Bodog Beat

Herbie Hancock comes away with a surpising but deserving Grammy for Best Album and also won for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. (AP Images)

The Grammy Awards don’t always get it right. Actually, they mostly get it wrong. But Sunday night the awards show celebrated its 50th anniversary by correcting a ridiculous oversight. No, Kanye West didn’t win the Best Album award, but someone who has waited much longer did.

Jazz great Herbie Hancock came away with an upset victory to win his first Best Album award. It was also only the second such honor for a jazz album in the Grammys’ history.

Hancock beat out West, who was the betting favorite for “Graduation”, and the night’s big winner, Amy Winehouse. Whether West will blow up and cry foul and prejudice we’ll have to wait and see, but he shouldn’t have much beef with Hancock, considering how long the legendary star had to wait for this honor. “River: The Joni Letters”, a collaboration with Joni Mitchell, features some of the music world’s top musicians. It’s as far from mainstream as you can get but it is musical genius.

“Joni Mitchell. Joni Mitchell. Joni Mitchell. Thank you so much,” Hancock said during his acceptance speech. “It's been 43 years since the first and only time that a jazz artist got the Album of the Year award. I'd like to thank the academy for courageously breaking the mold this time and in doing so honoring the giants upon whose shoulders I stand.”

West did come away with four Grammys, but all were in the rap category. He has complained that the Grammy voters don’t consider his genre legitimate. “Graduation” entered the night with 1/3 Grammy odds. Hancock’s record was the longest shot at 25/1.

Highlights on the night included:

• West’s performance of “Stronger” and “Hey Mama”, a tribute to his late mother Donda West, who died last year of complications from plastic surgery.
• Winehouse, who won five awards, performing with her ultra-cool band via satellite from England then looking stunned when she collected the Grammy for Record of the Year. She couldn’t be in Los Angeles for the ceremonies because of drug convictions that delayed processing of her U.S. visa.
• A scary-looking Tina Turner singing her 80’s smash “What’s Love Gotta Do With It?” then teaming up with Beyonce Knowles on “Proud Mary”.
• A tribute to The Beatles featuring Cirque du Soleil.

Bet on your favorite music, TV and movie celebrities!