Beyonce leads Grammy nominations with 10
LOS ANGELES – Beyonce has enough Grammy nominations for her and Sasha Fierce.
The omnipresent diva garnered the most Grammy nominations on Thursday with 10 nods, including nominations for album of the year for "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," song of the year for her anthem "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and record of the year for "Halo."
Country crossover sensation Taylor Swift_ the year's best-selling artist outside of the late Michael Jackson — wasn't far behind Beyonce. The 19-year-old got eight nominations, including album of the year for her multiplatinum sophomore disc "Fearless," as well as song and record of the year for her hit, "You Belong With Me."
Swift, who has won everything from American Music Awards to Country Music Association trophies to that now-infamous MTV Video Music Award moonman, said her Grammy nominations represented the apex for her.
"To be recognized by the Grammys is the ultimate honor," said Swift in a telephone call shortly after finding out about her nominations. "The last couple of months has been a nonstop dream come true."
Another diva was also nominated in all three categories: Lady Gaga. The eccentric entertainer, who had five nominations overall, garnered a best album mention for her debut CD, "The Fame," while her "Poker Face" got nominations for record and song of the year.
Other nominees for album of the year included the Black Eyed Peas "The E.N.D." and Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King."
The Black Eyed Peas were also nominated for record of the year for their feel-good song, "I Gotta Feeling," while the Kings of Leon were nominated for "Use Somebody."
The Kings of Leon hit was also nominated for song of the year, as well as Maxwell's comeback hit, "Pretty Wings."
The Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West got six nominations each, while Jay-Z and DJ David Guetta got five.
The country act the Zac Brown Band was nominated for best new artist, along with R&B siren Keri Hilson, rockers MGMT, the punk duo the Ting Tings and the rock group the Silversun Pickups. The year's most popular new artist, Lady Gaga, wasn't in the category because she wasn't eligible; her single "Just Dance" had been nominated last year, before she was a platinum-selling act; previous Grammy nominees can't be nominated in the category.
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said that scenario won't likely happen again: "There will be some changes so that that particular situation won't repeat itself."
The nominations for the Grammys, to be held Jan. 31, were unveiled as part of a prime-time CBS special. It was the second year in a row that the Recording Academy revealed a handful of its 109 nominees during a televised concert; in the past, they had been announced during a morning news conference.
But Wednesday's special gave nominees the chance to perform, such as the Black Eyed Peas, who sang their ubiquitous hit, "I Gotta Feeling," as well as provided face time for CBS' stars, like LL Cool J, the rapper-actor who is the star of "NCIS: Los Angeles."
Maxwell performed a tribute to Jackson during the special; for Maxwell, the night was a culmination of his comeback after an eight-year layoff.
"This is very surreal for me. I'm not used to this," said Maxwell. "I've been throwing out my trash, buying my milk, and living in basic obscurity ... To come back and make a record based on my own living experiences and not on my desire to be No. 1 ... I feel like I've already won. If nothing comes of it it's already like the cherry on the cake for me."
Several celebs were highlighted in nonmusical categories. Jimmy Carter and Michael J. Fox were among those recognized for their spoken word albums while David Hyde Pierce and Ed Asner were both nominated for their children's spoken word albums. "Weird Al" Yankovic, Stephen Colbert, Patton Oswalt, Kathy Griffin, George Lopez and faux rock band Spinal Tap will vie for best comedy album.
Was (Not Was) Turns 30 With Hits Collection
Was (Not Was) will trip through its past early next year with the Feb. 23 release of "Pick of the Litter (1980-2010)," a 19-song compilation which commemorates the 30th anniversary of the inventively warped dance/rock/soul/funk/jazz group's recording career.
"...Litter" spans the entire Was (Not Was) canon, from the 12-inch version of its firs single, "Wheel Me Out," to a pair of songs ("Semi-Interesting Week" and "From the Head to the Heart") from 2008's "Boo!" The set also includes the group's two Top 20 hits -- 1988's "Spy in the House of Love" and 1989's "Walk the Dinosaur" -- as well as an improvised live rehearsal take of "Hello Operator...I Mean Dad...I Can't Even Remember Who I Am;" the Steve "Silk" Hurley remix of "Shake Your Head" with Ozzy Osbourne and Kim Basinger; the single edit of the 1990 cover of the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone;" and collaborations with Leonard Cohen ("Elvis' Rolls Royce") and Mel Torme ("Zaz Turned Blue").
