http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2033...466070,00.html

Aretha Franklin Tribute featuring Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, and Florence Welch
For the Queen of Soul, a store-bought ''Get Well'' card just isn't going to cut it. So the Grammys put together this all-star musical medley tribute to the convalescing diva, with each singer taking cracks at Franklin hits like ''Respect'' and ''Think.'' The ladies' vocal fireworks compensated for the inevitable karaoke vibe, but with each singer trying to outsing the last, all the octave-jumping technical one-upmanship ended up making us nostalgic for the earthy, from-the-gut singing that made Franklin herself a star. And don't fret, Franklin fans: Aretha looked pretty darn good in the pre-taped video that aired after the ladies' act. Grade: B

Lady Gaga
Given Lady Gaga's track record for mind-boggling live performances, anything less than an on-stage A-bomb detonation tonight was going to seem a little underwhelming. But this latex-and-line-dancing performance of her new single ''Born This Way'' was downright minimalist. No burning pianos, no blood-splattered faces: Just a Blonde Ambition ponytail and a pack of vogue-ing dancers — Let the Madonna comparisons continue! — to back up her Ladyship's knock-out vocals. Not one for the books, but a good reminder that Gaga's raw talent is just as astonishing as any gimmick she ever pulled on stage. Grade: B+

Miranda Lambert
The country star took the stage with a tribute to ''all the artists who came before us,'' singing her Song of the Year nominee ''The House That Built Me'' over a slide show of photos of canonical stars like Elvis, Elton John, and Sting. Lambert's soulful singing does her heroes proud, but her snoozy (albeit heartfelt) performance makes it clear that she's still got plenty to learn from them about showmanship. Grade: C+

Muse
U.K. rockers Muse busted out their moody, operatic single ''Victorious'' amid a sea of agit-prop video screens while masked hoodlums rushed the stage to bash TVs and mosh. Needless to say, this was not your parents' favorite performance of the night. The band's anti-establishment, ''Down with the Man'' message was a welcome dose of outsider energy for the usually staid Grammys, though their heavy-handed delivery isn't likely to inspire any off-stage revolutions. Grade: B-

B.o.B, Bruno Mars, and Janelle Monáe
The night's most forward-looking performance was also its most delightfully retro: A high-spirited, neo-soul triptych from crooners Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, and B.o.B. After a low-key rehash of the radio hit ''Beautiful Girls,'' Mars showcased a black-and-white, doo wop rendition of ''Grenade'' that played up his smooth, expertly coiffed charisma despite the occasional missed note. But the act's high point came when Mars jumped behind a set of drums to back up Monáe on a hyper-kinetic performance of ''Cold War,'' which she turned into a manic, crowd-surfing display of raw oomph. Despite all its nods to the past, something tells us this act will be inspiring Grammy performers long into the future. A-

Justin Bieber, Usher, Jaden Smith
No teen angst here: Pop's petit prince popped-and-locked his way through a bubbly, Vegas-style ''Never Say Never'' (Pyro? Ninja drumline? Cirque du Soleil acrobatics? Check, check, check!) with some help from age-appropriate buddy Jaden Smith. Then Bieber's label boss Usher broke out ''O.M.G.'' for the second time in two weeks (round one was the Super Bowl halftime show), culminating in some goofy, endearing couples-dancing with his protégé. Is it possible that Justin Bieber is on his way to outshining his mentor? Like his song says... Grade: B+

Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, and Avett Brothers
Forty six years after Bob Dylan changed music by plugging in at the Newport Folk Festival, the singer joined indie folk upstarts (and Grammy nominees) Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers for a tribute to acoustic music. Kicking it off: the Mumford boys' buoyant, fast-strumming single ''The Cave,'' complete with banjo. The Avetts kept the energy high with ''Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise,'' before Dylan trotted onto the stage with nothing but a harmonica and a smile. Croaking out ''Maggie's Farm'' with the combined Avett-Mumford families behind him, Bob proved that, even at 70, he still doesn't need any power cables to give an electric performance. Grade: A

