Is it me or have the the Grammys become one big farce in the music industry? I'm not saying the presentation was all bad, but it wasn't that great, either. It had its highlights, it had its low lights...Unlike the Super Bowl the week before, though, there were no headlights. Probably because MTV didn't put on this extravaganza. And I thank the gods of entertainment for that. I could not have taken two weekends of lip syncing and bad choreography in a row...You know it's bad when the two highlights of the Super Bowl half time show are Kid Rock and a nipple ring. But then, Kid Rock and nipple rings do go together in a kind of offbeat way. Enough digression for now...On to the highlights and low lights of the 2004 Grammys.

The low lights...
Christina Aguilera - Hoping there wasn't an incident like at the Super Bowl. One word of advice, Miss A., put some clothes on and you won't have to worry about it.

Justin Timberlake - Apologizing for the faux pas at the Super Bowl. Continue to apologize and people will begin to think it was staged.

White Stripe - I've heard it before and it was better during the early days of punk.

Paul McCartney - Trying to be cool...Paul, you didn't do 'Yesterday' on the first Sullivan show.

Justin Timberlake - So you're an entertainer? Bozo the Clown, Captain Kangaroo and Howdy Doody were entertainers, too.

The highlights...
Prince and Beyonce - Great way to open the Grammys. Their voices were tuned in to the music and Prince can still play the guitar with a Hendrix flair.

Martina McBride - Doing what she does best...belting out a song with one of the most recognized voices from country music.

George Clinton - Funking the place up like only he can do.

Olivia and Yoko - Yes, we miss John and George almost as much as you do.

In memory of - The Warren Zevon tribute summed up what music and life are all about.

The final grade...

I'd have to give it a C-. As far as the overall production goes, having an impacted wisdom tooth extracted would have been less painful. For starters, it ran too long. Let's see if you can shorten the numbers and inane patter between presentations and actually get more awards handed out. Look at the numbers...105 Grammys were handed out. How many did we actually see...10, maybe 11 total. And let's talk about the Lifetime Achievement Awards. I thought it was kind of cheesy to show recognition for the work that was done and then slide into another award like nothing happened.

Let's put the music and the performers foremost. I would have liked to have seen the awards handed out for individual achievements. I would like to have seen Lifetime Achievement Award winners (or their families) getting on stage and being honored for their accomplishments. After all, if it wasn't for their hard work and commitment to a dream where would music be today.

Let me leave the Grammys with one question to ponder for next year. If isn't about the people who created the music and inspired future generations of performers and songwriters, then what's the point in having an award handed out?

* Richard Blaine's views and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff at Twin-Music.