Lil Wayne Tops 51st GRAMMY Nominations
Nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected one of the most diverse years ever with the Album Of The Year category alone representing the rap, R&B, folk and rock genres.
Lil Wayne topped the nominations with eight, Coldplay garnered seven, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each earned six nods. Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead and Jazmine Sullivan received five each, and Adele, Danger Mouse, Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, George Strait, and T.I. each received four nominations.
For the first time, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night." The one-hour special — broadcast live on CBS from Nokia Theatre L.A Live — featured past GRAMMY winners and nominees reading nominations in several categories, as well as performing songs from the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in celebration of the grand opening of the GRAMMY Museum.
Two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J and 50th GRAMMY Best New Artist nominee Taylor Swift co-hosted the telecast, and presenters/performers included four-time GRAMMY winner Christina Aguilera, five-time GRAMMY winners Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, the six-time GRAMMY-winning Foo Fighters, 14-time GRAMMY winner B.B. King, five-time GRAMMY winner John Mayer, and Swift.
"The GRAMMY Awards process once again has yielded a comprehensive, diverse and eclectic group of excellent nominees across multiple genres," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year's nominations are truly reflective of the talented community of artists and creators who represent some of the highest levels of musical excellence. Coupled with our first-ever prime-time nominations special, featuring stellar performances by past GRAMMY winners and nominees, we're off to an incredible start on the road to Music's Biggest Night and the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards in February."
Following are the nominations in the four General Field categories:
Album Of The Year:
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (Coldplay)
Tha Carter III (Lil Wayne)
Year Of The Gentleman (Ne-Yo)
Raising Sand (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
In Rainbows (Radiohead)
Record Of The Year:
"Chasing Pavements" (Adele)
"Viva La Vida" (Coldplay)
"Bleeding Love" (Leona Lewis)
"Paper Planes" (M.I.A.)
"Please Read The Letter" (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
Song Of The Year:
"American Boy," William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle Featuring Kanye West, artist)
"Chasing Pavements," Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele, artist)
"I'm Yours," Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz, artist)
"Love Song," Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles, artist)
"Viva La Vida," Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay, artist)
Best New Artist:
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan
Nominations in the Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals category are "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay; "Waiting In The Weeds" by Eagles; "Going On" by Gnarls Barkley; "Won't Go Home Without You" by Maroon 5; and "Apologize" by OneRepublic.
For Best Rock Album, the nominees are Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends by Coldplay; Rock N Roll Jesus by Kid Rock; Only By The Night by Kings Of Leon; Death Magnetic by Metallica; and Consolers Of The Lonely by the Raconteurs.
Nominations in the Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals are "Ribbon In The Sky" by Boyz II Men; "Words" by Anthony David Featuring Indie.Arie; "Stay With Me (By The Sea)" by Al Green Featuring John Legend; "I'm His Only Woman" by Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia; and "Never Give You Up" by Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton.
For Best Rap Album, the nominees are American Gangster by Jay-Z; Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne; The Cool by Lupe Fiasco; Nas by Nas; and Paper Trail by T.I.
The Best Country Collaboration With Vocals nominees are "Shiftwork" by Kenny Chesney & George Strait; "Killing The Blues" by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss; "House Of Cash" by George Strait & Patty Loveless; "Life In A Northern Town" by Sugarland, Jake Owen & Little Big Town; and "Let The Wind Chase You" by Trisha Yearwood & Keith Urban.
This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominees are Danger Mouse, Nigel Godrich, Johnny Karkazis, Rick Rubin, and will.i.am.
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 17 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm Deloitte by Jan. 14, 2009, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the telecast.
The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 8, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
Harper to visit GG Thursday morning
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make a highly anticipated visit to the Governor General on Thursday, a day after promising Canadians in a televised address that he will use any means in his power to prevent a coalition government.
In a five-minute, pre-recorded statement Wednesday night, Harper spoke bluntly against a proposed Liberal-NDP coalition backed by "separatists," saying the federal government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together in the face of the global economic crisis.
