Cars Can Be Blue can't be in the UK

The Cars Can Be Blue UK tour is off: they'd not actually got a work permit and fell foul of the Immigration Official - which led to incarceration and solitary confinement and a not-so-swift deportation.

Sure, they made some mistakes - but the heavy-handed treatment seems a little unnecessary; and it's hard to read the Nate's tale of his experiences without feeling a little ashamed of how this country treats people at its borders.

Most of Axl's audience have died in the last two decades, then

Whew. The early feeling was that Guns N Roses sale was poor: but a first week of 261,000 in the US? That is pretty bad. You have to wonder if the 'one store only' strategy is now looking a little ill-advised.

I don't understand what the lemurs are doing there

Random pop star and lemur pictures? Whoever would think that was a good idea?

(Actually, it's lemurs on the loose at Madame Tussuad's to
promote the launch of Madagascar II. It says here.)

Cool on Jet: Cliff leaves Harris out the party

When Cliff was campaigning for the extension of mechanical copyright, it was, he stressed, not because of the extra thousands and thousands of pounds for himself. No, no, it was because nothing upset Cliff more than the thought of musicians not being rewarded and recognised for their work.

Apparently, he's over that now as original Shadow Jet Harris has been excluded from the reunited Cliff and The Shadows tour. Jet isn't entirely happy at being painted out of history like that, it's fair to say.

Darkness at 3AM: Signs that you're in trouble

How bad can the James Brown - Peaches Geldof vanity publication Disappear Here be?

The 3AM Girls are mocking the launch party.

That's worse-than-rotten.

Gordon in the morning: Staff party last night, Gordo?

It's the time for Christmas office parties, and that's probably the only explanation for the most lax lead ever on the Bizarre website:

Lew, what a scorcher!

I DON’T think anyone has studied this phenomenon but the more CDs LEONA LEWIS sells, the sexier she becomes.

Even in the realms of will-this-do-ism, this is lax - especially since the 'story' is that Lewis has had the fastest download of all time (something the Telegraph ran back on Thursday) and so the mention of CDs doesn't really make any sense.

I know what you're thinking: if this was the top of the page, what the hell was Smart stuffing into the lower slots?

This sort of thing:

CROONER Barry Manilow glows GREEN at a gig — like the Incredible Hulk.

The 65-year-old’s make-up turned eerie under lights at London’s O2 Arena.

A fan said: “He looked scary.”

Yes, Gordon really has run a picture of someone with a green light shining on him making him look green. Complete with a made-up quote.

Flashback

It's been twenty years since his last proper album, but brace yourself, 2009: You're getting a brand new Grandmaster Flash album. Let's hope it's a decent effort, and not some half-baked long, rumbling moan about not getting the respect from the younger generation what he's earned, like.

Too much time on your hands?

Why not make your own Daft Punk helmet?



Okay, I can think of a list of good reasons to not make one, but if you were looking to be menacing in a stylish way - or maybe if you're boycotting Zovirax - you've now got options.

Dirty On Purpose lose sense of purpose

Dirty On Purpose will not be joining us in 2009; they're calling it a day on New Year's Eve:

After six years of spending an unhealthy and unusual amount of time together, Dirty on Purpose is going the way of the dodo. We got back from tour about a month ago and sat down to talk about recording another record, and realized we didn't really want to record another record. Not now anyway. So we're going our separate ways. Our best friends and practice space sharers of many years, A Place to Bury Strangers, offered us the opening slot on their New Year's Eve gig at Mercury Lounge. We thought it was an appropriate way to wind things down and say goodbye to our friends and fans.

They do admit it's quite possible they'll realise they've made a terrible mistake and reunite before the summer.

This is them, doing their thing: No Radio

Obama: Is there no rift he can't heal?

At last, an American president who will stand up for the downtrodden. Not only has Barack Obama extended a hand of friendship to the opposition, both within and without his own party, but he has now embraced one of the forgotten outcasts of American society by being seen in public with a Zune. The new America is for everyone - even people with Zunes. Truly, a new dawn.

Mind you, we'll really know he's inclusive when he turns up at the gym touting a PlaysForSure mp3 device. But it's early days.

EMI wants to offload, finding buyers difficult

Further indications of the tough going Terra Firma are having trying to make EMI into a plausible private equity business: the FT reports that the label has had difficulty finding anyone to take up assets it wanted to offload to help get down the corporate debt:

Terra Firma initially discussed a sale of its large Japanese business as well as its Christian, country music, classical and jazz labels. Talks then changed to possible licensing deals and have stalled since the arrival of Elio Leoni-Sceti as chief executive of EMI Music, the recorded music division, in September.

The company has now come up with a new wheeze - it's trying to interest its supposed rivals to take over its US distribution. The idea would be that Universal or Sony or whoever would write EMI a large cheque for the right to keep large piles of unwanted Robbie Williams records in warehouses across the US, and to drive boxes of Viva La Diva Loca And All His Friends about the nation, in the hope that EMI would then pay them for the services they provide in the future.

Given that this offer is being made by an increasingly out-of-options label, the shrewd rival might wager it'd be better to wait until EMI collapses under the weight of its own debt and pick up the business for a song, rather than invest heavily in a business which is starting to sweat more than a bus driver crossing an icy mountain pass in a gale.

Coldplay: let's call it a cover version

The challenge for Joe Satriani - who reckons that Coldplay has ripped off his tune - is not in convincing the world that Coldplay might copy. They barely have an original idea in their heads, so it's certainly plausible. But can he prove that it's him that has been ripped off?

IGotSpaceLikeNasa invites you to compare and contrast. Or, rather, compare. There's not much contrast:



[Thanks again to Michael M]

Trent Reznor goes a bit Kanye West

Breaking off from lambasting his former label for closing down the planned 3D concert tour, Trent Reznor apologises for going a wee bit Kanye:

This was an amazing tour and production - certainly the best thing I've ever been involved with and likely the final tour for NIN on this scale. Thank you to those that came out to see it and forgive me for having a Kanye West moment, but this was FOR SURE the best show of the year and any bullshit end-of-the-year poll you may read in the next few weeks that says otherwise simply has it wrong. Those of you who saw it know I'm right.

It seems when you go down with a touch of the Kanyes, it can be really hard to fight off the infection.

Doherty teams up with American Express spokesperson

It's not quite the 'Pete Doherty to join The Who' story the headline might have you believe.

It's not even the 'Pete Doherty to replace Pete Townshend' claim the standfirst tries to pitch.

What it is, though, is a proposed live collaboration between Roger Daltrey and Pete Doherty in aid of Daltrey's Teenage Cancer Trust foundation. A man whose greatest moment came singing that he hoped he died before he got old, and a man who has thrown away many of the extraordinary chances luck and life had presented him with. Presumably some sort of act of atonement.

[Thanks to Michael M for the link]

George looking at jail time

And so Boy George's story takes another step towards the tragic: He's been found guilty of false imprisonment over that male escort he handcuffed and tried to keep in his house.

[Talking to police, George said]: "If I was going to beat [Auden Carlsen] up, I would have got my friend to beat him up with me, if I was going to do anything that vile."

It turned out that the Metropolitan Police didn't quite feel convinced by 'I would have got someone else to beat him' line of defence.

It sounds like George should have actually thought about asking the friend to see to fixing the handcuffs properly, given that when George did it, his victim was able to free himself and prance off down the street.

George's explanation in court for the imprisonment was that he had reason to believe Carlsen had been hacking into his computer which somehow gave him the right to manacle a man in his bedroom didn't, surprisingly, hold up to much in the way of cold, hard, legal light:

During the trial his defence barrister, Adrian Waterman QC, told the jury in his closing statement that the argument was whether Carlsen had stolen photographs and "in doing that, messed up George O'Dowd's computer".

He added that the suggestion that the singer had concocted the story about computer tampering because Carlsen refused to have sex with O'Dowd during their first meeting was "entire fantasy or a lie".

It's not entirely clear whether George was supposing the mercy of the court would be unleashed at the suggestion of stolen pictures, or at the idea of having to rebuild his desktop and re-install XP. Whichever it was, it didn't work, and the judge has warned George that he's seriously considering a custodial sentence.

RIAA crushes depressed, disabled teenager to make some sort of point

If this was a made-up story, you'd be waiting for the appearance of some ghosts and scene of redemption. But this is the real world, this is the RIAA and they really have just won a default judgement against a 19 year-old girl who is already having a fairly shit life:

Ciara Sauro, 19, who is disabled with pancreatitis, beset by crushing medical debts and severely depressed.

Sauro lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her mother, who makes $8.25 per hour. The girl requires weekly hospital treatment for her medical condition and needs an islet cell transplant. She denies the illegal file-sharing allegations but didn't defend herself in court.

The charming music industry has netted itself eight grand from the judgement - which is, you know, fair enough because, it believes, Sauro shared ten songs.

