Cole To Winehouse: Pot, Meet Kettle

In the vast and largely irrelevant world of celebrities reacting to awards shows, one particular Grammy moment caught our eye over at People.com: Natalie Cole reacting to Amy Winehouse's multiple Grammy wins.

"I don't think she should have won. I think it sends a bad message to our young people who are trying to get into this business, the ones who are trying to do it right and really trying to keep themselves together," said Cole, 58. "We have to stop rewarding bad behavior... it's not right for her to be able to have her cake and eat it too."

On the seriousness of Winehouse's troubles, Cole – who over the years has battled her own substance-abuse problems, successfully – observes, "I mean, she could die... The girl really has a problem, and I think for those of us who have been in the business long enough, we know the sacrifice it takes. This is about discipline and hard work, and you don't get to just do your drugs and go onstage and get rewarded."

Holy hypocrisy, Batman.

To clarify, Natalie Cole had her own fair share of substance problems back in the day. While we're certain she had her own "no, no, no" moments leading into her rehab stint, she came out clean on the other side, wrote a book and once even reportedlyexpressed concern for leading diva Whitney Houston. (Speaking of Houston, she made her own headlines by arriving so foxy at the Grammy ceremony Sunday.)

Did anybody think to tell Cole before she opened her mouth that Winehouse, 24, was temporarily released from rehab in order to perform? Did Cole miss the delicious, obvious irony of "Rehab" the song and "Rehab" the reality? That was half the fun!

Moreover, we can't help but to notice a sort of cattiness in Cole's commentary. "This is about discipline and hard work..." Erm, Cole was 25 years old when she earned her first Grammy award in 1975 -- whilst she herself was in the throes of addiction. Cole, the daughter of one of America's most beloved crooners Nat King Cole, had released one album when she scored her first gold while Winehouse, a Mercury Prize nominee, has released two.

We're not sure of the origins, but the Cole's response was awfully harsh considering her own background and, well, the background of American popular music. If drunks and druggies were barred from receiving Grammy nods starting 50 years back, its musical history would be composed of a lot more crickets. Cole herself would be omitted. And, last we checked, Grammys are influenced and determined by performance and (frankly) sales, not a Breathalyzer. Where would Johnny Cash or the Stones be today...

Asked further in the article who she thought should've won more prizes, Cole mentioned two other young female performers: Beyonce and Rihanna. OK, Natalie, we get it: hoist up the ladies, shout out to the (pretty) singers. No doubt, Amy Winehouse is one wild Siren -- but, if Cole really wanted to be useful, Winehouse could use solid ups, not a tear-down; whether she gets clean or slides back into bad habits, a malicious blast from the music's past doesn't help Winehouse "keep herself together."

It'd be a shame if Cole's slam has anything to do with drumming up support of, say, a recent reissue of her first (Grammy award-winning) 1975 album...