Don Was (ne Fagenson) and David Was (ne Weiss), who founded the group during the late '70s in their native Detroit (and subsequently relocated to Los Angeles), tell Billboard.com that the idea of a compilation "has been kicking around for as long as we can remember" and was even considered when Was (Not Was) signed with Shout! Factory for "Boo!" Don Was took the lead in choosing the material, saying that "I just picked the best ones, y'know? It was fun. I didn't expect it to be fun, but I remember every session, and certain things I thought were goofy I remember why we did it that way."
David Was recalls that the group's creative aim was, and continues to be, "to figure out what unlikely things could you put over a dance beat and still motivate people to move around and not freak 'em out. Whatever phantasmagoria or soloing or crazy words or whatever go in front of that beat, as long it's contemporary you can still make cool records. I still think that's a worthy ideal."
Don Was, meanwhile, feels that "...Litter" confirms that "there was a reason for us to exist. And mainly we had fun making all those records. It was never pull-your-hair-out labor. It was all laughs."
David Was says he hopes "...Litter's" release will "stir the waters enough to have an excuse to put out another record at some point," though nothing firm is planned at this point. But his partner concurs. "I think we just keep going," says Don Was, who's currently serving as a "production consultant" for Stone Temple Pilots next album and producing tracks for the Rolling Stones' upcoming "Exile on Main Street" reissue as well as albums by singers Sharon Little and Elizabeth Cool. "I anticipate doing this 'til we drop."
The track listing for Was (Not Was)'s "Pick of the Litter (1980-2010)" includes:
"Wheel Me Out"
"Out Come the Freaks"
"Tell Me What I'm Dreaming"
"The Sky's Ablaze"
"Should I Wait"
"Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)"
"Walk the Dinosaur"
"Spy in the House of Love" (7-inch version)
"Dad I'm in Jail"
"Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad"
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (promo edit single)
"I Feel Better Than James Brown"
"I Blew Up the United States"
"Semi-Interesting Week"
"From the Head to the Heart"
"Hello Operator . . . I Mean Dad . . .I Can't Even Remember Who I Am" (live rehearsal version)
"Shake Your Head" (Steve "Silk" Hurley remix featuring Kim Basinger and Ozzy Osbourne)
"Elvis' Rolls Royce" (featuring Leonard Cohen)
"Zaz Turned Blue" (featuring Mel Torme)
Christmas scheduling confirmed
The BBC Press Office has confirmed the scheduling of The End of Time, the two-part final adventure for David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Part one will be shown from 6pm to 7pm on Christmas Day, Friday the 25th of December. Part two follows from 6.40-7.55pm the following Friday, 1st January 2010 - New Year's Day.
In other news, the latest edition of Radio Times has confirmed the casting of Claire Bloom and Brian Cox in The End of Time.
Claire Bloom's casting has been rumoured in many press reports over the last few months but this is the first official confirmation from the BBC that she is in the episode. She has a long career in film and Television appearing with Charlie Chaplin in the 1952 film Limelight for which she won the BAFTA for Best Newcomer. She later won the Best Actress BAFTA for the 1986 film Shadowlands. She is a renowned Shakespearian actress who received great acclaim for her portrayal of Ophelia in Hamlet when she was just seventeen.
Brian Cox provided the voice over for the Ood elder seen in the End of Time trail at the end of The Waters of Mars and was the mystery guest star refered to by Russell T Davies in his Production Notes in DWM. Cox is best known for his role as Hannibal Lecktor in the 1986 film Manhunter as well many Hollywood films and also for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Nuremberg in 2001.
David Tennant's starring role in Hamlet can be seen on BBC Two on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December from 5.05-8.10pm. and the Catherine Tate special, Nan's Christmas Carol, can be seen on BBC One on Christmas Day at 10.30pm.
Muppets take the web: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' viral video leads online push
NEW YORK - Much like the Muppets took Manhattan, they have taken the web.
Since debuting last week, the Muppet parody of the classic music video of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been viewed more than 8.6 million times on YouTube. It's an exceptional hit for the first video posted on a new YouTube channel by the Muppets Studio, the Walt Disney Company subsidiary formed in 2004 after the Jim Henson Company sold the franchise.
A Twitter feed has also been launched. (It's mostly promotional; Kermit isn't blogging.) And a Facebook page has been started.
Muppets Studio general manager Lylle Breier said the online push for the Muppets was designed to help reboot the franchise and quickly get new content to fans.
"When the Muppets came into real popularity was the '70s. What was popular in the '70s? Variety shows - that's what 'The Muppet Show' was," said Breier. "What's the Web? It's a giant variety show. That's why the Muppets fit so perfectly. Parody has always been at the heart of what the Muppets do."
Breier said the Muppets singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" had long been an idea on the back burner, but the project only recently came together.
In it, just about every famous Muppet character makes a cameo: Gonzo and his chickens appear in silhouette; Ralph plays piano; Beaker supplies his normal "meep-meep-meep-meep"; Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem rock out.
Animal bangs on the drums and gets to channel Freddie Mercury, singing "Mama!" He repeats it instead of singing the full, child-unfriendly line "Mama just killed a man/ Put a gun against his head/ Pulled my trigger/ Now he's dead."
It's not the Muppets first foray into online video. Several videos were released last year, most notably including Beaker singing "Ode to Joy." More than seven million have since watched Beaker's rendition.
Breier says more web videos are on the way. A version of "Carol of the Bells" will be released for Christmas, and a handful of other videos will follow in 2010.
The purpose of the sudden Muppet expansion is partly promotional. The Muppets have also recently made appearances on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Last year's holiday special, "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" has recently been released on DVD and will air again Friday on NBC.
What is more important, a new, much-anticipated theatrical film is in the works. Jason Segel ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") and his writing partner Nicholas Stoller have been writing a new Muppets film expected to return the franchise to its more acclaimed past.
"It's all part of a plan for new creative content with online, television, a new theatrical movie," said Breier. "We're bringing the Muppets back."
Safe bets for Grammy nominations
It's the beginning of December, which can only mean one thing: It's time to start griping about the Grammys.
The annual awards race -- and the complaints -- officially begins tonight when major nominees for the 52nd Grammys are named during a one-hour special airing tonight on CBS.
The annoyingly titled Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night -- broadcast from Los Angeles and hosted by LL Cool J -- will also feature performances by Black Eyed Peas, Sugarland, Maxwell and Nick Jonas' new side project, The Administration.
The awards get handed out Jan. 31 at L.A.'s Staples Center. But you don't have to be The Mentalist to guess who's going to walk away with nominations tonight.
Here are some safe bets:
Lady Gaga: While ironically ineligible for best new artist (because she was nominated last year in the dance category), Gaga could easily be this year's Amy Winehouse, thanks to the runaway success of her album, The Fame Monster.
Taylor Swift: The cat-eyed country-pop cutie was shut out last year despite performing at the nominations concert -- perhaps because, near as anyone can tell, she simply cannot sing -- but the undeniable success of her latest CD, Fearless, should guarantee her a spot this time.
Beyonce: Last year's I Am ... Sasha Fierce might not snag a nod, but you can count on her single Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) to be in the running.
U2: Whether you liked No Line on the Horizon or not, they're the biggest band in music. And let's face it, the music biz needs all the help it can get these days.
Green Day: Their 21st Century Breakdown wasn't quite as groundbreaking as American Idiot, but it was ambitious enough to earn them some Grammy love.
Kanye West: His electronica-based album 808s and Heartbreak was artistically and commercially risky. Besides, what's an awards show without Kanye storming the stage?
Eminem: Expect the real Slim Shady to stand up and accept a nomination for Relapse, his first studio album in five years.
Black Eyed Peas: I gotta feeling tonight's going to be a good night for will.i.am, Fergie and whoever those other two guys are.
Maxwell: His latest CD, BLACKsummers'night, his first album in eight years, earned the R&B crooner rave reviews. Plus, he's playing the nominations concert. Duh.
