We On Award Tour: 2013 Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are always the best award shows of the year just because of all the great performances even if it is an off year for music. But a funny thing happened at this year’s Grammy, it was almost as if I programmed it. I loved almost all the performances (who invited Justin Timberlake, I hate when people who are not nominated get to perform unless they are a legacy artist; plus I do not see Suit and Tie getting nominated for anything next year) and it is almost as if I did the nominating. Sure I could nitpick that Call Me Maybe was nominated for a songwriting award or how Norah Jones was shut out despite releases her best single of her career, Happy Pills. But for the first time I actually endorse every nominee in the most prestigious category, each made my list of The Best Albums of 2012 (or 2011 thanks to the Grammy’s wonky eligibility rule). Usually one (or four) stinkers sneak in, somehow Lady GaGa was that past three years. Since it seemed like this year’s Grammys were geared specially towards me, I have a feeling the ratings will be way down and they will be back to nominating unworthy artists next year (maybe Suit and Tie will get a nod... or five), but I definitely enjoyed this year. Here are some thoughts on last night’s festivities.

- We may be witnessing the downfall of Taylor Swift, her performer, the carnival meets Wonderland meets Marionettes meets Marie Antoinette was way too much. Hopefully Red is her Pop and she will go back to basics with her next album like U2 did with All That You Can't Leave Behind.

- Of course ADELE won the first award, after the great ratings of last year, the show want to continue that even if a live performance off a DVD is a bit cheap way to get nominated. But then again it was not like there was much competition in that category.

- When Fun. performed at the nomination special I figured they would not get invited to the big show because they already burned off their best song. But they did get to perform and we were stuck listening to the fifth best song off their album (same goes for Maroon 5).

- I think the suits Miguel and Wiz Khalifa were wearing broke my HD. And of course they went on to announce the Best Country Solo Performance.

- A couple weeks ago someone pointed out to me that We Are Young is a song about domestic abuse ("My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking 'bout a scar, I know I gave it to you months ago") I it is weird listening to it ever since. Even weirder is a song that may be about domestic abuse won a songwriting award.

- It was jarring seeing Mumford & Sons perform with an electric bass instead of their trademark stand-up bass. And what was with three of them being clean shaven?

- Alicia Keys playing the drums = awesome.

- Should I know who Micky Echo is?

- Best acceptance speech of the night, maybe ever: "I would like to thank the swap meet for his hat." - Jay-Z.

- I really like the aesthetic of the two The Black Keys, but I would like them to make a full band album at some point, preferably with Danger Mouse producing.

- After every review mentioned The Police, of course Bruno Mars had to bring in Sting for his performance. But I wish the Bob Marley part was much longer.

- I am not sure if there is such a thing as male groupies, but if there are, I am thinking about becoming one for the chick from the The Lumineers.

- Do someone slip me some acid or was Carrie Underwood's dress changing shapes and colors?

- How do you invite Prince to an award show and not get him to perform? This may have been the best awards in recent memory, but not getting Prince to sing was an epic fail.

- I guess it should go down as a successful Grammy awards because Chris Brown made it through an entire night without punching anyone.

Best of the Week - 3/9/12

Quote of the Week: You're talking about no sense of humor. This is funny. I know I'm laughing. (Raylan Givens, Justified)

Song of the Week: P.S. I Love You – Robin Sparkles Daggers (How I Met Your Mother)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The Super Bowl: As a former referee, I tend to err on the side of officials whenever there is a questionable call, we are all human and we are going to make a mistake or ten even at the highest levels. I do get a bit suspicious whenever the officiating is severely lopsided like it was with this year’s Super Bowl, the second most lopsided championship game I have ever witnessed (sorry Seahawks fans, you are still number one on the losing side of that). The most notable (no) call was the final play when there was clear pass interference that ended the 49’ers chance to tie the game. Add that to plays like the 2-point conversion when Ed Reed obviously crossed the line before the ball was snapped, which is only more glaring when the 49’ers got called doing the exact same thing during Baltimore’s next offensive series. Then there was also the time when, instead of a personal foul for running into the kicker, that would have given the 49’ers a drive extending first down, it was ruled incidental five yard penalty which only resulted in a re-kick. But the most jaw dropping moment was when a Baltimore Raven actually shoved a referee in the first half of the game. Not only did the guy not get thrown out, like he should have, he did not even get flagged on the play. What is worse the league have not even given the guy any sort of admonishment after the game. There is no way any player should get away with putting their hands on a referee. So the fix was clearly in, but the question is why. I have two working theories; 1) The NFL did not want the 49’ers to win so everyone would blame the blackout on the Ravens losing the biggest lead in Super Bowl history, or 2) the refs have a massive stake in deer antler stock.

