I had a chance to sit down with another president — Bill Clinton. When I walked into his Harlem office, Bill said, "Hey, man, how are you doing?" It was like we were old pals!
The former commander in chief was in great spirits. He always seems to be in storytelling mode if you can spark his interest. He's very aware, very warm, very jovial and very genuine, all at the same time.
We had actually met before, in 2008 at the MTV/ Clinton Global Initiative event at the Apollo along with Shakira, Alicia Keys, Chris Rock and Bono. This time, the purpose of the interview was to talk about a film that MTV made about "Real World" star Pedro Zamora and his courageous fight to make the world more aware of HIV and AIDS.
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Man, can I get a minute to land?
Coming back from the Grammy Awards early Tuesday morning — like, 1 a.m. — turned into a very anxious few hours. I was sitting right behind Lupe Fiasco while my man Sway was a few rows up sitting by Robin Thicke and Ashford & Simpson (you should have seen how many Louis Vuitton bags the legendary pair pulled off the luggage conveyer belt).
I'm getting too far off the subject now. Right before I got to baggage claim, I got the call from a homie in L.A. saying that the local news was reporting that Chris Brown was involved in a car chase with the cops and he had a gun to his head threatening suicide. I damn near lost my breath.
Fortunately, that rumor was quickly debunked ... only to be replaced by another rumor. By the time I get home, I got an e-mail saying that the Cali news was reporting that DJ Khaled was driving the Bentley being chased by the cops. Damn. This night is never going end. Read more...
By Alex Shapiro
Dave Matthews Band fans watching the action-packed Grammys on Sunday night may have cause to be upset — and it wasn't because DMB didn't win any awards. DMB saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died in August due to complications from an ATV accident, was not included in the "In Memoriam" section of the show, which honored legendary sound mixers, producers and musicians.
Today the Recording Academy's president, Neil Portnow, issued a statement regarding Moore's absence from the televised tribute.
"Nearly 250 members of our music community have passed in the last year, and all of them have been listed in the program book for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, including LeRoi Moore," he said. "For the 'Encore' segment of our annual Grammy Awards telecast, unfortunately we are unable to include all of the talented and wonderful people within the allotted time frame. The Academy recognizes Moore's contributions to music and music education, and we are deeply saddened by his premature passing."
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By Debra DeSalvo
"No one on the corner has swagger like us," indeed! Show-stealing M.I.A. was not only super-pregnant at the Grammys, she was actually having contractions while she was bouncing all over the stage, according to EW.com. Speaking after her performance of "Swagga Like Us" with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and T.I., M.I.A. said, "The contractions come and go. My fiancé's got the stopwatch going."
Grammy show boss Jack Sussman confirmed that M.I.A.'s contractions began around 8 p.m., right when the awards went on the air. "I asked her to just hang on until 10 p.m. ET," the CBS TV exec admitted, adding, "The kid's a gamer." Anxious fiancé Benjamin Brewer was in the wings timing the contractions to make sure she didn't go into labor backstage, and the Grammys had an ambulance on standby just in case.
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By Alex Shapiro
Dave Matthews fans are angry with the Grammys because band co-founder and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died in August, was excluded from the show's annual "In Memoriam" segment. While the exclusion of more recent passings, such as Cramps singer Lux Interior and Stooges guitarist Ron Ashton, might have been understandable, Moore was clearly overlooked. Granted, the Grammys had a challenging show last night for well-publicized reasons, but for fans, it's hard not to take this as a slight. The band has not only sold millions of albums and performed for countless fans, they have been nominated for multiple Grammys and won one (Matthews himself won an additional Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 2004). We understand the challenges of putting on a live awards show — believe us, we understand! — but it seems the Academy could have spared some shine for this gifted and much-missed musician.
Spokespeople for the Grammys were not available for comment at press time.
Before hitting the Grammy stage via banana, Katy Perry told Sway that she would be shipping her bubble-gum pink dress back to Lebanon after the night's festivities were over. "I can't keep any of this, by the end of the night I turn into a pumpkin and I'm naked! It's over. I look crazy afterwards."
Then the pair switched roles for a bit and Ms. Perry played reporter, grilling Sway on his preference: the VMAs or the Grammys. Sway, being loyal to his employer, chose the VMAs. And before long, Katy was explaining the sorts of jitters she was experiencing before her first Grammy performance. "Well, I've never done it before. It feels a little like your first kiss, 'cause you're so nervous and you've never had it and you've heard about all your friends doing it."
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Apparently, at some point during his interview with Taylor Swift on the Grammy red carpet, Sway thought that maybe, just maybe, he had a shot at the Best News Correspondent Grammy.
Too bad Taylor, who performed with her best friend Miley Cyrus during the show, was there to remind him that the Grammys aren't really the venue for guys like Sway to win awards.
"They should have a separate awards show for that sort of thing," she told him. "Maybe not include it as a subcategory for the Grammys, 'cause it's basically all music."
That seems pretty obvious to all of us, Sway! If you really need the accolades for all your hard work here, Taylor has a suggestion for you: "There could be a Journalist Awards!"
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Last night, I live-blogged the Grammys and now, 12 hours after the strains of Stevie Wonder mercifully brought the show to a close, I'm back for a recap. What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment.
It seems like most of you had the same thoughts I did about the awards: too many moments like Plant and Krauss winning Album of the Year, not enough like Lil Wayne, Kanye, Jay-Z and T.I.’s take on "Swagga Like Us." We were all fired up by the announcement that Blink-182 were reuniting, all genuinely touched by Jennifer Hudson's rousing performance of "You Pulled Me Through," all bemused by M.I.A.'s ready-to-burst belly. Oh, and we were all really taken aback by the news of Chris Brown's arrest, too. too.
I've collected some of the best comments of the night after the jump, in the hopes of continuing the conversation. What did you think about the Grammys? What were your favorite moments? Oh, and at a couple of points during last night's live blog, I mentioned that I totally knocked it out of the park with my Grammy predictions. As it turns out, I was slightly exaggerating. I went six for 11 in my picks, calling Record and Song of the Year, Best New Artist (sort of — I said "Duffdele" would win ... close enough), plus nailing stuff like Best Rap Song and Album. Somehow I whiffed in all the rock categories, and I blew it in polka, too. How'd you do in your office pool? Let me know!
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By Adrienne Day
Miss the Grammys last night? Read all about how Robert Plant and Alison Krauss swept the show, winning five trophies, including the coveted Album of the Year. Coldplay netted three — including Best Rock Album and Song of the Year — and Lil Wayne took home Best Rap Album. Read our Grammy recap, check out the winners list and flip through photos of Grammy fashions.
Watch the "Rap Pack" — Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I., and a very pregnant M.I.A. — earn a standing ovation with their "Swagga Like Us" performance.
Blink-182 confirm the rumors — they're baaaaack! They have a new album and tour in the works for this summer.
50 Cent admits to making fun of Kanye West's new haircut and fashion sense but denies that "Play This on the Radio" is about West.
There was heated debate at our Greatest Movie Badasses of All Time panel discussion at New York Comic-Con over the weekend. But the man behind #1 Badass Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood, thinks we made the right choice.
I'm just getting out of the Grammy Awards. The show this year was cool. I especially enjoyed Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo in the tribute to the Four Tops. Jennifer Hudson is amazingly strong, and her voice is powerful. So many people in the building were crying.
During the red carpet beforehand, it was great to chop it up with so many of the presenters and performers. Was Katy Perry really flirting with me? We had a really playful conversation where she started off interviewing me. That pink dress was cute. Don't hurt 'em.
More of Sway's behind-the-scenes photos from the Grammy red carpet, after the jump!
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