DRY YOUR IVORS...

This years nominations for the Ivors have been published, and it's a mix between the truly good (The Streets), the truly awful (Limp Bizkit covering The Who) and Natasha Bedingfield. This is what's up for what:

Best song musically and lyrically:
Dry Your Eyes Performed by The Streets. Written by Mike Skinner.
These Words Performed by Natasha Bedingfield. Written by Stephen Kipner/Andrew Frampton/Natasha Bedingfield/Wayne Wilkins.
Everybody's Changing Performed by Keane. Written by Tim Rice-Oxley/Tom Chaplin/Richard Hughes

Now, we have a soft spot for Keane, and we know that's more or less akin to saying you enjoy weeing on babies or actually masturbating while watching one of Richard Desmond's porn channels, but there you are. But natasha bedingfield? Under whose ordinance? Still, this really should be a sweet victory for the Streets, don't you think?

Best contemporary song:
For Lovers Performed by Wolfman Featuring Pete Doherty. Written by Peter Wolfe/Peter Doherty/Julian Taylor/Edmund Scott/Matt White/David Banks/Matt Scott.
Blinded By The Lights Performed by The Streets. Written by Mike Skinner.
Take Me Out Performed by Franz Ferdinand. Written by Robert Hardy/Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy.

Ah, and here are Franz Ferdinand - once again, they and the Streets dominate all another awards ceremony with a dose of Doherty and/or Libertines; these things have been converging for some years now, but has there been a year before where the same bands lead the Mercurys, the Brits, the NME awards, the sales charts and the Ivors? We are all indie kids now, it seems.

Most performed work:
Amazing Performed by George Michael. Written by George Michael/ Jonathan Douglas.
Toxic Performed by Britney Spears. Written by Cathy Dennis/ Christian Karlsson/Henrik Jonback.
Thank You Performed by Jamelia. Written by Jamelia Davies/Carsten Schack/Peter Biker.

Did the George Michael song really get played that often? Thank You we did hear being drummed to death, and Toxic seems to have been on in every shop and every planet-bursting we've been to this year.

International hit of the year:
Behind Blue Eyes Performed by Limp Bizkit. Written by Pete Townshend.
Do They Know It's Christmas? Performed by Band Aid 20. Written by Bob Geldof/Midge Ure.
Vertigo Performed by U2. Written by Bono/The Edge/Adam Clayton/Larry Mullen Jr.

Good god, what a shambles of a category - and why is Band Aid 20 "international"? Sure, Geldof is Irish, but Ure isn't - and very few of the stellar cast (you bet your arse we're being catty) weren't from the UK. But then, any judging system which chooses Limp Bizkit as one of the three best songs not from the UK last year obviously has a serious flaw in it.

Best selling UK single:
All This Time Performed by Michelle McManus. Written by Wayne Hector/Steve Mac/Lorne A Tennant.
Do They Know It's Christmas? Performed by Band Aid 20. Written by Bob Geldof/Midge Ure.
Call On Me Performed by Eric Prydz. Written by Steve Winwood/Eric Prydz/Will Jennings.

Hang about... all of a sudden Band Aid is UK again? What's going on here?

Best original film score:
Deep Blue Composed by George Fenton.
Man On Fire Composed by Harry Gregson-Williams.
Enduring Love Composed by Jeremy Sams.

Best original music for television:
Fallen Composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan.
North And South Composed by Martin Phipps.
Blackpool Composed by Rob Lane.

We'd go with North and South, ourselves. Out on DVD now, too, you know:

music awards ivors