Since I did the car shopping thing yesterday, I decided to take it easy today and rest up for the Grammys.

You see, to me, the Grammys are more than just a telecast: They're an opportunity to do some major multitasking. (While the TV was on, I was eating dinner, doing laundry, talking on the phone and paying bills. Not all four at the same time, but you get the idea.)

I figure that my musical tastes are so far from what's popular these days that it's really not must-see TV for me. In the past five years, I can only recall for tuning in for two opening performances: Simon & Garfunkel in 2003 (to promote their upcoming reunion tour) and the Police in 2007 (to promote their upcoming reunion tour). I enjoyed both performances, but in each case, the songs were 25 years old (or more, in the case of S&G).

So, as you may have guessed, I'm not anywhere near cutting edge of anything musical.

However, I tuned in tonight because it's the 50th annual Grammys, and I'm a sucker for milestones.

A few observations:

• Alicia Keys, wearing a green dress with a hideous hole in the front, accompanied herself on piano and was backed up by a brass band to sing a duet with a black-and-white film of a young Frank Sinatra. I don't like the whole bring-'em-back-from-the-dead-for-a-duet deal. It's creepy.
• The Band and the Beatles were honored with lifetime Grammys. To that end, the Band got nothing and the Beatles got performances from "Love," the Cirque du Soleil show that's running in Las Vegas, and "Across the Universe," the Julie Taymor film that's up for Best Picture at this month's Oscars. Immediately following the tribute, the soundrack of "Love" won a Grammy.
• Kanye West irritates me. Sure, he wants to pay tribute to his mother, but was it really necessary to shave "MAMA" into his head? Following his black-lit performance of "Stronger" and" Hey, Mama," he won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. I can't really speak about whether or not he was deserving of this honor. I just wanted him to win something because he has a history of being a sore loser.
• Fergie has a really good voice! I didn't really expect this. With John Legend on piano, she sang a song (that I don't know) absolutely beautifully.
• Cyndi Lauper and Miley Cyrus came together to announce the Best New Artist, Amy Winehouse. When Lauper was named Best New Artist in 1985, I was in complete agreement. And she's still making music more than 20 years later. Where will Winehouse be in 20 years -- rehab, or worse?
• Brad Paisley performed a rocking country tune. I can't comment on the specifics of the song, but I thought it was odd that the set behind him had his name in lights by the end of the performance. I guess that's how you get name recognition with the two dozen people actually watching the Grammys.
• There was a "My Grammy Moment" contest for the chance to play some sort of plugged-in string instrument to accompany the Foo Fighters in their outdoor performance. That's right: Some unknown makes it all the way to the Grammys for their big moment, and they can't even get into the Staples Center with all the real artists. The performance seemed fine, and the Foo Fighters were accompanied by the My Grammy Moment Orchestra, conducted by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. Frankly, I thought that wall all unnecessary. But, then again: What do I know? I'm an old fart (by the Grammys' standards).

I'm sure I'm leaving something out. (In fact, I know I am. I'm typing this instead of watching the Grammys' third hour.) But, the good news is that I can crawl into bed, get my eight hours of rest, and read about it on some other blog in the morning.

Ain't life just grand?