Daft Punks The Grammys -- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Lorde Win Big

Show Stopping!

In a performance-filled extravaganza that featured a mass wedding, FRENCH electronic music duo DAFT PUNK were the biggest winners of the 56th annual GRAMMY AWARDS, nabbing five trophies, including Album Of The Year and Best Dance/Electronica Album for "Random Access Memories," Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Get Lucky," and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Rapper/producer duo MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS pulled in four Grammys, including Best New Artist and three Rap awards -- Rap Album, Rap Song and Rap Performance.  During the live performance of their song, "Same Love," performed with MADONNA and MARY LAMBERT -- 33 couples --both same sex and opposite sex-- including RYAN LEWIS' sister and her fiance, were married en masse by QUEEN LATIFAH.

Other multiple winners were:

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with JAY Z on "Holy Grail," Best R&B Song for "Pusher Love Girl" and Best Music Video for "Suit & Tie" f/JAY Z), LORDE (Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for  "Royals"),

KACEY MUSGRAVES (Best Country Album for "Same Trailer Different Park" and Best Country Song for "Merry Go 'Round") and PHARRELL WILLIAMS (Producer of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with DAFT PUNK on "Get Lucky"). The Song "Skyfall" also won two Grammys in the Visual Media categories.

On the Urban/R&B side, RIHANNA won Urban Contemporary Album Of The Year and ALICIA KEYS won Best R&B Album. And for something almost completely different, STEPHEN COLBERT won Best Spoken Word Album (and would've won Best Album Title if there ever were such an award) for "America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't."

Eye-Openers

No GRAMMY show would be complete without surprises, and the biggest ones arguably were the appearance of RINGO STARR -- and in the Country and Rock categories. Upstarts took the Country honors, as KACEY MUSGRAVES triumphed over the likes of TAYLOR SWIFT, JASON ALDEAN, BLAKE SHELTON and TIM MCGRAW to win Best Country Album, and she also bested SWIFT, MIRANDA LAMBERT and LEE BRICE for Best Country Song. One time HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH singer DARIUS RUCKER out-polled the likes of MIRANDA LAMBERT, BLAKE SHELTON, LEE BRICE and HUNTER HAYES for Best Solo Country Performance; and to top it all off, THE CIVIL WARS -- who split up while touring last NOVEMBER -- bested records by LITTLE BIG TOWN; TIM MCGRAW, TAYLOR SWIFT and KEITH URBAN; KENNY ROGERS  with DOLLY PARTON; and KELLY CLARKSON f/VINCE GILL for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

The AARP contingent seemed to be out in force in the Rock category, as BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN and PAUL MCCARTNEY took home trophies in Metal and Rock, with Alternative crossover IMAGINE DRAGONS winning best Rock Performance.

CBS did a good job cross promoting their media assets, with commercials for both CBS RADIO and RADIO.COM running during the awards show.

A full list of winners can be found here.

Show Stoppers

The ceremony was less of an awards show than a full-bore performance palooza. Ten awards were presented during the telecast amidst almost two dozen performances, about half of which were rare or never-before-seen collaborations.

Among the highlights:

BEYONCE and JAY Z opening the show.

ROBIN THICKE & CHICAGO collaborating.

KEITH URBAN & GARY CLARK, JR. teaming up

PINK doing her version of Cirque de Soleil before dueting with NATE RUESS

KENDRICK LAMAR & IMAGINE DRAGONS get "M.A.A.D."

PAUL & RINGO ... nuff said

The return of the HIGHWAYMEN

DAFT PUNK, PHARRELL WILLIAMS & STEVIE WONDER get real "Lucky."

CAROLE KING & SARA BAREILLES make beautiful music together.

METALLICA & LANG LANG go ballistic.

MACKLEMORE & LEWIS, QUEEN LATIFAH, MARY LAMBERT and MADONNA perform at a mass wedding.

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG and MIRANDA LAMBERT offer a tribute to PHIL EVERLY.

Rockin' out to QUEENS OF STONE AGE, NINE INCH NAILS, DAVE GROHL and LINDSAY BUCKINGHAM.

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