FOG BLOG GRAMMY AWARDS 2022 LOG: THE BEST AND WORST MOMENTS

Best and Worst Moments From the 2022 Grammys...........Young artists brought dramatic performances, Doja Cat had an emotional moment at the microphone and Volodymyr Zelensky recorded a serious plea from Ukraine...............The 64th annual Grammy Awards promised a return to (relative) normalcy following a scaled-down 2021 ceremony that largely took place outdoors. In Las Vegas for the first time, and with the pop spectacle dialed back up, the show’s most impactful moments were often its least flashy: a sober plea for help from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine; Doja Cat’s teary moment at the microphone; performances on rooftops that put a spotlight on a different crop of artists. (High-octane live moments from Billie Eilish and H.E.R. made a big impact, too.) Here are the show’s highlights and lowlights as we saw them. Best First-Love Kiss-Offs: Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish........Two spot on performances that were too raw to feel petty, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” — a couple of last year’s most potent and dramatic breakup songs — injected some much-needed feeling into the first half of the show. (Condolences to the young men these songs were allegedly written about.) Although the ceremony, as usual, couldn’t quite decide on its target demographic, it was the youth — these young women, especially — who carried the mantle of relevance, but also of performance, with strong enough live vocals for any pop skeptics among the CBS faithful.

Rodrigo failed to go full Eilish 2020, winning only one of her nominations in the Big Four categories, best new artist, plus best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance. But hopefully the long shots of her during Eilish’s onstage rock explosion were more about their songs’ emotional kinship than trying to force a fake rivalry. Rodrigo, 19, and Eilish, 20, should probably get used to this stage; the Grammys are beyond lucky to have them both. JOE COSCARELLI...The Oscars had a moment of silence for Ukraine; the Grammys had a videotaped speech from Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president, who did not mince his words. “The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” he began. It is impossible to balance the indulgence of an awards show with the horrors of war, but Zelensky was strategic, calling on pop for its ability to transmit information: “Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story,” he urged. John Legend followed him with a hymnlike new song, “Free,” joined by a poet, Lyuba Yakimchuk, a singer, Mika Newton, and a bandura (zither) player, Siuzanna Iglidan, from Ukraine. It was a heartfelt, dignified gesture. ................CANADIANS DID WELL AT THE GRAMMYS INCLUDING 78 YR OLD JONI MITCHELL!..........Several Canadians scooped top Grammy awards on Sunday as music’s biggest night officially kicked off with performances from Silk Sonic, Olivia Rodrigo and J Balvin.

Silk Sonic – the duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak – went on to win Song of the Year for their hit leave the door Open in the first prize of the televised part of the show.

Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah of MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the show was postponed in January due to rising COVID-19 cases and scheduling conflicts. It’s the first time the Grammys have been held outside of Los Angeles since the show took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2018.

Previously, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell won the Grammy for Best Historical Album for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The early years (1963-1967) during the non-televised portion of the awards ceremony on Sunday.j.............The 78-year-old was also honored at the MusiCares Person of the Year 2022 gala on Friday.

Cuban-Canadian artist Alex Cuba also picked up his first Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album during the non-televised portion of the show.The Weeknd also snagged a Grammy during the non-televised portion of the Best Melodic Rap Performance awards for his feature on hurricane by rapper Kanye West. The Weeknd and Toronto rapper Drake have broken off their relationship with the Recording Academy. Last March, The Weeknd said he was boycotting the Grammys while Drake withdrew his 2022 nominations in November. Singer Jon Batiste leads the nominations with 11, while Canada’s Doja Cat, HER and Justin Bieber have eight each. Other Canadian nominees this year include Peterborough, Ont., producer Greg Wells and Hamilton’s Caribou.