Grammys 2014: The Best And Worst Moments

By Michael Slezak

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Most Underwhelming Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love" is one of the best, giddiest tracks on her recent self-titled disk. But her show-opening rendition was more notable for its heavy emphasis on backing track (and on her exposed, gyrating backside) than any kind of musical electricity or innovation. Talk about putting the "(WH)Y" in "Yoncé"!

Most Underwhelming

Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love" is one of the best, giddiest tracks on her recent self-titled disk. But her show-opening rendition was more notable for its heavy emphasis on backing track (and on her exposed, gyrating backside) than any kind of musical electricity or innovation. Talk about putting the "(WH)Y" in "Yoncé"!

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Best Antidote to Country Music's Bro-Centricity Hunter Hayes' touching "Invisible," an ode to bullied kids and outsiders everywhere, may have sounded just a teensy bit froggy, but it also proved that the fellas of his genre aren't exclusively limited to singing about babes and beers and trucks.

Best Antidote to Country Music's Bro-Centricity

Hunter Hayes' touching "Invisible," an ode to bullied kids and outsiders everywhere, may have sounded just a teensy bit froggy, but it also proved that the fellas of his genre aren't exclusively limited to singing about babes and beers and trucks.

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Moment Most Likely to Result in a "WTF" Text From Your Older Brother (or at Least Mine) Daft Punk, clad in robot helmets (alongside a strangely be-hatted Pharrell Williams), accepting the award for Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.

Moment Most Likely to Result in a "WTF" Text From Your Older Brother (or at Least Mine)

Daft Punk, clad in robot helmets (alongside a strangely be-hatted Pharrell Williams), accepting the award for Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Least Sexy Props Oh, Katy Perry. Maybe you were singing live (though based on the absence of facial close-ups and the very canned sound, it's doubtful you were). But watching you and your background dancers trying to work those giant broomsticks like stripper poles during "Dark Horse" was as comically awful as that literal equine-puppet fella that reared up mid-performance. Where was American Horror Story: Coven's Fiona Goode to come and set a witch straight when she needs it?

Least Sexy Props

Oh, Katy Perry. Maybe you were singing live (though based on the absence of facial close-ups and the very canned sound, it's doubtful you were). But watching you and your background dancers trying to work those giant broomsticks like stripper poles during "Dark Horse" was as comically awful as that literal equine-puppet fella that reared up mid-performance. Where was American Horror Story: Coven's Fiona Goode to come and set a witch straight when she needs it?

John Legend

John Legend Best Case for Minimalism John Legend in a white jacket, at a black piano, absolutely slaying his gorgeous ballad "All of Me."

Best Case for Minimalism

John Legend in a white jacket, at a black piano, absolutely slaying his gorgeous ballad "All of Me."

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Best Case for Crazy Excess Yeah, we've all seen her do it before, but that didn't make Pink's insane (and insanely intense) acrobatics in the midst of a searing performance of "Try" any less mesmerizing. And that subsequent heartbreaker of a duet with Nate Ruess on "Just Give Me a Reason"? Yes on top of yes!

Best Case for Crazy Excess

Yeah, we've all seen her do it before, but that didn't make Pink's insane (and insanely intense) acrobatics in the midst of a searing performance of "Try" any less mesmerizing. And that subsequent heartbreaker of a duet with Nate Ruess on "Just Give Me a Reason"? Yes on top of yes!

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Saddest Presenter When Black Sabbath took the stage to introduce a performance by Ringo Starr, a mumbly, disoriented Ozzy Osbourne couldn't even complete the following sentence: "To me the greatest band ever will always be..." [Insert "dying inside" emoticon here.]

Saddest Presenter

When Black Sabbath took the stage to introduce a performance by Ringo Starr, a mumbly, disoriented Ozzy Osbourne couldn't even complete the following sentence: "To me the greatest band ever will always be..." [Insert "dying inside" emoticon here.]

Jay z

Jay z Most Awkwardly Polite Laughter Next year's Emmy Awards might have to reward Jay-Z and Beyoncé for holding down their dinner while presenter Jamie Foxx lamely yammered about how "Blue Ivy's mom is hot!"

Most Awkwardly Polite Laughter

Next year's Emmy Awards might have to reward Jay-Z and Beyoncé for holding down their dinner while presenter Jamie Foxx lamely yammered about how "Blue Ivy's mom is hot!"

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Most Energetic Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for a "Radioactive" duet so raucous and righteous and rockin', we suspect that 50 percent of viewers' couches moved from their original positions due to the resultant at-home boogeying.

Most Energetic

Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for a "Radioactive" duet so raucous and righteous and rockin', we suspect that 50 percent of viewers' couches moved from their original positions due to the resultant at-home boogeying.

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Best Case for Taking Your Vitamins Ringo Starr, at 73, worked the stage with more energy and verve during his performance of "Photograph" than most performers a third of his age. [Imaginary hat tip to ya, sir.]