Preview Picture of the Week:

Switched at Birth "Human/Need/Desire" Monday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: Same as Blood – Lee Koch (NoiseTrade)

New Album Release of the Week: Authentic Hip Hop - LL Cool J

New DVD Release of the Week: Weeds: Season Eight

Video of the Week: Enough of the shame of a football game, lets talk about commercials. Again the big loser again was Doritos who for some reason wants to flush millions of dollars down the drain on the dumbest ads of the year. But they were edge out on the single worst ad by the uncomfortable Go Daddy commercial. As for the winners, only two come to mind a week later, M&M’s singing Meat Loaf just losing out to the Budweiser Clydesdale advertisement.


Next Week Pick of the Week: 2013 Grammy Awards, Sunday at 8:00 on CBS: I am not happy that other channels are counterprogramming the Grammy’s tomorrow as there are new episodes of Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and the return of The Walking Dead. But the Grammy’s are a priority as for the very first time that I can remember, I fully endorse all the nominees in the Album of the Year category. Plus there will be performances by Fun., Frank Ocean, The Lumineers, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Jack White and collaborations featuring The Black Keys with Dr. John, Elton John and Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars with Rihanna and Sting, as well as a tribute to Levon Helm featuring Mumford & Sons, Zac Brown Band, Elton John, and T Bone Burnett.

We On Award Tour: 2013 Grammy Nominations

The Grammy’s hit primetime again to announce next year’s nominations, or at least to the categories that anyone cares about (you will have to hit the internet to see if you were nominated for Best Hawaiian Album) with some performances by artists not good enough to perform on the actual show (sorry Ne-Yo, no major nominations for you). Oddly one of the big four (Song of the Year) was relegated to search the internet. The big news this year is they unsegregated the categories by genre which did not favor male pop performers (all chicks), RnB or country chicks (only one nominated in each). Here are the categories that were televised:


Pop Vocal Album
Stronger – Kelly Clarkson
Ceremonials – Florence + the Machine
Some Nights – Fun.
Overexposed – Maroon 5
The Truth About Love – P!nk

Should Win: Some Nights
Will Win: Stronger
Should Have Been Nominate: Little Broken Hearts - Norah Jones – Norah Jones

Kind of a boring category, but pop has been boring lately so I guess it is apropos because I had a hard time think something else that deserve to be nominated, maybe Norah Jones who I do not think qualifies as pop anymore, or possibly Kimbra, but she did not have much success except for singing with Gotye.


Record of the Year
Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
We Are Young – Fun featuring Janelle Monáe
Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra
Thinkin Bout You – Frank Ocean
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift

Should Win: Lonely Boy
Will Win: Somebody That I Used to Know
Should Have Been Nominated: Ho Hey – The Lumineers

Just throw out Clarkson and Swift for being extremely cheesy and the final four is extremely competitive category, any of which are deserving of winning. The only way they could have made it tougher had they added the much deserved Ho Hey or Norah Jones Happy Pills.


Best New Artist
Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Should Win: The Lumineers
Will Win: Frank Ocean
Should Have Been Nominated: Gotye

Best New Artist is the only category that seems to have quotas so Hunter Hayes took the token country spot that should have gone to the more deserving Gotye who got the shaft because Fun. took the token pop slot probably because they were able to score a second hit (sorry teen girls, no love for the crappy Carly Rae Jepsen and / or One Direction). The big surprise was the inclusion on Alabama Shake who put out a good album but it was little listened to outside of rock critics. And since this is always the most shocking category, do not count them out.


