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Much like the weeks leading up to the ceremony, the 43rd annual Grammy Awards were all about Eminem and Dr. Dre, who dominated the stage patter, the performances and the awards themselves, combining for five honors.
The promised protests against Eminem and his perceived homophobic and misogynistic lyrics fizzled, with only three dozen protesters showing up to rally outside Los Angeles' Staples Center. Inside, the controversial rapper turned in the evening's most talked-about performance (at least going into the ceremony), joining forces with the openly gay Elton John on Eminem's single "Stan." Eminem ended the performance by embracing John, and then raised his middle fingers to the crowd.
Eminem walked off with three awards, including Best Rap Album for The Marshall Mathers LP and Best Rap Solo Performance for "The Real Slim Shady." He also picked up a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group statuette for his work on Dr. Dre's "Forgot About Dre."
Grammys host Jon Stewart brought a healthy dose of sarcasm to the ceremony, deflating the controversy that had surrounded Eminem's appearance.
"I don't understand the controversy. I met Eminem backstage, and I've got to tell you, he's really, really gay," Stewart joked.
Avant-jazz vets Steely Dan took home several awards, including the somewhat puzzling Best Pop Vocal Album (besting Britney Spears, 'NSYNC, Madonna and Don Henley).
"I thought that was weird," Steely Dan's Walter Becker said of the group's pop win. "Maybe we're in the wrong category or something. Think they'll take these things away from us, or make us give them back?"
U2 scored the night's best batting average, turning their three nominations into three wins. Inspiring thoughts of "don't call it a comeback," the Irish rock veterans walked off with Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Beautiful Day."
Destiny's Child made quite a splash, both with their performance of "Independent Women Part I"/"Say My Name" and their win for "Say My Name."
They began the night winning waves on the red carpet, even as ex-members LaTavia and LeToya lurked just steps behind, and onstage they glowed with Grammy joy.
"Thank you Michelle, for blessing Destiny's Child, and thank you Kelly. I love you very much," Beyoncé said.
"We love you too," Kelly and Michelle answered.
Their fellow musicians gave the ladies serious love.
"I have to say I'm in the Destiny's Child fan club now," U2's Bono said.
Although Britney Spears wasn't in the house, Christina Aguilera more than carried the torch for both young divas and the Latin pop movement, performing "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" and "Falsas Esperanzas," a pair of songs off her Spanish-language Mi Reflejo. Aguilera descended onto the stage in a mechanical ball, a prop which provided one of the evening's most suspenseful (albeit unintentional) moments when Aguilera almost fell 10 feet to the stage after nearly missing the platform she exited onto. After regaining her musical footing, Aguilera closed out her set by demonstrating her Mariah Carey-like vocal range through a series of high-pitched arpeggios.
For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.
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