Sauro denies sharing the songs, but even if she did - eight hundred dollars per song? About three weeks work for her mother on pisspoor wages for every song?

Even if the RIAA is legally right, does nobody in their offices ever stop to think about how pulling this sort of thing makes them look? Do EMI really want their business associated with bullying a young woman who lives on nothing? Is Warners proud that their brand values reflect picking on people who - literally - are unable to defend themselves? Sony's jolly family entertainment company wants to be known as the sort of people who send the bailiffs in to take cash from a woman who doesn't even make the price of a CD as her hourly rate?

And what about the artists, in whose name this crusade is being fought? Does Timberlake or Timbaland lack the backbone to tell their bosses they've moved into the 'cruel tyranny' stage of their business plan?

In a book, there would be redemption and release. In the real world, Justin Timberlake gets an extra twenty cents and the music industry sends another family into perpetual misery. And they're the ones who lecture the rest of us about morality.

Warner music proposes universities subsidise private record companies

Taking the ever-popular 'nice place you've got here, shame if something happened to it' usual background threat from the RIAA companies, Warner Music have developed a new model - suggesting to American universities that, if they bought a "licence" to cover anyone on their campuses who may or may not be downloading music, then they'll stop suing the universities.

You can see the attraction - Warners get more money than they could ever earn legitimately, the universities are out of pocket but no longer have to waste resources dealing with RIAA companies. Sure, it's effectively being made to hand over a large sum of cash to stop being bullied, but the record company line is 'what means more to you - keeping your lunch money or losing the threat of having your head pushed down the toilet'?

This, though, is just stage one: if they can persuade the universities that it's right and proper that record companies get cash in return for just the potential risk of downloaded pirate music, it will be a short step to arguing that anyone who logs on to the internet be treated in the same way. So, hey, perhaps the ISPs should pay a lets-not-call-it-a-tax for all their customers, right?

You'd have thought the labels might have quietly let this idea drop after the chilly reception it got years ago - especially since it seems to run contrary to the standard RIAA line. If people are covered by a blanket payment for downloading 'free' music, then doesn't that actually make it okay for them to take what, hitherto, have been unlicensed files? Doesn't it send that message - that music is free, not something to be paid for and cherished - that the RIAA has been trying to counter for the last decade?

And if it's fine for someone in Texas to download tracks with abandon, it follows that it must be fine for them to share the same tracks. How would the rest of the world's labels feel about the whole of America suddenly allowed to share their music online? Oh, sure, it might only be in America where the ISP tax allows the music to be sucked back down for free, but the creation of large pools of music online is going to be tempting for the French, the British, the Icelandic and everyone else.

Then you've got the likely reaction of services who have been working to create business models around legal music - who will want to listen to an ad-supported legal download if they're already paying for every tune they can think of free via the ISP tax? The music industry has been hoping for an iTunes killer for years; this would not just kill iTunes, but We7, SpiralFrog, Rhapsody, ZuneStore and anyone else who has tried to work with the RIAA companies.

Of course, there is one upside for the labels - if they're raking in money from a blanket agreement, they're not going to have to be quite so diligent in making sure these royalties flow to the artists. If someone buys an OMD track, time and money has to be invested in making sure Andy McCluskey gets his quarter cent; if the cash is flowing from a blanket payment, it's going to be much harder for artists to follow a trail from their music being downloaded to seeing payment.

A small advantage for the music industry, in the short term, but at the cost of completely destroying their own businesses. Only a suicidal business would embrace such a move. Does nobody in the RIAA have any ability to set aside their greed for gold, even in their own interests?

Courtney explains the Coogan affair

In an odd life lived in an odd world, even then Courtney Love dating Steve Coogan stood out as especially strange. Now, though Courtney has tried to explain what happened:

"I've seen 24 Hour Party People and my theory on why the whole thing happened is that I had a kind of daddy crush on Tony Wilson. And I transferred to Coogan because he plays WIlson."

It raises the horrific possibility that when they had sex, Love would make Coogan run through a list of options if you've just got back your exam results and they're not what you were hoping for.

Gordon in the morning: Christmas spirit

Having somehow taken the credit for the BBC decision to do a Christmas Top Of The Pops after all, Gordon Smart looks forward to Christmas Day:

CRACKERS won’t be the only thing going pop on Christmas Day.

Today I can reveal the acts who will be gracing our TV screens on the Top Of The Pops Christmas Special.

Perhaps he should have asked Pete to give him a hand with this one - crackers going pop? "gracing our TV screens"?

Smart reveals the surprising line-up: it's bands who've had number ones this year. But someone is missing:

More acts for the special will be confirmed in coming days but I can spot a gaping whole in the line-up.

Rock veterans STATUS QUO have released their first festive song, It’s Christmas Time, but are absent from the pop-orientated performers’ list.

I can feel another campaign coming on...

But hang on Gordon - surely you won't have to campaign, will you? After all, you told your readers there was a good chance that the Quo would have the Christmas number one, in which case they'll appear on the show as reigning champions.

Elsewhere, Madonna has done a clothes advert for some company or other - Louis Vuitton or Per Una or something. Gordon, of course, wouldn't be as easily swayed as to run a heavily airbrushed advert and pretend it's a news story. He does, however, have commentary to offer on the photo:

WELL-HEELED Material Girl MADONNA has never been averse to the odd spot of dressing up.

And she’s stil-etto pretty good at it too.

The pop veteran shot the glossy promo pictures in a traditional Parisian bistro.

She took the opportunity to show off her well-toned pins, topped off with killer stiletto heals.

Hang about, Gordon... did you say this was shot in Paris? And it's a woman wearing fishnets? Aren't you forgetting something?

Oooh la la.

That's better.

Eurovision: Wogan shuts up

One of the great broadcasting traditions - that of listening to a mildly sloshed Irishman railing against Eastern Europeans - has ended, with the news that Terry Wogan is stepping down from Eurovision:

"I've had 35 wonderful years commentating on the Eurovision for radio and television.

"From my first, in a small musichall in Dublin, to my last, in the huge arena in Belgrade, it has been nothing but laughter and fun.

"The silly songs, the spectacle, the grandiose foolishness of it all.

"Let's hope that between [New presenter Graham Norton] and the musical brilliance of Lloyd Webber, Royaume Uni will gather its proper share of 'Douze Points' and bring the Grand Prix home to where it belongs."

Nothing but laughter and fun - ah, yes, like the suggestions that the judges were racist or being accused by the Eurovision management of making the event ridiculous. Laughter and fun, laughter and fun.

Akon regrets the stalled Jackson duet

It seemed a great plan, bringing together Michael Jackson and Akon, uniting two of music's most notable bad-story magnets. And yet the plans have crumbled to dust. Why?

Some suggest that it could be down to the Jackson team's inability to see any project whatsoever past the initial press release stage. Others, that Jackson's court problems with that Sheik had scuppered everything. Nobody, though, seems to think that the disappearance of the scheme could be down to Akon.


Apart from Akon, of course. He killed the track:

He tells British newspaper The Daily Star, "Musically we were on the same level and we wanted it to be special. We wanted it so that when people got my album, it was something that was never heard. But the leak stopped those plans. We will be doing more things together in the future, though."

Well, yes, there'd be every chance that a Jackson-Akon duet might be a track on an album that would never be heard; it is a prospect that was probably on the designer's mind when they came up with the 'skip entire track' function. But Akon seems to be hinting that he didn't bother to put the song on the record because it had been leaked online, doesn't he?

That kind of makes sense - if you're really hoping that the 'features Michael Jackson' sticker on the jewel case is going to add sales, 'features clunking, woefully mismatched pairing of clapped-out former star and over-rated poor judge of age that you'll have already heard' isn't going to have the same allure, is it?

Chris Martin dashes our hopes

With his talk of Coldplay needing to call it a day by the age of 33, Chris Martin held out the prospect of a day in the near future where the world might no longer live in fear of heavy-handed imagery and mild hypocrisy in the form of Coldplay albums.

It's a dream that Martin has killed:

"We're proceeding as if it's our last because it's the only way to proceed.

"You've got to have deadlines, you know. What that means is we're going to pour everything we can into next year and not think beyond that. We always say that and we always mean it. But every time we say it, someone writes that it's over.

"I don't think we'll ever split up but we have to do a lot before we're 33."

Who would have thought that Martin and his team lived on some sort of 'live every day as if it was your last' motto, as if their entire worldview was forged in the Motivational Posters section of a bookstore.

But we have it from his own lips: he can't imagine a world in which Coldplay would not be churning out record after record of polite corner music. Forever. A barren bunker under the Rockies suddenly looks more attractive, doesn't it?

Cocks out early next year

Lined up for a February 2009 release: Sex-O Beer-O, the new album from Revolting Cocks.

