Ok they weren't really flip-flops, more like comfy black slides with rubber soles, and they were hidden under an entirely appropriate long and billowy 70s halter dress. But still I felt pretty earthy and under-dressed sauntering amidst all the Manolos and Choos that flooded the Staples Center last night.

Not that I was walking alongside the designer-drenched music godesses or anything. I had a ticket, but I had to enter thru the non-famous-people section far, far away from the glitz of the red carpet.

Still, while inside I saw Ellen Degeneres making the scene with her camera crew (and GF Portia DeRossi) in tow. Also eyed Paula Abdul in the VIP bathroom caking on powder, Matisyahu (nice purple shirt) carrying a baby carrier as his wife and kids followed, and the gals of Danity Kane having some kind of upsetting, intense conversation I just couldn't get close enough to hear.

Other than that, the Grammy's themselves were pretty uneventful. What ya saw on TV was what it was. The hoopla and hedonism all happened the week prior, with parties and related events nearly every night. How, I wondered, do the stars look so daisy fresh after all the week's activities?

Which brings me to why I wore bad shoes to the event.

I danced til 4 am to The Roots and friends at the Key Club the night before. Joined by the likes of Queen Latifah, Anita Baker, India.Irie, and Matisyahu on stage, and featuring a mini–and kinda angry- comedy routine from Dave Chapelle (“You know why I'm smoking this cigarette on stage? “Cause I don't give a fuck!”) this one was so packed the fire marshall showed -right before I did- and I almost didn't get in. It was worth standing in the rain though. My pal Pauley Perrette from the TV show Navy:NCIS gave me her wristband so I got to hang upstairs in the VIP section which was cool, but equally crowded. The show started so late, I did a little clubbin beforehand, checkin out a new DJ night at the Highlands. Yes, I danced. I danced a lot. But really, my feet were throbbing from a couple nights before, when I shook my humps and wore high heels (dumb!) at the Black Eyed Peas' Pea Pod Benefit. (Read more about all three events in this week's Nightranger!)

After the Grammy's there's even more parties to attend and though I was only invited to one, I got reports about a few of the others. The Governer's Ball takes place on–site and is where winners and assorted Grammy association peeps hang out after the show. On Saturday, when I went to pick up my ticket, I ran into some of the entertainers rehearsing. They were about to have lunch (note chicken).

My pal Heidi Richman went to The EMI party at BLVD 3 and said it was a fun fete. She and her client Grammy nominee Sarah Kelly, ultimately went across the street for a cocktail at Cat & Fiddle though, where they spotted Corrinne Bailey Rae, so it couldn't have been too eventful.

The William Morris party, where I went on the other hand, was crazy fabulous with some real rock royalty in the house… Read all about it in this week's Nightranger!

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