I'll do some sniping in a moment, simply because ... well, because I'm like that. But first, let's make it clear that this was a truly great Grammy awards show.

Long ago, the Grammys people learned they could create events -- reunions, comebacks, special pairings, more.

Now that's become an artform. Here's a box -- not a full Grammys story, but a helpful guide -- that I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

In the final days before this year's
Grammys telecast, producers were still piling on new touches.

What can you say of a night in which Lady Gaga was more subtle and sedate than many others?

There she was, with Elton John -- remember when one could be flamboyant merely by wearing big glasses and a sparkly sportcoat? -- and a cast of dozens. It was a rousing Grammy-opener, but other numbers would soon be even bigger.

There was Green Day with a Broadway-bound cast. And a nearly naked pink, swirling around Cirque du Soleil style. And Jamie Foxx and others with a pseudo-opera intro. And robots and soldiers and much more.