52nd GRAMMY AWARDS - Televised Award Ceremony

[Choco]

^:DEAD:l

[shayonce]

EW.COM Grades Grammy Performances
Lady GaGa/Elton: A-
Beyonce: A-
Mary J Blige/Andrea Bocelli: A-
Jamie Foxx: B+
Black Eyed Peas: B
MJ Tribute: B
Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake: B
Pink: C+
Taylor Swift/Stevie Nicks: C+

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LADY GAGA and ELTON JOHN
She opened the telecast with a version of ''Poker Face'' that was just slightly Gaga-by-numbers ?until her musclebound dancers shoved her into the ''Fame Factory'' stage set's fiery ''rejected'' pit, and an all-time great Grammy performance began for real. When Gaga re-emerged, she was sitting at a piano across from the mighty Elton John, with matching soot smears and sequined shades. Together they nailed her power ballad ''Speechless,'' plus a brief taste of his ''Your Song.'' ''I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,'' sang Sir Elton. Agreed!
Grade: A-

BEYONC?The just-minted winner of the Song of the Year trophy made her first stage appearance of the night (she passed up accepting the award in person in order to prepare) in full woman-warrior gear ?studs, corset, black leather ?to sing I am ... Sasha Fierce’s gender-twisting ballad ''If I Were a Boy.'' And the message carried over: The back-up dancers ?dressed in their best ''if I were a stormtrooper'' get-ups ?were all male, but her band was, as always, ladies only. Queen B delivered a passionate, melisma-filled performance, breaking midway through into the original woman-scorned anthem, Alanis Morrissette's ''You Oughtta Know'' before returning to a hair-whipping, stage-pounding coda of ''Boy.'' Sasha? Fierce.
Grade: A-

ANDREA BOCELLI and MARY J. BLIGE
Multiplatinum tenor (and every mom's favorite) Andrea Bocelli began a sobering Haiti tribute with an Italian-language version of the beloved Simon and Garfunkel classic ''Bridge Over Troubled Water,'' before switching into English and welcoming Mary J. Blige onstage to join him. MJB, emoting with all she's got, had no problem matching the pop-opera giant note for (high) note, and the result was a feat of pure vocal mastery, times two.
Grade A-

JAMIE FOXX
Do we understand why he led into ''Blame It (On the Alcohol)'' with a fake-out opera intro? Not at all. Do we care? Nope! Especially not when Foxx went on to bring out such a bizarre/brilliant cavalcade of guests: First T-Pain, who actually performs on the song, then beatboxing master Doug E. Fresh, and finally Slash with a ripping ''November Rain'' guitar solo. We want some of whatever you're sipping, Jamie.
Grade: B+

BLACK EYED PEAS
The song was ''Imma Be,'' the fourth single from 2009's massive (and seemingly unstoppable) The E.N.D. ?though they already ''be'' winners tonight, having picked up three trophies during the earlier, untelevised part of the ceremony. The song was more spoken then sung, but an inevitable segue into smash ''I Gotta Feeling'' found the foursome pogoing happily into their party-starter comfort zone. Revelatory? Hardly. But as these Peas go, pretty solid.
Grade: B

MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE
Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Carrie Underwood and Smokey Robinson joined Michael Jackson in a posthumous six-way performance of ''Earth Song.'' If you saw This Is It in the theaters or bought the soundtrack, you know the song, though not with this all-star support cast. The visuals looked very magical and Avatar-on-Earth; too bad viewers without the required 3-D glasses were left feeling like they just developed cataracts. Nearly everyone sounded stellar vocally, but of all MJ’s transcendent pop hits, was this largely unknown track really the best way to celebrate him?
Grade: B

LIL WAYNE, EMINEM and DRAKE
The evening's only straight-up rap performance certainly didn't suffer from a shortage of major names: Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake, and Blink-182's Travis Barker keeping the beat behind them. The emcees themselves didn't disappoint, either, kicking complex rhymes on ''Drop the World'' (one of the few redeeming songs on Wayne's new rock album Rebirth) or all-star posse cut ''Forever.'' If only overzealous bleeping hadn't marred both tunes.
Grade: B-