His criticism drew quick reactions from opposition leaders, who called on the Conservatives to accept a coalition government as the will of Parliament.
"The opposition is attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent, and without your vote," Harper said.
"This is no time for backroom deals with the separatists. It is a time for Canada's government to focus on the economy and specifically, measures for the upcoming budget."
Harper will visit Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean at 9:30 a.m. ET, the Prime Minister's Office announced shortly after Harper's address.
It is widely believed Harper, who pledged Wednesday night to use "every legal means at our disposal to protect our democracy, to protect our economy and to protect Canada," will ask Jean to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament.
Harper has accused Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, who would head the proposed coalition, of working to weaken Canada by signing a pact with the Bloc Québécois to bring down the Conservatives. The Bloc is not an official member of the coalition but has agreed to support it for 18 months, should it take power.
Conservatives have lost right to govern: Dion
In a taped rebuttal broadcast shortly after Harper's address, Dion defended the notion of a proposed coalition government "as normal and current practice in many parts of the world."
Moreover, the Conservatives — largely based on their reaction to the Canada's financial crunch — have lost the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Commons and thus, "have lost the right to govern," Dion said.
Dion said he sent a letter to Jean on Wednesday, urging her to reject any attempt by Harper to prorogue Parliament.
"If Mr. Harper wants to suspend Parliament, he must first face the vote of confidence," Dion said.
The back-to-back addresses were the latest in a political crisis that threatens to topple the minority Conservative government — a prospect Harper has vowed to prevent at almost all costs.
The prime minister has invited the premiers for an economic summit on Jan. 16, increasing the likelihood that he will seek to suspend the current parliamentary session until January, when his government would present a budget.
In his address, Harper said the Conservatives have invited the opposition parties to offer specific suggestions for managing the economy, and even adapted some of its own proposed measures to assuage opposition concerns.
"Unfortunately, even before the government has brought forward its budget and only seven weeks after a general election, the opposition wants to overturn the results of that election," Harper said.
Reacting to Harper's address Wednesday night, the leaders of the Bloc and NDP, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton, said their recommendations on how to deal with the economy have fallen on deaf ears since the Conservatives were re-elected on Oct. 14.
"Instead of acting on these ideas, unfortunately, or presenting any plan to stimulate the economy, Mr. Harper delivered a partisan attack," Layton said.
Dion said a coalition government would enable the kind of co-operative action needed to steer Canada through the current economic chaos, noting that similar efforts were being made around the world to overcome ideological differences.
"Leaders are working to cope with the recession to bring forward the kinds of investments that will help their people and their economies," Dion said. "Rivals are working together. Why not in Canada?"
Greens, Bloc to support coalition
Dion noted that both the Bloc and the Green parties have agreed to support a coalition Liberal-NDP government on matters of confidence. Three of the parties — the Liberals, NDP and Bloc — signed a coalition accord on Monday.
The Bloc will not be part of the new coalition but has agreed to support it "based on an agreement that meets the interests of Quebec," Duceppe reiterated Wednesday night.
"What we want is that in the next 18 months, the next government will work to kick-start the economy and help people affected by the crisis," Duceppe said.
The NDP's Layton accused Harper of refusing to act to preserve the economy, instead turning the financial crisis into a political one.
"Stephen Harper has broken his trust with the Canadian people and because of that, he's lost the confidence of Parliament," Layton said.
NDP leader Jack Layton gives his rebuttal to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's address to the nation. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
The fate of the Canadian government now depends on how Jean, who returned to Ottawa on Wednesday from Europe, decides to handle the political crisis.
If she is asked to prorogue Parliament and agrees, Harper's Conservatives will be able to avoid a no-confidence vote in the House of Commons on Monday that could precipitate the rise of a Liberal-NDP coalition.
But if Jean refuses to suspend the current parliamentary session, she will then have to decide whether to call an election should the Conservatives lose the vote of confidence, or approve the proposed coalition government.
