By Eddino Abdul Hadi, music reporter

The most exciting things about the 51st Grammy Awards, held at Los Angeles' Staples Center yesterday, seemed to have happened offstage.

The reported brawl between pop singer Rihanna and R&B star Chris Brown which resulted in the duo's no-show was far more attention-grabbing than the 3 1/2-hour-long marathon.

The Recording Academy, which hands out the awards, tried to inject a little edginess into the awards show with performances by hot acts such as Sri Lankan-British singer M.I.A. and alternative rock gurus Radiohead.

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