Mika and Beth Ditto, Kylie Minogue, Kaiser Chiefs, Rihanna with Klaxons at the Brit Awards

Far cry from the days when I would have to tape the Brit Awards because they were buried at 1 a.m....

Adorable gay icon Mika with Beth Ditto of the Gossip. She's a sex symbol in England, where the band is hugely popular.

Kylie still looks fierce, does Madonna better than Madonna. And she's battled breast cancer.

Marginally better than Rihanna's "duet" with Fall Out Boy at the MTV Video Music Awards last year, but still a little weak. Her voice just...wavers. It's a bit pitchy. The Klaxons sound great, though. And their "ella..ella...ella" vocals are super-cute.

Kaiser Chiefs, "Ruby." Not the greatest performance, but the Brits stage set-ups -- here a skyline of fake buildings springs up around the band -- trump ANYTHING U.S. awards shows do.