Beyonce Swift Boated

If you really cared about heartfelt acceptance speeches, you needed to be tuned in to the earlier, looser, online streaming portion of the awards ceremony, this year marred with a peculiar 22 minute "gap." That's where you would have seen neo-soul singer Maxwell feeling the love and getting emotional over his first-ever (and then second) Grammy wins for his long awaited "Black Summer's Night." The R&B Vocal and Best R&B album winner suggested that it was created in a time when "the music is not that exciting . . . 'cause the feeling's not there." But maybe my favorite moment was hearing children's Grammy winner Buck Howdy declare that he'd spent "less on the production of this album than I did on valet parking last night."

BTW, it was a tough night for Philly-rooted artists, with nominees John Legend, Musiq Soulchild and Pink all denied. Only homegrown bassist Christian McBride got to share a little light, as a member of the Five Peace band fronted by Chick Corea and John McLaughlin.

E-mail takiffj@phillynews.com