Grammys: The party as the world burns

You sense that even the Grammy organisers know that issuing press releases trumpeting that Coldplay and Lil'Wayne are leading the nominations list this year marks a rotten year for the mainstream. Good lord, they've even had to nominate Bleeding Love, a song so old it doesn't even get carded when it buys beer, to make up the numbers.

Amongst the sludge, Adele and Duffy both find themselves on the list - and no disrespect to either of them, but... really? That's the best the majors can think of?

It's not all bad - Robyn's in there somewhere, it's always nice to see Kylie getting praise even for the less-than-stellar X, and while MIA's not quite as innovatively brilliant as you're supposed to believe, given the 'but isn't she a terrorist' swirlstorm which surrounds her whenever the news media thinks about her, nominating Paper Planes for best album might almost constitute an act of bravery on the Grammys part. Almost.

The interesting details are down the end of the list - where the album notes of the year (no, really) rub shoulders with the best surround sound titles. It's surprising to see Junkie XL getting a nomination for a remix - probably helped that it was a Madonna remix; good to see Burning Spear on the reggae list.

Al Gore has the chance to add a Grammy to his Oscar, with the reading of An Inconvenient Truth going up against Stephen Colbert's I Am America And So Can You in the talking books category (or whatever they call it) - if only this lot got to do extracts with interpretative dancers behind them.

Here's the full list of nominations - as is traditional, it's terribly, terribly long so you can skip over the list if you're not interested in the detail

Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Chasing Pavements
Adele
Eg White, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Steve Price, engineers/mixers
Track from: 19
[XL Recordings/Columbia]

* Viva La Vida
Coldplay
Markus Dravs, Brian Eno & Rik Simpson, producers; Michael Brauer & Rik Simpson, engineers/mixers
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records]

* Bleeding Love
Leona Lewis
Simon Cowell, Clive Davis & Ryan "Alias" Tedder, producers; Craig Durrance, Phil Tan & Ryan "Alias" Tedder, engineers/mixers
[J Records/SYCO Music]

* Paper Planes
M.I.A
Diplo, producer; Switch, engineer/mixer
Track from: Kala
[Interscope]

* Please Read The Letter
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer
Track from: Raising Sand
[Rounder]

Category 2

Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Coldplay
Markus Dravs, Brian Eno & Rik Simpson, producers; Michael H. Brauer, Markus Dravs, John O'Mahoney, Rik Simpson & Andy Wallace, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
[Capitol Records]

* Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne
Babyface, Brisco, Fabolous, Jay-Z, Kidd Kidd, Busta Rhymes, Juelz Santana, D. Smith, Static Major, T-Pain & Bobby Valentino, featured artists; Alchemist, David Banner, Vaushaun "Maestro" Brooks, Cool & Dre, Andrews "Drew" Correa, Shondrae "Mr. Bangladesh" Crawford, Darius "Deezle" Harrison, Jim Jonsin, Mousa, Pro Jay, Rodnae, Skillz & Play, D. Smith, Swizz Beatz, Robin Thicke, T-Pain & Kanye West, producers; Angel Aponte, Joshua Berkman, Andrew Dawson, Joe G, Darius "Deezle" Harrison, Fabian Marasciullo, Miguel Scott, Robin Thicke, Julian Vasquez & Gina Victoria, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
[Universal Motown/Cash Money]

* Year Of The Gentleman
Ne-Yo
Chuck Harmony, Ne-Yo, Polow Da Don, StarGate, Stereotypes, Syience, Shea Taylor & Shomari "Sho" Wilson, producers; Kirven Arrington, Jeff Chestek, Kevin "KD" Davis, Mikkel Eriksen, Jaymz Hardy Martin, III, Geno Regist, Phil Tan & Tony Terrebonne, engineers/mixers; Herb Powers, Jr., mastering engineer
[Def Jam/Compound]

* Raising Sand
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; Gavin Lurssen, mastering engineer
[Rounder]

* In Rainbows
Radiohead
Nigel Godrich, producer; Nigel Godrich, Dan Grech-Marguerat, Hugo Nicolson & Richard Woodcraft, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
[TBD Records]


Category 3

Song Of The Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* American Boy
William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle Featuring Kanye West)
Track from: Shine
[Atlantic/Homeschool; Publishers: Will.I.Am Music/Cherry River Music/Chrysalis Publishing/John Legend Publishing/Cherry River Music/Please Gimme My Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music/Larry Leron Music/Speir Music/Broke, Spoke and Gone Publishing]

* Chasing Pavements
Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele)
Track from: 19
[XL Recordings/Columbia; Publishers: Universal-Songs of Polygram Int.]

* I'm Yours
Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz)
Track from: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
[Atlantic; Publisher: Goo Eyed Music]

* Love Song
Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles)
Track from: Little Voice
[Epic; Publisher: Tiny Bear Music]

* Viva La Vida
Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records; Publishers: Universal Music-MGB Songs]

Category 4

Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

* Adele


* Duffy


* Jonas Brothers


* Lady Antebellum


* Jazmine Sullivan



Field 1 — Pop



Category 5

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Chasing Pavements
Adele
Track from: 19
[Columbia/XL]

* Love Song
Sara Bareilles
Track from: Little Voice
[Epic]

* Mercy
Duffy
Track from: Rockferry
[Mercury]

* Bleeding Love
Leona Lewis
[J Records/SYCO Music]

* I Kissed A Girl
Katy Perry
Track from: One Of The Boys
[Capitol Records]

* So What
Pink
[LaFace]

Category 6

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* All Summer Long
Kid Rock
Track from: Rock N Roll Jesus
[Atlantic]

* Say
John Mayer
Track from: Continuum
[Columbia]

* That Was Me
Paul McCartney
Track from: Amoeba's Secret
[Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.]

* I'm Yours
Jason Mraz
Track from: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
[Atlantic]

* Closer
Ne-Yo
Track from: Year Of The Gentleman
[Def Jam/Compound Entertainment]

* Wichita Lineman
James Taylor
Track from: Covers
[Hear Music]


Category 7

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Viva La Vida
Coldplay
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records]

* Waiting In The Weeds
Eagles
Track from: Long Road Out Of Eden
[Eagles Recording Company II]

* Going On
Gnarls Barkley
Track from: The Odd Couple
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Won't Go Home Without You
Maroon 5
Track from: It Won't Be Soon Before Long
[Octone/A&M]

* Apologize
OneRepublic
Track from: Dreaming Out Loud
[Mosley Music/Interscope Records]

Category 8

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Lesson Learned
Alicia Keys & John Mayer
Track from: As I Am
[J Records]

* 4 Minutes
Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
Track from: Hard Candy
[Warner Bros.]

* Rich Woman
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Track from: Raising Sand
[Rounder]

* If I Never See Your Face Again
Rihanna & Maroon 5
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
[Def Jam]

* No Air
Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
Track from: Jordin Sparks
[Jive]



Category 9

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Love Appetite
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere
Track from: Nudge It Up A Notch
[Stax]

* I Dreamed There Was No War
Eagles
Track from: Long Road Out Of Eden
[Eagles Recording Company II]

* Fortune Teller
Fourplay
Track from: Energy
[Heads Up International]

* Steppin' Out
Stanley Jordan
Track from: State Of Nature
[Mack Avenue Records]

* Blast!
Marcus Miller
Track from: Marcus
[Concord Jazz]


Category 10

Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Sax For Stax
Gerald Albright
[Peak Records]

* Greatest Hits Rerecorded Volume One
Larry Carlton
[335 Records]

* Jingle All The Way
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
[Rounder]

* The Spice Of Life
Earl Klugh
[Koch Records]

* A Night Before Christmas
Spyro Gyra
[Heads Up International]


Category 11

Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Detours
Sheryl Crow
[A&M Records]

* Rockferry
Duffy
[Mercury]

* Long Road Out Of Eden
Eagles
[Eagles Recording Company II]

* Spirit
Leona Lewis
[J Records/SYCO Music]

* Covers
James Taylor
[Hear Music]


Field 2 — Dance



Category 12

Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)

* Harder Better Faster Stronger
Daft Punk
Thomas Bangalter & Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, producers; Thomas Bangalter & Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, mixers
Track from: Alive 2007
[Virgin Records]

* Ready For The Floor
Hot Chip
Hot Chip, producers; Dan Carey, mixer
Track from: Made In The Dark
[Astralwerks/DFA]

* Just Dance
Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis
RedOne, producer; Robert Orton, mixer
[Streamline/Interscope/Kon Live]

* Give It 2 Me
Madonna
Madonna & The Neptunes, producers; Andrew Coleman & Spike Stent, mixers
Track from: Hard Candy
[Warner Bros.]

