2011 Grammy Awards Winners

If you slept under a rock all day, you missed The Grammys. I'm mentally fried from live-blogging the event over at Idolator, but here are some performances, plus some main winners...

Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"



Cee Lo Green & Gwyneth Paltrow, "Forget You (aka Fuck You)"



Rihanna & Drake, "What's My Name"



Rihanna, Eminem, Skylar Grey & Dr. Dre, "Love The Way You Lie/I Need A Doctor"



Album Of The Year: The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Song Of The Year: "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
Record Of The Year: "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
Best New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Pop Vocal Album: The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga 
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars 
Pop Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group: "Hey Soul Sister (Live) - Train 
Pop Collaboration: "Imagine" - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal
Short Form Music Video: "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga  
Dance Recording: "Only Girl (In The World)" - Rihanna
Dance/Electronic Album: La Roux - La Roux
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Revolver" - Madonna 
Country Album: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Country Song: "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum 
Rap Album: Recovery - Eminem
Rap Song: "Empire State Of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys 
Rock Album: The Resistance - Muse 
Rock Song: "Angry World" - Neil Young
Alternative Music Album: Brothers - The Black Keys
R&B Album: Wake Up! - John Legend and The Roots
R&B Song: "Shine"- John Legend and The Roots 
R&B Male Vocal Performance: "There Goes My Baby" - Usher
R&B Female Vocal Performance: "Bittersweet" - Fantasia
R&B Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group: "Solider Of Love" - Sade
Urban/Alternative Performance: "Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green

Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life" Video Has A Fairytale Ending Because She Gets To Bang Drake

Nicki Minaj's "Fairy Godmother" character in her "Moment 4 Life" video is hands-down the gayest things since...since...well, since Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" lyrics.

In fact, the whole cheesy-dialogue-filled intro to this visual clip is better than Nicki's song itself, which also features one of Drake's monotone mumble raps. (Though, I'll admit, Drizzy's looking quite boffable here.)

It's all a fun, eye-popping affair. But, let's be honest here—next time Nicki wants to do a real fairytale-themed video, she needs to take a few pointers from Ke$ha's trashy ass.



Chart Rigger turned 6 this week. Fill out the fun pop blogiversary questionnaire.

U.S. Chart Roundup: Rihanna & Drake Fall, Pink Climbs And Glee's "Teenage Dream" Comes True

Some interesting trash going on in the Billboard Hot 100 this week, starting with the fact that Rihanna and Drake's "What's My Name" plummets from #1 to #7. And I know I said last week that it's one of her most forgettable singles, but—dammit!—that effing song is actually growing on me now. I think if it had Drake stripped out altogether, a la how she's been performing the tune during her TV appearances all week, it would take on a whole new dimension of pop radness. Alas—well, dropping to #7 says it all, really.

That brings us to Pink, whose "Raise Your Glass" hops up from #7 to #4. It's shocking to think that, if we don't count the collaborative 2001 cover of "Lady Marmalade," this is really only Pink's fourth Top 5 hit, following "Most Girls" (#4, 2000) "Get The Party Started" (#4, 2001) and "So What" (#1, 2008). I, for one, have been jamming all week to her Greatest Hits...So Far!!! Yeah—she got my cold hard  cash for that one. She's gonna need it to buy that kid she has on the way some leather or brass knuckles.

Debuting at #8 is Darren Criss' Glee cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," a week after the original version dropped out of the Top 10. So far it's become the best-selling single during a one-week period from the Fox series, even though it didn't quite land as high as "Don't Stop Believing" (#4, 2009) on the Hot 100.

Here's Darren performing "Teenage Dream" at L.A. venue The Mint last weekend:



On a final note, the Black Eyed Peas' absolutely wretched "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" debuts at #12. If ever there was an uninspired, rushed single that deserves to flop...

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Like A G6" - Far*East Movement *3 weeks*
2. "Only Girl (In The World)" - Rihanna
3. "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars
4. "Raise Your Glass" - Pink 
5. "Just A Dream" - Nelly 
6. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha
7. "What's My Name" - Rihanna feat. Drake
8. "Teenage Dream" - Glee Cast *new*
9. "Firework" - Katy Perry
10. "Bottoms Up" - Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj

It's Rihanna's "What's My Name" Video

Now that Rihanna's "What's My Name" has topped the U.S. chart and the song is deeply entrenched on Top 40 radio, along comes the video. And it's even more glaringly obvious that Drake only drags this otherwise decent jam down.

I like "What's My Name." At first I didn't get it, but it's got a subtle hook that inevitably grows on you. But Jesus Christ, does Drake always have to sound like he's bored, depressed, monotone and rapping through his nose (not to mention completely smug)? He's alright to look at, but Ri Ri should have just stuffed her red wig in his mouth and taken full vocal control of this one.

"What's My Name" is now Rihanna's eighth #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. At this point in her career, does she even need the featured rapper of the week anymore?

Oh, well. Here's the video. Ooh, na-na away...