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January 31, 2010

Clive parties; Ke$ha shares Grammy dreams

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY,AP Music Writer

LOS ANGELES — The music world celebrated Grammy weekend at tributes, rehearsals, parties and styling suites. Here's a look:



PRE-PARTY BLOWOUT: Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Barbra Streisand in song, Mary J. Blige gave a gut-wrenching performance in honor of her musical mentor and Rihanna made more than a fashion statement as the stars aligned for Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy blowout.



Davis' party is always a must for the music industry's A-listers, and they were out in force at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for Saturday's gala: Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, the Black Eyed Peas, Jane Fonda, Usher, Quincy Jones, Wyclef Jean, Akon, Carrie Underwood and more mingled together at the exclusive event.



Rihanna hung out with gal pal Katy Perry and Perry's new fiance, comedian Russell Brand, for much of the evening. Her appearance was notable because it was after she and then-boyfriend Chris Brown attended the Davis party last year that Brown assaulted her.



This year, she partied with friends like Canadian rapper Drake as she wowed onlookers with an asymmetrical dress made completely of tulle, making her look like she was dressed in a cotton candy confection.



Onstage, there were performances from the likes of the Peas, Blige, Underwood, Maxwell, Harry Connick Jr., and Jamie Foxx. The Peas, who are up for six Grammys, performed their hit "Boom Boom Pow," then Fergie was joined by Slash as she performed the Guns N' Roses classic, "Sweet Child of Mine," which garnered applause — but not enough for will.i.am's liking.



"Usually Fergie and Slash on stage would have brought down the house. This ain't no boogie (expletive)," he admonished the crowd. "Music industry, we can't be spoiled," he said before launching into the Peas' Grammy-nominated smash, "I Gotta Feeling."



Blige was a highlight with an emotional and church-worthy performance for Universal Music Group's Chairman and CEO Doug Morris, who was being honored at the event, co-sponsored by the Recording Academy.



It was Streisand's first time at the party, and Davis orchestrated for Hudson to sing rousing renditions of "People" and "The Way We Were." But the evening — which started at 7 p.m. — ran over five hours, and by the time Hudson performed, virtually every top celebrity had abandoned ship.



Their absences were not lost on Davis.



"You know it's less than three hours of music," he told the crowd that remained as the event was coming to a close. "If you can't take it, you're in the wrong business."



____



DANCE COMMANDER: Ke$ha — who has the No. 1 song in the country with her dance groove "TiK ToK" — spent part of Saturday afternoon at the Grammys Styling Studio, picking out accessories and other fashions available for talent who are taking part of the show.



While she's not up for any awards, the singer is presenting the best new artist category. Ke$ha's debut album was released this month, and she hopes next year she'll be at the Grammys for a different reason.



"It's been a dream of mine to go to the Grammys. Now that I'm gonna be on the stage it's pretty surreal, so I can only dream that maybe next year I can find my name in one of the categories," she said.



And while she's dominated the airwaves with her party girl anthem, she took a bit of offense — playfully, of course — when she was described as such on Saturday.



"Define party girl, because yeah, I'm a walking good time, but I'm not like some starlet who goes out, doesn't wear underwear, gets a DUI," or driving under the influence, said Ke$ha.



"I'm so not that girl. But I am like a walking good time, but I'm having a good time just walking around here. I feel like a more proper title for myself would be a dance commander," she said.

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