A pretty disappointing show, in my opinion. Many of the awards were given outside of the televised show. Best Artist not worthy of television? Huh?

The highlight of the show was kd lang. What a set of chops this woman has! Why I don't own any of her CDs is beyond me. I'm going to have to change that very soon. She did a fantastic rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah that brought the house down. Followed by Neil Young's Helpless. Sung better than Neil could have sung it IMHO. A wonderful tribute to Neil, who couldn't be there. And, a perfect choice for the location, Winnipeg (or as we Canucks affectionately refer to it...Winterpeg).

There was a very good tribute to The Tragically Hip who were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. A video of many Canadian artists and fans (and Prime Minister Martin) paying tribute to The Hip and congratulating them on this honour. My favourite moment in the video was when Barenaked Ladies referred to The Hip as their "Older Stoner Brothers". The Hip then sang two songs. Well done.

I don't understand how Alexisonfire won Best NEW Group, when they have two CDs under thier belt...the first one released in 2003.

Some folks around here may find interest in that Fiest (Leslie Fiest), previously a member of Broken Social Scene, walked away with two awards...New Artist of the year and Alternative Album of the year.

All in all, a pretty ho-hum event. If not for kd lang and The Tragically Hip, it would have been a total waste of time.

Entertainment Factor = 2.5 Smileys (only 1.5 if you discount kd's performance)