STEELING THE SHOW

"This is our night," proclaimed U2's Bono at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards as he accepted the group's third trophy Wednesday evening. And he was right, until Steely Dan was awarded Album of the Year honors later on.

Steely Dan, a sentimental favorite for sure, beat out the controversial Eminem, odds-on favorite Paul Simon and alternative kingpins Radiohead and Beck to take home the album title. The group also took home trophies for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Group. The album won its engineer a nod for Best Engineered Recording.

U2 took home Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group.

Early on in the day-long festivities, the Awards came dangerously close to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony as such veterans as Steely Dan, Sting, B.B. King/Dr. John and others toppled the likes of much younger nominees like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and NSYNC.

But by naming Dr. Dre Producer of the Year, giving two Grammys to the Foo Fighters, awarding Female Vocalist honors to Macy Gray and Best Rap Album to Eminem, Grammy voters ended up giving equal nods to both old and new. Kind of like our jokes.

And, for those who keep score of such things—like us, for instance—NARAS topper Mike Greene's speech/presentation clocked in at 6:45.

Sadly, our own Bud Scoppa had to say, "It's an honor just to be nominated," when he was passed over for Best Album Notes.

Here's a mostly complete list of winners:

Record Of The Year: U2 "Beautiful Day" (Interscope)

Album Of The Year: Steely Dan "Two Against Nature" (Giant)

Song Of The Year: U2 "Beautiful Day" (Interscope)

Best New Artist: Shelby Lynne

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Macy Gray "I Try" (Clean Slate/Epic)

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Sting "She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rosa)" (Telarc)

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Steely Dan "Cousin Dupree" (Giant)

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: B.B. King & Dr. John "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)" (MCA)

Best Dance Recording: Baha Men "Who Let The Dogs Out" (S-Curve/Artemis Records)

Best Pop Album: Steely Dan "Two Against Nature" (Giant)

Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: Sheryl Crow "There Goes The Neighborhood" (A&M/Interscope)

Best Male Rock Vocal Performance: Lenny Kravitz "Again" (Virgin)

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group: U2 "Beautiful Day" (Interscope)

Best Hard Rock Performance: Rage Against The Machine "Guerrilla Radio" (Epic)

Best Metal Performance: Deftones "Elite" (Maverick)

Best Rock Song: Creed "With Arms Wide Open" (Wind-Up)

Best Rock Album: Foo Fighters "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" (Roswell /RCA)

Best Alternative Music Album: Radiohead "Kid A" (Capitol)

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton "He Wasn't Man Enough" (LaFace)

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: D'Angelo "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" (Cheeba Sound/Virgin)

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Destiny's Child " Say My Name" (Columbia)

Best R&B Song: Destiny's Child " Say My Name" (Columbia)

Best R&B Album: D'Angelo "Voodoo" (Cheeba Sound/Virgin)

Best Rap Solo Performance: Eminem "The Real Slim Shady" (Aftermath/Interscope)

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group: Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem "Forgot About Dre" (Aftermath /Interscope)

Best Rap Album: Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope)

Best Polka Album: Jimmy Sturr "Touched By A Polka" (Rounder)

Best Soundtrack Album: Various Artists "Almost Famous" (DreamWorks)

Best Score Soundtrack Album: Thomas Newman "American Beauty" (DreamWorks)

Best Song Written For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: Randy Newman "When She Loved Me" (Walt Disney.)

Best Short Form Music Video: Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly" (Roswell/RCA)

Best Long Form Music Video: John Lennon "Gimme Some Truth - The Making Of John Lennon's Imagine Album" (Capitol Records)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Dr. Dre

Best Album Notes: Bob Blumenthal "Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961" (Legacy /Columbia)