PINK
The trapeze acrobatics, the revealing outfit ?it might have wowed first-time viewers, but we couldn't help feeling we'd seen Pink do this routine far more memorably (at last year's VMAs, for one). ''Glitter in the Air,'' a mopey album cut from 2008's Funhouse, ultimately just wasn't enough song to hold our interest.
Grade: C+

TAYLOR SWIFT and STEVIE NICKS
For all her undeniable songwriting skills and relatable star power, Taylor has never been a powerhouse live vocalist. Her opening number, ''Today Was a Fairytale,'' reminded us of that unfortunate fact. So it was a blessing when Stevie Nicks, still in fine voice after all these years, came out to duet ?first on Fleetwood Mac's ''Rhiannon,'' then a fun honky-tonk version of Swift's ''You Belong With Me.'' Still not the Grammys' highest moment by a long shot, but give Stevie credit for just about saving this one.
Grade: C+
Gaga in the world,'' sang Sir Elton. Agreed! Grade: A-
--------------------

[PDC1987]

at that review of Pink. Could EW get any worse?

A C+ rating?

Just as bad as Taylor and Stevie?

Please.

[Mpol]

I'm sorry but they have no idea. The buzz after the show is a huge sign that Pink's performance was a true highlight for the night.

[Legoman]

I really cannot fathom how EW gave a C+ to pink's performance. Agreed we have seen it before, but to even level Pink in the same performance pedestal of Gaylor Twift is atrocious

[Forever ♥ Young]

I CAN'T believe the Grammy hasn't release the Official Pics of Bey with her 6 awards

[ItGirl]

I love how Pink is on US tv maybe 2x a year and it is something that EW has seen before. Meanwhile some of these other acts have performed the same stuff 500 times and it nothing but accolades. Go F themselves.

[Tanisha Thomas.]

I hope you all know that EW have biases for against all of those artists. Look at their album reviews for each album and you will see. They love Beyonce, so of course they would give her an A-, even if she tumbled down the stairs.

[lugus15]

Feb 3, 2010 1:13:05 GMT -5 Mpol said:

I'm sorry but they have no idea. The buzz after the show is a huge sign that Pink's performance was a true highlight for the night.

That was the classiest performance of the night.

Even her peers (who gave her a standing ovation) knew it.

Pink showed that she posses true range, being able to perform a Rock song or a classy ballad.

Love her

[singalong]

Pinks grade. EW writers suck!

[ismokedope]

Feb 3, 2010 21:53:14 GMT -5 singalong said:

Pinks grade. EW writers suck!

exactly. check out all the comments from even non=-fans who said she was the best of the nite :'(

[timberlake]

I actually think the song is BORING. Perfomance was good. The factor that the song bores me makes the perfomance meh

[dbt88]

at Solange Knowles having a Kanye West moment and b!tching about Taylor Swift. Seriously, it makes me think Bey is as fake.

[jamrock16]

Feb 3, 2010 23:47:28 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

at Solange Knowles having a Kanye West moment and b!tching about Taylor Swift. Seriously, it makes me think Bey is as fake.

Because brothers and sisters think exactly the same way, right?

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2010 0:22:32 GMT -5 jamrock16 said:

Feb 3, 2010 23:47:28 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

at Solange Knowles having a Kanye West moment and b!tching about Taylor Swift. Seriously, it makes me think Bey is as fake.

Because brothers and sisters think exactly the same way, right?

My thoughts. I guess we can all wait for Jamie Lynn to shave her head and flash her "V"?

Glad EW liked Bee's performance! Seems like most critics did! But they were too hard on Pink! Her performance was blasting!

[libri]

Feb 2, 2010 9:38:29 GMT -5 Tanisha Thomas. said:

Feb 2, 2010 5:30:20 GMT -5 libri said:

You argued that Kanye's album didn't deserve to get in based on merit, while Taylor's did. And when I pointed out that going by the standard that you used when it suited your purposes, his album actually ranked higher than hers merit-wise, your answer was well, better albums like Maxwell didn't get in either? Huh? How does that strengthen your argument that Kanye rightfully got left out? It doesn't. It supports the argument that it's political rather than merit-base. Yes, that's the way most things work, but not rightfully.