"Mr. Harper's solution is to extend that crisis by avoiding a simple vote, by suspending Parliament and continuing the confusion," Dion said Wednesday night.
"We offer a better way. We say settle it now and let's get to work on the people's business."
Talk of a coalition government was triggered when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivered his fiscal update last Thursday.
Opposition parties blasted the Tories for failing to include a stimulus package for the slumping economy and accused the party of using tumultuous times to try to push through ideologically-driven measures they said attacked women and public servants.
The mini-budget originally proposed a three-year ban on the right of civil servants to strike, limits on the ability of women to sue for pay equity, and eliminated subsidies for political parties.
The Conservatives have since promised to present their budget on Jan. 27, with the suggestion it will contain a stimulus package, and have eliminated some of the most contentious issues from the fiscal update.
The coalition has vowed to make a stimulus package a priority, proposing a multibillion-dollar plan that includes help for the auto and forestry sectors.
The coalition would have a 24-member cabinet with six New Democrats and 18 Liberals and would operate with the support of the Bloc Québécois for at least 18 months.
With 77 Liberal MPs and 37 New Democrats, plus the support of 49 Bloc members, the three parties have more seats than the 143 held by the Tories.
Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica gets full season go-ahead
The final episodes of Battlestar Galactica will air in the new year, but a new prequel series to the hit sci-fi show is already on the horizon.
U.S. network Sci-Fi Channel has given the go-ahead for production of a full season of Caprica, a spin-off series to the critically acclaimed BSG, according to Hollywood trade press.
Though producers had originally planned to broadcast a two-hour Caprica TV movie this year, it will now serve as a pilot for the new series, which is slated to debut in early 2010.
The final 10 episodes of BSG begin in mid-January, with a two-hour movie entitled Battlestar Galactica: The Plan slated for broadcast next summer.
The prequel tale Caprica will be set 50 years before the plot of BSG, focusing on two rival families, one of whom is pushing artificial intelligence forward by developing living robots called Cylons. The cast includes Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales and Polly Walker, with the series to be executive produced by BSG creators Ronald Moore and David Eick.
Filmed in Vancouver and featuring a host of Canadian actors, the reimagined Battlestar Galactica got underway with a miniseries in 2003 and a regular TV series in 2004.
Though some originally believed the show would simply revamp the 1970s series, the latest BSG — always slated to last just four seasons — became a hit, garnering praise from both viewers and critics. Its accolades include winning a prestigious Peabody Award in 2006 and two outstanding program trophies from the American Film Institute in 2005 and 2006.
Fleetwood Mac dusts off the hits for spring tour
Fleetwood Mac will take to the road for the first time in five years this spring during an outing that will spotlight the legendary band's greatest hits.
Dubbed the Unleashed Tour, the trek gets underway March 1 at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. Fifteen shows are currently confirmed for March, and additional spring and summer dates will be announced, according to promoter Live Nation.
"We love our band and think the title of the tour "Unleashed" perfectly describes how we all feel when we get on stage together--especially in 2009," the band said in a joint statement. "We're so happy to get back out on the road, perform everyone's favorite songs and see our fans."
Tickets for the tour are scheduled to roll out on Dec. 15. American Express Cardmembers will have early access to tickets for most shows beginning Dec 8, according to a press release.
Current members of the band include Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Longtime member Christine McVie last performed live with the group at its 1998 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In conjunction with the tour, Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 album, "Rumors," is set to be re-issued as part of a special CD/DVD boxed set on Reprise Record. Additions to the set will include previously unreleased tracks recorded during the making of "Rumors," as well as a DVD component with never-before-seen footage of the band.
Fleetwood Mac last toured in 2003 and 2004 to support their 2003 album, "Say You Will."
March 2008
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
3 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
5 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
8 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
10 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
11 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Arena
13 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
14 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
16 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena
17 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
19 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
21 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
24 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
25 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre