One-time Grammy winner Hillary Clinton made it back to the awards show Sunday night in a role she no doubt relished. She was a surprise guest in a skit by host James Corden, supposedly auditioning for the spoken-word recording of Michael Wolff's bestseller on President Donald Trump's administration, "Fire and Fury."
She followed John Legend, Cher, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B and DJ Khaled, all of whom Corden found wanting. The final "auditioner" lowered the book from in front of her face to reveal it was Clinton. Corden said she got the job and was a sure winner.
"You think so?" Trump's 2016 election opponent said. "The Grammy's in the bag?" Clinton is already a Grammy winner from 1997, for reading her book, "It Takes a Village."
Not everyone was a fan. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted that the moment ruined the Grammy-watching experience for her. "I have always loved the Grammys but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it," she tweeted. "Don't ruin great music with trash. Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it."
Sharp drop in Grammy ratings
Just under 20 million people watched Bruno Mars' big night at the Grammy Awards, a steep decline from the 26.1 million viewers who tuned in to music's biggest night a year earlier. The Nielsen company said the 19.8 million estimated viewers represented a 24 percent decline from 2017, and the awards show's smallest audience since 2009. Absent this year was the star power of an Adele, Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. The Grammys were heavy on rap nominees, including five-time winner Kendrick Lamar, whose medley opened the show. It was half the 39.9 million people who watched in 2012, when the awards took place shortly after Whitney Houston's death.
Tree kangaroo has good genes
A kangaroo named Paul has become the oldest living tree kangaroo in the country. Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., says the Matschie's tree kangaroo turned 23 years, three months and four days old on Friday. The zoo says it knows of no other male tree kangaroo to reach this age anywhere. Paul has good genes. His mother lived to age 27 at the Miami zoo. To celebrate, Paul may get extra sweet potatoes, his favorite. He retired two years ago and is kept in a habitat that's closed to the public. The zoo says Matschie's tree kangaroos are native to Papua New Guinea and live to about 8 years old in the wild or 14 in captivity.
NEW CEO: The James Beard Foundation on Monday named Clare Reichenbach as its chief executive. She replaces Susan Ungaro, who was the foundation's president for 11 years and formally stepped down at the end last year.
Associated Press
