I personally think Amy is sufficiently talented to get away with being a bit of an arse. She's very young, very fallible and very fragile which comes across in her music. Many of the great singers in the past have had similar vulnerabilities - think Billie Holliday and Judy Garland (both substance abusers) and there's an honesty in her delivery that comes from real angst and very few performers have that. Hopefully she will clean her act up in the future for her own sake but I will make allowances for her whether she does or she doesn't. Save me from a sanitized and homogenised world.

Also how can being 'boring' as in Leona's case ever be seen as a positive? The reason I can't get into Leona's music is because it lacks passion and feeling. She has a fabulous range and technique but absolutely no depth. She doesn't appear to have any experience in life to draw on and the result is all technique and no substance. I think this is why she's never made it before, dispite having all the connections in the business.

How anyone could even nominate Kate Nash for anything is beyond me! Best female? don't make me laugh,surely worst female is more apropriate. A five year old could write better music.

I really like Mark Ronson's work but you can't really describe him as a SOLO artist when most of his work is producing collaborations with artists. He did great work on Amy's album but that was done in 2006 and there isn't a 'Best Producer' award.

I think in the absence of Robbie Williams the Brit panel needed a popular name and figured Mark would fit the bill.

I'm intrigued about Bat for Lashes - has anyone heard her work and what do you think?

I think it was a travesty Justin Timberlake wasn't nominated for Best International Male - his album would have been eligible surely only coming out in 2007? And its been massive and his singles off it have been huge too. BAH.

Only other thing that was wrong was Kate Nash winning Best British Female - should have been Leona. Other than that I think all awards went to the right people.

Take That DO write their own stuff and play instruments! Just cause they aren't an indie band doesn't mean they don't play!

The pathetic video "tribute" to Macca.

Who the hell put that shoddy effort together.

I am shocked (but not surprised) that:

- they gave Kylie Best Int. Female, and not Rihanna, who is much more deserving;

- Mark Ronson won Best Male. This is a total travesty of justice. He's great at what he does but he is NOT a Solo Artist and he doesn't sing/write, ot at least he hasn't in 2007. Mika was totally robbed of that award. Even those who don't like Mika must surely see that he was the outstanding candidate for that award;

- Arctics won Best Album. They just felt they had to give Indie something.

I am pleased that:

- Leona got nothing. Sorry Leona fans; she is talented and all, and she'll get her rewards soon enough, but you just haven't earned it yet, baby

- Mika won the Breakthrough Award. He deserves that. He's broken through on his own terms by doing his own thing and he has worked bloody hard all year, with no leg-up from talent moguls/songwriting teams.

OK sorry, maybe bit ott, but her supporters are SO blinkered. Dont get me wrong, I dont dislike her, she ha s a great voice, but she isnt the ONLY deserving person out there.

Ok, no prob.

personally, although I like LL and bought "Spirit", I listen to Beverley Knight's album more.

I like Leona and she seems to be going the right direction - in a way it is unfortunate that she won XF as that will always affect some opinions of her.

so I agree with you that there are other people to consider.

FWIW I have liked Winos album, but don't like her behaviour - she is clearly behaving like a fool; not just the substances (lots of great performers cope with that) but in her private life too. she is a tragic character and unilke the likes of Garland or Holliday, she doesn't rise above it to deliver for her audience.

Janis Joplin could do it, Tina Turner could do it, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, Clapton (& Cream), the Stones - half the friggin 'greats' were out of it, yet most of them could perform almost all the time.

if she can't still perform when she needs to, she should get clean. period.

Judy Garland went through periods where her audiences walked out and demanded refunds and I have recordings of Billie Holliday where she sounds completely off her face.

Amy has managed to be creative despite her troubled soul. Give her a chance - a talent like hers is a rare flower.

Please use words from the english vocabulary, not 'lol', it does make you sound rather 'thick'.

If you had bothered to read my replies, you would understand that I am not slagging her off in ANY way, who I am criticising however, is the mob of fans who are so far up her ars*, they are coming back out of her mouth!