* Disturbia
Rihanna
Brian Kennedy, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
[Def Jam]

* Black & Gold
Sam Sparro
Jesse Rogg & Sam Sparro, producers; Jeremy Wheatley, mixer
Track from: Sam Sparro
[Universal Republic Records


Category 13

Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* New York City
Brazilian Girls
[Verve Forecast]

* Alive 2007
Daft Punk
[Virgin Records]

* Bring Ya To The Brink
Cyndi Lauper
[Epic]

* X
Kylie Minogue
[Capitol/Astralwerks]

* Last Night
Moby
[Mute]

* Robyn
Robyn
[Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope]


Field 3 — Traditional Pop



Category 14

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Still Unforgettable
Natalie Cole
[DMI Records]

* The Sinatra Project
Michael Feinstein
[Concord Music Group]

* Noël
Josh Groban
[143/Reprise]

* In The Swing Of Christmas
Barry Manilow
[Hallmark/Arista]

* Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall
Rufus Wainwright
[Geffen]


Field 4 — Rock



Category 15

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Gravity
John Mayer
Track from: Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles
[Columbia]

* I Saw Her Standing There
Paul McCartney
Track from: Amoeba's Secret
[Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.]

* Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Magic
[Columbia]

* Rise
Eddie Vedder
[J Records]

* No Hidden Path
Neil Young
Track from: Chrome Dreams II
[Reprise]

Category 16

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Rock N Roll Train
AC/DC
[Columbia]

* Violet Hill
Coldplay
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records]

* Long Road Out Of Eden
Eagles
Track from: Long Road Out Of Eden
[Eagles Recording Company II]

* Sex On Fire
Kings Of Leon
[RCA Records]

* House Of Cards
Radiohead
Track from: In Rainbows
[TBD Records]


Category 17

Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Inside The Fire
Disturbed
Track from: Indestructible
[Reprise]

* Visions
Judas Priest
Track from: Nostradamus
[Epic]

* Wax Simulacra
The Mars Volta
[Universal Motown]

* Saints Of Los Angeles
Mötley Crüe
Track from: Saints Of Los Angeles
[Motley Records/Eleven Seven Music]

* Lords Of Salem
Rob Zombie
Track from: Zombie Live
[Geffen/UMe]


Category 18

Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Heroes Of Our Time
DragonForce
[Roadrunner Records]

* Nostradamus
Judas Priest
Track from: Nostradamus
[Epic]

* My Apocalypse
Metallica
Track from: Death Magnetic
[Warner Bros.]

* Under My Thumb
Ministry
Track from: Cover Up
[Megaforce Records]

* Psychosocial
Slipknot
[Roadrunner Records]


Category 19

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Castellorizon
David Gilmour
Track from: Live In Gdansk
[Columbia]

* Suicide & Redemption
Metallica
Track from: Death Magnetic
[Warner Bros.]

* 34 Ghosts I-IV
Nine Inch Nails
Track from: Ghosts I-IV
[The Null Corporation]

* Hope (Live For The Art Of Peace)
Rush
Track from: Songs For Tibet: The Art Of Peace
[Art of Peace Foundation]

* Peaches En Regalia
Zappa Plays Zappa
[Strobosonic/Razor & Tie Entertainment]


Category 20

Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
Track from: Magic
[Columbia; Publisher: Bruce Springsteen]

* House Of Cards
Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway & Thom Yorke, songwriters (Radiohead)
Track from: In Rainbows
[TBD Records; Publisher: Warner Chappell Music]

* I Will Possess Your Heart
Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr & Christopher Walla, songwriters (Death Cab For Cutie)
Track from: Narrow Stairs
[Atlantic; Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music/Where I'm Calling From Music/Shove It Up Your Songs/Giant Beat Songs/Please Pass The Songs]

* Sex On Fire
Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
[RCA Records; Publishers: Martha Street Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, Followill Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, McFearless Music/Bug Music, Coffee, Tea or Me Publishing/Bug Music]

* Violet Hill
Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records; Publisher: Universal Music-MGB Songs]

Category 21

Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

* Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Coldplay
[Capitol Records]

* Rock N Roll Jesus
Kid Rock
[Atlantic]

* Only By The Night
Kings Of Leon
[RCA Records]

* Death Magnetic
Metallica
[Warner Bros.]

* Consolers Of The Lonely
The Raconteurs
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]


Field 5 — Alternative



Category 22

Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Modern Guilt
Beck
[DGC Records/XL Recordings/Interscope]

* Narrow Stairs
Death Cab For Cutie
[Atlantic]

* The Odd Couple
Gnarls Barkley
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Evil Urges
My Morning Jacket
[ATO Records]

* In Rainbows
Radiohead
[TBD Records]


Field 6 — R&B



Category 23

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Me, Myself And I
Beyoncé
Track from: The Beyonce Experience Live Audio
[Columbia/Music World Music]

* Heaven Sent
Keyshia Cole
Track from: Just Like You
[Geffen]

* Spotlight
Jennifer Hudson
[Arista]

* Superwoman
Alicia Keys
Track from: As I Am
[J Records]

* Need U Bad
Jazmine Sullivan
[J Records]


Category 24

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* You're The Only One
Eric Benét
Track from: Love & Life
[Friday/Reprise]

* Take You Down
Chris Brown
Track from: Exclusive
[Jive]

* Miss Independent
Ne-Yo
Track from: Year Of The Gentleman
[Def Jam/Compound]

* Can't Help But Wait
Trey Songz
Track from: Trey Day
[Atlantic]

* Here I Stand
Usher
Track from: Here I Stand
[LaFace]

Category 25

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ribbon In The Sky
Boyz II Men
Track from: Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
[Decca Records]

* Words
Anthony David Featuring India.Arie
Track from: Acey Duecy
[Soulbird/ Universal Republic Records]

* Stay With Me (By The Sea)
Al Green Featuring John Legend
Track from: Lay It Down
[Blue Note Records]

* I'm His Only Woman
Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia
Track from: Jennifer Hudson
[Arista Records]

* Never Give You Up
Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton
Track from: The Way I See It
[Columbia Records]

Category 26

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* A Change Is Gonna Come
Wayne Brady
Track from: A Long Time Coming
[Peak Records]

* You've Got The Love I Need
Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton
Track from: Lay It Down
[Blue Note Records]

* Baby I Know
(Linda Jones) With Helen Bruner & Terry Jones
Track from: Soul Talkin
[Philerzy Productions]

* Love That Girl
Raphael Saadiq
Track from: The Way I See It
[Columbia Records]

* In Love With Another Man
Jazmine Sullivan
Track from: Fearless
[J Records]

Category 27

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Say Goodbye To Love
Kenna
Track from: Make Sure They See My Face
[Star Trak/Interscope]

* Wanna Be
Maiysha
Track from: This Much Is True:
[Eusonia Records]

* Be OK
Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am
Track from: I Am
[Def Jam]

* Many Moons
Janelle Monae
Track from: Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition)
[Wondaland/Bad Boy]

* Lovin You (Music)
Wayna Featuring Kokayi
Track from: Higher Ground
[Quiet Power Productions, LLC]

Category 28

Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Bust Your Windows
Salaam Remi & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Deandre Way, songwriter) (Jazmine Sullivan)
Track from: Fearless
[J Records; Publishers: Nappy Puddy Music/Universal Music-Z Tunes, Salaam Remi Music/EMI April Music, Soulja Boy Tellem Music/Croomstacular Music]

* Customer
I. Barias, Raheem DeVaughn, C. Haggins, K. Oliver & J. Smith, songwriters (Raheem DeVaughn)
Track from: Love Behind The Melody
[Jive; Publishers: Universal Music-Z Tunes/Ahmad's World/Universal Music/Nivrac Tyke Music/Fresh Paint Music/HC 1030 Publishing/Universal Music/Tetragrammaton Music/Melodic Piano Productions/HC 1030 Publishing]

* Heaven Sent
Keyshia Cole, Jason Farmer & Alex Francis, songwriters (Keyshia Cole)
Track from: Just Like You
[Geffen; Publishers: She Wrote It/BMG Songs, J Vibe Publishing, Lex Project Publishing]

* Miss Independent
M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & S. Smith, songwriters (Ne-Yo)
Track from: Year Of The Gentleman
[Def Jam/Compound; Publishers: Pen In The Ground Publishing, Universal Music-Z Tunes]

* Spotlight
Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)
[Arista Records; Publishers: Super Sayin' Publishing/Universal Music-Z Songs, Sony/ATV Tunes, EMI Music Publishing]


Category 29

Best R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Love & Life
Eric Benét
[Friday/Reprise]

* Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
Boyz II Men
[Decca Records]

* Lay It Down
Al Green
[Blue Note]

* Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
[Arista Records]

* The Way I See It
Raphael Saadiq
[Columbia]


Category 30

Best Contemporary R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Growing Pains
Mary J. Blige
[Geffen]

* Back Of My Lac'
J. Holiday
[Capitol Records]

* First Love
Karina
[Def Jam]

* Year Of The Gentleman
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam/Compound]

