Grammy Awards

That question was likely asked more than a few times last night.

If you asked people to predict the 2011 Grammy Awards winners going in, jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, 26, probably wouldn't have been on many lists.

Nevertheless, she took home the coveted Best New Artist Grammy, upsetting the likes of Drake, Florence and the Machine AND Justin Bieber to do so.

While people may spend the wake of Justin Bieber's surprising Best New Artist loss figuring out who Spalding is and where she came from, her talent is no mystery.

The AP writes the following:

"From the time Esperanza Spalding appeared in 2005, the dynamic singer, bassist, composer and arranger has been heralded as jazz's next big thing."

"Her impressive musicianship has won her White House recital dates, praise from the likes of Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock, and critical acclaim."

High praise indeed. Is it warranted? Lsten to one of her songs, "Little Fly," below and you might just become a fan of the relatively unknown musician ...

Poor Christina Aguilera.

Exactly one week after her notable lyric snafu at Super Bowl XLV, the artist returned to a grand stage at the Grammy Awards. Teaming up with Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams for a tribute to Aretha Franklin, Aguilera remembered every word and received a standing ovation following the performance.

She then slipped and almost crashed off the stage, as seen toward the conclusion of the following video.

Christina Aguilera Grammy Performance, Fall

In perhaps the most anticipated event of the 2011 Grammy Awards, Eminem took the stage with Rihanna, Skylar Grey and Dr. Dre for a seven-minute performance.

Eminem and Rihanna opened with Part II of their collaborative hit, “Love The Way You Lie,” and as her vocals soared, Eminem appeared amid a fiery background.

Rihanna sounded so good, you'd never know she battled laryngitis and bronchitis leading up to the show, while Eminem's animated effort was brilliant as usual ...

Eminem and Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie Part II (Live at Grammy Awards)

After "Love the Way You Lie," he performed another slow-building track with female backing. Skylar Grey joined in on "I Need a Doctor," as did his one-time mentor.

Dr. Dre himself came on stage for the last verse, putting the finishing touch on this star-studded effort. Take a look above if you missed it and comment below.

They had to censor the lyrics, but Cee Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow didn't hold anything else back at the Grammy Awards.

The duo teamed up for a rendition of the nominated single "Forget You," incorporating the use of a grand piano... and The Muppets.

Paltrow, of course, guest-starred on Glee earlier this season, playing a substitute teacher who impressed her students with her version of Green's song. The pair then hosted Saturday Night Live together a few weeks later. Listen to their latest duet below.

Cee Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow - Forget You (Grammy Awards)

Country stars Lady Antebellum represented at Sunday's Grammy Awards.

The six-time nominees collected five awards, including record of the year and song of the year, for their megahit "Need You Now." That would prove hard to top.

Meanwhile, Arcade Fire bested Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum (pictured), Katy Perry and Eminem, winning the biggest honor, album of the year, for The Suburbs.

Ten-time nominee Eminem picked up best rap album for Recovery last night. "Okay, this is crazy," he said as he received an ovation. "Thank you to the fans."

In another unexpected choice, jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding was named best new artist despite strong competition, a.k.a. Justin Bieber and Drake.

Six-time nominee Lady Gaga offered an aerobic performance of "Born This Way" early in the show, then won best pop vocal album for The Fame Monster.

She also arrived in an egg, from which she hatched onstage. Seriously.

British rockers Muse won best rock album for The Resistance, and singer Matthew Bellamy gave a shout-out on stage to pregnant girlfriend Kate Hudson.

Follow the jump for the full winners list at the 2011 Grammy Awards ...

Egged on to up the ante for each of her live performances, Lady GaGa took things to a new extreme at the Grammy Awards.

She showed up on the red carpet inside a shell, and proceeded to belt out a rendition of her latest single, "Born This Way." Is this song just a copy of a Madonna classic? That's up to listeners to decide.

But one thing is certain: The Material Girl never hatched herself on stage in order to kick off a performance. Watch GaGa do just that below and then grade her Grammy gig: What do you think?

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Grammy Awards)

Dear Lady GaGa: We get it. You're eccentric.

The singer arrived at the 2011 Grammy Awards tonight in an egg. Yes, an egg. We swear, the multi-nominated artist is in there somewhere...

At some point, GaGa may need to do the most shocking thing of all: arrive at an awards ceremony in a simple dress. Otherwise, we fear the extreme to which she may go in the future.

We'll be updating this post throughout the evening, bringing readers the latest in 2011 Grammy fashion. Click on each photo below to enlarge it:

The 53rd Grammy Awards are set for February 13, and some of the biggest names in music - Lady Gaga and Eminem among them - are set to perform.

Eminem leads with 10 nominations, while Gaga has six. Other nominees performing are Miranda Lambert, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire and Cee Lo Green.

It's unclear what they'll perform, but in Gaga's case, look for a bombastic rendition of "Born This Way," which is set for release around that date.

Here's a remix of some of the vocals from the much-anticipated title track to her new album, which will also be featured on Glee in the near future:

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Leaked, Unofficial)

To the surprise of no one, Britney Spears' latest single, "Hold It Against Me," has already risen to No. 1 on iTunes charts. It's new Britney, bitch.

Rumors that she will perform it at the Grammy Awards February 13 appear to have been premature, however. Says a source: "I really doubt it."

While her career and life have rebounded significantly, her 2007 MTV VMA disaster may be reason to shelve such live TV performances for good.

It's okay. We won't hold it against her. See what we did there?

Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me (Full Version)

What do you think of Britney Spears' new song?

In a sign of changing times, and of a changing Eminem, his 10 nominations for the 2011 Grammy Awards were not controversial, but predictable and respected.

The rapper is nominated for album of the year along with nine honors, leading the entire music industry. Bruno Mars earned an impressive seven nods.

Other top nominees included Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, who were all nominated for six. Lady Gaga also was nominated for album of the year.

Country trio Lady Antebellum was rewarded for its huge crossover successes, earning nominations for album of the year, record of the year and song of the year.

Justin Bieber, astoundingly, is up for Best New Artist. "It feels amazing. I can't believe I'm in this position. Thank you," he said. "I don't know what to say."

Other nominees for record of the year included Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' anthem for NYC, "Empire State of Mind." But not everyone got the love they expected.

Katy Perry's "California Gurls" was a huge hit but shut out of the record and song of the year (Katy's Teenage Dream was nominated for album of the year).

The evening's biggest snub may belong to Ke$ha. The party girl singer had a top-selling debut and several hits, but was not nominated for any awards.

On the flip side, she cannot sing, so you can sort of see it. Anyway, follow the jump for the full list of nominees for the 2011 Grammy Awards ...