I don’t care about the Grammy Awards because I’ve never heard of 95% of the people nominated or performing, but I did tune in a couple of times last night and was very impressed by host Alicia Keys. Okay, she referred to every female performer as “my girl” or “my sister,” but so what? Keys is dynamic, multi-talented, a terrific singer, and a really good piano player — especially the segment where she played some Scott Joplin ragtime on two side-by-side pianos simultaneously. I know it’s a parlor trick, but it made for great TV.
I wonder if she’s ever been offered the opportunity to do the Super Bowl halftime show. If not, the NFL should seriously consider her. She’d be a lot more fun to watch than Adam Levine’s topless torso.
If not Keys, how about Dolly Parton? People of every demo and ethnicity were up and singing along with the medley of her hits that went on for about 10 minutes, with appearances from Little Big Town, Katy Perry, Maren Morris, Miley Cyrus, and Kacey Musgraves. Put those ladies together at midfield singing Dolly’s songs and you’re guaranteed a big tune-in. By the way, at 73, Dolly can still sing!
One last thought. Every year, complainers say the Oscars are too long, so they’ll be pared down to 3 hours (supposedly) for the telecast in two weeks. Yet the Grammys went on for three hours and forty minutes. Granted, the latter is really a music concert interrupted by a few awards, but the Oscars could make themselves a whole lot more palatable if they showed us more movie montages and tributes instead of tedious host-led nonsense like handing out food or visiting other places in the neighborhood. The Grammys are entertaining because they stick to music. The Oscars should stick to movies.
It also wouldn’t hurt to put Michelle Obama up there.