* Fearless
Jazmine Sullivan
[J Records]


Field 7 — Rap



Category 31

Best Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)...
Jay-Z
Track from: American Gangster
[Roc-A-Fella]

* A Milli
Lil Wayne
Track from: Tha Carter III
[Cash Money/Universal Motown]

* Paris, Tokyo
Lupe Fiasco
Track from: The Cool
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

* N.i.*.*.e.r. (The Slave And The Master)
Nas
Track from: Untitled
[Def Jam]

* Sexual Eruption
Snoop Dogg
Track from: Ego Trippin
[Geffen]

Category 32

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Royal Flush
Big Boi Featuring Raekwon And Andre 3000
[LaFace]

* Swagga Like Us
Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne
[Roc-A-Fella/Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

* Mr. Carter
Lil Wayne Featuring Jay-Z
Track from: Tha Carter III
[Cash Money/Universal Motown]

* Wish You Would
Ludacris Featuring T.I.
[DTP]

* Put On
Young Jeezy Featuring Kanye West
[Def Jam]


Category 33

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* American Boy
Estelle Featuring Kanye West
Track from: Shine
[Homeschool/Atlantic]

* Low
Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain
Track from: Mail On Sunday
[Poe Boy/Atlantic]

* Green Light
John Legend & Andre 3000
[Columbia/G.O.O.D. Music]

* Got Money
Lil Wayne Featuring T-Pain
Track from: Tha Carter III
[Cash Money/Universal Motown]

* Superstar
Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos
Track from: The Cool
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

Category 34

Best Rap Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Lollipop
D. Carter, S. Garrett, D. Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters (Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major)
Track from: Tha Carter III
[Cash Money/Universal Motown; Publishers: Young Money Publishing/Warner-Chappell Music, Herbalicious Music/Blackfountain Music/EMI-April Music, JimiPub Music/EMI Blackwood, Three Nails and A Crown Publishing]

* Low
T. Dillard, M. Humphrey & T-Pain, songwriters (Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain)
Track from: Mail On Sunday
[Poe Boy/Atlantic; Publishers: E-Class Publishing/Top Quality Publishing/NappyPub Music/Zomba Songs]

* Sexual Eruption
Calvin Broadus, S. Lovejoy & D. Stewart, songwriters (Snoop Dogg)
Track from: Ego Trippin
[Geffen; Publishers: My Own Chit Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music, Shawty Redd Songs/EMI April Music, Pimpin Tha Pen]

* Superstar
Lupe Fiasco & Soundtrakk, songwriters (Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos)
Track from: The Cool
[1st & 15th/Atlantic; Publishers: Hey Lu Chill Music (Heavy As Heaven/Universal Music), 1st & 15th Publishing (Mr. Lopez Music/Universal Music Publishing)]

* Swagga Like Us
D. Carter, S. Carter, Clifford Harris & Kanye West, songwriters (M. Arulpragasam, N. Headon, M. Jones, J. Mellor, T. Pentz & P. Simonon, songwriters) (Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne)
[Roc-A-Fella/Grand Hustle/Atlantic; Publishers: Crown Club Pub./Warner-Tamerlane/Please Gimme My Publishing/EMI Blackwood/Carter Boys Music/EMI April/Young Money Pub./Warner-Tamerlane/Hollertronix/Domino Publishing/Universal Z Tunes/Univ. Polygram Int'l]

Category 35

Best Rap Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* American Gangster
Jay-Z
[Roc-A-Fella]

* Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne
[Cash Money/Universal Motown]

* The Cool
Lupe Fiasco
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

* Nas
Nas
[Def Jam]

* Paper Trail
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]


Field 8 — Country



Category 36

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* For These Times
Martina McBride
Track from: Waking Up Laughing
[RCA Nashville]

* What I Cannot Change
LeAnn Rimes
Track from: Family
[Curb Records]

* Last Name
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Carnival Ride
[19/Arista/Arista Nashville]

* Last Call
Lee Ann Womack
[MCA Nashville]

* This Is Me You're Talking To
Trisha Yearwood
Track from: Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
[Big Machine]


Category 37

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* You're Gonna Miss This
Trace Adkins
Track from: American Man, Greatest Hits Volume II
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* In Color
Jamey Johnson
[MCA Nashville]

* Just Got Started Lovin' You
James Otto
Track from: Sunset Man
[Raybaw]

* Letter To Me
Brad Paisley
Track from: 5th Gear
[Arista Nashville]

* Troubadour
George Strait
Track from: Troubadour
[MCA Nashville]

Category 38

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* God Must Be Busy
Brooks & Dunn
Track from: Cowboy Town
[Arista Nashville]

* Love Don't Live Here
Lady Antebellum
Track from: Lady Antebellum
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* Every Day
Rascal Flatts
Track from: Still Feels Good
[Lyric Street Records]

* Blue Side Of The Mountain
The SteelDrivers
Track from: The SteelDrivers
[Rounder]

* Stay
Sugarland
Track from: Enjoy The Ride
[Mercury Records]

Category 39

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Shiftwork
Kenny Chesney & George Strait
Track from: Just Who I Am: Poets And Pirates
[BNA Records]

* Killing The Blues
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Track from: Raising Sand
[Rounder]

* House Of Cash
George Strait & Patty Loveless
Track from: Troubadour
[MCA Nashville]

* Life In A Northern Town
Sugarland, Jake Owen & Little Big Town
Track from: Love On The Inside [Deluxe Fan Edition]
[Mercury Records]

* Let The Wind Chase You
Trisha Yearwood & Keith Urban
Track from: Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
[Big Machine]


Category 40

Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Sumatra
Cherryholmes
Track from: Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Two Small Cars In Rome
Jerry Douglas & Lloyd Green
Track from: Glide
[Koch]

* Sleigh Ride
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
Track from: Jingle All The Way
[Rounder]

* Is This America? (Katrina 2005)
Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Jerry Douglas & Bruce Hornsby
Track from: Family & Friends — Rambling Boy
[Decca Records]

* Cluster Pluck
Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner
[Arista Nashville]


Category 41

Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Dig Two Graves
Ashley Gorley & Bob Regan, songwriters (Randy Travis)
Track from: Around The Bend
[Warner Bros.; Publishers: Songs of Combustion Music, Music of Windswept/Famous Music, Mt. Tallac Music]

* I Saw God Today
Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell & Wade Kirby, songwriters (George Strait)
Track from: Troubadour
[MCA Nashville; Publishers: Big Red Toe/Extremely Loud Music, Steel Wheels Music, Steel Wheels Music/Blind Mule Music]

* In Color
Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller & James Otto, songwriters (Jamey Johnson)
Track from: That Lonesome Song
[Mercury Records; Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music/Big Gassed Hitties, EMI Blackwood Music/New Songs of Sea Gayle/Noah's Little Boat Music, Eldorotto Music Publishing/Lucky Thumb Music]

* Stay
Jennifer Nettles, songwriter (Sugarland)
Track from: Enjoy The Ride
[Mercury Records; Publisher: Jennifer Nettles Publishing]

* You're Gonna Miss This
Ashley Gorley & Lee Thomas Miller, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
Track from: American Man, Greatest Hits Volume II
[Capitol Records Nashville; Publishers: EMI Blackwood/New Songs of Sea Gayle/Noah's Little Boat Music/Songs of Combustion Music]


Category 42

Best Country Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* That Lonesome Song
Jamey Johnson
[Mercury Records]

* Sleepless Nights
Patty Loveless
[Saguaro Road]

* Troubadour
George Strait
[MCA Nashville]

* Around The Bend
Randy Travis
[Warner Bros.]

* Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
Trisha Yearwood
[Big Machine]


Category 43

Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe
Cherryholmes
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Del McCoury Band — Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Del McCoury Band
[MunckMix]

* The Ultimate Collection / Live At The Ryman
Earl Scruggs With Family & Friends
[Rounder Records]

* Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 And 1947
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Wheels
Dan Tyminski
[Rounder]


Field 9 — New Age



Category 44

Best New Age Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Meditations
William Ackerman
[Compass Productions]

* Pathfinder
Will Clipman
[Canyon Records]

* Peace Time
Jack DeJohnette
[Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm]

* Ambrosia
Peter Kater
[Point Of Light Records]

* The Scent Of Light
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra
[SSRI]


Field 10 — Jazz



Category 45

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Randy In Brasil
Randy Brecker
[MAMA Records]

* Floating Point
John McLaughlin
[Abstract Logix]

* Cannon Re-Loaded: All-Star Celebration Of Cannonball Adderley
(Various Artists)
Gregg Field & Tom Scott, producers
[Concord Jazz]

* Miles From India
(Various Artists)
Bob Belden, producer
[4Q/Times Square Records]

* Lifecycle
Yellowjackets Featuring Mike Stern
[Heads Up International]



Category 46

Best Jazz Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Imagina: Songs Of Brasil
Karrin Allyson
[Concord Jazz]

* Breakfast On The Morning Tram
Stacey Kent
[Blue Note]

* If Less Is More...Nothing Is Everything
Kate McGarry
[Palmetto Records]

* Loverly
Cassandra Wilson
[Blue Note]

* Distances
Norma Winstone (Glauco Venier & Klaus Gesing)
[ECM]

Category 47

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Be-Bop
Terence Blanchard, soloist
Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars)
[Monterey Jazz Festival Records]

* Seven Steps To Heaven
Till Brönner, soloist
Track from: The Standard (Take 6)
[Heads Up International]

* Waltz For Debby
Gary Burton & Chick Corea, soloists
Track from: The New Crystal Silence
[Concord Records]

* Son Of Thirteen
Pat Metheny, soloist
Track from: Day Trip
[Nonesuch Records]

* Be-Bop
James Moody, soloist
Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars)
[Monterey Jazz Festival Records]

Category 48

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* The New Crystal Silence
Chick Corea & Gary Burton
[Concord Records]

* History, Mystery
Bill Frisell
[Nonesuch Records]

* Brad Mehldau Trio: Live
Brad Mehldau Trio
[Nonesuch Records]

* Day Trip
Pat Metheny With Christian McBride & Antonio Sanchez
[Nonesuch Records]

* Standards
Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter & Peter Erskine Trio
[Fuzzy Music]

Category 49

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Appearing Nightly
Carla Bley And Her Remarkable Big Band
[WATT]

* Act Your Age
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
[Immergent]

* Symphonica
Joe Lovano With WDR Big Band & Rundfunk Orchestra
[Blue Note]

* Blauklang
Vince Mendoza
[Act Music and Vision (AMV)]

* Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
[Planet Arts Recordings]

Category 50

Best Latin Jazz Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Afro Bop Alliance
Caribbean Jazz Project
[Heads Up International]

* The Latin Side Of Wayne Shorter
Conrad Herwig & The Latin Side Band
[Half Note Records]

* Song For Chico
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
[Zoho]

* Nouveau Latino
Nestor Torres
[Diamond Light Records]

* Marooned/Aislado
Papo Vázquez The Mighty Pirates
[Picaro Records]


Field 11 — Gospel



Category 51

Best Gospel Performance
(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)

* I Understand
Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, Bebe Winans, Mariah Carey & Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church Choir
Track from: Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume One
[Concord Records/Dream Merchant 21 Ent.]

* East To West
Casting Crowns
Track from: The Altar And The Door Live
[Beach Street/Reunion Records]

* Get Up
Mary Mary
Track from: The Sound
[Columbia]

* Shall We Gather At The River
Take 6
Track from: The Standard
[Heads Up International]

* Waging War
CeCe Winans
Track from: Thy Kingdom Come
[PureSprings Gospel/EMI Gospel]

Category 52

Best Gospel Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Cover Me
James L. Moss, songwriter (21:03 With Fred Hammond, Smokie Norful & J Moss)
[Verity/Zomba Gospel; Publisher: Millenni-era Music]

* Get Up
Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Eric Dawkins, songwriters (Mary Mary)
Track from: The Sound
[Columbia; Publishers: Wet Ink Red Music/That's Plum Song/It's Tea Tyme/EMI April/E.D. Duz-It Music/Irving Music/Underdog Songs]

* Give Me Your Eyes
Brandon Heath & Jason Ingram, songwriters (Brandon Heath)
Track from: What If We
[Reunion Records; Publishers: Sitka6 Music/Peertunes/Grange Hill Music/Windsor Way Music]

* Help Me Believe
Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
Track from: The Fight Of My Life
[Fo Yo Soul Ent./Zomba Gospel ; Publishers: Universal Music-Z Songs/Kerrion Publishing]

* You Reign
Jim Bryson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Nathan Cochran, Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Mike Scheuchzer & Robby Shaffer, songwriters (MercyMe)
Track from: All That Is Within Me
[INO Records; Publishers: Simpleville Music/Wet As A Fish Music, Sparrow Song/Peach Hill Songs]


Category 53

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Hello
After Edmund
[Slanted Records]

* Our World Redeemed
Flame
[Cross Movement Records]

* We Need Each Other
Sanctus Real
[Sparrow Records]

* Rock What You Got
Superchick
[Inpop Records]

* Alive And Transported
TobyMac
[ForeFront Records/EMI CMG]

Category 54

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* This Moment
Steven Curtis Chapman
[Sparrow Records]

* What If We
Brandon Heath
[Reunion Records]

* Opposite Way
Leeland
[Essential Records]

* Hello Love
Chris Tomlin
[Sparrow Records/Sixstepsrecords/EMI CMG]

* Thy Kingdom Come
CeCe Winans
[PureSprings Gospel/EMI Gospel]

Category 55

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Room For More
Booth Brothers
[Daywind Records]

* Lovin' Life
Gaither Vocal Band
[Gaither Music Group]

* Steps To Heaven
Charlie Louvin
[Tompkins Square]

* Hymned Again
Bart Millard
[INO Records]

* Ephesians One
Karen Peck & New River
[Daywind Records]


Category 56

Best Traditional Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Down In New Orleans
The Blind Boys Of Alabama
[Time Life]

* I'll Say Yes
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Carol Cymbala, producer
[Integrity Music]

* Take It Back
Dorinda Clark-Cole
[GospoCentric/Zomba]

* Deitrick Haddon Presents . . . Together In Worship
Voices Of Unity
[Tyscot Records]

* Bishop Charles E. Blake Presents... No Limit
The West Angeles COGIC Mass Choir
[EMI Gospel]


Category 57

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Reflections
Jason Champion
[EMI Gospel/Brooks Entertainment]

* The Fight Of My Life
Kirk Franklin
[Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/ Zomba Gospel]

* The Sound
Mary Mary
[Columbia]

* Donald Lawrence Introduces: Family Prayer
The Murrills
[Quiet Water/ Verity]

* Stand Out
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
[Columbia]


Field 12 — Latin



Category 58

Best Latin Pop Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Cara B
Jorge Drexler
[Warner Music Latina]

* Palabras Del Silencio
Luis Fonsi
[Universal Music Latino]

* La Vida...Es Un Ratico
Juanes
[Universal Music Latino]

* Cómplices
Luis Miguel
[Warner Music Latina]

* Tarde O Temprano
Tommy Torres
[Warner Music Latina]

Category 59

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Sonidos Gold
Grupo Fantasma
[Aire Sol Records/Grupo Fantasma]

* 45
Jaguares
[EMI Music]

* La Verdad
Locos Por Juana
[Machete Music]

* Tijuana Sound Machine
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible
[Nacional Records]

* Mediocre
Ximena Sariñana
[Warner Music Latina]


Category 60

Best Latin Urban Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* La Novela
Akwid
[Univision Records]

* La Sinfonia
La Sinfonia
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* The Royalty: La Realeza
Rkm & Ken-y
[Machete Music]

* En Lo Claro
Voltio
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* Los Extraterrestres
Wisin y Yandel
[Machete Music]


Category 61

Best Tropical Latin Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Cuba: Un Viaje Musical — A Musical Journey
Albita, Rey Ruíz & Donato Poveda
[Apollo Music]

* Renacer
DLG
[Machete Music]

* Señor Bachata
José Feliciano
[Universal Music Latino]

* Frutero Moderno
Gonzalo Grau y La Clave Secreta
[2008 Gonzalo Grau]

* Back On The Streets... Taste Of Spanish Harlem Vol. 2
New Swing Sextet
[Cotique/Emusica Records]


Category 62

Best Regional Mexican Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera
Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

* Desde México: "Cumbia Cusinela"
Huichol Musical
[ASL]

* Vámonos Pa'l Río
Los Pikadientes De Caborca
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* Canciones De Amor
Mariachi Divas
[Shea Records/East Side Records]

* A Puro Dolor
Nadia
[Warner Music Latina]


Category 63

Best Tejano Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Music Lessons
Chente Barrera y Taconazo
[Qvo Records]

* Friends & Legends
Joe Posada
[Baby Dude Records]

* Viva La Revolucion
Ruben Ramos & The Mexican Revolution
[Revolution Records]

* All That Jazz...
Tortilla Factory
[Tortilla Records]

* Heir To The Throne
Albert Zamora
[Freddie Records]

Category 64

Best Norteño Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Me Enamore De Un Angel
Los Palominos
[Urbana Records]

* Raíces
Los Tigres Del Norte
[Fonovisa]

* Corridos: Defendiendo El Honor
Pesado
[Warner Music Latina]

* Six Pack
Siggno
[Freddie Records]

* Cuidado
Solido
[Freddie Records]


Category 65

Best Banda Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Tu Inspiracion
Alacranes Musical
[Fonovisa]

* Que Bonito... ¡Es Lo Bonito!
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
[Fonsovisa]

* Vive Y Dejame Vivir
Cuisillos
[Musart/Balboa Records]

* Tiro De Gracia
Lupillo Rivera
[ASL]

* No Es De Madera
Joan Sebástian
[Musart/Balboa Records]


Field 13 — Blues



Category 66

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* The Blues Rolls On
Elvin Bishop
[Delta Groove Music, Inc.]

