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1. Anand Bhatt's 2013 GRAMMYS'
Behind The Scenes
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By Anand Bhatt19 hours 6 minutes ago
"Another successful Grammy night!" is
what we said as we clinked our glasses
after the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
For most in the music industry, the
Grammys mark the end of the "music
year." Awards night is sort of like our
New Year's Eve. I might rest or travel the
immediate Monday after, but starting
Tuesday morning its work on new songs
for next year and starting on the process
for the latest release for the upcoming
Latin Grammys.
This year's Grammy Awards were slightly
different than before. For starters, there
was a dress code to prevent sexy outfits!
I'm not sure if CBS issued this dress code
or the Recording Academy did, but it
looked like many people thankfully
ignored it anyway (Jennifer Lopez
notwithstanding - that dress was HOT).
Then, as I'm sure I'm not the only one that
noticed, there was A LOT more country
music than usual. All though Taylor Swift
is technically no longer country, she
counts as part of the roster that made up
the "heartland" performances. I'm not saying the concert wasn't as enjoyable as a whole, but there
were a whole lot of banjos on stage - more than some of us are used to. Also, Mumford & Sons may
be British, but they definitely have a whole Dukes of Hazzard thing going for them. Again, not saying
the show wasn't "Fun.," because we got to see Sting play with Bruno Mars! Also, new Justin
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2. Timberlake is killer! And of course the "LL Cool J meets Public Enemy meets Rage Against the
Machine" Beastie Boys tribute at the end absolutely made my night concert-wise! Considering the
lineup, this was probably the heaviest Grammy night musically in a long time.
I was a bit bummed I didn't get to meet Prince though. I wanted to see him up close in his cute little
hobbit hoodie and cane. And I just missed meeting Elton John by a matter of minutes. The Talent
Check-in and the Gifting Suite were right next to each other in tents at Staples Center. "Sir Elton"
was walking up from the parking lot to the Talent Check-in area just as I started my media
interviews in the Gifting Suite. I heard he was outside, but figured it would make for awkward TV if
I said "Hold on, I'll be right back!" on camera. Plus, the atmosphere in the Gifting Suite was quite
great. Perhaps the most comfortable and fun setting of Grammy weekend (The Mastercard Lounge
being a close second). A very pretty girl from a company called Seyie Design did the interior
decoration, which had a lively yet relaxing SE Asian feel. There was also a talented and adorable 10
year old child prodigy DJ that was a lot of fun. All in all a great place to hang out.
The Mastercard Lounge was our oasis the 2nd year in a row. It's a semi-private area with its own red
carpet inside of Staple Center that runs in between the Pre-telecast and the Telecast. It is important
to note that there are two parts to the Grammy Awards. There are the “real” awards called the Pre-
telecast, and the televised awards simply called the Telecast: which is really just a show for pure
entertainment purposes (and a much appreciated celebration after a long day). The Telecast is what
everyone sees on TV. The Pre-telecast is a lot like a graduation ceremony: many, many, many,
(many) awards are read off over the course of hours, usually beginning at 1:00 p.m. What is most fun
about this part of the day is that everyone gets to mingle freely with each other. I have been fortunate
enough to have met everyone from Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood to Megadeth’s Dave
Mustaine (at the bar) and Slipknot (in the bathroom—an awkward story I should probably save for
another time) during pretelecasts. Grammy day is a long day on your feet, so getting to take a break
in the Mastercard Lounge after the red carpet is not only welcomed but much needed.
This year's red carpet had so many security checkpoints, I almost expected to meet the President on
the other end. From where we get dropped off to where we take the pictures to show off our outfits
(the part everyone sees on TV and other media) we must have passed through at least 5 sets of
guards. Red-carpet security employs everything from fake carpets to organized lies and fake
directions from event staff to keep fans from getting a glimpse of the action. Personally, I think its
taken way to seriously at the Grammys, not once did I see anyone trying to sneak in so it all may be a
bit overkill to try enhance the feeling of being elite. I do have to say, though, that the red carpet
moved more quickly than last year since they were only letting a very small number of people on it.
I'm also impressed that there was an announcement about the GRAMMYs wanting to honor music
teachers. It's great that Recording Academy took time to publicly mention a positive initiative (vs.
needlessly complaining about piracy, which is the speech we usually get). In fact, first thing in the
morning I saw an email from Neil Portnow, the Academy "head-honcho," urging us to spread the
word and nominate our own teachers. I don't know if Mr. Reiser from high school and Dr. Anderson
from college are still taking on students, but you definitely get my vote!
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3. The 2013 Grammys managed to be a great night fashion-wise, music-wise, and more. I'm looking
forward to finding out what we do at the next awards show!
More from Notebook
• Anand Bhatt's 2013 GRAMMYS' Behind The Scenes
• FALLEN ANGELS. Directed by Art Manke at Pasadena Playhouse
• Amazing performance of DeeDee Rescher in Shirley Valentine - Falcon Theatre
• Traverse, an inventive dance at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, Feb. 1
• This Mother's Life, by Nina Mohadjer
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