When it came to the Grammys after-parties, there was only one clear winner: Alicia Keys, Shaq, Flo Rida, John Legend, Afrojack, Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri, “Puffy’s” son Justin Combs, and even Jenna Jameson filled the SLS to capacity for the seasonal House of Hype.
But there were plenty of other choices: Record of the Year winner Gotye met up with Republic Records Founder Avery Lipman (left) at Republic’s party at the Emerson Theatre.
Meanwhile, Kimbra, his partner on the big song that you used to know last year, made a wardrobe change before arriving at Bar Marmont for the Warner’s party (right), joining Fun., another big winner of the night.
The Island Def Jam crew (Barry Weiss, Lucian Grange and Steve Bartels) hosted Rihanna, Nas (still in his gold tux), 2Chainz and the resurgent Pete Wentz at a non-traditional party place, Osteria Mozza on Highland.
Back downtown, there was no more drama but one more carpet for Mary J. Blige (below). She headlined LA Confidential’s after-party where there was a “headspin” on the dancefloor (not by Mary J.) and lots of Ciroc, which seemed to be flowing everywhere this weekend.
Beyoncé: Back from the Bowl
Even before the Grammy show, Beyoncé re-emerged from her post-Super Bowl professional honeymoon. She sat with Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland and Rihanna on the royal court at Roc Nation’s brunch at Soho House on Saturday afternoon.
This event always packs stratospheric potential — too much, in fact. Only an hour into Saturday’s “brunch” (albeit one that lingered until 4 p.m.) the fire marshal had already closed down the entrance. With a virtual auto-show parading into the valet (Rolls-Royces, Teslas, etc.) more than 150 people waited in a never-moving line in the parking garage on their best behavior.
With JustJared reporting that Chris Brown and Rihanna were embracing inside, expect to see details splashed across the tabloids this week. It’s two year’s worth of build-up. Last year, just as an equally hot party was breaking up, the news of Whitney Houston’s death broke and wiped away any post-party buzz.
Behind the Scenes at Bruce
As MusiCares Person of the Year honoree Bruce Springsteen sprung to action — saving the silent auction by adding in his mom’s $250,000 lasagna — other eye-catching moments, like CBS President Les Moonves temporarily ending up with Springsteen's guitar (right), were playing out in front and back of the house at the L.A. Convention Center Friday night.
ALSO READ: Bruce Springsteen at MusiCares Gala: 'Musicians are Magical F— Ups'
In the communal green room, John Legend sacrificed his lap as a pillow for his jet-lagged girlfriend, Chrissy Teigen. She was out cold.
After about two hours nearly stationary, Legend casually got up, plugged in his ear-monitor and delivered a piano performance of “Dancing in the Dark” that Springsteen said “made me sound like Gershwin.”
Nearby, New Jersey native Jon Stewart (who as host, did not even know he had a dressing room and was just looking for food) crowded a cocktail round with Sting and Tom Morello, watching Elton John perform “Streets of Philadelphia” on a monitor. (Left: Sir Elton John and the lasagna chef, Adele Springsteen, age 87.)
The song choice was pitch perfect, considering the hundreds of millions the piano man's raised through his Elton John AIDS Foundation. Minutes before his performance, he shuffled backstage, oblivious to the monitors replaying one of his own MusiCares performances from years past.
And below: Jann Wenner, Rita Wilson, Sean Penn and Trudie Styler at one of the power tables. Knowing his well-documented distaste for impromptu photos, the house video crew shot Penn cautiously throughout the night — though he did appear on the big screens several times.
Besides one-time Coachella performer Penn, non-musicians in the room included (below) occasional guitarist Johnny Depp with Marcus Mumford, Judd Apatow (making sure the press knows his name) and Dennis Miller with Jon Stewart.
(Below: Faith Hill, Jon Stewart, Sting and Ken Casey share a mic for the all-hands-on-deck finale of "Glory Days," in which Springsteen invited any musician in the room to join him.)
With the caliber of success on this bill — including Neil Young, Patti Smith, Mumford and Sons, Ben Harper, Natalie Maines, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (who wore sky-high heels even to rehearsal, presumably for camera angles; she changed in to flats immediately afterward) — there was little to offer them except a heartfelt thanks.
However, they did get a massive suitcase of tangible thank-yous, including a trip to the Viceroy Anguilla in the Caribbean and Springsteen himself sincerely recognized his debt.
“I owe you all … one.” he said before taking the stage.
"OK, I Accept This Rose"
So said OK Magazine publisher Carrie Byrne Putelo as Grammy nominee Flo Rida turned into "The Bachelor" on Thursday night. The rapper returned to OK Magazine’s Pre-Grammy Party presented by Ciroc for the second straight year, catching up with the masthead leadership including (right) Associate Publisher Vildia Samaniego, Event Director Lisa Campeone and Putelo in his pre-show wardrobe.
But Will They Call Her Next Year?
Having tattooed her anthem across all of music last year, Carly Rae Jepsen got the call to headline the Friends ‘N’ Family party on the Paramount lot Friday night.
The sprawling annual party hosted by music industry execs drew a young crowd this year — think "Glee" castmembers, Lucy Hale, and Cody Simpson — but at least a few undeniably old enough for the Heineken lounge, Adam Lambert and Nick Lachey.
Although it does seem strange to see Lachey at a Grammy event, it shouldn’t. Lachey’s “98 Degrees” heads out on a nostalgia tour with “New Kids on the Block” and “Boyz II Men” this summer, where he’ll be excavating his musical roots from underneath years of gossip weeklies. Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman told TheWrap this weekend that they talked about a joint single, like NKOTB and Backstreet Boys did last summer, but they haven't locked on to the idea yet.