The Latest: Adele sweeps record, album of year Grammy honors

Published 11:01 pm Sunday, February 12, 2017

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the 59th annual Grammy Awards being presented Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (all times local):

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8:55 p.m.

Adele’s “25” has won the album of the year Grammy Award, capping a huge night for the singer, who moments earlier had won for record of the year.

Adele finished the evening with back-to-back wins in the Grammys’ two top categories.

She cried during her final acceptance speech and spoke directly to Beyonce, who was up against her in both categories.

“We all (expletive) adore you,” she said as Beyonce sat in the audience smiling.

Accepting the record-of-the-year Grammy for “Hello,” Adele let the song’s writer, Greg Kurstin, do most of the talking after shouting at the orchestra, “You cut us off last time.”

She had stepped aside earlier in the evening after accepting the song-of-the-year Grammy for “Hello” so that Kurstin could speak. But he’d barely had time to thank his mother and father before the orchestra played them off.

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7:20 p.m.

Grammy winners tote their statuette with them through the press and photo rooms backstage at Staples Center, but as soon as they’re done with that duty they hand them over to a woman wearing white gloves.

She’ll make sure the awards are properly polished.

Then, after the winner’s name and category is inscribed on a nameplate, they’ll eventually get them back.

—Beth Harris, @bethharrisap

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8:15 p.m.

Unlike the Golden Globes earlier the year, the Grammys generally avoided political statements for most of the show — until A Tribe Called Quest took the stage late in the evening.

Busta Rhymes repeatedly called President Donald Trump “President Agent Orange” as the group sharply criticized Trump’s recent executive order attempting to freeze immigration from several Muslim majority countries and called it a “Muslim ban.”

The rappers repeatedly chanted, “We the people” and ended their performance shouting “Resist! Resist! Resist!”, something that’s become a rallying cry for those protesting Trump’s policies.

Trump had been referenced but rarely mentioned earlier in the show.

Katy Perry’s performance did include several political messages and the displaying of the preamble of the Constitution.

But unlike last month’s Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Trump wasn’t a fixture of acceptance speeches.

___ 7:50 p.m.

An apologetic Adele has accepted the song of the year Grammy for “Hello,” sharing it with the song’s writer and producer, Greg Kurstin.

Minutes before coming on stage to accept the trophy the singer had started, stopped and then restarted a musical tribute to the late singer-songwriter George Michael. As she prepared to start again she let out a four-letter word.

“First of all I really do apologize for swearing,” she began her acceptance speech, adding Michael meant so much to her that she didn’t want to slight him with a poor performance.

The song-of-the-year award also credits songwriters, so Adele shared the honor with Kurstin, who joined her onstage.

He barely had time to thank his parents, however, before the orchestra played them off.

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7:30 p.m.

The gremlins keep showing up at the Grammys, but there was no do-over for Metallica after its frontman’s microphone failed during the group’s performance with Lady Gaga.

James Hetfield was singing at the start of the performance, but no audio was coming from his microphone.

Lady Gaga’s vocals came through loud-and-clear while Hetfield’s microphone continued to malfunction during the early part of the performance.

It didn’t stop the high-octane show, which featured heavy metal and flames shooting up from the stage.

Hetfield eventually moved over and shared Lady Gaga’s microphone until the issue was fixed.

The mishap occurred just minutes after Adele stopped and restarted her tribute performance to late singer-songwriter George Michael. And it comes a year after Adele encountered audio difficulties during her performance after a microphone inside a piano fell on the instrument’s strings.

At the end of the performance, Hetfield tossed his guitar offstage.

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7:25 p.m.

Chance the Rapper has capped a night of Grammy glory with a win in the best rap album category.

The rapper won for his album “Coloring Book,” beating out several established performers including Drake and Kanye West.

Earlier he had won Grammys for best new artist and best rap performance.

The Chicago rapper said he had no prepared remarks as he accepted the latest award, adding he didn’t expect to win in this category.

But his acceptance speech was just as exuberant as earlier ones had been.

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7:15 p.m.

Adele delivered a stirring Grammy tribute to George Michael, but not before stopping and restarting, saying she had to make sure she got it right.

The singer had just begun performing Michael’s “”Fastlove” when she abruptly stopped and offered an apology to the audience that was laced with some swearing.

“I (expletive) up,” she said, adding she would not have a sub-par Grammys performance. At last year’s show her performance had been troubled when a microphone fell into a piano.

“I can’t mess this up for him,” she said.

The crowd cheered as she started to sing again, accompanied by an orchestra as images of the late British singer-songwriter were projected on large screens.

She finished to a thunderous standing ovation with many in the audience appearing near tears.

Adele herself had tears in her eyes as she mouthed a thank-you.

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6:55 p.m.

Beyonce has captured the Grammy Award for best urban contemporary album for “Lemonade.”

Her win came soon after the singer, pregnant with twins, performed in an elaborate ode to motherhood. As she took the stage to accept the trophy she acknowledged her family, sitting in the audience.

She went on to use her brief remarks to outline a vision for the world that she says she wants all children to grow up in. That’s a world in which all can be allowed to be beautiful, intelligent and capable and to see those qualities reflected in institutions ranging from the NFL to the White House.

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6:25 p.m.

Maren Morris is the winner of the Grammy Award for best country performance for her song “My Church.”

Morris, who was also nominated for a best new artist Grammy, won that honor at November’s Country Music Awards.

In her acceptance speech, Morris recounted how 11 years ago she was a participant in the first Grammy camp, which teaches young people about the music business.

She said it was the first time she ever flew alone on an airplane.

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6:15 p.m.

Beyonce has delivered a visually-striking tribute to motherhood during her Grammy Awards performance, which prominently featured her baby bump.

The top-nominated artist at this year’s Grammy Awards recently announced she is expecting twins.

She appeared on stage standing sideways with her belly showing.

Her mother, Tina Knowles, introduced her daughter saying she believes Beyonce’s success with her album “Lemonade” was a result of qualities the singer developed as a mother.

Beyonce’s performance opened with a visually striking pre-recorded dance routine and her delivering spoken-word praise for motherhood. When the singer appeared on stage, she performed “Love Drought” in an opulent golden costume.

Beyonce’s husband, Jay Z, clapped enthusiastically after the performance as the couple’s daughter, Blue Ivy, stood in front of him.

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6:05 p.m.

The Grammy Award for rock song has been awarded to David Bowie for his song “Blackstar.”

It was Bowie’s fourth Grammy win on Sunday.

The late rocker won three awards during a pre-telecast ceremony that bestowed him with Grammys for best alternative music album, rock performance and engineered album.

No one spoke for Bowie during Sunday’s broadcast, but saxophonist Donny McCaslin proudly accepted the earlier awards during a pre-telecast ceremony.

McCaslin says Bowie’s wins mean a lot for his fans.

Bowie died of cancer last year at age 69.

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5:55 p.m.

Laverne Cox is welcoming the change in trophy handlers at the Grammys.

The transgender star of “Orange is the New Black” called it “very exciting” to have transgender model Martina Robledo of San Diego helping hand out awards.

“That’s encouraging,” Cox said. “It’s about having representation that reflects the culture and the citizenry.”

The other trophy handlers are model and actor Derek Marrocco and model-actress Hollin Haley. Typically, the job has been carried out by women.

— Beth Harris @bethharrisap