Best Case for Taking Your Vitamins

Ringo Starr, at 73, worked the stage with more energy and verve during his performance of "Photograph" than most performers a third of his age. [Imaginary hat tip to ya, sir.]

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56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Performance Most Likely to Spur Massive Crossover Success Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow" was so tart and unexpected -- like a refreshing glass of lemonade in the midst of a heat wave -- I'm guessing non-country fans will be Googling, YouTubing and downloading before the night is over.

Performance Most Likely to Spur Massive Crossover Success

Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow" was so tart and unexpected — like a refreshing glass of lemonade in the midst of a heat wave — I'm guessing non-country fans will be Googling, YouTubing and downloading before the night is over.

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Required Viewing for "The Kids" Yes, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's reunion on the former's 2013 single "Queenie Eye" will get the lion's share of water-cooler buzz. But in the spirit of brutal honesty, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson's cover of "Highwayman," which led into Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton's "Okie from Muskogee" and ended in a group rendition of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," is the performance that should be required viewing for wee ones whose musical knowledge might be limited to Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

Required Viewing for "The Kids"

Yes, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's reunion on the former's 2013 single "Queenie Eye" will get the lion's share of water-cooler buzz. But in the spirit of brutal honesty,
Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson's cover of "Highwayman," which led into Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton's "Okie from Muskogee" and ended in a group rendition of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," is the performance that should be required viewing for wee ones whose musical knowledge might be limited to Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Coolest Cats in the Room Stevie Wonder joined those French robo-dudes from Daft Punk -- along with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers -- for a main course of "Get Lucky" and a side dish of "Le Freak" that was (at least to this electro-lovin' viewer) everything I needed in my life. Then again, considering "Get Lucky" won the coveted Record of the Year statuette, it's likely that the jam session carried pretty broad appeal, yes?

Coolest Cats in the Room

Stevie Wonder joined those French robo-dudes from Daft Punk — along with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers — for a main course of "Get Lucky" and a side dish of "Le Freak" that was (at least to this electro-lovin' viewer) everything I needed in my life. Then again, considering "Get Lucky" won the coveted Record of the Year statuette, it's likely that the jam session carried pretty broad appeal, yes?

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Most Genius Mashup Not only are Carole King's "Beautiful" and Sara Bareilles' "Brave" thematically simpatico through their messages of self-acceptance and self-affirmation, but musically, they sounded like they rose up from the exact same bowl of primordial soup. What's it gonna take to get the legendary singer-songwriter and her current chart-topping pal to hit the studio, cut this collaboration and release it on iTunes?

Most Genius Mashup

Not only are Carole King's "Beautiful" and Sara Bareilles' "Brave" thematically simpatico through their messages of self-acceptance and self-affirmation, but musically, they sounded like they rose up from the exact same bowl of primordial soup. What's it gonna take to get the legendary singer-songwriter and her current chart-topping pal to hit the studio, cut this collaboration and release it on iTunes?

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Biggest Tearjerker When Queen Latifah introduced Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (along with Mary Lambert and Trombone Shorty) as they took the stage for the marriage-equality anthem "Same Love," I'll admit I raised an eyebrow and wondered if an unexpected announcement might be nigh. But while something surprising indeed went down, it turned out to be the Oscar-nominated rapper-actress officiating marriage celebrations for 33 diverse couples -- straight and gay -- who'd chosen to take their vows right there in the Grammy aisles. By the time Madonna emerged to add a chorus of "Open Your Heart" to the proceedings, the tears were flowing freely along the lovebirds and the audience. (Aww, Keith Urban, you big softie!).

Biggest Tearjerker

When Queen Latifah introduced Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (along with Mary Lambert and Trombone Shorty) as they took the stage for the marriage-equality anthem "Same Love," I'll admit I raised an eyebrow and wondered if an unexpected announcement might be nigh. But while something surprising indeed went down, it turned out to be the Oscar-nominated rapper-actress officiating marriage celebrations for 33 diverse couples — straight and gay — who'd chosen to take their vows right there in the Grammy aisles. By the time Madonna emerged to add a chorus of "Open Your Heart" to the proceedings, the tears were flowing freely along the lovebirds and the audience. (Aww, Keith Urban, you big softie!).

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show

56th GRAMMY Awards - Show Most Unwelcome Interruption Did I have a Grammy-related nightmare, or did the show's producers actually choose to cut off an all-star rock-and-roll summit among Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham in order to remind us the event was sponsored by some hotel company and an airline? Sheesh -- the show was already running long. Why not let those dudes rock us into the midnight hour?

Most Unwelcome Interruption

Did I have a Grammy-related nightmare, or did the show's producers actually choose to cut off an all-star rock-and-roll summit among Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham in order to remind us the event was sponsored by some hotel company and an airline? Sheesh — the show was already running long. Why not let those dudes rock us into the midnight hour?

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