Plenty of airtime was given over to rap and hip-hop, including a show-stopping performance of "Swagga Like Us" that teamed KANYE WEST, T.I., LIL WAYNE and JAY-Z -- all decked out in tuxedos -- with nine-months-pregnant British rapper M.I.A. There were also performances from COLDPLAY, who took home three Grammys including Song of the Year, KID ROCK, who did a medley of three songs, and RADIOHEAD, who teamed up with the USC Marching Band for their first U.S. TV appearance in nine years.

Teens and tweens watching were no doubt thrilled that THE JONAS BROTHERS, who lost the Best New Artist trophy, also performed, with none other than STEVIE WONDER joining them for "Burnin' Up" and his own "Superstition." And MILEY CYRUS and TAYLOR SWIFT, both of whom used to date different Jonas Brothers, performed a duet of Taylor's song "Fifteen." American Idol fans were happy to see JENNIFER HUDSON be handed her first Grammy by WHITNEY HOUSTON, who looked beautiful but seemed a bit unfocused. KATY PERRY emerged from the ceiling in a giant golden banana to sing "I Kissed A Girl," but the much-publicized "My Grammy Moment" aspect of her performance -- where fans' homemade videos were played behind her -- was not mentioned at all.

Country music was well-represented too, with a rocking performance by CARRIE UNDERWOOD, a very low-key rendition of "Better As A Memory" from KENNY CHESNEY and an emotionally-searing rendition of "Stay" from SUGARLAND. Sugarland also joined Best New Artist winner ADELE for the last few lines of her song "Chasing Pavements."

Unlike past years, there were no classical performances at all, and the only nod to jazz was a New Orleans music tribute that was part of a segment featuring LIL WAYNE and ROBIN THICKE.

Also of note: the three members of BLINK-182, who shared a stage for the first time since 2004 to present an award last night, announced that they were reuniting musically as well.

Here's a rundown of last night's Grammy performances:

U2 kicked off the show with their new single "Get On Your Boots." BONO started the performance by singing while behind LARRY MULLEN JR's drum riser, in front of a massive video screen that flashed the song's lyrics.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AL GREEN, BOYZ II MEN and KEITH URBAN all performed a hastily-assembled version of Green's classic "Let's Stay Together," which had been added at the last minute to make up for the fact that neither CHRIS BROWN nor RIHANNA were performing.

CHRIS MARTIN of COLDPLAY and JAY-Z performed the remix version of Coldplay's "Lost," and then the entire band segued into "Viva La Vida."

CARRIE UNDERWOOD, wearing a gold mini-dress with enormous sleeves, did a fiery performance of "Last Name."

KID ROCK did a three-song medley of "Amen," "All Summer Long" and "Rock and Roll Jesus." During "Amen," a photo of Kid's latest mug shot flashed on the screen behind him, garnering laughs from the audience.

TAYLOR SWIFT & MILEY CYRUS duetted on an acoustic version of Taylor's song "Fifteen" while sitting on stools.

JENNIFER HUDSON took it to church with an emotional reading of her ballad "You Pulled Me Through," backed by a gospel choir.

JONAS BROTHERS & STEVIE WONDER duetted on the JoBros' hit "Burnin' Up" and Stevie's "Superstition." It actually sounded okay, believe it or not.

KATY PERRY descended from the ceiling in a giant gold banana to sing "I Kissed A Girl." She showed off loads of cleavage in a CARMEN MIRANDA-inspired sequinned dress, while female dancers surrounded her.

KANYE WEST and ESTELLE performed "American Boy." Both wore silver sparkles -- Estelle in a dress and Kanye with a blazer.

KENNY CHESNEY did a low-key version of his song "Better As A Memory," with just an acoustic guitar.

KANYE WEST, T.I., JAY-Z, LIL WAYNE and nine-months-pregnant British rapper M.I.A. all teamed for a "Rap Pack" performance of "Swagga Like Us." All the men were decked out in tuxedos, and the first part of the performance was broadcast in black & white to give it a classic feel.

PAUL MCCARTNEY, with DAVE GROHL on drums, sang "I Saw Her Standing There." He was actually nominated for a live version of that track, but didn't win.

SUGARLAND performed a stripped-down version of "Stay," which was immediately followed by ADELE singing "Chasing Pavements." Sugarland's JENNIFER NETTLES joined Adele for the last few lines of her song.

RADIOHEAD teamed up with the USC Marching Band, which has a history of playing with rock bands, to perform "15 Step." It was the band's first U.S. TV performance in nine years.

T.I. and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE did a dramatic performance of "Dead & Gone," with Justin at the piano, and a bunch of young bucket drummers pounding away.

SMOKEY ROBINSON, JAMIE FOXX and NE-YO teamed up with the only surviving original member of the FOUR TOPS, DUKE FAKIR, in a Four Tops tribute that included "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing In the Shadows Of Love" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)."

NEIL DIAMOND sang "Sweet Caroline."

