The 54th annual Grammy Awards were handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last night, and as has become the tradition at the Grammys, the telecast was mainly focused on performances while very few actual trophies were given out during the show. However, Adele came away as the big winner with six awards, tying Beyoncé's record for the most awards won by a female artist in one night. Adele won in every category in which she was nominated, including the coveted Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Rolling In The Deep" and Album of the Year for 21. She also scored trophies for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Short Form Music Video for "Rolling In The Deep" and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Someone Like You."
          Kanye West won four awards, including Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Best Rap Performance with Jay-Z for "Otis," and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song for "All Of The Lights," though the emcee was not in attendance. 
          In addition to these multiple-trophy winners, the 54th annual Grammys were marked by two things: stunning live performances and tributes to Whitney Houston, who passed away the night before. The Grammys did an excellent job of balancing somber remembrances of Houston with fun, celebratory live music. Host LL Cool J began with a prayer for Houston, followed by a clip of her past Grammy performance singing "I Will Always Love You." He then got the crowd hyped up and ready for a celebration as he introduced Bruno Mars for an energetic, retro-style performance of "Runaway Baby," which gave a nod to James Brown. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt offered a heartfelt tribute to Etta James in which they sang "A Sunday Kind of Love."  A collaboration of Rihanna and Coldplay began with Rihanna singing "We Found Love" before Coldplay came out for their duet, "Princess of China," as well as "Paradise."
          One of the other significant moments of the night was the return of Adele in her first performance since having vocal cord surgery in the fall. She belted out "Rolling In The Deep" with her voice sounding strong and pure, garnering a standing ovation from the adoring crowd. Jennifer Hudson appeared for a moving solo verse of "I Will Always Love You" for Whitney Houston, after which she blew a kiss to Houston's photo that was hanging above her. Later, one of the most original and memorable performances of the evening came from Nicki Minaj, who gave a theatrical turn as one of her alter egos, Roman Zolanski. After a Priest tried to exorcize "Roman" from her body, Nicki performed her new single "Roman Holiday" on a church-like set with dancers dressed as monks.  Finally, the evening came to a close when Diana Ross presented the award for Album of the Year to Adele.
          Other Grammy winners on the night included Chris Brown for Best R&B Album; "Fool For You" by Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona for Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Song; and Skrillex for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronica Album. The Hollywood Reporter also says that Sunday's Grammy telecast drew the show's largest audience since 1984 and its second biggest overall. Ratings show that 39 million people tuned in for "music's biggest night," which is more people than watched the Oscars last year.

As various reports continue to surface about Whitney Houston's death, TMZ claims that Houston died from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol, according to family sources. Coroner's officials reportedly informed Houston's family that there was not enough water in her lungs to lead to the conclusion that she drowned in the bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. TMZ also cites family sources as saying that Houston's mother has arranged to have the singer's body flown back to Atlanta for burial as early as tomorrow, and the coroner does not object to releasing the body because there is no evidence of foul play. Meanwhile, any official announcements about the autopsy results have been held at the request of police detectives investigating Houston's death. Officials are not ruling out any causes of death until they have toxicology results, which will likely take weeks to obtain, according to Billboard.com.
          In other news, the Whitney Houston Tribute Channel launched on SiriusXM (channel 48) over the weekend to honor the music and legendary career of the singer. It will stay on the air until midnight tonight (2/13). Additionally, SiriusXM Stars, channel 107, is offering various specials today including a broadcast of an archival interview between Houston and Barbara Walters from 1993 which features the two discussing marriage, motherhood and health. Furthermore, Houston's final film, the movie Sparkle, is now scheduled to hit theaters on August 17, according to Rolling Stone. The remake of the original 1976 movie features Houston as the mother of three sisters in a Supremes-like musical group who struggle with fame and drugs. The film also includes performances by Jordin Sparks, Cee Lo Green and Mike Epps, and Houston recorded several songs for the soundtrack.
          Speaking of Houston's recordings, Apple has been criticized for seemingly exploiting her death by hiking up the prices of her albums on iTunes. According to U.K. website Digital Spy, Houston's 2007 Ultimate Collection increased by £3 to £7.99 in the space of just 30 minutes, with iTunes users reporting that they were prevented from downloading the LP at its original advertised price while the update occurred. However, it is not clear who is behind the price increase, with some fans suggesting that Sony Music or the publisher may be responsible, and not strictly Apple. 

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