Best Country Solo Performance
Home – Dierks Bentley
Springsteen – Eric Church
Cost of Livin' - Ronnie Dunn
Wanted – Hunter Hayes
Over – Blake Shelton
Blown Away – Carrie Underwood

Eh, do not care.


Album of the Year
El Camino – The Back Keys
Some Nights – Fun.
Babel – Mumford and Sons
Channel ORANGE – Frank Ocean
Blunderbuss – Jack White

Should Win: El Camino
Will Win: Babel
Should Have Been Nominated: Handwritten – The Gaslight Anthem

Over the last couple years the Grammy’s usually likes to throw in some crappy pop artist to make them seem cool (see Katy Perry) so it was shocking that they actually nominated five really good albums. Really any of them deserve to win, I think Mumford and Sons have a slight edge because they are the biggest artist right now not named Adele. But aparently rock is not dead with three of the five come from that genre, four if you count Fun. because they do play their own intraments.


If you go through all 100 plus categories, six artists tied with six nominees each: Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys (he also got nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical along with all his band’s nominations), Frank Ocean, Fun, Mumford and Sons, while Jay-Z and Kanye West racked up all theirs in the not cool enough for prime time. You will have to head over to Grammy.com for the full list, but here is the other big catergory that was missing from the live telecast.


Song of the Year
The a Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

Should Win: We Are Young
Will Win: Stronger
Should Have Been Nominated: Anything but Call Me Maybe

I now understand why they did not televise this category: Call Me Maybe was nominated. Keep in mind this is a songwriter’s award. “I just met you, and this is crazy, so here's my number, call me maybe.” Seriously. You know there is something wrong when Kelly Clarkson quoting Nietzsche is not the most absurb nomintion for a songwriting award.

We on Award Tour: 2012 Grammy Awards

It seems like the Grammys always get a major chunk of their awards wrong, but in 2011 there was no denying Adele and even with the Grammys track record, it is still no surprised that she hauled in the most awards this year. Here are some other thoughts on the night:

- I am a little shocked that Bruce Springsteen went with the new song that most people won’t even remember by next year instead of a song that highlighted a Clarence Clemmons sax solo.

- Can’t say I was ever a Whitney Houston fan (a grand total of two songs made it on my iPod), but it is also sad to see someone go that quickly and unexpectedly. But once again it shows, just like Whitney said it was: crack is wack. Another example as to never start using the stuff and if you do, it is time to get yourself help.

- Why even bring in LL Cool J as host if his entire monologue consists of a prayer and then shouting out people in the front row?

- It is never a good sign when they mentioned Bruno Mars is up for Album of the Year and I completely forgot he was. Granted the category was always Adele and the four other people since they announced the nominees.

- I can’t believe they actually brought Chris Brown back to the Grammys considering the last time the two were in the same sentence he had to cancel an appearance after brutally beating Rihanna. What’s worse (aside from not even bother to sing) was that he totally ripped off Rihanna’s We Found Love for the song he lip-synced.

- It is nice to see after sporting bad mom hair for the last couple months, Kelly Clarkson decided to actually do something with her hair tonight. Unfortunately she passed on her bad hair to Taylor Swift.

- Couldn’t they just give an entire half an hour block to The Beach Boys? That just did not seem long enough.

- Paul McCartney, Diana Krall and… Joe Walsh?

- It was enough that they were snubbed for Best New Artist, which they should have won, but only sixty seconds for The Civil Wars?

- It is ironic that Taylor Swift performed Mean on the Grammys considering the song was inspired by the critics who had some mean things to say following her performance with Stevie Nicks on the show a couple years ago.

- Katy Perry fooled me; I thought she pulled an Ashlee Simpson, although maybe she should have lip synced because it was pretty poor performance.

- After a year of hearing everyone butchering the song, it is weird hearing a great performance of Rolling in the Deep.

- Bon Iver, your Best New Artist of 2009.

- Roy Orbison’s widow gets mentions in the In Memoriam package but not Jani Lane?

- You really have to be high to enjoy electronic music.

- Can we please end the Nicki Minaj era please? Seriously, did she really work Oh Come All Ye Faithful into her abomination of a performance?

