Grammy Noms a 'Blessing': Hudson

Singer tweets, then deletes, response to controversy

(NEWSER) - Chris Brown—who really needs to learn to step away from the Twitter—lashed out at his critics in a rant on the social networking site that was predictably and quickly deleted. Brown, apparently upset with all the controversy over his Grammys appearance , tweeted a series of messages yesterday that culminated in this classiness: "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now! That's the ultimate FUCK OFF!" More»

Sony blamed for UK price hike, now reversed

(NEWSER) - On Saturday, a Whitney Houston greatest-hits album cost about $8 in the UK iTunes store; but shortly after the singer was found dead, it had jumped to a little more than $12.50. The changed sparked a customer uproar. "It is just a case of iTunes cashing in on the singer's death, which in my opinion is totally parasitic," said one, according to DigitalSpy . But the Guardian reports that it was Sony, not iTunes, that was responsible for the change—which has now been reversed. More»

Grammy Awards also go to Chris Brown, Bon Iver, and more

(NEWSER) - The Grammys got started with—what else?—a performance. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band did a rousing rendition of "We Take Care of Our Own" before host LL Cool J even made an appearance. The host brought up Whitney Houston's death first thing after thanking the band (click for more on that ). Then:

• Nope, it's still not time for an award: Bruno Mars takes the stage, then the first presenters appear—20 minutes into the ceremony. But Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt first perform a tribute to Etta James before presenting Best Pop Solo Performance to Adele for "Someone Like You."
• Next up: Another performance, this time the controversial first Grammys performance by Chris Brown since he beat Rihanna before the ceremony three years ago.

Grammy Awards remember Whitney Houston

(NEWSER) - Grammy Awards host LL Cool J brought up Whitney Houston 's death almost as soon as he took the stage tonight, and started the ceremony with a prayer for her before formally welcoming the audience. Then it was more Whitney, with LL Cool J presenting a video of the beloved diva performing "I Will Always Love You" at a previous Grammy Awards. "Whitney, we will always love you," he said. Toward the end of the evening, Jennifer Hudson echoed him: Performing "I Will Always Love You" as a tribute to Houston, she closed by singing the line, "Whitney, we love you." Click to watch the video . More»

"Part of Me" includes suspicious "diamond ring" lyric

(NEWSER) - Katy Perry debuted a new song at the Grammys tonight, and she may have also debuted a little message for her ex, Russell Brand. The song, "Part of Me," includes the lyrics, "Now look at me, I'm sparking/A firework, a dancing flame/You won't ever put me out again" and "So you can keep the diamond ring." People , and at least one of the magazine's readers, think the lyric just might be a shot at Brand. Click for more Grammys coverage . More»