When discovered and pronounced dead in her hotel bathroom on Saturday, many big wheels from the music industry were downstairs awaiting Houston's performance at a bash hosted by her mentor/svengali, Clive Davis.
And just 24 hours later, pretty much the entire "industry" would be gathering to celebrate (and mourn) at "music's biggest night," the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, streamed and broadcast so that the whole world could be watching.
Put On a Happy Face: Clearly, the powers that be tried to put on a good face at these occasions. Last night's performance-clogged TV gala was turned into a "celebration" through the "healing power of music that brings us all here," announced host LL Cool J, after his opening prayer for Houston.
But how could the singer's most public and tragic fall from grace not sober many celebrants?
Jeez, the tragedy even threatened to diminish the Grammy victory sweep for this year's soul-pop smash, Adele, and her 17-million-selling "21." Let us not forget that Adele - while almost single-handedly reviving the music industry - blew out her voice in the process and had to retire for several months of recuperation. This gig can kill you, even if you do watch out. But Adele sure sounded fine last night, "Rolling in the Deep."
Also scoring multiple awards - the garage-rockin' Foo Fighters, electro-dance breakthrough Skrillex, oddly missing-in-action rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z, country darlin' Taylor Swift, standards-bearer Tony Bennett and chamber-folkies The Civil Wars and Bon Iver - the latter a six-year vet who kinda "robbed" Nicki Minaj for the "Best New Artist" honor.
