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5:49 p.m. BEST NEW ARTIST: Zac Brown Band, the first country artist to win this title since Carrie Underwood, and only the second in the past 10 years. Silver Lake’s Silversun Pickups are saved from the so-called “best new artist curse.” But the Ting Tings were robbed, though the spunky duo never had a chance.

5:45 p.m. Pink, proving once again that some pretty acrobatics can distract from a boring song, in this case “Glitter in the Air.” For all those who always wanted to add some circus stunts to their bummer ballads, this was your dream come true. For the rest of us, this was the kind of stunt you see outside the Luxor.

5:31 p.m. What Beyoncé may as well have been saying to Taylor Swift: “So, you think you’re a crossover artist? You ain’t seeing nothing, kid.” Queen B rocks it out with “If I Were a Boy,” complete with a crotch-grab and all, and then jumps into “You Oughta Know.” Yes, the Alanis Morissette song. Beyoncé has done what every artist should do, and that’s use this platform to take some chances, and try out something the prime-time audience isn’t expecting. She was crawling on all fours, and belting out the lyrics with greater ferocity than Billie Joe Armstrong (see what the theater does, Billie?), even if it was a bit of an obvious attempt to prove that she can do it all. 

5:27 p.m. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM: Taylor Swift’s “Fearless.” This gives Swift three wins for the night. She noted that it was the first time she’d walked up the Staples Center stairs to “accept a Grammy on national television.” First time for everything. I guess when you’ve won nearly every award known to man,  you have to find new angles. “I just believe I’m standing here accepting an impossible dream.”

5:15 p.m. Dear Green Day: The world loved “American Idiot.” Its political anthems shot you back to relevancy, and the album’s flashes of theatricality added a welcome bit of bombast to your sound. When the album was turned into a Broadway-bound musical, that was all a bit unexpected, and even deserved we would say. But — and don’t be offended Green Day — bigger isn’t always better. The choir on “21 Guns” was overkill, and there’s Never (we capitalized the “N” on “never” for added emphasis) a reason to duet with multiple Broadway singers on the Grammys. Just because people seem to like “Glee,” it doesn’t mean we want giant choirs with all our punk rock songs. Then again, we appreciate the fact that there was no Elton John. Cheers.

5:13 p.m. SONG OF THE YEAR: Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” This gives Beyoncé five total awards.

5:12 p.m. Stephen Colbert gave a pretty sharp opening monologue, joking that the music biz was saved by a “48-year-old Scottish cat lady with sensible shoes,” alluding to Susan Boyle. Will she be at the Grammys in 2011? Let us hope not.

5:06 p.m. Gaga started pretty electric, her “Poker Face” getting a slight reworking for the big stage. The Broadway (or maybe Vegas?) production had her kidnapped onstage, and materializing with Elton John. And the two traded off on “Speechless” and Elton’s “Your Song.” It showed off Gaga’s vocal chops, but it was another over-the-top Grammy attempt to connect a legend with a current artist. If Grammy producers had wanted to do something truly inspired, they would have put Gaga onstage with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and drawn the connection between the mainstream and the underground. There’s 109 categories. The Grammys should use them all when plotting their performances.

5:04 p.m. You know it’s winter when Elton John migrates west for award season.

5:01 p.m. Lady Gaga, in a glittery butterfly outfit, starts with “Poker Face” — the first few notes a bit theatrical. A tease to the Elton John pairing happening in moments. Gaga is opening the medley with an oldie, but it’s the song that put her on the map.