There have already been a few changes since the new Grammy boss hopped on board. Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president, and CBS decided to air the 45th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night instead of the traditional Wednesday-evening slot.
Portnow told Billboard Magazine that's because a Sunday-night broadcast would "be a real opportunity" because "Sunday's the biggest night in television in terms of people watching, so that's where we want to be."
The "45th Annual Grammy Awards" will air Sunday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. on Ch. 2. And this year's list of nominees isn't full of surprises.
Still, having Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen's "The Rising" up for Album of the Year and Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" competing for Record of the Year is intriguing. It will be interesting to see which wins out. Springsteen is the sentimental favorite, but Jones might have an edge, thanks to the growing popularity of the old-school-jazz sound.
Portnow, who took the helm of the Grammy cruise liner in October after C. Michael Greene resigned amid accusations of mismanagement and harassment, is already targeting Greene's rule that forbade artists who appeared on the rival American Music Awards to perform on the Grammys.
That's something that AMA producer Dick Clark says would be a good thing. "Michael prevented the public the chance to see their favorite stars perform," Clark told the Deseret News after filing an unfair-practices lawsuit against Greene. "It also isn't fair for the performers who are prevented from performing for their fans."
Since Portnow took over NARAS, Clark has dropped the suit.
Politics and broadcast nights aside, Grammys should be about music. At least that's what the award ceremony's pioneers had in mind back in 1957, when a group of music professionals and label executives in Los Angelesformed NARAS. The hope was that the organization would represent movers and shakers in the music business.
"The founding members of the Recording Academy wanted to recognize and celebrate the artistic achievements of not only talented musicians and singers but also important, behind-the-scenes contributors such as producers and engineers," according to the official Grammy Award history.
"The Grammys are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."
Two years ago, former Grammy chief Greene emphasized those principles when NARAS fell under heavy criticism for nominating Eminem's "Marshall Mathers LP," which was considered by some — including the National Organization for Women and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — as misogynistic, anti-gay and obscene.
"The Grammys have never been about money," Greene said. "Yes, the album did sell more than 8 million copies, but that's never been an issue with the Grammys. There are albums that have sold more than that and have never come close to us."
Of course, Greene also said that an album as controversial as the "Marshall Mathers LP" selling 8 million copies is "something that can't be ignored."
Then again, controversy and spectacle aren't new to the Grammys. The Grammy show for 2001 was especially full of strange happenings. During the broadcast, openly gay Elton John and allegedly homophobic Eminem sang "Stan," which was at the time the latest single of the outspoken rapper, who, incidentally, flipped off the audience at the end of the song.
During that same broadcast, the Best New Artist Award was given to Shelby Lynne, who, at the time, had been performing for some 13 years and had released six albums. And Steely Dan's lackluster "Two Against Nature" beat out Beck's "Midnite Vultures," Eminem's "Marshall Mathers LP," Radiohead's "Kid A" and Paul Simon's "You're the One" for Album of the Year.
In 1999, host Rosie O'Donnell made quips about Whitney Houston's marijuana charge, which Houston, who was in the audience, answered with a flippant gesture of her own.
However, 1999 also marked a first for Grammy ceremonies. Rhythm 'n' blues princess Lauryn Hill became the first female artist to net five awards, breaking a record set by Carole King back in 1971. And Madonna, believe it or not, won her first Grammy in that broadcast for the song "Ray of Light."
And we can't forget Ricky Martin, whose performance of "Copa de la Vida" ("Cup of Life") during the 1999 show blew open the whole modern-day Latin music craze.
That was fortunate for music icon Carlos Santana, who, the next year, took home eight Grammys for his album "Supernatural." And the writers of Santana's hit single "Smooth" from that album — matchbox 20's Rob Thomas and Itaal Shur — took home the Song of the Year award.
Last year's broadcast focused on the roots music scene, which was fed by awarding the soundtrack to "O Brother Where Art Thou" the Album of the Year Award.
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com