Lady Antebellum
The voices were smooth and the harmonies syrupy, but Lady Antebellum's bare-bones, easy-listening mini-medley made the group look less like multiplatinum music stars than like the world's best cruise ship act. Grade: C

Cee-Lo, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Muppets
The zippy ''Forget You'' would've been a highlight of the night even if all we got was Cee-Lo dressed like the Village People's bedazzled pet turkey in a nod to Elton John's 1977 Muppet Show appearance. But then Gwyneth Paltrow decided to turn the number into the latest stop on her unofficial ''I'm Awesome at Everything I Try'' multimedia tour, jumping onto Cee-Lo's piano for a ''Glee''-ful duet of the song. Forget this? Never. Grade: A

John Mayer, Norah Jones, and Keith Urban
Three great musicians, two guitars, and one legendary song, ''Jolene'': What this pocket-size homage to Dolly Parton lacked in flair, it made up in sweetly simple respect for its source material. Grade: B+

Rihanna, Eminem, Skylar Grey, and Dr. Dre
In one of the night's most hotly anticipated moments, 45-year-old rap legend Dr. Dre looked the slightest bit rusty running through his new single ''I Need a Doctor'' — especially next to Eminem's vein-popping, rage-blackout rhyming. Still, judging by the roar that greeted the hip-hop icon's first live TV appearance in over ten years, Eminem never needed to worry: Nobody forgot about Dre. Grade: B

Katy Perry
V-Day came a few hours early when Katy Perry took the stage, crooning her ballad ''Not Like the Movies'' over footage of her wedding to comedian Russell Brand. But demure has never been Perry's MO, and it wasn't long before the singer was prancing through a candy heart-coated take on her puppy-love hit, ''Teenage Dream.'' As usual, Perry went for mugging over musicianship; the resulting show was every bit as cute and sweet and disposable as a store-bought Valentine. Grade: C+

Mick Jagger
In a twitchy, foot-tapping take on the late Solomon Burke's ''Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,'' Jagger traded Burke's soul for his own brand of aging-rocker pizzazz. Kitschy? Definitely. But what better tribute to a great musician than an auditorium full of adoring fans on their feet dancing? Grade: B

Barbra Streisand
Just minutes after Mick Jagger set a high bar for crowd-pandering cheese, Babs vaulted right over it with a syrupy rehash of her 1976 schmaltz anthem ''Evergreen.'' Streisand fans were undoubtedly pleased to hear their idol belt age-defying high notes, but the standing O that followed her standard-issue performance felt more dutiful than enthusiastic. Grade: C+

Rihanna and Drake
Rihanna and Drake's first TV team-up was all fringe and fire and semi-inappropriate fondling, a refreshing burst of youthful swagger at a time when the show seemed to be losing some steam. Grade: B

Arcade Fire
Moments before scoring the night's biggest upset with an unexpected Best Album win, the Montreal-based indie collective already held the stage with unflagging confidence in a strobe-fueled performance of ''Month of May.'' The number provided the evening's only real jolt of pure indie rock energy, with BMX bike-mounted cameras zooming in front of the hard-rocking eight-piece ensemble. Something tells us this was all more thrilling in person than on TV, but there was no mistaking the fire in the group's rousing performance. Grade: B+

The best ones were: Cee-lo /Bob Dylan

The worst one: Lady Antebellum


Thoughts?

Chemist, you stole my thread's thunder! >:O

But yours is better.

I agree on 90% of them

Are they forreal with this? Bob Dylan is one of the worst live singers ever.

I can't @ Katy being a "C+"

Quote:

Rihanna and Drake Rihanna and Drake's first TV team-up was all fringe and fire and semi-inappropriate fondling, a refreshing burst of youthful swagger at a time when the show seemed to be losing some steam. Grade: B

not that bad!

they shud have been higher...

Lady GaGa getting a B+ and Katy having a C+ or Rihanna a B, only proofs how ridiculous this is Katy deserved an A she was the best BY FAR

Did you expect more?

Why was Barbra so low???

Pedrito do you have ears?

Not only having an amazing scenario matters - you have to sing well too, and Katy's vocal weren't on point singing TD .

Lady Gaga
Yasssssssssss.