The 2009 Grammy Awards brought us glittering diamond divas, gauche attempts at rock and roll glamour and gasp-worthy no-shows. Whitney Houston presented without slurring her words, Rhianna dropped out because boyfriend, Chris Brown, is in trouble with the law, and Paula Abdul showed up in a gown worthy of the lido deck on the Starship Enterprise – if it had a lido deck.
Just another day in the life of the music industry.
Lucky for us, musicians love to flaunt the ice, and the Los Angeles Staples Center was frozen over with it. Teen sensations and BFFs, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, looked all grown up in classic black. Taylor wore a floor-length Kaufman Franco number with Lorraine Schwartz brown diamonds, and Miley matched her moxy with black Max Azaria and Mimi So diamond danglers. Keep it up, ladies.
Grammy winner and heart warmer, Jennifer Hudson, wore square diamond dangle earrings and a matching bracelet that worked much better than the Roland Mouret dress that said 'dinner napkin' more than dazzle. And fellow American Idol, Fantasia rocked the ice on every surface from designers, H. Stern and First Lady-favorite, Loree Rodkin.
Not to be outdone was Katy Perry in H. Stern six-stone princess-cut diamond drop earrings, a diamond Sofia bangle bracelet and an H. Stern floral diamond Right Hand. Keyshia Cole brought out the big guns with her Damiani diamond statement necklace, and the wattage winner has to be my new favorite singing obsession, Adele, in over 30 carats of Stephen Russell diamonds. Take that Amy Winehouse!
Metallics made their usual appearance on a sequined Gwenyth Paltrow in Versace and Chopard, Grammy-winner Carrie Underwood wearing Zuhair Murad and Jonathan Arndt diamond drops , Lee Ann Rhimes in Philosophy and Bleeding Love chanteuse, Leona Lewis in Rhandi Rahm.
But what is a Grammy red carpet without the shenanigans – a.k.a. “The Courtney Love” factor? You just never know what’s going to come at you when musicians on medication dress themselves. This year the big winner is rapper, M.I.A., who busted out with bad roots, a baby bump and a Manish Arora dress that defied explanation.
While the look might not be as shocking as the Lil’ Kim doily episode at the MTV Music Awards (or the Bjork Oscar swan), combine it with the aforementioned Paula Abdul disaster, throw in a dash of trash from Paris, and add the My Favorite Martian choice from Estelle - and we may have us a red carpet catastrophe worthy of a Courtney Love MySpace rant.
You gotta love the Grammys.
Click here for a complete list of Grammy’s big winners!