And who are these 'other artists'?

This was Kanye's weakest album. It doesn't matter if Kanye had slightly better reviews than Taylor. They are really what and what in reviews really. The fact of the matter is, 808s & Heartbreak was Kanye's weakest reviewed and selling album to date. It didn't deserved a nomination, if you compare it with his previous works, which were huge critical and commercial successes. 808s & Heartbreak was not. It lost buzz months ago. It deserved to get left out, and it wasn't surprising it was left out either. You have to have more than just critical support to get in AOTY, which was moderate compared to HIS other albums. He did not this time around. The reason why Taylor got in is because she had not only solid reviews, but she had the commercial success and she stayed relevant throughout the year. Name an album that was the best selling album of the year that didn't make it into AOTY in its given year. Taylor totally deserved her nomination because it was HER year and Fearless was her biggest commercial and critical success. Point blank, period.

Does it matter who I think shouldn't have been nominated? It's subjective anyway. I think Kanye West deserved to get locked out. It was HIS weakest album both commercially and critically, and it wasn't surprising that he got locked out. Taylor deserved her nomination and win because of the year she had. That is MY opinion.

Huh? That's ridiculous. Since when does one have to compete against one's previous works, instead of one's peers, for awards? Sure Kanye, your CD is better than most of your competitors', but since it's not as good as your last one, sorry, you're out dude!

Also, not that it should matter, but you acted like his album was a commercial failure. It sold over 1.6m, and both Love Lockdown and Heartless sold very well. Heartless even outsold YBWM, IRRC. If not for the incident, he would've at least got a nom for Heartless IMO.

So yes, I too stick to my opinion that Taylor should've thanked Kanye (and her sound engineers) for quite a few of her awards. She was out of her league at the grammy performance, and it showed that the empress had no clothes. There's no way she deserves any vocalist or entertainer of the year awards. At least, not right now. She may still grow into one, but right now she's being over-rewarded.

Name an album that was the best selling album of the year that didn't make it into AOTY in its given year.

Spice Girls, NSYNC, High School Musical. Notice the pattern? Taylor's music isn't much different. What elevates her in the eyes of the industry is that she writes; she's the Debbie Gibson of today. The difference is that the industry wasn't as desperate for sales back then.


Anyway, saw this in the USA Today:

www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-02-02-taylornext02_ST_N.htm

Taylor Swift takes a step back from the spotlight after awards

By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY

For the past five months, Taylor Swift has been everywhere. From the VMAs to the CMAs to the Grammys, she seems to have performed on every awards show — and come home with an armful of trophies.
Tabloids have chronicled her every casual date. Now, with Sunday's top-album win for Fearless and three other Grammys, Swift's handlers are concerned that the young singer could be overexposed.

Heading to Australia for a tour that starts Thursday might help.

"The Australian dates had been planned all along, but it actually worked out great," says Scott Borchetta, who runs Big Machine Records, Swift's label.

"The next time you see her will likely be on the ACM (Academy of Country Music) awards show" in April, Borchetta says. "During that time, we're going to have a new video, but as far as the talking head of Taylor Swift, that one's gone into hiding for a little bit, at least on this continent."

Avoiding overexposure isn't the only issue the 20-year-old faces. Critics have panned her recent live TV performances as pitchy. The Grammy duet with Stevie Nicks was no exception. "Now, everybody knows that Taylor Swift can't sing," influential blogger Bob Lefsetz wrote after the performance.

"They've got to figure out how to get this girl to sing on TV and sound right," says former Spin magazine editor Alan Light. "That's becoming more of a limitation as she's flying at that altitude."

Borchetta says Swift is working on her live TV performances.

"She's a very intelligent girl," he says. "She's going to keep addressing it and keep getting better."

But Light also points out that in an era when many stars lip-sync, Swift's less-than-pitch-perfect television performances humanize her. "The fact that it's not perfect, in some ways, has been an asset," he says. "That makes it all the more believable, to a certain point."

