Recap of the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards opened with a bang, literally, when Lady Gaga was dropped into a fiery pit, then emerged in triumphant song before taking a seat at a piano opposite Elton John. The two ash-covered icons duet-ed between her Breathless and his My Song, in what was arguably the best performance of the evening.

As for the winners, ladies take a bow. Beyonce took several -- six to be exact -- a new female record. She picked up the first Grammy of the evening for Song of the Year with Ladies Night (Put a Ring On It), followed by subsequent awards for Best Female Vocal Performance for Halo, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album. Adding to her golden night, Beyonce performed You Oughta Know and If I Were A Boy amidst an army of dark robotic dancers.

Taylor Swift came in right behind Beyonce with four Grammys, most notably for Album of the Year, the highest honor, and for Best Country Album. Swift performed Rhiannon and You Belong To Me with Stevie Nicks, calling it a "fairy tale come true."

Record of the Year and Best Rock Song went to Kings of Leon, dapperly dressed and ready to party, and Katy Perry and Alice Cooper joined forces to present Green Day with Best Rock Album. The Zac Brown Band performed, giving us a look at how and why they took home the Grammy for Best New Artist, and Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West won for Best Rap Collaboration. Kanye was not on hand to accept the award.

This year's ceremony accented artistic diversity, and contained a succession of cross-genre performances by artists who may not otherwise be likely to collaborate. Among them, Jamie Foxx, T-Pain, and Slash, who pounded out the anthem-like song Blame It, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, Usher, and Celine Dion, who enlightened the house with Michael Jackson's ode to the earth called The Earth Song, Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli who bridged the gap between R&B and Opera with Bridge Over Troubled Water, Maxwell and Roberta Flack who performed a beautiful duet of her classic Where is the Love?, and Elton John and Lady Gaga, who performed the aforementioned opening number.

Pink, on the other hand, went solo. Well, almost. She performed part of her song, Glitter in the Air, on a trapeze high above the crowd along with a troupe of what one would assume to be Cirque du Soleil performers. Her showstopping display rendered the buzzing audience silent. Whether you liked it not, full credit goes to Pink for a respectable vocal performance despite being inverted and soaked to the bone with water. The performance won her a standing ovation, one of only two for the evening. The other went to MJ's Earth Song.

Another show stopper occurred when fascinated, curious onlookers ogled Michael Jackson's children, Paris and Prince, as they accepted their late father's Lifetime Achievement Award. The solemn twosome each spoke in turn, with Prince thanking God, their grandparents, and Michael's fans, and Paris saying only "Daddy was supposed to be here. Daddy was gonna perform but he couldn't perform last year. Thank you, we love you Daddy."

Bon Jovi, in their first Grammy performance, played three songs including Livin' on a Prayer, which was selected by viewers just moments before the band performed it. Jeff Beck also put his pick to good use, as he paid tribute to the late, great guitarist Les Paul.

Other notable winners of the evening included Jay-Z for Best Rap Solo Performance, Jason Mraz for Best Male Vocal Performance, The Black Eyed Peas for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Pop Vocal Album, Lady Gaga for Best Dance Recording and Best Electronic/Dance Album, Maxwell for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album, Bruce Springsteen for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, and AC-DC for Best Hard Rock Performance. Keith Urban scored a win for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and Eminem grabbed the Grammy for Best Rap Album.

It's never a dull night at the Grammy Awards, and this year was no exception. Pop divas reigned supreme, and everyone else kept it clean. Well, mostly.

What would the Grammys be, after all, without a little grit.