Normally, I don't think much of award shows. They're just ego snacks, with flat live performances. But, the 51st annual Grammy Awards on Sunday were STEAMING with some of the sweetest 'Grammy Moments' we've had in a long, long time, and gave us in the music world a bit to get jolted about. It's tough to pick the best moment of the night though. Let's recount the night, shall we?

Blink182 announced their bid to return to the rock music world after a bitter cold war-like breakup a few years back. Try and tell me seeing Mark Hoppus' devilishly goofy smile lighting up a stage doesn't make you happy. Cool moment, but Tom was so awkward, and it's not like they performed a song or anything. It was a bigger deal when The Police made a return at the Grammys two years ago.

Green Day handed off the album of the year award to Robert Plant & Allison Krause...though Coldplay and/or Radiohead most certainly deserved that award more in my book (GD also recently announced their followup to American Idiot will hit shelves this May and be called 21st Century Breakdown. Nice.)

Despite being due to deliver a KID Sunday, a ridiculously pregnant M.I.A. performed the soon-to-be-classic "Swagga Like Us" on stage alongside "The Rap Pack" (Jay-Z, Kanye, TI, and Lil Wayne). And it was awesome.

Speaking of awesome, I'm in love with Kate Beckinsale. Paul McCartney couldn't have gotten a sweeter lady to introduce his tight performance of the classic "I Saw Her Standing There." Wish he would have played something else though. Like a song of his he doesn't have to pay Michael Jackson to play.

Kid Rock's medley was startlingly good, especially the opening with "Amen."

That new U2 song, "Get On Your Boots," was a lot better than the first single from their last album. You know, the one where the chorus was: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Stevie Wonder. Al Green. Fantastic night for soul.

And who doesn't love when Neil Diamond shows up and busts out "Sweet Caroline"?

But the finest moment of the night goes to... Radiohead.

Seriously. Ho. Ly. Crap! That performance of "15 Steps" with a full drum line was too good. If you've seen them live, you know you can always count on caliber like that, but it's rare that it translates with such electricity onto an award show. They definitely delivered here. I think this performance is one of the most definitive moments that shows what makes Radiohead so special. Notice the attitude ala The Sex Pistols, the anthemic quality and beauty ala U2, the extraordinary sense of fluid experimentation ala Pink Floyd, that swagger ala The Rap Pack, and especially that vigorous soul ala vintage Al Green.

So the swirling rumor of the moment is that our ol' pal Michael Jackson is finally ready to patch things up with his once-pal Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney (remember that "Girl Is Mine" duet? Those were the days! Jacko had a jheri curl and Macca had that sick Uncle Joey Mullet of his).

But how does Jacko plan to make nice with the Beatle he outbid rights to for his own Beatle songs? Jacko has apparently altered his will to give back the rights to the 200 or so hits from the Fab Four's rich catalog when he dies.

Think about that for a moment. That's like saying:
"Hey Paul, don't you worry. We can be pals again... after I die. But until that day when I inevitably croke and don't need to ape money off the music you wrote--Allah knows I need all I can scrounge these days--you're STILL going to have to pay Sony and I royalty $$$ to play 'Hey, Jude' or 'Elenor Rigby.' And I'm still going to get money when someone plays "Let It Be" on the jukebox or radio. But don't you worry, Pauly ol' pal! When I'm gone, you can have what's yours. Hee heeeeeeeeee! Doesn't matter to me after that!

But that's not even the worst of it. If there is truth to this claim, it's just an ignorant--if not arrogant--charade. Few people seem to realize that per copyright law, control of publishing rights over all songs written before 1978 (in which, all Beatles tunes were) revert back to the original author after 50 years of first publish. Thus, come 2012, "Love Me Do" will be Paul and Yoko's again ANYWAY. Meaning, if Jacko is still ticking come that time, this whole "will" thing is absolutely pointless. And those close to him say Jacko is healthy again and looking to jumpstart his music career, so it's not crazy to say he'll outlive the copyright law...unless you're reading the National Enquirer who says his 'days are numbered')

But I'd say the damage is done to Paul already anyway. Sorry, Mike. You can sit with Heather Mills in the sandbox for greedy punks who stole and then cheated Big Macca's heart. Speaking of which; have you SEEN who she's been dating?! Naturally, he's a rich, old codger. Although, turns out he actually SANG in the "LA LA" chorus of "Hey Jude"...so now, let's bring this whole discussion full circle and connect ALL these dots. When Marc Sinden hears the part he sang on "Hey Jude"--a song written predominantly by his gold-diggin' girlfriend's ex-husband (McCartney), Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop (and weird)", gets a cut of royalty money from the publishing rights to that song. Is it just me, or is "Hey, Jude" the central thread that binds this entire world together? No offense to Kevin Bacon.

More of the backstory on this whole fiasco.
An explanation of what owning the publishing rights of The Beatles catalog means.