But, Light says, "she's going to have to deliver a little stronger."

Swift intentionally kept a low profile from mid-December until the Grammys. During that time, she stayed off the red carpet and in the recording studio, cutting an album's worth of material.

The first single from Swift's third album will go to radio in late summer or early fall, and the album will follow late in the year. "She was on an amazing writing spree through December and January, and we were able to go in and cut all those things," Borchetta says. "If she writes something great between now and July, it will go on the record. She's been extraordinarily prolific the last six months."

Swift's fans seem to have an insatiable appetite for her music right now. Two weeks ago, a new track, Today Was a Fairytale, sold 325,000 copies, the best download debut for any female act ever. The song appears on the soundtrack for the Feb. 12 film Valentine's Day, in which Swift has a small role.

Swift's sold-out North American tour begins March 4 in Tampa and runs into June.

Though Team Taylor is trying to limit her national appearances, Borchetta says, "as much as you try to pull back, there are some things you can't stop. We can't stop Us Weekly from snapping a picture of her and putting it on the cover."

Ultimately, losing song of the year to Beyoncé and record of the year to Kings of Leon at the Grammys might have been one of the best things that could have happened to Swift.

"I think she benefited from not having a sweep," says Los Angeles-based music journalist Chris Willman, who covered the Grammys for Yahoo! Music. "The media backlash would have been considerable. It's tough to rule from the perch of that kind of coronation."

[musicjunky318]

Feb 1, 2010 1:16:12 GMT -5 CTE said:

They are only setting Beyonce up to fall. She'll have to meet every expectation, and when she doesn't, because she will not meet them all, she'll be a flop, hasbeen, etc. Watch.

I get the same vibe. Somethin tells me her *Paul Mooney* wake up call is on the horizon, I can't pinpoint exactly when it's coming, but it will be noteworthy.

[dbt88]

Feb 4, 2010 0:22:32 GMT -5 jamrock16 said:

Feb 3, 2010 23:47:28 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

at Solange Knowles having a Kanye West moment and b!tching about Taylor Swift. Seriously, it makes me think Bey is as fake.

Because brothers and sisters think exactly the same way, right?

FYI, Beyonce said this after Kanye's VMA antic, "Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art". So I say yeah, it does run in her family. And they're sisters btw.

[KingB]

Feb 4, 2010 9:09:31 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

Feb 4, 2010 0:22:32 GMT -5 jamrock16 said:

Because brothers and sisters think exactly the same way, right?

FYI, Beyonce said this after Kanye's VMA antic, "Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art". So I say yeah, it does run in her family. And they're sisters btw.

and this makes her fake how?

[dbt88]

Feb 4, 2010 9:29:33 GMT -5 KingB said:

Feb 4, 2010 9:09:31 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

FYI, Beyonce said this after Kanye's VMA antic, "Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art". So I say yeah, it does run in her family. And they're sisters btw.

and this makes her fake how?

You don't go up on stage and have someone have her moment when later on you go implying she doesn't deserve it. A little egotistic if you ask me. If she was a class act as people say she is, she would've kept it to herself.

[averystepfon]

^Exactly. Solo appears to be jealous because she CAN'T win a Grammy. Beyonce, Pink, Gaga, and Taylor were the talk of the night. If Solo was as real as she said she were, she would have said Taylor's name in the tweet BUT of course she won't do that.

[SWEET DREAMS]

Preach Solo!

[Tanisha Thomas.]

OK, what did Solange say about Taylor? I'm confused.

[Joe1240]

Feb 4, 2010 6:38:52 GMT -5 libri said:

Feb 2, 2010 9:38:29 GMT -5 Tanisha Thomas. said:

This was Kanye's weakest album. It doesn't matter if Kanye had slightly better reviews than Taylor. They are really what and what in reviews really. The fact of the matter is, 808s & Heartbreak was Kanye's weakest reviewed and selling album to date. It didn't deserved a nomination, if you compare it with his previous works, which were huge critical and commercial successes. 808s & Heartbreak was not. It lost buzz months ago. It deserved to get left out, and it wasn't surprising it was left out either. You have to have more than just critical support to get in AOTY, which was moderate compared to HIS other albums. He did not this time around. The reason why Taylor got in is because she had not only solid reviews, but she had the commercial success and she stayed relevant throughout the year. Name an album that was the best selling album of the year that didn't make it into AOTY in its given year. Taylor totally deserved her nomination because it was HER year and Fearless was her biggest commercial and critical success. Point blank, period.

