Search Results for: GRAMMYs

Before the Grammy nominations were announced, pundits had already determined what the big story would be – a certain soulful female singer with a critically acclaimed debut would score multiple nominations, including record, song and album of the year. That scenario played out Friday – just not quite the way many expected. India.Arie, whose “Acoustic Soul,” received glowing reviews but achieved moderate commercial success, scored seven nominations, while the year’s most celebrated new artist, Alicia Keys, got six. Veteran Grammy winners U2 led all nominees with eight, including an album of the year nomination for “All That You Can’t Leave… Read more »

Veteran rockers U2 grabbed a leading eight Grammys nominations Friday, including record, album and song of the year. But the day’s biggest surprise was neosoul newcomer India.Arie, who nabbed seven nominations. Her debut “Acoustic Soul” was nominated for album of the year, while her breakout song “Video” received bids for record and song of the year. She was also nominated for best new artist. “I don’t know what to do,” said India.Arie, who help announce the nominations. “My spirit is flying and I want to jump and shout.” The numerous nominations were surprising because India.Arie’s disc was only a moderate… Read more »

Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Usher, Mick Jagger and Cher will all perform on next week’s American Music Awards, while Sean “P. Diddy” Combs tries his hand at being a television host. But none of that promises to be quite as fun as the backstage bickering that has consumed music’s two big awards shows. The bad feelings burst into the open last month when Dick Clark, executive producer of the American Music Awards, accused the Grammy Awards of essentially blacklisting artists who appear on Clark’s show. Clark said in a lawsuit that Michael Greene, head of the National Academy of Recording… Read more »

Veteran Irish rockers U2 and piano songstress Alicia Keys were among the favorites to claim Grammy nominations in a competition shaping up as far less inflammatory than last year’s event. U2’s “Beautiful Day” won record and song of the year honors as a single at last year’s Grammy awards. This year the song is part of the album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” making the latter a contender for album of the year. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” was released too late to qualify last year, but the single did debut before the Sept. 30 cutoff date. Two… Read more »

Though Michael Jackson won’t perform at the American Music Awards in early January after all, he’ll still be performing on television that same night – on another network. CBS plans to re-broadcast the singer’s concert special, “Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration,” with previously unseen footage of Britney Spears and Lil’ Romeo, to air against the AMAs on ABC January 9th. Jackson’s two-hour concert special, which originally aired November 13th, gave CBS some of its highest ratings this year – it was the network’s biggest Tuesday night, excluding sports programming, since 1994. According to Nielsen Media Research estimates, an estimated 45… Read more »

Pop stars including Elton John, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow and the Eagles will perform a series of concerts the night before the Grammys to raise money for a fledgling group of performers seeking better treatment by major record labels, organizers said Wednesday. At least five shows sponsored by the Recording Artists Coalition, a group spearheaded by Crow and Eagles singer Don Henley, are planned at various Los Angeles-area venues for Feb. 26, the eve of the glittering awards ceremony honoring the industry’s best music and biggest stars, spokesmen said. Among other artists committed to performing at the shows are country… Read more »

Grammy-winning recording star Alanis Morissette is planning a February release for her first album of all-new material in more than three years, followed by a world tour, her publicist said on Wednesday. The new CD, “Under Rug Swept,” is a collection of 11 songs written and produced entirely by Morissette without the assistance of longtime collaborator Glen Ballard, who co-wrote and produced her first two U.S. major-label releases, starting with 1995’s “Jagged Little Pill.” The new album’s first single, “Hands Clean,” described as a song about a former relationship, is due out in mid-January, with the album set for release… Read more »

In a world where artistic lifespans are often judged in terms of fads, most pop music acts last no longer than the trends that briefly catapulted them to fame. And those are just the ones that are lucky enough to end up in the “where are they now?” files. It’s rare to find a band like the Bee Gees, who started their musical career when nine-year-old brother Barry was joined by his six-year-old twin siblings Robin and Maurice. The group scored their first No. 1 hit in their native Australia back in 1966 and broke out to a world audience… Read more »

Demanding diva? Spoiled superstar? “Not me,” insists sultry Latin actress-singer Jennifer Lopez. She says she’s just a “cool, nice person” who wants to make people feel good, who behaves like a professional and who never does anything “that is going to make it hard for me to sleep at night.” Two hit albums, a handful of movies, her own fashion line, and a wardrobe of plunging outfits have powered Lopez, 31, to mega stardom in less than two years. She has just played her first live pop concert – “the fulfillment of probably my biggest childhood dream” – which will… Read more »

Denying allegations that he sexually assaulted or physically abused a female employee, Grammy chief Michael Greene said on Friday he is forgoing the chance to clear his name in court in order to spare sponsors of the prestigious music awards a “crippling” legal battle. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the woman, Jill Geimer, called his statement “self-serving and pathetic.” The Los Angeles Times has reported Geimer would be paid $650,000. Breaking his silence on the scandal, Greene, the president and chief executive of the National Academy for the Recording Arts and Sciences, said the non-profit organization’s primary focus should be… Read more »