It was mainstream music’s biggest night of the year two Sundays ago: the 56th annual Grammy Awards ceremony aired on CBS, a live simulcast of the event held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The ceremony was hosted by legendary hip-hop artist and TV personality LL Cool J.  According to Nielsen ratings, there were a recorded 28.5 million viewers.  Top musical artists from past and present showcased their talents as they performed and won awards.

However, many students at Bucks were colored unimpressed.  20 year-old English major Rachel Hynes said she “slept through the first 30 minutes of the show”, and then she “didn’t watch the rest”.   Hynes describes music these days as “demeaning.”

Another student, Sarah Mollen, age 19, explained her dislike for the Grammys.  She claims the show is “more of a popularity contest, and they don’t really show the real artists.”

Apparently, disliking the Grammys is nothing new;  Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of the band Tool said in an interview on www.nyrock.com in 2002: “[The Grammys are] nothing more than some gigantic promotional machine for the music industry; they cater to a low intellect and they feed the masses; it’s the music business celebrating itself.”

Hip-hop artist Jay-Z won nine awards, giving him this year’s highest number of nominations.  Other artists who trailer him in awards include Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, and Macklemore / Ryan Lewis.      Many people were upset that popular up-and-coming rapper Kendrick Lamar didn’t win a single award.

However, this year’s big winner was Daft Punk, who took home 5 awards, including Album of the Year for their release “Random Access Memories”, and another award for their big hit song “Get Lucky.”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won four awards, including Best New Artist.  His performance of “Same Love” with Mary Lambert was considered to be one of the most emotional performances of the night, as they were joined by 33 same and opposite sex couples.

Towards the end of the performance, Madonna joined the performers as they sang a rendition of her song “Open Your Heart”.

There was a lot of controversy surrounding the Grammys though, people think Kendrick Lamar was robbed of many awards, including Best Rap Album.  In a text sent to Lamar himself, Macklemore explained, “I’m sorry man, I robbed you, you should’ve won.”  Even some of the winners themselves believe in the irrelevance of the Grammy Awards.

Another highlight of the show was the performance by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as they opened the show with her hit song “Drunk in Love”.  The risqué performance drew controversy as critics, especially parents, complained about it being too provocative and inappropriate.

There were Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards handed out as well.  Most notable of the recipients was the band “The Beatles”, whose surviving members Ringo Star and Sir Paul McCartney.  MusicCares Person of the Year recipient Carole King performed “Beautiful” along with five-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, followed by Barielles’ new song, “Brave.”

Legendary artists collaborated with today’s huge artists.  Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Kris Kristofferson performed with country music greats Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Blake Shelton.   Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams performed “Get Lucky” along with many other songs with Nile Rodgers and Stevie Wonder.

Robin Thicke performed with the band Chicago, and Metallica performed their hit “One” with Chinese Pianist Lang Lang.

Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar rocked the stage with the collaboration of their songs “Radioactive” and “m.A.A.d City”.  Some even say this trio stole the show and that they had Taylor Swift dancing out of her seat.

Other performers like Lorde, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Katy Perry, Hunter Hayes Keith Urban with Gray Clack Jr., and Pink with Nate Ruess each graced their talent on stage along with Nine Inch Nails with Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lindsey Buckingham closed the show playing their songs “Copy of A” and “My God Is the Sun”

Whether everyone agrees or not, the Grammys create a legacy of musicians whom put out their work for people to take in.  It’s the Oscars of the music world, and thanks to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, they can honor the artists whom contribute to the industry, like The Beatles, Michael Jackson or Georg Solti, who won more Grammys than any other artist.