Does it matter who I think shouldn't have been nominated? It's subjective anyway. I think Kanye West deserved to get locked out. It was HIS weakest album both commercially and critically, and it wasn't surprising that he got locked out. Taylor deserved her nomination and win because of the year she had. That is MY opinion.

Huh? That's ridiculous. Since when does one have to compete against one's previous works, instead of one's peers, for awards? Sure Kanye, your CD is better than most of your competitors', but since it's not as good as your last one, sorry, you're out dude!

Also, not that it should matter, but you acted like his album was a commercial failure. It sold over 1.6m, and both Love Lockdown and Heartless sold very well. Heartless even outsold YBWM, IRRC. If not for the incident, he would've at least got a nom for Heartless IMO.

So yes, I too stick to my opinion that Taylor should've thanked Kanye (and her sound engineers) for quite a few of her awards. She was out of her league at the grammy performance, and it showed that the empress had no clothes. There's no way she deserves any vocalist or entertainer of the year awards. At least, not right now. She may still grow into one, but right now she's being over-rewarded.

Name an album that was the best selling album of the year that didn't make it into AOTY in its given year.

Spice Girls, NSYNC, High School Musical. Notice the pattern? Taylor's music isn't much different. What elevates her in the eyes of the industry is that she writes; she's the Debbie Gibson of today. The difference is that the industry wasn't as desperate for sales back then.


Anyway, saw this in the USA Today:

www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-02-02-taylornext02_ST_N.htm

Taylor Swift takes a step back from the spotlight after awards

By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY

For the past five months, Taylor Swift has been everywhere. From the VMAs to the CMAs to the Grammys, she seems to have performed on every awards show — and come home with an armful of trophies.
Tabloids have chronicled her every casual date. Now, with Sunday's top-album win for Fearless and three other Grammys, Swift's handlers are concerned that the young singer could be overexposed.

Heading to Australia for a tour that starts Thursday might help.

"The Australian dates had been planned all along, but it actually worked out great," says Scott Borchetta, who runs Big Machine Records, Swift's label.

"The next time you see her will likely be on the ACM (Academy of Country Music) awards show" in April, Borchetta says. "During that time, we're going to have a new video, but as far as the talking head of Taylor Swift, that one's gone into hiding for a little bit, at least on this continent."

Avoiding overexposure isn't the only issue the 20-year-old faces. Critics have panned her recent live TV performances as pitchy. The Grammy duet with Stevie Nicks was no exception. "Now, everybody knows that Taylor Swift can't sing," influential blogger Bob Lefsetz wrote after the performance.

"They've got to figure out how to get this girl to sing on TV and sound right," says former Spin magazine editor Alan Light. "That's becoming more of a limitation as she's flying at that altitude."

Borchetta says Swift is working on her live TV performances.

"She's a very intelligent girl," he says. "She's going to keep addressing it and keep getting better."

But Light also points out that in an era when many stars lip-sync, Swift's less-than-pitch-perfect television performances humanize her. "The fact that it's not perfect, in some ways, has been an asset," he says. "That makes it all the more believable, to a certain point."

But, Light says, "she's going to have to deliver a little stronger."

Swift intentionally kept a low profile from mid-December until the Grammys. During that time, she stayed off the red carpet and in the recording studio, cutting an album's worth of material.

The first single from Swift's third album will go to radio in late summer or early fall, and the album will follow late in the year. "She was on an amazing writing spree through December and January, and we were able to go in and cut all those things," Borchetta says. "If she writes something great between now and July, it will go on the record. She's been extraordinarily prolific the last six months."

