Although there was an all-star lineup of performers at last night’s Grammy Awards, there was little surprise—for me, anyway—when the winners were announced. For those who read my blog entry yesterday, you’ll allow me a moment to gloat that that four out of my five “Who will win” picks were on target. (I was off on Album of the Year. I’ll do better next year.)

But in truth, I don’t really watch the show, year after year, to root for my favorite artists. I just really love the musical acts.

Take Bono’s performance with R & B singer Mary J. Blige of U2’s hit, “One.” The song’s message—that we’re all one and we’ve got to share the love and “carry each other”—is timeless, but it seems a heck of a lot more relevant now than it was back in 1991, when the song was first released.

As projectors circled the stage with the word “one” lit up in different languages, Bono and Mary held hands and belted out the lyrics. It was very heartwarming—until I noticed Mary trying to upstage Bono by singing louder and louder. I thought it was pretty funny. I mean, I thought we were supposed to be “one,” Mary?

Another interesting moment occurred right after Mariah Carey sang her hit, “We Belong Together.” As cameras panned to Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher, who was on stage to present the next award, Teri exclaimed, “I feel like we’ve all just been saved!” That made me gag. If Diva Mariah’s voice—which I’m convinced is just screeching, passed off as music—is going to “save me,” I’ll start packing up the sunblock for a extended vacation in hell.

Oddly enough, I felt the most genuine moment of the night was Kanye West and Jamie Fox’s performance. Dressed as members of a marching band, with drummers and cheerleader dancers behind them, the duo sang, “Gold Digger,” off of Kanye’s award-winning album, “Late Registration.” And as they did, I was lifted and inspired by the sound of the background vocals and beat of the drums, and I was captivated by the dancing. A little less by the lyrics, but that’s a whole other issue.

Since Kanye’s rise to popularity with “Jesus Walks,” he’s been the artist I love to hate. And, although many consider Kanye to be one of the most egotistical artists out there (myself included), I have to give credit where credit is due and say that he is one of the best live entertainers I’ve ever seen. He’s talented, energetic, and committed to success.

So I guess this year, the best part of the Grammys wasn’t seeing some of my favorite singers perform live, or even being able to brag to my friends that I’m a modern-age Nostradamus. This year’s Grammys will go down in history, for me at least, as the night I made peace with Kanye West.

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