Yes, 'Critics' Choice award highlighting future talent.....for another Brit School pupil. What a coincidence.

I think the 'Best Live Act' category was decided by a public vote wasn't it?

If so it probably just came down to a fanbase competition between sets of fans. Take That probably have more 'fans' than Muse, so therefore win out.
As fans get involved you can't guarantee that all the people voting necessarily even went to the gigs.

A bit like if 'Best British Female' next year was decided by a public vote. You'd probably get mainly Leona Lewis and Kate Nash 'fans' fighting it out in the vote whether they thought their favourite was genuinely worthy or not. The loyal fan element will probably kick in and turn it into a competition between fanbases regardless of the talent aspect or whether their favourite was actually any good or not.

So I'm okay about Muse not winning. After all it's only the Brit awards and they really don't need to prove anything.

so who are these people? anybody that likes her more than you, or is there some other criterion being applied?

as for using English words, I think you'll find most of mine conform to that reasonable standard.

Valerie.

Valerie is a cover so I believe!

I think the funniest thing of the night for me was my dad's reaction to Best Female (he's not in touch with new music). When they showed a clip of Kate Nash she was singing "I use mouthwash" and my dad goes "what was that? I use mouthwash?" and I said "yeah, she goes on to sing that sometimes she flosses". He started chuckling, and we were both in fits of laughter when it turned out she had won.

You must live in a bubble if you've never heard the original "Valerie".

The problem with music awards are everyone has different tastes. Everyone would like their favourite artist to win, but it dosn't work like that. With TV and Film people's opinions seem to conform to certain shows, and you don't get as much arguments. But music tastes vary to much, espicially pop music.

Kate Nash beating Bat For Lashes & PJ Harvey to Best Female.

What.The.Hell.

So?
What has that got to do with anything?

I honestly, really don't understand your point.

Are you saying that acts who sing covers of songs are disqualified from being nominated from the Brit awards categories?

Mark Ronson did nothing but covers yet got nominated for best male solo artist, and won too.
So what has Valerie being a cover got to do with anything?

It was probably one of the better ones and far more fun for being shown live rather than the night after it's all been decided. The Brits have never been as polished as the Grammys and they never will be because few artists in this country, take the Brits seriously. Otherwise, thanks would be genuine and sober rather than non-existent (from some) and inebriated. And presenters wouldn't try to pretend to be cool by wearing a spangly T-Shirt and Jeans for the first time in 20 years. Tennant? ****. Reeves? Bigger ****. Fair play to Sharron for giving him some, but this stuff should never happen anyway. They (the organisers) say they like to keep the Brits edgy, then they complain at the chaos. You can't have it both ways folks!

What amazes me is that for all these overpaid ***** feel they have talent, few of them can sing in tune and cut it live. Mika's falsetto vocals might sound note perfect in the studio thanks largely to the auto-levelling devices now employed. Yet, what the f*ck, give him an award anyway, just after he's murdered 2 of his (s)hits live. And then there's Rihanna, who for all her hits, only seems to know one song and again, playing live, her voice might have been in tune, but displayed severe limitations and a warble at the end of each line to disguise what she's incapable of and because she thinks that warble, together with Goddamn repetitive lyrics, sound good. And then there's the Arctic F*cking Monkeys - best album and best group? Why? Because they happen to be a little subversive or are they truly talented? Are they not the same in the 00s as Oasis were in the 90s and the Stone Roses in the 80s? God we Brits are so predictable - always bigging up 4 young, cheeky blokes who think they're God's gift to music.

