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CNN Live At Daybreak
Grammys Awarded; Interview of Tracy St. George, Disc Jockey
Aired February 28, 2002 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right let's turn to some lighter news now. Many of you are probably -- well you're probably talking Grammys. I know Eric Horng is because you watched the entire ceremony last night, and you're still up to tell about it.
ERIC HORNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barely at this point, Carol. But a very diverse set of nominees last night, a very diverse set of winners. To kind of give you an idea of the age range, Nelly Furtado, India.Arie, and Alicia Keys were in grade school when U2 won Best Album back in 1988. U2 having a very big night again last night winning four awards including Record of the Year for "Walk On", three songs off the "All That You Can't Leave Behind" Album taking home awards honored by the Academy last night.
Afterward the band very humble, The Edge, the guitarist for U2, saying that even the band was sort of surprised by all the attention that their album has garnered.
THE EDGE, GRAMMY WINNER: It's very gratifying to be awarded this number of Grammys on a record, you know that -- as Bono was saying earlier, it's kind of an underdog record. It was going out at a time when pop music was king and, you know, rock and roll bands seemed to be an endangered species. So it's very -- it's a very good feeling.
HORNG: Another big winner last night, Alicia Keys, five Grammy awards including Song of the Year for her hit "Fallin'", five awards that tied Lauren Hill back in 1999 for the most Grammy awards for a female artist. Also the big award last night, kind of a shocker, the "O Brother, Where Are Thou" soundtrack taking home The Best Album award.
To give you an idea, it's been since 1994 was the last time a soundtrack took home Best Album, and you have to go all the way back to 1969 that a country-oriented album took home that prize. So a big night for the folks associated with that soundtrack. But noticeably absent from the winner's podium last night, India.Arie. She came into the night with seven nominations, drew a lot of attention, garnered a lot of buzz. But at the end of the night she walked away empty- handed.
In Los Angeles, I'm Eric Horng reporting live. Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: I still think she was robbed Eric, just robbed. HORNG: Yes ...
(CROSSTALK)
HORNG: Sort of a bittersweet thing for her. I mean she even herself said that she was kind of surprised that she got all that attention during the Grammy nominations because prior to the nomination's process, she really had not been nominated for any other awards or received any other awards, but kind of a bittersweet thing for her. She walked away empty-handed, but at the same time, a lot of people -- she had a great performance last night. A lot of people will be heading at the record store to check out her work.
COSTELLO: Most definitely. Hey Eric, we have Tracy St. George here. She helped us pick out some Grammy possible winners yesterday, and I must say Tracy, you did well.
TRACY ST. GEORGE, ATLANTA DISC JOCKEY: I did pretty good.
COSTELLO: You batted 500 baby.
ST. GEORGE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Can't complain about that.
ST. GEORGE: Yes exactly. If I put any money on it, I didn't lose much. So that's OK.
COSTELLO: Who was the biggest surprise in your book last night?
ST. GEORGE: I'm going to have to say Best Polka Album was the biggest surprise that "Gone Polka" won. Who knew? Who would have thought?
COSTELLO: I didn't even know.
ST. GEORGE: I know. I didn't even know they even had one. But I would have to say biggest surprise would have to be that "Lady Marmalade" won for Best Collaboration.
COSTELLO: Oh yes.
ST. GEORGE: It seemed so old. It's a great song, but it was out like for 18 years now. It seems like it's really been around a long time.
COSTELLO: Yes, it was the remake of an old song ...
ST. GEORGE: Right. Obviously. But it seems like it's been around for a long time. It's a great one with Christina, Mya, and Lil' Kim.
COSTELLO: I must admit, though, you predicted that "O Brother" would win. ST. GEORGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: And it did.
ST. GEORGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: Insane. So do you think that that genre of music will be hitting the radio airwaves soon?
ST. GEORGE: I kind of hope so. It's kind of hee-hawish. But I hope it does. It's really -- it's fun. It's different. You know it's different than what we've been hearing for a long time.
COSTELLO: Got you. OK, we have a graphic now, we want to run down some of the winners. We have Record of the Year, U2, no surprise there.
ST. GEORGE: No surprise there.
COSTELLO: And now we have Song of the Year, "Fallin", Alicia Keys. She won everything. She won five Grammys last night.
ST. GEORGE: And she had a weird outfit on, if you noticed.
COSTELLO: She had several weird outfits on.
ST. GEORGE: Yes. Her first outfit she looked like she was wearing a work outfit with a sheet over it and her Girl Scout sash.
COSTELLO: We have a picture of that later on. Let me tell you. It's something.
Best New Artist, of course, Alicia -- oh there's the outfit, Alicia Keys. She -- I don't know. You know I listened to her acceptance speech, and she just didn't sound absolutely gracious. I mean she really did ...
ST. GEORGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... sound like she expected to win.
