out and see Hamilton and then come back and no one would know". Obviously a staged routine, but funny. And true.