Nicole Kidman and Tim McGraw could get jealous. Keith Urban and Faith Hill were in perfect sync together on stage. Bravo to both!

Paul McCartney was, well, solid early in the show, then got upstaged later — just moments ago — by Linkin Park and Jay-Z, but wow what music magic they all made together! Lots of whiny cynics love to gripe about the bizarre performance combos the Grammys often stage, teaming up veterans with whippersnappers, but when the collaborations pay off like that, then, well, all previous flops can be forgiven and forgotten.

Mariah sure started out iffy, but rallied masterfully near the end like a classic drama diva. Ciara managed not to embarrass herself. Too bad Fantasia was weighed down with a dull duet partner. Considering the grandiosity of the Sly Stone tribute, it came off well, parts of it even great, but to be honest, I'd hoped to be knocked out!