Best of the Week - 2/11/12

Quote of the Week: You know what they say: getting old ain’t for pussies. (Raylan, Justified)

Song of the Week: Burnin' for You – Blue Öyster Cult (How I Met Your Mother)

Scene of the Week:



Big News of the Week: Super Bowl XLVI: Darn you New York Giants, for the second time in five years you just had to win the game late, but still leaving enough time for a potential last second drive. Remember the good old days when the Super Bowl would be a blowout and you could just sit back, relax and enjoy the party and commercials? Oh well, at least they still ended up beating Bill Belechicken and his merry band of cheater so us Patriot haters can still hang our hats on that they have yet to win a championship since Spygate.

As for those previously mention commercials: yawn (except of course all the ones that featured Adriana Lima). A week later an none really stick out to me except the Clint Eastwood one (and of course Adriana Lima) which was stupidly decried as pro-Obama. The ad was pro-America and anyone who thought it was pro-Obama or even anti-Obama as other talking heads insisted need to leave America. But as un memorable the ads were once again this year, at least none of them features some fifty year old pretending that she was still in her twenties. No one needs to see that.

Free Download of the Week: Celebrity - The Escape Club (Amazon MP3): Remember two hit wonder The Escape Club. You know Wild Wild West; “Heading for the nineties living in the eighties” and those weird arms / legs things in the video? Well they are still together and surprisingly this song is not bad. You got to feel bad for two hit wonders, not enough hits to be remembered in the annuls of time and one hit too many for the novelty of being a one hit wonder.

Deal of the Week: Blu Rays Under $10 (Forrest Gump, Batman Begins, Groundhog Day)

New Album Release of the Week: As The Crow Flies - Amos Lee

New DVD Release of the Week: Beavis & Butthead: Volume 4

Video of the Week: As lackluster as the ads during the Super Bowl were, the best one actually came after the big game when Betty White congratulated the New York Giants before teling America who will be lifting the Lombardi Trophy in 2013. I have lived through the Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Blown Save, The Decision, and an inferior city stealing our football team only to win the Super Bowl four years later so I have been content that I would never see a championship in Cleveland in my lifetime. But now that we have the backing of Belly White, not only to I know I see one in my life time, I believe Betty will see one in her lifetime. Mark it down: Josh Cribbs will be your Super Bowl XLVII MVP. (Please note that I will delete this post and deny I ever typed it when the Brown picks up Donovan McNabb in free agency.)



Next Week Pick of the Week: Grammy Awards, Sunday at 8:00 on CBS: It is the biggest night in music tomorrow and once again they are giving us quite a few great collaborations including Coldplay and Rihanna, Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood, Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys is teaming up with Bonnie Raitt to honor Etta James, and the reunited The Beach Boys with fellow Southern Californians Maroon 5 and Foster the People. Plus the return of Adele to live performing and the first performance of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band since the passing of longtime saxophonist Clarence Clemmons. They may even pass out an award or two (I am going to go out on a very short limb and say they all go to Adele).

Best of the Week - 12/3/11

Quote of the Week: Jeff you don't need to worry about what foreigners think about you, that's your right as an American. (Shirley – Community)

Song of the Week: Everybody Knows – Leonard Cohan (Homeland)

Scene of the Week:



Big News of the Week: Grammy Nominations Announced: The biggest shock this year is Bon Iver got nominated for three of the big four award (the most shocking of which being Best New Artist considering he released a highly regarded album in 2008 and The Civil Wars deserved a spot). The only big award he did not get nominated foe was Album of the Year which had some head scratching inclusions. Aside from obvious selection of ADELE, there was also the critically mixed inclusions of Lady GaGa (who has yet to have a smash single like her previous album and only sold a million copies thanks to a $.99 sale on Amazon MP3 when released), Foo Fighters (who many people do not even remember released an album in the past year), Rihanna (who fills her albums with a bunch of decent songs but no one has ever said, wow that is a great Rihanna album) and Bruno Mars (who only seems like he released his album around the time Bon Iver released his first one). It seems like about they made too many people say “who” when Arcade Fire walked away with the Best Album trophy by nominated the biggest pop names. Actually only Foo Fighters is not nominated in the Best Pop Album category. It is a bit surprising that they left out actual well received albums by Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Tony Bennett, Wilco, Radiohead, The Civil Wars and Fleet Foxes which were all downgraded to genre specific Album categories. But let’s keep the Grammy’s in perspective: Hilary Clinton and Milli Vanilli have won more Grammy Awards than the Beach Boys and Bob Marley. Here are some other thoughts on the lesser categories:

El DeBarge nominated for Best R&B album. Seriously. In 2011.