Guitarists JOHN MAYER, KEITH URBAN, BB KING and BUDDY GUY all did a tribute to the late BO DIDDLEY, performing his song "Bo Diddley."

LIL WAYNE performed "Tie My Hands" with ROBIN THICKE and New Orleans music legend ALAN TOUSSAINT.

ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS sang "Rich Woman" and "Gone Gone Gone," from their Grammy winning album Raising Sand.

STEVIE WONDER closed the show with "All About the Love Again" from the Presidential inauguration album Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise

What was your favorite performace of the night?
	JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AL GREEN, BOYZ II MEN and KEITH URBAN
	LIL WAYNE performing "Tie My Hands" with ROBIN THICKE
	JENNIFER HUDSON
	KANYE WEST and ESTELLE
	KANYE WEST, T.I., JAY-Z, LIL WAYNE
	T.I. and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

THE WINNERS
Here's a list of Grammy winners in key pop, rock, country, R&B, rap and video categories:

Record of the Year Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, "Please Read The Letter"

Song of the Year (award to songwriter) "Viva La Vida," Coldplay/artist and songwriters

Album of the Year Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Raising Sand

Best New Artist Adele

POP FIELD Best Female Pop Vocal Performance "Chasing Pavements," Adele

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "Say," John Mayer

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: "Viva La Vida," Coldplay

Best Pop Vocal Album Rockferry, Duffy

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, "Rich Woman"

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Still Unforgettable, Natalie Cole

Best Dance Recording "Harder Better Faster Stronger," Daft Punk

ROCK FIELD Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance "Gravity," John Mayer

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals "Sex On Fire," Kings Of Leon

Best Rock Song "Girls In Their Summer Clothes," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Rock Album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Coldplay

Best Alternative Music Album In Rainbows, Radiohead

R&B FIELD Best Female R&B Vocal Performance "Superwoman," Alicia Keys

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Miss Independent," Ne-Yo

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals "Stay With Me (By The Sea)," Al Green Featuring John Legend

Best Contemporary R&B Album Growing Pains, Mary J. Blige

Best R&B Album Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

Best R&B Song "Miss Independent," M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & S. Smith, songwriters/Ne-Yo, artist.

RAP FIELD Best Rap Solo Performance "A Milli," Lil Wayne

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration "American Boy," Estelle Featuring Kanye West

Best Rap Song "Lollipop," D. Carter, S. Garrett, D.Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters/Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major, artist.

Best Rap Album Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & T.I., "Swagger Like Us"

COUNTRY FIELD Best Female Performance Country Vocal "Last Name," Carrie Underwood

Best Male Country Vocal Performance "Letter To Me," Brad Paisley

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals "Killing The Blues," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Best Country Song "Stay," Jennifer Nettles, songwriter/Sugarland, artist

Best Country Album Troubadour, George Strait

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals Sugarland, "Stay"

VIDEO FIELD Best Short Form Music Video "Pork And Beans," Weezer

Best Long Form Music Video Runnin' Down A Dream, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

. BACKSTAGE
After winning five Grammys last night, ROBERT PLANT and ALISON KRAUSS had reason to sing each other's praises. Plant said his collaboration with Krauss is the, quote, "most remarkable liaison" in which he's been involved -- high praise from a former member of LED ZEPPELIN. For her part, Krauss said it was nice to have received such respect from the Grammys.

ESTELLE, who was honored for best rap/sung collaboration for "American Boy," said it was amazing to have picked up a Grammy after watching the ceremony on TV in previous years.

Estelle also saluted JENNIFER HUDSON for resuming her music career following the October deaths of her family members. Similarly, CARRIE UNDERWOOD said she hopes her fellow American Idol alumnus can find peace.

SUGARLAND's JENNIFER NETTLES felt the need to explain why she dropped PAUL MCCARTNEY's name during her acceptance speech for best country performance by a duo or group, saying, quote, "His was the first face that I saw whenever we were walking up outside, hugging my mother and his wife, but somehow I focused on him and I thought, 'Okay, that's Paul McCartney.''

McCartney was also seen backstage, where he said his most significant achievement was the birth of his kids, which he joked wasn't hard to achieve.

While Recording Academy chairman NEIL PORTNOW would have liked to have discussed the scheduled performances of CHRIS BROWN and RIHANNA at the Grammys, he instead was forced to answer questions regarding their last-minute cancellations. As Brown's assault case drew attention away from the ceremony, Portnow said he would reserve judgment in the matter until more details come to light, stating, quote, "Musicians are no different than anybody else. Everybody has certain problems at times in their lives, things that maybe you wish didn't happen, maybe you're not proud of."

One of the many musical highlights of the Grammys ceremony was THE FOUR TOPS tribute featuring original Four Tops member DUKE FAKIR, plus JAMIE FOXX, NE-YO and SMOKEY ROBINSON. Fakir said it was a fun experience, but it couldn't compare to performing with the original Four Tops.