Grammy Award voters obsessed with politics this year

Plus: School Board should continue to listen up; Anna Nicole being taken in death

Observations at the Grammy Awards: Unfortunately, I sat through the entire Grammy Awards telecast Sunday night. Most of the performances were underwhelming, even the big Police reunion and the otherwise-incredible Red Hot Chili Peppers. But I did learn a few things.

One – Mary J. Blige is apparently the new Jesus. She is a talented singer, if not a bit overrated. But she acts as if she is the only person to ever get over substance addiction and clean up her act. Blige got more stage time than almost anyone else, and it wasn’t just because she won three awards. She’s been advocating this “No More Drama” life-outlook for a few years now, and it’s annoying. Really, Mary, we get it.

At this point, she’s the perfect candidate to start her own religion.

Two - Speaking of annoying, I was really insulted by the Dixie Chicks and their “nanny nanny boo boo” acceptance speeches. It’s really too bad their five Grammys this year are based on politics and not musical merit, because they stole awards from artists who truly deserved it.

I think the Chicks are very talented, but their album, “Taking the Long Way,” is just mediocre folk rock. The Chicks themselves admitted they’re really not “country” artists anymore. When country radio banned them, they jumped ship accordingly.

While it’s true that most Grammy winners in country categories historically had very little radio airplay – Alison Krauss and Johnny Cash are two examples – I wonder why the Chicks even got categorized the way they did.

I know contemporary country music is very pop-oriented, but when does music cease to be “country?” Is it really all about being connected to the formal industry in Nashville?
Either way, it’s clear that the Chicks got the sympathy vote, fair and square.

Three – Christina Aguilera’s cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” was stunning. And by “stunning,” I mean stunningly oversung.

The greatest thing about the performance was the look on Jamie Foxx’s face afterward. It totally said, “Yep, I could have done better.”

Four – Reba McEntire had the perfect opportunity to make a snarky comment about the Dixie Chicks, but she stuck to the script as she introduced Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts. Maybe she’ll say something on “The View” one day.

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Let the people speak: I hope I’m not in the minority in my complete opposition to the Tangipahoa Parish School Board’s proposal to further restrict public comments at board meetings.

I’m sure you’re wondering why the entertainment column writer even cares about this. My parents were pivotal in getting a Louisiana law passed in the 1990s that requires school boards to hear comments from the public before taking votes. Before then, in St. Charles Parish, the school board would simply hold its meeting in public and then hold a general public input segment after the meeting was over. The public comments were never shown on the public access cable channel.

I think the Tangipahoa School Board is afraid of just that – publicity. Sure, some people misuse their right to make comments by acting irrationally or making false claims. But that’s what the school board members signed up for when they took their oaths of office. The board should respond cordially to these claims instead of ignoring them.

It’s OK for people to disagree, and it’s OK for a comment from the public to make a board member rethink his or her position on an issue. Supposedly the proposed rules are to try to eliminate people even having to address the board in the first place by requiring them to sign up to speak and consulting the superintendent the day before the meeting is scheduled.

But many situations simply aren’t made to be taken care of by an administrator. The opposition to a school uniform policy is just one of those situations. In that case, a person’s opinion deserves to be heard in public.

The board should be encouraging more involvement by community members and parents, many of whom could offer precious insight into the educational process. Instead it is seeking to discourage that.

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Anna Nicole – The plot thickens: For some reason I can’t seem to get the theme song from “The Anna Nicole Show” out of my head. Oh that’s right, it’s because I can’t go 30 minutes without reading or watching something new about the dead Playboy Playmate.

This week “Entertainment Tonight” is rolling out its exclusive interviews with Anna Nicole Smith’s partner, Howard K. Stern. Just the fact that he’s willing to sell his grief is disgusting. And unfortunately, Smith’s baby daughter has to be taken along for the ride.

There are way too many facets to this story to make it leave the spotlight anytime soon – the paternity of Smith’s baby, the fate of her late husband’s fortune, the drug use, etc.

But look for the most shocking information to come from the goods that were stolen from the home Smith and Stern had been living in in the Bahamas. Apparently pictures, important documents and even Dannielynn’s birth certificate were taken. These will be sold to magazines and published.

Smith asked for all the publicity she received in life. But even she doesn’t deserve to have her personal effects pillaged and then sold for profit.

Hopefully everything will be settled sooner rather than later, for the sake of Dannielynn. But I’m guessing that won’t happen.