Carrie Underwood took home 2 Grammys

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" champion Carrie Underwood's Grammy victories on Sunday underscored the growing impact the hit TV talent show is having on U.S. pop culture, while the awards telecast even borrowed a page from the series with its own amateur contest.

Underwood, who won season four of the Fox network's blockbuster singing
competition, took home awards for best female country vocal performance
and best new artist, becoming the latest in a growing list of "Idol"
victors to earn Grammy recognition.

"This is absolutely unbelievable," Underwood said in picking up the coveted trophy for best new artist. She went on to thank God, "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller and various others, including record mogul Clive Davis as well as the television show itself.

"I owe everything to 'American Idol,"' said Underwood, who also performed the Eagle's hit "Desperado" and "San Antonio Rose" during the telecast.

Underwood's single "Jesus, Take the Wheel" also earned a Grammy for best country song, a songwriter's award that in this case went to Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson.

Underwood's victories proved again that "American Idol" has grown from a television ratings sensation, ranking as the most watched series in U.S. prime time, into a fertile incubator for new musical talent.

"The truth of the matter is that at the end of the season, someone great who wouldn't have had a chance otherwise, wins this and gets a shot at a career. So we're really happy about her," Randy Jackson, one of judges on "American Idol," said backstage when asked about Underwood's Grammy win.

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Blige, Dixie Chicks win big at Grammys

LOS ANGELES - The Grammys traded iPods for record players on Sunday night as Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks and the Red Hot Chili Peppers each won three trophies amid a slew of blast-from-the-past performances.

Blige, the overall nominations leader with eight, won best R&B album for "The Breakthrough," her double-platinum triumph, plus best female R&B performance and R&B song for "Be Without You."

A tearful Blige said her album "has not only shown that I am a musician and an artist and a writer, it also shows I am growing into a better human being."

"For so many years, I've been talked about negatively," said Blige, who during her 15-year career has often discussed her past substance and self-esteem problems. "But this time I've been talked about positively by so many people."

The Dixie Chicks know about negative talk: The country superstars turned into red-state pariahs after lead singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush during a 2003 concert, on the eve of the Iraq invasion.

"Not Ready to Make Nice," their defiant anthem about the backlash, won the trio song of the year honors. They also won, ironically, country album of the year, despite distancing themselves from the genre with their album "Taking the Long Way."

"That's interesting," Maines said at the podium. "Well, to quote the great 'Simpsons' — 'Heh-Heh.'"

"Just kidding," said Maines. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off right now. I'm very sorry for that."

Emily Robison noted, "We wouldn't have done this album without everything we went through, so we have no regrets. I thank everyone who voted for us."

The Chili Peppers' double album, "Stadium Arcadium," was a triple winner, including best rock song and rock performance by a duo or group for "Dani California." Like the Dixie Chicks and Blige, the Chili Peppers delivered a critically acclaimed, commercially successful album as their careers hit the veteran stage.

The Grammys, often derided as The Grannys, embraced its baby boomer status as in its 49th year. Though the show featured a medley with some bright new stars, including John Mayer, John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, it relied heavily on the classics. Nominee Lionel Richie sang his '80s hit "Hello" and Smokey Robinson sang the Motown classic "The Tracks of My Tears" in a tribute to R&B. The Police, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers who split in 1984, reunited to kick off the show with "Roxanne" — even though they weren't nominated for anything.

Soon afterward, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder, who dueted on a remake of Wonder's "For Once In My Life," beat out two of the year's biggest songs, Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's "Promiscuous" and Shakira and Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie," for best pop vocal collaboration.

Even some of the more contemporary artists were relegated to singing songs that weren't their own — Christina Aguilera sang the late James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" instead of her own nominated songs, while Carrie Underwood, the newcomer who had one of last year's most successful albums, crooned "Desperado" and "San Antonio Rose" — not her signature tune "Jesus, Take the Wheel," which was nominated for song of the year. For a while, it seemed as if VH1 Classics had taken over the production.

But new artists were celebrated, a bit. Chris Brown injected some hot-footed funk with his "Run It," while Underwood was celebrated as the best new artist.

Among the double winners were John Mayer, T.I. and Ludacris.

The Recording Academy was hoping to inject more excitement into the show with its contest, "My Grammy Moment," in which three women were contending for the chance to sing onstage with Timberlake during his performance; the winner was to be determined by viewers and revealed during the show.

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Sharon Stone Film may receive Worst Film Award ( Golden Raspberry Awards)

Who says you have to be good to win an award in Hollywood?

Sharon Stone may have hit stardom years ago with her original version of "Basic Instinct," but last year's sequel belly-flopped big time and now is up for top honors at the 27th annual Golden Raspberry awards celebrating the worst in filmmaking.