Swift's fans seem to have an insatiable appetite for her music right now. Two weeks ago, a new track, Today Was a Fairytale, sold 325,000 copies, the best download debut for any female act ever. The song appears on the soundtrack for the Feb. 12 film Valentine's Day, in which Swift has a small role.

Swift's sold-out North American tour begins March 4 in Tampa and runs into June.

Though Team Taylor is trying to limit her national appearances, Borchetta says, "as much as you try to pull back, there are some things you can't stop. We can't stop Us Weekly from snapping a picture of her and putting it on the cover."

Ultimately, losing song of the year to Beyoncé and record of the year to Kings of Leon at the Grammys might have been one of the best things that could have happened to Swift.

"I think she benefited from not having a sweep," says Los Angeles-based music journalist Chris Willman, who covered the Grammys for Yahoo! Music. "The media backlash would have been considerable. It's tough to rule from the perch of that kind of coronation."

Are You Kidding Me? Taylor was winning awards WAY BEFORE KAYNE ever happened. She doesn't need to thank him. Taylor is far from another Debbie Gibson. Someone like Demi Lovato is another Debbie Gibson. Taylor has done some amazing performances and one performance doesn't make a career. Taylor has roots to stay long in this industry.

[Sir Benji]

glad someone spoke up about taylor's ridiculous AOTY win, I may not like her sister that much and she may not be a big seller but Solo's latest music has had more substance than Taylor's probably ever will.

[dbt88]

Feb 4, 2010 11:34:05 GMT -5 Tanisha Thomas. said:

OK, what did Solange say about Taylor? I'm confused.

"Im sorry but i'm having another kanye rant moment. My sister BROKE THE RECORD for the MOST GRAMMY'S IN ONE NIGHT BY ANY FEMALE," she wrote Monday (February 1) night. "so why do i KEEP seeing "other artist" as the Nights "big winner"....(*kanye shrug here) ???? Wowzers 2 some responses. Good darnit......im glad folks agree. Ok. On to the next one:)"

[PDC1987]

Feb 4, 2010 11:40:15 GMT -5 Joe1240 said:

Feb 4, 2010 6:38:52 GMT -5 libri said:

Huh? That's ridiculous. Since when does one have to compete against one's previous works, instead of one's peers, for awards? Sure Kanye, your CD is better than most of your competitors', but since it's not as good as your last one, sorry, you're out dude!

Also, not that it should matter, but you acted like his album was a commercial failure. It sold over 1.6m, and both Love Lockdown and Heartless sold very well. Heartless even outsold YBWM, IRRC. If not for the incident, he would've at least got a nom for Heartless IMO.

So yes, I too stick to my opinion that Taylor should've thanked Kanye (and her sound engineers) for quite a few of her awards. She was out of her league at the grammy performance, and it showed that the empress had no clothes. There's no way she deserves any vocalist or entertainer of the year awards. At least, not right now. She may still grow into one, but right now she's being over-rewarded.


Spice Girls, NSYNC, High School Musical. Notice the pattern? Taylor's music isn't much different. What elevates her in the eyes of the industry is that she writes; she's the Debbie Gibson of today. The difference is that the industry wasn't as desperate for sales back then.


Anyway, saw this in the USA Today:

www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-02-02-taylornext02_ST_N.htm

Taylor Swift takes a step back from the spotlight after awards

By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY

For the past five months, Taylor Swift has been everywhere. From the VMAs to the CMAs to the Grammys, she seems to have performed on every awards show — and come home with an armful of trophies.
Tabloids have chronicled her every casual date. Now, with Sunday's top-album win for Fearless and three other Grammys, Swift's handlers are concerned that the young singer could be overexposed.

Heading to Australia for a tour that starts Thursday might help.

"The Australian dates had been planned all along, but it actually worked out great," says Scott Borchetta, who runs Big Machine Records, Swift's label.

"The next time you see her will likely be on the ACM (Academy of Country Music) awards show" in April, Borchetta says. "During that time, we're going to have a new video, but as far as the talking head of Taylor Swift, that one's gone into hiding for a little bit, at least on this continent."

