The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards

By our guest blogger, Sanela Djokovic

Beyonce came into the 52nd Grammy Awards with 10 nominations, more than any other artist, and by the end of the evening, she was not only the most winning artist of the evening with six wins, but the most winning female artist ever in a single year. Previously, Beyonce was tied for that record with the five Grammys she won for her solo debut “Dangerously in Love,” the co-hosts of that achievement including Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, Alison Krauss, Norah Jones and Lauren Hill. Aside from winning four awards in R&B categories, Beyonce also scored two major awards with Best Female Pop Vocal (“Halo”) and Song of the Year for “Single Ladies.”

Taylor Swift was the leading lady of the night, taking home four awards out of eight nominations, including Best Female Country Performance and Best Country Song for “White Horse,” Best Country Album and the biggest award of the evening, Album of the Year, for the album that made her last year's biggest selling artist, “Fearless.” Taylor Swift’s fairytale evening didn’t end there. Swift was joined on stage with childhood icon and legend Stevie Nicks as they performed “Today Was a Fairytale,” “Rhiannon” and “You Belong With Me.”

Lady GaGa, completing the trifecta of chart-topping, Grammy-nominated females, didn’t win any of the televised awards, but she did take home the awards for Best Dance Recording for “PokerFace” and Best Electronic/Dance Album for “The Fame.” GaGa did, howeve,r kick off the program with “PokerFace” and then transitioned into a super-glam, crowd-pleasing duet with Sir Elton John, seamlessly intertwining GaGa’s “Speechless” and Elton John’s classic, “Your Song.”

Kings of Leon went away with three Grammys, including Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals, Best Rock Song and Record of the Year for “Use Somebody.” Zac Brown Band beat out stiff competition for Best New Artist and gave the crown a jolt on stage as country legend Leon Russell joined them in a medley of “America the Beautiful,” “Dixie Lullaby” and “Chicken Fried.”

We saw stars such as Beyonce and Rihanna sporting 3D glass during the highlight of the evening--the Michael Jackson tribute. An eclectic group including Celine Dion, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood and Smokey Robinson sang Jackson’s “Earth Song” alongside Jackson’s own vocals. A heartwarming moment came from Jackson’s son Prince, who alongside his sister Paris and cousins, accepted his father’s Lifetime Achievement Award and promised to promote his father’s message of love.

Another noteworthy tribute came from Jeff Beck and Imelda, who performed “How High the Moon” in honor of guitar legend Les Paul.

Other memorable collaborative performances of the evening included an amplified version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” brought to us by vocal powerhouses Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige (all profits from sales at iTunes.com/target will go to earthquake relief in Haiti), and Drake, Lil Wayne and Eminem charging the stage with “Drop the World” and “Forever.”

Pink had celebrities and fans alike gazing up at her in amazement as she sang “Hand Full of Glitter” from up a trapeze, and Bon Jovi energized the crowd as they performed at the Grammys for the first time ever, playing a medley of “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and the fan-chosen classic, “Livin’ on a Prayer.”