Fair play to the Klaxons for taking a back seat to Rihanna, anna, anna, anna....ad f*cking nauseum - I thought that collaboration / coll-abortion worked okay. When that fat bird joined Mika on stage at the start, I thought, "What a shame - and Kelly's weight loss was going so well up until now too." Then I realised it was Beth Ditto from those (never) has-beens Gossip, who once famously announced that she was fat and proud and er, sexy too. So what? On this occasion love, I'll settle for that old woman Kylie; far sexier in my opinion thanks very much. Mind you, Mika's fawning over Ditto made me reach for the sick bucket. Is he really that desperate that he has to hang on to morbidly obese bird in a puffball skirt? As for Winehouse - oh God - I wish someone would shoot 'me Blake' so that she can start living a life again, because that bloke will be the death of her. She's a skank - I hate her tattoos, I hate her hair, I hate her make-up and I hate the scars when she self-harms. But I love her voice; virtually unique in the caucasian working class female. And this was one of her brighter nights of late, where apart from looking like she was desperate for a slash, she sang quite well and just about held it together. Fair play to Ronson for the obvious encouragement he was giving her when she first got on stage.

But then - Ronson? Best Male Solo Artist? F*ck off. He (re)arranges to suit his personal tastes and uses well-known vocalists as the vehicle to his success. All a bit odd and not worthy of an award unless you start finding reasons to reward those who sit behind the mixing desk. All this makes a mockery of Leona Lewis. Okay, I'm not keen on her music but she performs and sings like an angel and deserves huge plaudits for being the first British female export who could compete on a level playing field with those overpaid fading US divas Houston, Carey et al. Shame on the voters there, who chose to reward that 19 year old chav from Croydon whose album is at best, a collection of dirty little girls secrets in a hidden diary set to play school tunes and obviously appeals to the masses because she's young and she swears a bit. Appeals? Do they b*ll*cks? If ever there was a fix for an ex-Brit academy member, this was it.

Kate Nash? Ginger gash and utter tripe!

Personally i don't think Leona did get screwed. Kate Nash & Mika were far more deserving as they are far more original musically and more of an all rounder. Their performances are entertaining and engaging. Leona has a great voice but she just stands there belts it out, doesn't really move and just gazes into the camera/audience. Its not all just about volumes of sales, anything can sell records given the right marketing. We all remember the awful number 1's of the past from Mr Blobby, Bob The Builder, Chef & Fast Food Rockers! lol

As for Leona being the best or one of the best around. She has had 2 singles, both being love songs. One cover version on the back of X-Factor finals and Bleeding Love, while having some great vocals and very powerful moments, i still find it a "safe", down tempo, dull as dish water song. I do think she has the potentional to be great. But take some risks, push boundaries, be more creative!

On the point of the Arctic Monkeys, I won't comment as I don't like them, so my opinion would be biased!

I personally wanted The Hoosiers or Mika to win over Take That for Brit Single. I think Worried About Ray is very good song.

Rhianna would have been to predicatable. Yes Umbrella was a big seller but her album in general i feel isn't amazing. I found it be very one leveled, it didn't have a journey through it that you expect from an album.

As for the rest. I thought the Kaiser Chiefs performance was laughable, comapred to their usual standard. I thought Kylie was good. A more gracious and less over the top performance.

!00% agree with all of that. Also like to add Kanye West winning over Timbaland In International Male.

But remember if they were public votes these results would have happned. They were so out of touch because it is a fix by the Brit School to promote their artists. Can anyone honestly say Kate Nash is better than Leona?

I'd understand if it was Bat For Lashes, Amy Winehouse (although not nominated) but KATE NASH? A C list singer who song's debut further and further down the charts and who we won't hear about in a year.

One of the best posts I have ever read on DS!

Totally agree, Mika was appalling live and I really wasn't expecting it. Amy Winehouse is a mess, but she's a talented mess. Leona was robbed. Kate Nash is the Best British Female we have to offer when Leona's out there representing us all over Europe, having huge success and now heading to the States? Yeah, right. That makes sense. I'm still confused as hell how Mark Ronson can win an award too.

Oh and also something you didn't mention, Take That winning Best Live Act and Best Single? Ok I understand Best Single as their fans will vote like crazy but Best Live Act is awarded by the "respected panel" (who also awarded Best Female to Kate Nash) so I'm extremely confused how Muse didn't win that one.