Avoiding overexposure isn't the only issue the 20-year-old faces. Critics have panned her recent live TV performances as pitchy. The Grammy duet with Stevie Nicks was no exception. "Now, everybody knows that Taylor Swift can't sing," influential blogger Bob Lefsetz wrote after the performance.

"They've got to figure out how to get this girl to sing on TV and sound right," says former Spin magazine editor Alan Light. "That's becoming more of a limitation as she's flying at that altitude."

Borchetta says Swift is working on her live TV performances.

"She's a very intelligent girl," he says. "She's going to keep addressing it and keep getting better."

But Light also points out that in an era when many stars lip-sync, Swift's less-than-pitch-perfect television performances humanize her. "The fact that it's not perfect, in some ways, has been an asset," he says. "That makes it all the more believable, to a certain point."

But, Light says, "she's going to have to deliver a little stronger."

Swift intentionally kept a low profile from mid-December until the Grammys. During that time, she stayed off the red carpet and in the recording studio, cutting an album's worth of material.

The first single from Swift's third album will go to radio in late summer or early fall, and the album will follow late in the year. "She was on an amazing writing spree through December and January, and we were able to go in and cut all those things," Borchetta says. "If she writes something great between now and July, it will go on the record. She's been extraordinarily prolific the last six months."

Swift's fans seem to have an insatiable appetite for her music right now. Two weeks ago, a new track, Today Was a Fairytale, sold 325,000 copies, the best download debut for any female act ever. The song appears on the soundtrack for the Feb. 12 film Valentine's Day, in which Swift has a small role.

Swift's sold-out North American tour begins March 4 in Tampa and runs into June.

Though Team Taylor is trying to limit her national appearances, Borchetta says, "as much as you try to pull back, there are some things you can't stop. We can't stop Us Weekly from snapping a picture of her and putting it on the cover."

Ultimately, losing song of the year to Beyoncé and record of the year to Kings of Leon at the Grammys might have been one of the best things that could have happened to Swift.

"I think she benefited from not having a sweep," says Los Angeles-based music journalist Chris Willman, who covered the Grammys for Yahoo! Music. "The media backlash would have been considerable. It's tough to rule from the perch of that kind of coronation."

Are You Kidding Me? Taylor was winning awards WAY BEFORE KAYNE ever happened. She doesn't need to thank him. Taylor is far from another Debbie Gibson. Someone like Demi Lovato is another Debbie Gibson. Taylor has done some amazing performances and one performance doesn't make a career. Taylor has roots to stay long in this industry.

LMAO.

Debbie had 2 Hot 100 #1s, a 3x Platinum album, a 2x Platinum album, and a Gold album.

Demi Lovato can't hold a candle to her success.

[jamrock16]

Feb 4, 2010 9:09:31 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

Feb 4, 2010 0:22:32 GMT -5 jamrock16 said:

Because brothers and sisters think exactly the same way, right?

FYI, Beyonce said this after Kanye's VMA antic, "Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art". So I say yeah, it does run in her family. And they're sisters btw.

Oh, really? :o I had absolutely NO clue Solange was a female thus making her a sister of Bee. I added brother just to make my statement general, thank you.

And what if Beyonce said Kanye was standing up for art? Every video is an art form so it's not like Bee was saying her video is only art. I suppose she should of cussed him out even though they're good friends and have worked together in the past.

[musicjunky318]

Solange needs to sit her flop ass down. Anyone can have an opinion but the rudeness is uncalled for.

[KingB]

Feb 4, 2010 9:50:29 GMT -5 @dbt88 said:

Feb 4, 2010 9:29:33 GMT -5 KingB said:

and this makes her fake how?

You don't go up on stage and have someone have her moment when later on you go implying she doesn't deserve it. A little egotistic if you ask me. If she was a class act as people say she is, she would've kept it to herself.

she knew like everyone else with half a brain that kanye's comments were to mtv and NOT taylor personally.. he picked the wrong moment to address it and she acknowledged it and that's why she gave taylor her moment.

You're just looking to start something.