Grammys bleeped rap number's lyrics

NEW YORK -- Did anybody notice that, late in Sunday's telecast of the Grammy Awards show, the sound went on the fritz?

The mikes went dead for seconds on end, over and over, like some kind of short circuit no one could fix, during the big production number with rap artists Eminem, Lil Wayne and Drake.

The rap medley of the songs "Forever" and "Drop the World" contained some lyrics you might not hear in Sunday school. But this wasn't Sunday school -- it was actually late Sunday night, on a TV extravaganza celebrating a wide range of music.

"It was a rousing musical performance, but words were edited from the live telecast that didn't meet our broadcast standards," said CBS spokesman Chris Ender. "We have great respect for artists' creative freedom, but there are certain things you can't say, or sing, on television."

Even so, New York magazine's website was among those wondering "why were whole lines being cut to avoid one profanity? Why was the music cut out along with the mikes?

"Don't have performers on the show if you're going to bleep the hell out of their performance," proposed Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University.