1. Mumford & Sons: The British quartet accomplishes something the likes of Bruce Springsteen, the Beach Boys and R.E.M. have never done by winning the Grammy for album of the year. In doing so, “Babel” towers over all over albums next week on the Billboard 200.
2. Adele: She doesn”t even have to put out new music to win a Grammy… or any award. We just want her to promise she”ll attend and give a hilariously candid acceptance speech.
3. Justin Timberlake: After a six year absence, he and Jay-Z will tour stadiums this summer. That”s a lot of sexy.
4. The 55th annual Grammy Awards: The show couldn”t top last year”s numbers, but still managed to score the second highest ratings in 20 years. Better yet: no one had to die for it to happen.
5. Harlem Shake: “Gangnam Style” meet the “Harlem Shake.” The king is dead, long live the king.
6. Eric Church: The Academy of Country Music Awards voters show their religion: Eric Church tops all artists with seven nominations.
7. Beyonce: With help from such high-powered friends as Oprah, her “Life Is But A Dream” HBO documentary, directed by her, gets a rousing premiere.
8. Lady Gaga: One of touring”s most powerful new acts of the last decade has to cancel 21 dates in order to have hip surgery. Maybe she should change her name to Lady Dowager (seriously, speedy recovery, LG).
9. Justin Bieber: His fans unleash their wrath on Black Keys” drummer Patrick Carney after he says the Biebs doesn”t deserve a Grammy. Some of them even spelled “drop dead” correctly.
10. Ted Nugent: He attended the State of the Union address and doesn”t turn to stone in the presence of a man he”s called “evil.” What a pity.