Tina Fey vs. Betty White for Best Spoken Word Album.

"Weird Al" Yankovic nominated for Best Short Form Video for Perform This Way; not nominated in the category: Lady Gaga.

Free Download of the Week: O Come Emmanuel - Single of the Week - The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: A new batch of albums are on sale for $5.00 this month over at Amazon MP3 including The Civil Wars, Sara Bareilles, John Mayer and Jack Johnson.



New Album Release of the Week: El Camino - The Black Keys

New DVD Release of the Week: The Help

Video of the Week: With Friday Night Lights wrapping up its last season there is now a void for best television show on television. Justified is currently in the poll position but with Ma Bennett drinking her own apple pie and Loretta McCreary moving to the suburbs to live with Tim the Toolman Taylor, the show is going to have to refill the bench. Recruiting Carla Gugino to be Raylan’s bosses boss may help. Promos for the third season have started to air before the it returns Tuesday January 17 at 10:00 on FX and here is one of them:

The Hat


Next Week Pick of the Week: The Sing-Off, Monday at 8:00 on NBC: Antoine Merriweather may have unceremoniously denied the championship for the third season of The Sing-Off, but he and all stars from all three seasons will return tomorrow for a holiday special that will for some reason also include Flo Rida singing a non-Christmas song. But then again, when you think acapella Christmas, who does not instantly think Flo Rida?

We on Award Tour: 2011 Grammy Awards

- What a way to attract an audience that an Aretha Franklin tribute. Why they introduced everyone involved twice. And poor Christina Aguilera, first she flubs the national anthem then falls on the Grammys. It almost makes up for having to sit through Burlesque.

- The first award goes to Train and is the only award given out in the first hour which is why the Grammys is the only award show worth watching. Instead of expanding Best Movie, the Oscars should make Best Song ten to fifteen nominees and perform them all and push most of the awards to “handed out before the telecast.”

- Lady GaGa’s performances are known for being painfully to watch with her smearing herself with fake blood or fake ash, but Born This Way is most notable for just being painfully boring. And “Don’t be a drag, be a queen” may be the lamest chant in a song ever. Hopefully this is the official end of the Lady Gaga era.

- Marky Mark is officially off the hook for worst use of Walk on the Wild Side because that HP now holds that honor.

- I wonder if Muse gets asked to perform if the lead singer didn’t knock up Kate Hudson.

- It is a shame Janelle Monáe isn’t bigger than she is, she is the female embodiment of James Brown. And I really enjoyed the do-wop version of Grenade. Also, bonus points to B.o.B for rocking a monocle.

- Wait, Jewel is a country artist now? Was that common knowledge?

- Odd that Eva Longoria came out just as Desperate Housewives was starting on another station.

- What was with the Sub Zero dancers during the Justin Bieber performance?

- Speaking of Beiber, Donny Walberg is in no position to scoff at the crappy teen starlet because he was ten times worse.

- I liked how Selena Gomez hightailed it out of there after she announced Lady Gaga as the winner. I would too.

- Despite Bob Dylan being even more gravelity voiced than usual, the Mumford & Sons / The Avett Brothers stole the show with the best performance of the night.

- Teddy Pendergrass deserves better than having one line song in honor of him. And didn’t Lady Antebellum sing Need You Now last year?

- Kings of Leon did not look happy that they were paired with Miley Cyrus. And speaking of Cyrus I am completely against her hosting Saturday Night Live because The Miley Cyrus Show is the break out sketch of the season and I fear her showing up on it with ruin it.

- Apparently the Grammys made Cee Lo Green change so many lyrics that he actually forgot them. Or maybe he was distracted by his Elton John costume.

- Just when you thought Katy Perry couldn’t get any worse she breaks out a balled featuring pictures of Russell Brand. Eww.

