Seriously?

There are a lot of pissed off rappers this morning. And once again female artists who put on some of the best performances were left out.

Regardless, for an industry as screwed up as the music business the Grammys put on a pretty good show with a little more diversity than usual plus some surprises. Better than I expected.

I have no idea how the awards process works, but I think I understand what happened. Things are bad and in many ways the outlook is bleak. Kendrick Lamar and Kesha are brilliant artists and performers who can deliver serious, powerful messages that reflect the times.

But maybe right now we just want to be entertained. And that's what Bruno Mars does. With wide appeal. Even to cranky old white geezers like me. I'm OK with that. Plus, he's an ace musician with a tight band who play instruments and stuff. I'm OK with that, too.

Other notes:

• Congratulations to Chris Stapleton for putting country back in country music. Let's see what happens at the ACMs.

• Are Little Big Town's fifteen minutes up yet?

• Gary Clark, Jr. needs to put out more albums.

• Pretty sure Childish Gambino is satire, right? Either way, that Glover kid can sing.

• U2 is the conscience of America and they aren't even American. And they can play on a barge.

• Props to Pink for the sign language interpreter/performer.

• Go find a You Tube clip of the spoken word auditions skit for readings from Fire and Fury.

• Miley Ray Cyrus is a national embarrassment. I felt sorry for Elton John, who put on an otherwise beautiful performance that was marred by her presence. I was almost over my dislike for her, but this cemented it.