Grammys

• February 23, 2009
• Vol. 71
• No. 7

Triumphs & Trophies

By Marisa Laudadio/Chicago, Rennie Dyball/Chicago, With Nikitta Foston/Chicago, Jessica Herndon/Los Angeles, Julie Jordan/Los Angeles, Eunice Oh/Los Angeles

As Jennifer Hudson Got Emotional, Coldplay, Kanye and the JoBros Riffed Off Pop Icons on Grammy Night

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From PEOPLE Magazine

Call it the ultimate music mix: At the Grammys in L.A., the Jonas Brothers got funkadelic with Stevie Wonder; Sir Paul rocked with the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl; and Taylor Swift sang an acoustic "Fifteen" with pal Miley Cyrus. But most amazing? With less than three hours to prep, Al Green and Justin Timberlake delivered "Let's Stay Together" (replacing Rihanna's performance—see page 52). "[I was] in the shower and they said, 'Whatever you have, throw it in the bag and come on,'" said Green, who, like JT, is from Memphis. "That's what we do!"

More From This Article

Jennifer Stays Strong

Just being at the Grammys was a victory for Jennifer Hudson, still coping with the brutal October murders of her mother, brother and nephew. With her fiancé (above) by her side, Hudson, 27, tried to keep things low-stress, denying any Grammy-week anxiety to PEOPLE. But the emotional impact of the night was clear when she won her first Grammy (for Best R&B Album)—"She just lost it," says manager Damien Smith—and her moving rendition of "You Pulled Me Through" earned a standing O. Calls poured in to her aunt Dorothy Hudson, who said, "Everyone was so happy to see her out there again." So was Jennifer, says Smith. "She said, 'I couldn't have asked for more.'"