Editors' Blogs

What an opening - that Aretha tribute! And Ms Franklin looked good in her video greeting - best wishes for continued recovery!

Thought Lady Gaga's big production number absolutely superb - nothing that followed all night could match it in my book. Other highlights: The muppets with Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mick Jagger doing his energetic Solomon Burke tribute. So funny, the skinny doing the substantial. Appreciated seeing more performances and fewer on-air awards, hence fewer thank-you speeches.

Was super pleased when Esperanza Spalding won. Some nincompoops messed up her Wikipedia page because they thought Bieber should have won. Anyone in doubt about Ms Spaldings talents - just youtube the words > Esperanza Spalding White House < and watch and listen to a few of the Stevie Wonder songs she performs - she'd have a great career just as a bassist!

These two were judged the best-engineered recordings -- congratulations to all involved:

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Battle Studies 

Michael H. Brauer, Joe Ferla, Chad Franscoviak & Manny Marroquin, engineers

(John Mayer) [Columbia Records]

Best Engineered Album, Classical

 Tie:

Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina

Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers (Giancarlo Guerrero &

Nashville Symphony Orchestra) [Naxos]

 Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works
Leslie Ann Jones, Kory Kruckenberg, Brandie Lane & David Sabee, engineers (Eliesha Nelson & John McLaughlin Williams) [Dorian Sono Luminus]