"Basic Instinct 2" received seven nominations, tying the unfunny comedy "Little Man," made by the Wayans brothers, for the most nominations at the Razzies, which will be held on February 24, a day before the Oscar awards are given.

"Basic" nominations came for worst picture, actress, supporting actor, director, sequel, screenplay and screen couple while "Little Man" earned nominations for worst picture, remake/rip-off, director, screenplay, screen couple and two different nominations for worst actor.

John Wilson, who heads the group that spoofs the Oscars by celebrating the year's worst films, called Stone's movie "a lascivious murder mystery that turned out to be a laugh riot," and he dubbed "Little Man" "a comedy nearly as devoid of laughs as 'Schindler's List.'"

Shawn and Marlon Wayans star in "Little Man," directed by their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans in what Wilson called a blatant knock-off of a 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Also up for the worst movie competition was M. Night Shyamalan's fantasy "Lady in the Water," "The Wicker Man," starring Nicolas Cage and "BloodRayne," a bloodless vampire movie directed by Uwe Boll, who is hailed on the Internet as one of the world's worst directors.

Five films are competing in a new category called Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment: "Deck The Halls," "Garfield: a Tail of Two Kitties," "RV," "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" and "The Shaggy Dog."

Vying for worst actor are Tim Allen, for three films, "Santa Clause 3," "The Shaggy Dog" and "Zoom," Cage for "Wicker Man," Larry, the Cable Guy (Dan Whitney) for "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector," Rob Schneider for "The Benchwarmers" and Marlon and Shawn Wayans for "Little Man."

Competing with Stone in the worst actress category are sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff for "Material Girls," Lindsay Lohan for "Just My Luck," Kristanna Loken for "BloodRayne" and Jessica Simpson for "Employee of the Month."

Other well-known names competing for Razzie awards are Ben Kingsley, Martin Short and Danny DeVito competing as Worst Supporting Actor.

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The People's Choice Awards

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" earned two awards for favorite movie and best film drama at the People's Choice Awards on Tuesday in a show filled with popular Hollywood stars and jokes about Britney Spears' panties -- or lack thereof.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp, who plays fanciful Captain Jack Sparrow in the movie that raked in over $1 billion at global box offices, earned awards for best male movie star and favorite male action star.

Jennifer Aniston, the star of relationship film "The Break-Up," was named top female movie star while her co-star and former boyfriend, Vince Vaughn, was best leading man.

Cameron Diaz earned the title favorite leading lady, and Halle Berry was named best female action star. Rounding out the film awards were Adam Sandler's "Click," best film comedy, and animated hit "Cars," favorite family film.

Aniston, appearing in a flowing short skirt, took the elevated stage and looked down at the fans directly below her. She flashed her famous grin and said, "Man, I tell you, it's a lucky thing we do wear underwear, huh?"

It was a comedic jab at pop singer Spears who made headlines late last year when Hollywood's paparazzi snapped photos of her in a short dress and no panties underneath.
Aniston wasn't the only one with a panty quip, either.

Berry, in a stunning Gucci-designed skirt cut high across her thighs, thanked God for remembering her underclothes, and comedian Robin Williams -- named funniest male star -- said about Berry: "Thank God for having her wear that dress ... Britney -- underwear -- remember that."

The People's Choice Awards are one of Hollywood's first shows in a roughly two-month stretch of award celebrations leading to the February 25 Oscars, the film industry's top honors given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Unlike Oscar winners and others who are chosen by critics, media groups and industry guilds, People's Choice winners are picked by film and television fans who vote online, and the awards are a measure of mass popularity.

Backstage, Williams turned a bit more serious when talking about the awards and what they truly meant to him.

"It's the idea that the people said, 'We like what you do,' and they are the ones who go to the movies and watch the television shows," he said.

In television awards, hit hospital show "Grey's Anatomy" was named best drama and "Two and a Half Men," about a pair of adult brothers raising a boy, was best comedy.

"Heroes," was picked as best new TV drama, "The Class" was the top new comedy, and hit talent show "American Idol" won the award for best reality program for the second year in a row.

The award for favorite male TV star went to Patrick Dempsey and the sexy doctor McDreamy on "Grey's Anatomy," and Eva Longoria, the vixen of "Desperate Housewives," was picked favorite female TV star.

Ellen DeGeneres walked away with two awards, favorite TV talk show host and a second as favorite funny female star.

Finally Country and Western star Kenny Chesney was named best male singer and another country star, Carrie Underwood, was best female singer. Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" was best R&B song, and was Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" was top pop song.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]