Rochester had two Atlanta connections to last night's Grammy Awards. Big up to Eastman alum Christopher Theofanidis, who won a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for his The Here and Now, performed by Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

But, alas the Atlanta-based Mastodon lost out to Slayer in The Best Metal Performance category. I gotta admit, that new Slayer video is riveting and I'm positive this wasn't Mastodon's last nomination. See why this Wednesday at Water Street Music Hall.

The rest of the Grammy's just bored me. I love the Police --- they were my first big concert way back in 1982 --- and the hype was huge for their Grammy-opening appearance. And there will undoubtedly be a frenzied stampede for tickets for the inevitable reunion tour, but "Roxanne" came off rather ho-hum. Maybe Sting should've put in the red light. But they looked great --- Sting in particular. To quote my editor, "That man knows how to moisturize.

The Rascal Flatts tribute to The Eagles was wretched; Mary J. Blige is overrated; Beyonce oversings; The Red Hot Chili Peppers' new record kinda falls short; and I don't like Ludacris' new haircut. However, some may be surprised to hear I like Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man."