Luther Vandross and Coldplay stole some of hip-hop's thunder at the Grammys, but rap funksters OutKast still won album of the year for Speakerboxxx: The Love Below and Beyonce took home a record-tying five trophies.
Despite a tightly scripted show Sunday night devoid of outrageousness or spontaneity -- a marked contrast to today's pop scene -- Janet Jackson's Super Bowl breast flash at the hands of dance partner Justin Timberlake remained the major subplot.
CBS and Jackson offered conflicting reports about why she was not at the show, which was televised on a five-minute delay to avoid anything like the Super Bowl incident.
CBS need not have worried -- the already staid Grammys were even more conservative than usual. Curses or cleavage were in short supply, with the exception of Christina Aguilera's dangerously low-cut pink dress.
``I know it's been a rough week on everybody,'' said Timberlake, stifling a self-deprecating laugh while accepting the best male pop vocal performance award for Cry Me a River. He brought his mother as his date. ``What occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable, and I apologize if you guys are offended.''
Vandross, recovering from a stroke, won for best song, best R&B album and best male R&B performance for Dance With My Father, and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for The Closer I Get to You, a remake he did with Beyonce.
It was the evening's most sentimental victory -- the R&B crooner's first win in a major category in his 20-year-plus career. He was unable to attend, but sent a videotaped message, his first public remarks since his stroke in April last year.
``I wish I could be with you there tonight. I want to thank everyone for your love and support,'' said a weak-looking Vandross. ``And remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long, because'' -- and he sang a line from one of his many hits -- "I believe in the power of love!''
Hip-hop was well-represented at this year's Grammys, with OutKast, producer-singer Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z and his girlfriend Beyonce all winning honors.
Not bad for a genre that wasn't even acknowledged by the Grammys until 1989. Here's a timeline of hip-hop's Grammy history:
1989: Grammys give out first rap award, for ``best performance,'' to the lightweight Parents Just Don't Understand by Will Smith (known then as The Fresh Prince) and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Rap community claims that voters ignored the best artists, like KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane and NWA, whose debut album Straight Outta Compton launched gangsta rap.
1990: MC Hammer's megaplatinum Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' nominated for best album; his U Can't Touch This wins best rap performance. Rap community still upset, especially by best rap performance nomination for Vanilla Ice, widely considered a fraud by knowledgeable fans. Public Enemy boycotts show despite nomination for best performance, accusing Grammys of racism.
1993: Arrested Development is first rap act to win best new artist trophy. They also win best group rap performance for Tennessee.
1999: Lauryn Hill is first rap act to win best album category with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a mainly R&B album with rap and hip-hop touches. She sets a record with five awards, which was the most ever for a female artist. Jay-Z's Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life wins best album, but he boycotts awards show, saying the Grammys don't respect rap.
2000: Burying the legacy of Vanilla Ice, the well-respected Eminem becomes first white rapper to win rap category, taking best rap album over Busta Rhymes, Nas, Missy Elliott and The Roots. Also wins best rap solo performance.
2001: Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, which slurs gays and women, is focus of protests after being nominated for album of the year. Eminem loses best album to Steely Dan, but sweeps rap categories.
2004: OutKast wins album of the year for the genre-busting double CD, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
Beyonce turned out to be the queen of the ball, tying a record for female artists with her five awards. But she won none of the top categories of song, record or album of the year.
The moody British rock band Coldplay, up against four hip-hop nominees for record of the year, won for their song Clocks.
Rockers Evanescence won best new artist in an upset over rapper 50 Cent -- who briefly walked onstage as Evanescence accepted their award.
``Thank you, 50,'' said Evanesence's Amy Lee as the rap star smiled for the camera.
Rock singer Warren Zevon, who rushed to complete a final album before his September death from lung cancer, won his first two Grammy Awards. June Carter Cash also won two posthumous awards, and her husband Johnny Cash and former Beatle George Harrison were also honored after their deaths.
The 46th annual awards show began at 4:55pm -- five minutes before airtime -- with Prince performing Purple Rain, marking the 20th year of the groundbreaking song and movie.
Beyonce, wearing a tight dress with a feather skirt that fleetingly revealed her pink panties, joined Prince on his hits and then sang her own Crazy in Love, which won two trophies -- for best R&B song and best rap/sung collaboration. Her boyfriend, Jay-Z, won two awards for collaborating on that hit.
Beyonce also won best female R&B
performance and best contemporary
R&B album for Dangerously in Love, and best R&B performance by a duo or group for her song with Vandross.
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