MOG

Death Cab for Cutie reprise last year's Grammy debut with two nominations: "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal" and "Best Long Form Video." Downright surreal is how I would describe watching the band turn this way and that - nattily attired in suits and ties - responding to the bank of press photographers pitched in front of the Red Carpet. Yeah, it was also very cool.

So although I remain leery of the committee siding with its not so better nature - read: "seepingly commercial" - and naming either "My Humps" or "Stickwitu" the winner in the former category, right now the acknowledgement stands as it is, deserved and, okay, still no less surreal. Competition etiquette aside: I'd really like to know how "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" ended up alongside those two in particular.

Having said that, I am particularly happy about the "Best Long Form Video" nod. _Directions_ - with its supplemental storyboarding chapters, song lyrics and Director's bios - complements the band's elevation with a project that not only heightens our perceptions of what a music video is but introduces even more people to Death Cab in an intimate, originative way.

Now for Stephen's chuck under the chin...No, not the "Death Cab to Cuba" screenshot:

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=71686