Maroon 5 Too Cool for Beach Boys and Other Things We Learned from the Grammys

Last night’s Grammy Awards telecast scored the second biggest audience ever for the annual show. That’s no doubt partly attributed to Whitney Houston’s tragic passing and the crush of tributes singers gave to the fallen star. But those who tuned in to hear the best the music world has to offer got an earful – and then some.

• Oscars vs. Grammys: Stop the fight. The Grammy telecast isn’t perfect, but you’ll never have to suffer through obscure awards, dull legalese and layer atop layer of sanctimony.
• LL Cool J Gets it Right: The Grammy telecast started on a positive note as host LL Cool J acknowledged Houston’s shocking death and said a prayer in her honor. Simple, elegant and appropriate. Sometimes cool means putting the trappings of celebrity aside and doing the right thing.
• Good Vibrations Linger: The anticipated Beach Boys reunion could have been a disaster. Instead, the aging band – including reluctant member Brian Wilson – proved that perfect pop songs never fade away. Wilson did seem awfully eager to bolt the stage once that final note subsided, though.

• Adam Levine, Bored and Bemused: What singer wouldn’t kill to be on stage as the Beach Boys reunite on stage for the first time in decades? Maroon 5’s Adam Levine looked like he wanted to be anywhere but right next to the Boys during their musical segment. Was Levine attempting to look too cool to be a giddy music fan, or did he know the chances of anyone lining up to see Maroon 5 in 20 years – let alone 50 – are somewhere between slim and not in a million years? Maybe he was pondering his nextanti-Fox News Tweet?
• Bruno’s Slap Down: Bruno Mars scolded the crowd when he didn’t see enough enthusiasm for his set. “Get off your rich asses and let’s have fun!'” he cried.
• Madonna Revisited: Dear Nicki Minaj, the Material Girl already did that sacrilegious shtick. If you want to shock us, try something original.
• Shut Up and Sing: Whitney Houston didn’t need fireworks or stage props to win us over. She just sang, and a nation cheered. The same holds true for multiple Grammy winner Adele. Who do you think we’ll still be listening to in 20 years, singers who need nothing more than a microphone, or stars who spend their stage time dodging dancers, special effects and their own inflated egos?