- I liked how they referred the Cee-Lo song as “The Song Otherwise Known as Forget You” much more entertaining than simply “Forget You.”

- Lady Antebellum wins Song of the Year. Keep in mind this is a songwriter’s award, which went to a song about drunken dialing.

- When Seth Rogan said Adam Levine was part of the Eminem / Rihanna / Dr. Dre performance I thought he was joking, but there he was at the piano. And Dre, it time to stop teasing us and give us an official release date for Detox.

- At least they spruced up the token old white guy moment this year by playing music over him. Now he knows how long winded award winners feel like. Although it was odd how he talked about accepting free speech right after a heavily censored Eminem set.

- I am not the biggest The Rolling Stones fan out there, but Mick Jagger tore the roof off the place. Too bad Raphael Saadiq get mentioned as the guitar player.

- Okay, Lady Gaga wasn’t as boring as Barbra Streisand. It’s too bad Duck Sauce didn’t come out and perform with her.

- Walk Up is a good song and all, but I have never gotten Arcade Fire as a whole.

- If Arcade Fire wins Album of the Year but lost Best Alternative Album to The Black Keys, doesn’t that mean Brothers is really the true Record of the Year?

We on Award Tour: 2011 Grammy Nominations

The 00’s is when the music industry went in the tank, yet as sales go lower and lower, it seems like every year there is yet another new music awards show (there is another new one airing in a couple months), but there still remains only one award show that matters: The Grammy’s. Okay, the awards themselves are not that credible (Hilary Clinton has more Grammy’s than Bob Marley, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix combined) but you know they will put on a great show. No acts announced yet (hopefully they will be better than Katy Perry and Justin Beiber), but they did announce some nominees last night (head over to Grammy.com for the full rundown):

Song of the Year
Beg Steal or Borrow – Ray LaMontange and the Pariah Dogs
(Expletive Delete) You – Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert
Love the Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rihanna
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Who Will Win: Ray LaMontange and the Pariah Dogs
Who Should Win: Cee-Lo Green

Wait, they actually nominated for a songwriting award a song they cannot even say on network television? Also nominated a song that includes the lyrics, “It’ three AM and I’m drunk again.” You cannot call the Grammy’s stuffy anymore. It is such a weird group it is hard to pick a favorite, but Ray LaMontange is the most “traditional” song, but Mirada Lambert may get the sentimental vote.

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence + The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Who Will Win: Drake
Who Should Win: Mumford and Sons

Best New Artist is always a tossup, but I have been playing out Mumford and Sons for most of the year. But I can see them or Drake or Florence and the Machine also taking it. Since there is no one in the academy under sixteen to stuff the ballot like the AMA’s, Beiber doesn’t have a chance. And for those wondering, Esperanza Spalding is a jazz artist, and as Herbie Hancock’s win recently, do not count her out.

Album of the Year
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Recovery – Eninem
Need You Now – Lady Antibellum
The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

Who Will Win: Eminem
Who Should Win: I do not care

Wasn’t Lady Gaga nominated for the same album last year? How does this happen? Even more puzzling, Kate Perry gets nominated? Ugg, I could care less for this category.

Record of the Year
Nothin' On You – B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Love the Way You Live – Eminem featuring Rihanna
(Expletive Delete) You - Cee-Lo Green
Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

Who Will Win: Jay-Z
Who Should Win: Cee Lo

A strong category (though I would have exchanged Airplanes for B.o.B.’s song here) but there was no song more infectious this year than the one that Cee-Lo gave us. Here is hoping that they let Cee-Lo perform the real version on the telecast.

We on Award Tour: 2010 Grammy Awards Nominations

Last year’s Grammy Nomination special was a good watch if not overblown with most performances paying tributes to past winners. This year was as lame as lame gets with no nod to the past except Maxwell’s excellent tribute to Michael Jackson. The Black Eyed Peas sucked massively. Sugarland was bland. And who cares about Nick Jonas and the Association? He and his brothers have only been nominated once and his new band as never played live ever. It would have been fine for the Kids Choice Awards, but not something associated with the Grammy’s. Oh and I would call the LL Cool J opening embarrassing, but this is coming from a guy who stars on an NCIS spin-off, nothing gets less credible than that.

