Not So Ancient

I had some time to kill last Sunday night (before I got sick) before Desparate Housewives came on at 8PM, so I checked out the first hour of the Grammy Awards.

Once ranked wtih the shows I'd never miss, I'd stopped watching years ago when it occurred to me that I didn't know who half the people were. I figured I'd be bored, but there was virtually nothing else on.

What I got was a pleasant surprise. The very first award of the evening went to the duet partners of Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder, both people I'm familiar with. Of course, seeing how much weight Stevie has put on - his girth reminded me of B.B. King! - made me realize how many years have passed since his heyday. But hey, I've put on a few pounds myself in the last twenty years.

I saw many other familiar faces that first hour, both nominees (Natalie Cole, Beyoncé, the adorable India Arie,) and in shots of the audience of people who probably would take to the stage later on (Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Reba McIntire). I found myself hitting the Last button on the remote control when a break came up in Housewives so I could see if I recognized anybody else. There was Ludacris, unrecognizable to me with dark glasses and sans his trademark cornrows. And that guy who looked so little next to a younger performer whose name I can't recall right now - wasn't that Burt Bacharach?

It was during this time that I stopped recognizing people, so I directed my attention fully to the happenings on Wisteria Lane. But I must say that I felt pretty good watching the forty-ninth annual Grammy Awards.

Maybe I'm not so ancient after all.