ST. GEORGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: And I guess you have to admire her confidence.
ST. GEORGE: Yes that's true.
COSTELLO: OK and now we have -- what's next -- let's go to Album of the Year, shall we?
ST. GEORGE: Oh that was the "O Brother, Where Art Thou".
COSTELLO: Oh right, and ...
ST. GEORGE: Which I thought it was so great with doing the medley. I thought that was awesome, where you just got to hear a bunch of different selections from the album because every -- you know every song was different, but it -- you know it all fit into the movie and Emmylou Harris was great, and then the guy who was supposed to be George Clooney -- I'm so surprised it wasn't George Clooney actually singing that song.
COSTELLO: Who'd have thunk it?
ST. GEORGE: Who'd have thunk that?
COSTELLO: You know what was really cool too -- I liked when they put different styles of music together, like when Alicia Keys sang her song ...
ST. GEORGE: Right.
COSTELLO: ... and they put it together with like salsa dancing.
ST. GEORGE: Yes, exactly and that was a great outfit, too, that she had on. I would have to say that that was my best outfit -- because I did have -- I do have a list, Carol, of the best and worst.
COSTELLO: OK.
ST. GEORGE: Most sincere acceptance speech, I think, was Bono. When they -- when they were really talking about you know the long- time closeness of the band and how they've been friends for so long. Strangest speech, Nelly Furtado. She's got to lay off the caffeine. She really got a little bit wild there. Best presenter, I really like Kevin James and Ray Romano when they were throwing out the stuff ...
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: ... from the baskets ...
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: I thought that was fun.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: They went over to Hugh Hefner's...
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... table with all of his dates ...
ST. GEORGE: Yes. Yes. That was funny.
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: Worst presenter, Pamela Anderson and Janet Jackson.
COSTELLO: What was that? ST. GEORGE: I don't know. They didn't speak. It was weird. Best live music, definitely "O Brother, Where Art Thou". Creepiest music performance, Bob Dylan.
COSTELLO: Well ...
ST. GEORGE: The man is a pile of dust with lips.
COSTELLO: Oh gees ...
ST. GEORGE: He really is.
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: And he -- what was up with the box? Why was he in that box? I don't understand it.
COSTELLO: He's been through a lot.
ST. GEORGE: He has, and I hope his son doesn't turn out like that. Little Jacob, he's cute. Best outfit, I think Alicia Keys when she actually sang live with that tango ...
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: ... yes and the ...
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: Yes, I thought that was really cool. Worst outfit, Dixie Chick (ph) in the pink and purple.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: We have a picture of that, don't we? There it is.
ST. GEORGE: That is awful.
COSTELLO: Isn't she pregnant, though?
ST. GEORGE: That's awful.
COSTELLO: Isn't she pregnant ...
ST. GEORGE: Let's hope. I mean what could -- what could be the excuse for that.
COSTELLO: She had leggings on underneath that.
ST. GEORGE: That's awful.
(CROSSTALK)
ST. GEORGE: Awful.
(CROSSTALK) COSTELLO: Well what about her partner there? She had jeans on and like a nice dress.
ST. GEORGE: It actually kind of looked like a towel. It more -- kind of looked like she came from the YMCA before she went to the awards.
COSTELLO: Do we have a picture of Sheryl Crow?
ST. GEORGE: What was that too?
COSTELLO: I -- you know I think ...
ST. GEORGE: I thought it was kind of a Wonder Woman outfit.
COSTELLO: I think she turned 40 and she's having an identity crisis.
ST. GEORGE: That could be. That could be, but I think the one that really takes worst outfit, the Outkast guy.
COSTELLO: With the long blonde wig?
ST. GEORGE: Pink gauchos and a long, blonde wig.
COSTELLO: They're so cool though.
ST. GEORGE: They are cool. I really do like them and they did an award, and best time to take a bathroom break ...
COSTELLO: There it is -- there it is -- woo, yes.
ST. GEORGE: Wow.
COSTELLO: He's starting to look like Pamela Lee ...
ST. GEORGE: I think so. I think he was.
COSTELLO: OK, best time to take a bathroom break ...
ST. GEORGE: Best time to take a bathroom break was the Westside Story medley. Why? What was that for?
COSTELLO: To appeal to a certain segment of the audience that we did not know ...
ST. GEORGE: I think so, exactly. Worst time to take a bathroom break -- I would have to say none. The show just didn't grab any this year. It was a good show, but there was no pizzazz. There was no flamboyance. I mean Elton John didn't sing. Madonna didn't do anything. There was no thing to really grab you and say oh my God I have to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ...
COSTELLO: Yes, they kind of needed Michael Jackson to break in and say I'm singing.
ST. GEORGE: That's right.
COSTELLO: OK.
ST. GEORGE: That's right.
COSTELLO: Tracy St. George, thank you very much.
ST. GEORGE: Thank you.
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