GRAMMY AWARDS: U2, Elton John and Sting rocked it
Bono and The Edge joined multiple-winner Kendrick Lamar for their collaboration “XXX” from the rapper’s DAMN album during the opening of the broadcast. Later on, U2 played its latest single, “Get Out of Your Own Way,” from a barge on the Hudson River in a segment filmed Friday night. Bono and The Edge also presented Album of the Year to Bruno Mars.
Sting, Shaggy and James Corden did a comedy bit together, turning Carpool Karaoke into subway karaoke, with a subway worker telling them to shut up -- and eventually punching Corden in the face. Sting also performed the 30-year-old song “Englishman in New York” to welcome The Grammys back to the city. Then Shaggy came out to do their new single, “Don’t Make Me Wait.” Sting also presented Song of the Year to Bruno Mars.
Two classic songs were part of tributes during the show. First, country acts The Brothers Osbourne, Eric Church and Maren Morris played Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” as a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting last fall. Later in the show, Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris did "Wildflowers" as a tribute to Tom Petty.
As for the awards themselves, The Rolling Stones' Blue & Lonesome won Best Traditional Blues album, giving the band only the third win of its career. (The Stones won twice in 1995 for Voodoo Lounge.) Foo Fighters grabbed their 12th Grammy, winning Best Rock Song for "Run." And in a surprise for the Best Rock Performance category, the late Leonard Cohen won over another artist who died in the past 16 months, Chris Cornell.
Gary Clark Jr. and Jon Batiste teamed up for a Chuck Berry and Fats Domino tribute that included “Ain’t That a Shame” and ”Maybellene.”
ARETHA FRANKLIN: Jennifer Hudson set to star in bio-pic
The off-and-on Aretha Franklin bio-pic is on again. Jennifer Hudson will play the Queen of Soul.
Franklin's longtime producer Clive Davis broke the news Saturday night at his annual pre-Grammy Awards party. MGM has acquired the rights to the project and has already signed Hudson.
It marks a return to the classic soul niche for the onetime American Idol contender -- who won an Oscar playing a fictionalized character based on Florence Ballard in Dreamgirls. Hudson has been rumored to be in the running to play Franklin for years, with reports as far back as 2013 labeling her a "top candidate."
Jennifer was one of several artists to perform at Davis's bash -- not surprisingly, she sang a pair of Aretha's best known songs, "Think" and "Respect."
No word on what the movie will be called, other casting decisions or when production will begin. (Deadline.com)
LYNYRD SKYNYRD: Long farewell
Lynyrd Skynyrd are making theirs a very long goodbye.
Founding member Gary Rossington tells Billboard, "This farewell tour will take a year or two to go all the places we've been and play them one more time, so it's not like we're going away." Echoing similar sentiment to Elton John, the guitarist adds, "We're just winding it down a little bit. We'll be doing this a while longer."
Rossington's comments also namecheck another legendary artist. "I know we're going to take some time off after this farewell tour that's all planned, and then who knows. Even, like, the Eagles and a lot of people retire for a year or two and they have to come back. It's just in your blood, y'know?... Even if the touring ends we'll still do special shows and special guest things here and there with the whole band."
Though we don't know when it will end, but the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour begins on May 4th in West Palm Beach, Florida.