And of course there were the award nominations which may have been the worst collection of artists ever assembled for a Grammy telecast. When they read Song of the Year, if it weren’t for the inclusion of Maxwell, I would have thought it was a VMA nomination. And Record of the Year was even worse because it was the same nominees with the Black Eyed Peas switched out for Maxwell. Best New Artist was conspicuously absent from the show, but I understood why when I saw the actual nominees. Below are some of the major categories and my thoughts (for all 109 categories, including one that has Michael J. Fox, Richard Dreyfuss, Jimmy Carter and Carrie Fisher battling it out, head over to Grammy.com):

Record of the Year
Halo - Beyonce
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift

Who Will Win: Halo
Who Should Win: Use Somebody

I have a feeling (no crappy song reference intended) that Beyonce is going to go home with more than a few Grammy’s this year (she leads the nominations with ten; but keep in mind there are an absurd amount of R&B categories), they have loved her in the past and with the amount of nominations she garnered, they still do. So what is the dude who wrote the song basically reproduced the same song for Kelly Clarkson and Leona Lewis. Of course, keep in mind the Joe Satriani stealing Viva la Vida won this award last year. Hopefully Use Somebody wins because it was truly the best song of the last twelve months.


Album of the Year
I Am...Sasha Fierce - Beyonce
The E.N.D. - The Black Eyed Peas
The Fame - Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King - Dave Matthews Band
Fearless - Taylor Swift

Who Will Win: I Am...Sasha Fierce
Who Should Win: Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King

Remember the good old days when the Grammy’s were considered too old, when Herbie Hancock was beating out Kanye West, Amy Winehouse (or as Ringo Starr says, Amy White House) and Foo Fighters? Now they look like as if MTV were doing the nominations. With any luck everyone else splits the youth vote and the Dave Matthews Band. But then again, the Grammy’s didn’t even bother to put LeRoi Moore in the In Memoriam section last year so I won’t hold my breath.


Best Rock Album
Black Ice - AC/DC
Live From Madison Square Garden - Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King - Dave Matthews Band
No Line on the Horizon - U2

Who Will Win: No Line on the Horizon
Who Should Win: Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King

Conventional wisdom would say that since the Dave Matthews Band was nominated over U2 for Album of the Year they would beat them here, but I wouldn’t be surprised that people vote for U2 here since they weren’t nominated for the big one. Keep in mind U2 nor Green Day, who both have won the award recently, were not nominated for Record of the Year, but Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas were. Really, when was the last U2 record not nominated for that award?


Song of the Year
Poker Face - Lady Gaga & RedOne
Pretty Wings - Hod David & Musze (Maxwell)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart
Use Somebody - Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon)
You Belong With Me - Liz Rose & Taylor Swift

Who Will Win: Pretty Wings
Who Should Win: Use Somebody

Keep in mind that this is a songwriting award. Poker Face was nominated for a songwriting award. Just let that soak in for a moment. I should be taking this time to laugh at Single Ladies being nominated for a songwriting award, but Poker Face is an even bigger joke to be nominated for a songwriting award.


Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Wilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Who Will Win: Who Knows
Who Should Win: Who Cares

Now I understand why this category wasn’t announced live. And to think, one of these artist can pick up an award previously won by Milli Vanilli. And so what if Silversun Pickups released their second album this year or that Keri Hilson (note that the misspelling of her name was a cut and paste, not my mistake) was been in the biz since 2001.


Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
We Weren't Born to Follow - Bon Jovi
Never Say Never - The Fray
Sara Smile - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Kids – MGMT

Who Will Win: I Gotta Feeling
Who Should Win: Sara Smile

Yes, that was a song from 1975 being nominated, that is just how bad music was this year.


Best Rap Album
Universal Mind Control - Common
Relapse – Eminem
R.O.O.T.S. - Flo Rida
The Ecstatic - Mos Def
The Renaissance - Q-Tip

Who Will Win: Relapse
Who Should Win: The Renaissance

I doubt he wins, but it is nice to see Q-Tip nominate. Hopefully he does go on another Award Tour. Too bad Kamaal the Abstract didn’t get one too.