Whitney Houston: Her Clive Davis-produced comeback, I Look to You, was released early to meet this year's Aug. 31 qualifying deadline. Everybody loves a comeback. And fears Davis.
Noms fete promises to be a superstar-studded affair
There are plenty of other big names to look for tonight at the Grammy nominations ceremony: The Pretenders, Fall Out Boy, Morrissey, Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, Zac Brown, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dead Weather, Wilco, M.I.A., AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Nickelback, Owl City, Pink, Phoenix and, of course, Michael Jackson (if you don't think they'll find some trophy to give him, you're kidding yourself).
Meanwhile, the American Recording Academy has already announced the names of some guaranteed winners -- their songs and albums are being inducted into the Hall of Fame. They include The Beach Boys (California Girls), Bob Marley (Catch a Fire), George Carlin (Class Clown), James Brown (It's a Man's Man's Man's World), Janis Joplin (Pearl), The Doors (Riders on the Storm) and many more.
As well, Canadian-raised legend Neil Young has been selected as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year in recognition of both his artistic achievements and philanthropic work. He will be honoured at a Jan. 29 gala that will include performances by CSN, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, k.d. lang, Dave Matthews, Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Jackson Browne and Josh Groban.
Bachman, Turner Reunite For New Music, Tour
The Bachman-Turner Overdrive principals Randy Bachman and Fred Turner have reunited to record the title track of Bachman's next album, "Rock 'n' Roll is the Only Way Out," which the guitarist describes to Billboard.com as "really rootsy, really AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, really fun, eager, hungry rock 'n' roll. It sounds like we're in our 20s again." Bachman and Turner plan to announce details of the album's release, which is expected next fall, as well as tour plans at a press conference Dec. 8 in Winnipeg, where both men reside.
They won't be joined by the rest of their bandmates, however; drummer Rob Bachman (Bachman's younger brother) and guitarist Blair Thornton have filed suit to prevent the duo from using the BTO name. But Bachman said that won't prevent he and Turner -- who are reportedly considering monikers such as Bachman-Turner or Bachman-Turner United -- from working together.
"We've been getting offers for the last five or six years," says Bachman, who served three separate tenures in BTO. "It started in 2000, with the reunion of the Guess Who. I went to see the Eagles, and the first thing Don Henley and Joe Walsh said was, 'How's Turner? Any chance you guys will do anything?' 'Why are you interested?' 'You're the last band of the '70s that hasn't gotten back together or put something out, that's why!' Mick Jagger said the same thing when we played the SARS show in Toronto (in 2003). So we'll see what happens when my CD comes out; the first cut people are gonna hear is this cut with me and Fred singing."
Bachman says he and Turner had been in contact for awhile before he presented the "Rock 'n' Roll is the Only Way Out" track to him. "I said, 'Fred, pick whatever vocal line you want and scream your head off, just like the old days...The guys recording it called me and said, 'We can't believe this. This is the greatest thing ever.' When I got the track and played it, i was like, 'Holy cow, no one has heard anything like this since the '70s. It's amazing."
Bachman -- whose album also includes appearances by Neil Young and the late Jeff Healey -- adds that since then Turner has given the guitarist a few of his songs to possibly work on as well.
During its run BTO sold an estimated 20 million albums worldwide, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and also scored Top 40 hits such as "Takin' Care of Business," "Roll On Down the Highway," "Hey You" and "Let It Ride."
Precious, Station & 500 Days Lead Independent Spirit Awards Nominations
Precious, The Last Station and (500) Days Of Summer lead the Best Film nominations for the 25th Independent Spirit Awards. Amreeka and Sin Nombre also made the list, which was announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.
The Last Station, which chronicles the final days of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, and the acclaimed Precious scored the most nominations with five each.
Early Oscar favourite The Hurt Locker missed out on a nomination because it was selected last year.
To be eligible for an Independent Spirit nod, all films must have been made for less than $20 million (GBP12.5 million). Films must have either screened at a major film festival including Sundance, Toronto or Film Independent’s own Los Angeles Film Festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theatre.
The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on 5 March.