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Though the nonstop array of multiplatinum acts (17 in all) that performed during the achingly long (nearly 3 1/2 hour) ceremony suggested the music industry may actually be alive and well despite declining sales, there were plenty of glum faces forecasting gloom and doom. Not only did NARAS CEO Michael Greene sternly demand that pesky teenagers stop stealing music over the Internet (while millions of eyes rolled across the world), presenter Don Henley gently whined about his unpopular position as the head of the Record Artists Coalition, and Bonnie Raitt weighed in with a rant against corporate radio.
''I couldn't be happier that 'O Brother Where Art Thou' won, because it's a big deal that the album became a success without country music radio playing it,'' Raitt said, noting that it's getting harder and harder for talented musicians to get airplay. ''The consolidation of radio is a scary thing, and when one company decides what everyone's going to listen to across the country, that's really close to not being democratic.'' By coincidence, Raitt has a new single, ''I Can't Help You Now,'' angling for airplay right now.
As for Best Female Pop Vocal winner Nelly Furtado, she was too giddy over her win to worry about all the industry upset. When someone pointed out how much the acoustic version of ''I'm Like A Bird'' she performed onstage sounded like a Prince song, the humble Canadian singer-songwriter admitted, ''I didn't realize it at first, but when we started working on it, I went damn, this sounds like 'Purple Rain'! Everything's regurgitated, I think.'' Furtado, who's next working on a collaboration with former tourmates the Roots, wasn't even betting on herself to take home her Grammy. ''I thought Sade would win, because she won for Best Pop Vocal Album, so I thought, okay, I don't want to get my hopes up. I mean, I was sitting next to my mom.''
After all the political harangues, sad memories and warm fuzzies, it was finally Lil' Kim who got the party started (sorry, Pink). ''I have to go to my Atlantic Records party first, but we're only going to stay for five minutes,'' said the ''Lady Marmalade'' winner, scanning the room for execs from her label. ''But then I'm going to get really drunk.'' Before she left in search of champagne, the rapper added that there are currently talks about a ''Lady Marmalade'' movie. ''Maybe we can do something like 'Set It Off,' I don't know,'' she shrugged. This was news to her fellow ''Marmalade'' sister Elliott, who snapped, ''They made the movie already. It's called 'Moulin Rouge.''' With that kind of witty repartee, can a screenplay be far behind?
(additional reporting by Will Keck)
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