* Skin Deep
Buddy Guy
[Silvertone Records]

* All Odds Against Me
John Lee Hooker Jr.
[Steppin' Stone Records/CC Entertainment]

* One Kind Favor
B.B. King
[Geffen Records]

* Pinetop Perkins & Friends
Pinetop Perkins & Friends
[Stoneagle Music/Telarc]

Category 67

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Peace, Love & BBQ
Marcia Ball
[Alligator Records]

* Like A Fire
Solomon Burke
[Shout! Factory]

* City That Care Forgot
Dr. John And The Lower 911
[429 Records]

* Maestro
Taj Mahal
[Heads Up International]

* Simply Grand
Irma Thomas
[Rounder Records]


Field 14 — Folk



Category 68

Best Traditional Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Coal
Kathy Mattea
[Captain Potato Records]

* Comedians & Angels
Tom Paxton
[Appleseed Recordings]

* Bring Me Home
Peggy Seeger
[Appleseed Recordings]

* At 89
Pete Seeger
[Appleseed Recordings]

* Strangers In Another Country
Rosalie Sorrels
[Red House Records]


Category 69

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Day After Tomorrow
Joan Baez
[Bobolink/Razor & Tie]

* I, Flathead
Ry Cooder
[Nonesuch Records]

* Sex & Gasoline
Rodney Crowell
[Work Song/Yep Roc Records]

* All I Intended To Be
Emmylou Harris
[Nonesuch Records]

* Raising Sand
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
[Rounder Records]


Category 70

Best Native American Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Songs From The Black Hills
Bryan Akipa
[SOAR Corporation]

* Spo'Mo'Kin'Nan
Black Lodge
[Canyon Records]

* Red Rock
Northern Cree
[Canyon Records]

* Come To Me Great Mystery — Native American Healing Songs
(Various Artists)
Tom Wasinger, producer
[Silver Wave Records]

* Faith
Kevin Yazzie
[Canyon Records]

Category 71

Best Hawaiian Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* 'Ikena
Tia Carrere & Daniel Ho
[Daniel Ho Creations]

* 'Aumakua
Amy Hanaiali`i
[Ua Records/Concord]

* Force Of Nature
Led Kaapana & Mike Kaawa
[Ledward Kaapana & Mike Kaawa]

* Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Masters Series Vol. II
(Various Artists)
Chris Lau & Milton Lau, producers
[Rhythm And Roots Records]

* The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar
(Various Artists)
Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku, Jr., Dennis Kamakahi, Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers
[Daniel Ho Creations]


Category 72

Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet
[MunckMix]

* From Now On
Michael Doucet
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

* Homage Au Passé
Pine Leaf Boys
[Lionsgate]

* Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys
[MunckMix]

* Cedric Watson
Cedric Watson
[Valcour Records]


Field 15 — Reggae



Category 73

Best Reggae Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Jah Is Real
Burning Spear
[Burning Music Production]

* Let's Get Physical
Elephant Man
[VP Records/ Bad Boy]

* Vibes
Heavy D
[Stride/Universal]

* Repentance
Lee "Scratch" Perry
[Narnack Records]

* Intoxication
Shaggy
[VP Records]

* Amazing
Sly & Robbie
[Fontana International]


Field 16 — World Music

Category 74

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey
Debashish Bhattacharya
[Riverboat Records/World Music Network]

* The Mandé Variations
Toumani Diabaté
[Nonesuch Records]

* Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International]

* Dancing In The Light
Lakshmi Shankar
[World Village]


Category 75

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Shake Away
Lila Downs
[Manhattan Records/Blue Note]

* Banda Larga Cordel
Gilberto Gil
[Warner Music Latina]

* Global Drum Project
Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo
[Shout! Factory]

* Rokku Mi Rokka (Give And Take)
Youssou N'Dour
[Nonesuch Records]

* Live At The Nelson Mandela Theater
Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie Entertainment]


Field 17 — Polka



Category 76

Best Polka Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* El Maestro Del Acordeón Y Sus Polkas
Paulino Bernal
[Urbana Records]

* Speechless
LynnMarie & Charlie Kelley As The Boxhounds
[Squeeze Records]

* Back To Back Hall Of Fame Polkas
Walter Ostanek & His Band, Jerry Darlak & The Touch And Bob Kravos & His Band
[Sunshine Diversified Ent.]

* Hungry For More
Polka Family Band
[Polka Family Music]

* Let The Whole World Sing
Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra
[Rounder]


Field 18 — Children's



Category 77

Best Musical Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

* Beethoven's Wig 4: Dance Along Symphonies
Beethoven's Wig
[Rounder Records]

* Big Round World
Trout Fishing In America
[Trout Records]

* Here Come The 123s
They Might Be Giants
[Disney Sound]

* Here Comes Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could
Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could
[Bumblin' Bee Records]

* The Shoe Bird
Gerard Schwarz Conducting The Seattle Symphony
[Brilliance Audio]

Category 78

Best Spoken Word Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

* Around The Campfire
Buck Howdy With BB
[Prairie Dog Entertainment]

* The Big One-Oh
Dean Pitchford
[Random House Audio/Listening Library]

* Brown Bear And Friends
Gwyneth Paltrow
[Macmillan Audio]

* The Cricket In Times Square
Tony Shalhoub
[Macmillan Audio]

* Yes To Running! Bill Harley Live
Bill Harley
[Round River Records]


Field 19 — Spoken Word



Category 79

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)

* An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore)
Beau Bridges, Cynthia Nixon & Blair Underwood
[Simon & Schuster Audio]

* Born Standing Up
Steve Martin
[Simon & Schuster Audio]

* I Am America (And So Can You!)
Stephen Colbert (& Various Artists)
[Hachette Audio]

* Life Beyond Measure
Sidney Poitier
[HarperAudio]

* When You Are Engulfed In Flames
David Sedaris
[Hachette Audio]


Field 20 — Comedy



Category 80

Best Comedy Album
(For comedy recordings, spoken or musical)

* Anticipation
Lewis Black
[Comedy Central Records]

* Flight Of The Conchords
Flight Of The Conchords
[Sub Pop]

* For Your Consideration
Kathy Griffin
[Columbia/Music With A Twist]

* It's Bad For Ya
George Carlin
[Eardrum Records]

* Songs Of The Bushmen
Harry Shearer
[Courgette Records]


Field 21 — Musical Show



Category 81

Best Musical Show Album
(Award to the Album Producer(s), and to the Lyricist(s) & Composer(s) of 51% or more of a new score. (Artist, Lyricist & Composer names appear in parentheses.))

* Gypsy
Robert Sher, producer (Jule Styne, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2008 Broadway Cast With Patti LuPone & Others)
[Time Life]

* In The Heights
Kurt Deutsch, Alex Lacamoire, Andrés Levin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Moss & Bill Sherman, producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Lin-Manuel Miranda And Others)
[Razor & Tie Entertainment/Ghostlight Records]

* The Little Mermaid
Bruce Botnick, Michael Kosarin, Alan Menken & Chris Montan, producers; Alan Menken, composer; Glenn Slater, lyricist (Howard Ashman, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Sierra Boggess, Tituss Burgess & Others)
[Walt Disney Records]

* South Pacific
David Caddick, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (New Broadway Cast With Kelli O'Hara, Paulo Szot & Others)
[Masterworks Broadway]

* Young Frankenstein; The Musical
Doug Besterman, producer; Mel Brooks, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster & Others)
[Decca Broadway]


Field 22 — Film/TV/Visual Media



Category 82

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)

* American Gangster
(Various Artists)
[Def Jam]

* August Rush
(Various Artists)
[Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax]

* Juno
(Various Artists)
[Fox Music/Rhino]

* Mamma Mia!
Meryl Streep (& Various Artists)
[Decca Records]

* Sweeney Todd — The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
(Various Artists)
[Nonesuch Records]

Category 83

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)

* The Dark Knight
James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer, composers
[Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.]

* Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
John Williams, composer
[Concord Records]

* Iron Man
Ramin Djawadi, composer
[Lionsgate]

* There Will Be Blood
Jonny Greenwood, composer
[Nonesuch Records]

* Wall-E
Thomas Newman, composer
[Walt Disney Records/Pixar]

Category 84

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Down To Earth (From Wall-E)
Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman, songwriters (Peter Gabriel)
Track from: Wall-E
[Walt Disney Records/Pixar; Publishers: Walt Disney Music, Wonderland Music/Pixar Talking Pictures/Pixar Music]

* Ever Ever After (From Enchanted)
Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Enchanted
[Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Wonderland Music & Walt Disney Music]

* Say (From The Bucket List)
John Mayer, songwriter (John Mayer)
Track from: Continuum
[Aware/Columbia; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tunes, Specific Harm Music]

* That's How You Know (From Enchanted)
Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Amy Adams)
Track from: Enchanted
[Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Wonderland Music & Walt Disney Music]

* Walk Hard (From Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story)
Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan & John C. Reilly, songwriters (John C. Reilly)
Track from: Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story
[Columbia; Publishers: Murder by Television/Apatow Music/Popular Misconception/New Columbia Pictures Music/Colpix Music]


Field 23 — Composing/Arranging



Category 85

Best Instrumental Composition
(A Composer's Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.)

* The Adventures Of Mutt (From Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull)
John Williams, composer (John Williams)
Track from: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull — Soundtrack
[Concord Records]

* Alegria
Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Gary Burton)
Track from: The New Crystal Silence
[Concord Records]

* Claire's Closet
Russell Ferrante, composer (Yellowjackets Featuring Mike Stern)
Track from: Lifecycle
[Heads Up International]

* Danzón De Etiqueta
Dave Grusin, composer (Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin)
Track from: Amparo
[Decca]

* Hit The Ground Running
Gordon Goodwin, composer (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
Track from: Act Your Age
[Immergent]



Category 86

Best Instrumental Arrangement
(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Define Dancing (From Wall-E)
Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman, arrangers (Thomas Newman)
Track from: Wall-E — Soundtrack
[Walt Disney Records]

* Down In The Valley
Frank Macchia, arranger (Frank Macchia Featuring The Prague Orchestra)
Track from: Landscapes
[Cacophony]

* Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love
Michael Abene, arranger (Joe Lovano With WDR Big Band & Rundfunk Orchestra)
Track from: Symphonica
[Blue Note]

* St. Louis Blues
Bob Brookmeyer, arranger (The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra)
Track from: Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard
[Planet Arts Recordings]

* Yesterdays
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Featuring Art Tatum)
Track from: Act Your Age
[Immergent]


Category 87

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Alfie
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Traincha & The Metropole Orchestra)
Track from: The Look Of Love — Burt Bacharach Songbook
[Blue Note]

* Grace
Cedric Dent, arranger (Take 6)
Track from: The Standard
[Heads Up International]

* Here's That Rainy Day
Nan Schwartz, arranger (Natalie Cole)
Track from: Still Unforgettable
[DMI Records]

* Johnny One Note
Don Sebesky, arranger (John Pizzarelli)
Track from: With A Song In My Heart
[Telarc International]

* Lazy Afternoon
Claus Ogerman, arranger (Danilo Perez)
Track from: Across The Crystal Sea
[Emarcy]


Field 24 — Package



Category 88

Best Recording Package

* Death Magnetic
Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffatt & David Turner, art directors (Metallica)
[Warner Bros.]

* Hawk Nelson...Is My Friend!
Don Clark, art director (Hawk Nelson)
[BEC Recordings]

* Nouns
No Age & Brian Roettinger, art directors (No Age)
[Sub Pop]

* Radio Retaliation
Neal Ashby, Matthew Curry & Patrick Donohue, art directors (Thievery Corporation)
[ESL Music]

* Summer Rains
Amanda Barrett, Abby DeWald, Renee Jablow & Rick Whitmore, art directors (The Ditty Bops)
[The Green Witch Society]

Category 89

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

* Ghosts I-IV
Trent Reznor & Rob Sheridan, art directors (Nine Inch Nails)
[The Null Corporation]

* In Rainbows
Stanley Donwood, Mel Maxwell & Xian Munro, art directors (Radiohead)
[TBD Records]

* Poems & Songs
Qing-Yang Xiao, art director (Wu Sheng)
[Ring of Fire Music]

* Pretty. Odd.
Alex Kirzhner & Panic At The Disco, art directors (Panic At The Disco)
[Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen]

* @#%&*! Smilers
Aimee Mann & Gail Marowitz, art directors (Aimee Mann)
[SuperEgo Records]


Field 25 — Album Notes



Category 90

Best Album Notes

* Art Of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum
Art Rosenbaum, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Dust-To-Digital]

* Debate '08: Taft And Bryan Campaign On The Edison Phonograph
Patrick Feaster & David Giovannoni, album notes writers (William Jennings Bryan & William Howard Taft)
[Archeophone Records]

* Kind Of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition
Francis Davis, album notes writer (Miles Davis)
[Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

* Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul
David Ritz & Jerry Wexler, album notes writers (Aretha Franklin)
[Rhino/Atlantic]

* The Unsung Father Of Country Music: 1925-1934
Henry "Hank" Sapoznik, album notes writer (Ernest V. Stoneman)
[5-String Productions]


Field 26 — Historical



Category 91

Best Historical Album

* Art Of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum
Steven Lance Ledbetter & Art Rosenbaum, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
[Dust-To-Digital]

* Classic Columbia, OKeh And Vocalion Lester Young With Count Basie (1936-1940)
Scott Wenzel, compilation producer; Malcolm Addey, Michael Brooks, Matt Cavaluzzo, Andreas Meyer & Mark Wilder, mastering engineers (Lester Young With Count Basie)
[Mosaic Records]

* Debate '08: Taft And Bryan Campaign On The Edison Phonograph
David Giovannoni, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (William Jennings Bryan & William Howard Taft)
[Archeophone Records]

* Polk Miller & His Old South Quartette
Ken Flaherty, Jr., compilation producer; Marcos Sueiro Bal, Ken Flaherty, Jr., Kurt Nauck & Glenn Sage, mastering engineers (Polk Miller & His Old South Quartette)
[Tompkins Square]

* To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story
Richard Seidel, compilation producer; Mark G. Wilder, mastering engineer (Nina Simone)
[RCA/Legacy Recordings]


Field 27 — Production, Non-Classical



Category 92

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

* Consolers Of The Lonely
Joe Chiccarelli, Vance Powell & Jack White III, engineers (The Raconteurs)
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]

* Just A Little Lovin'
Al Schmitt, engineer (Shelby Lynne)
[Lost Highway Records]

* Lay It Down
Jimmy Douglass, Russell "The Dragon" Elevado & John Smeltz, engineers (Al Green)
[Blue Note]

* Still Unforgettable
Al Schmitt, engineer (Natalie Cole)
[DMI Records]

* We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Dyre Gormsen & Tony Maserati, engineers (Jason Mraz)
[Atlantic]


Category 93

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
(A Producer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

* Danger Mouse
o Attack & Release (The Black Keys) (A)
o Modern Guilt (Beck) (A)
o The Odd Couple (Gnarls Barkley) (A)


* Nigel Godrich
o In Rainbows (Radiohead) (A)


* Johnny Karkazis (Johnny K)
o Big Bad World (Plain White T's) (A)
o The Illusion Of Progress (Staind) (A)
o Light From Above (Black Tide) (A)
o 3 Doors Down (3 Doors Down) (A)


* Rick Rubin
o Death Magnetic (Metallica) (A)
o Home Before Dark (Neil Diamond) (A)
o Mercy (Dancing For The Death Of An Imaginary Enemy) (Ours) (A)
o Seeing Things (Jakob Dylan) (A)
o Weezer (Red Album) (Weezer) (A)


* will.i.am
o American Boy (Estelle Featuring Kanye West) (T)
o Encanto (Sergio Mendes) (A)
o Funky Bahia (Sergio Mendes Featuring will.i.am & Siedah Garrett) (T)
o In The Ayer (Flo Rida Featuring will.i.am) (T)
o Pick It Up (Fergie) (T)
o Picture Perfect (Chris Brown Featuring will.i.am) (T)
o What's Your Name (Usher Featuring will.i.am) (T)


Category 94

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
(A Remixer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Closer (StoneBridge Radio Edit)
StoneBridge, remixer (Ne-Yo)
[Def Jam]

* Electric Feel (Justice Remix)
Justice, remixers (MGMT)
Track from: Oracular Spectacular
[Columbia]

* 4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix)
Junkie XL, remixer (Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake)
[Warner Bros.]

* Just Fine (Moto Blanco Remix)
Moto Blanco, remixers (Mary J. Blige)
Track from: Growing Pains
[Geffen]

* The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix)
Deadmau5, remixer (Morgan Page Featuring Lissie)
Track from: Elevate
[Nettwerk]


Field 28 — Surround Sound



Category 95

Best Surround Sound Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* Divertimenti
Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, surround mix engineers; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene)
[2L]

* Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition; Night On Bald Mountain; Prelude To Khovanshchina
Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering engineer; Robert Woods, surround producer (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
[Telarc]

* Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works
John Newton, surround mix engineer; Jonathan Cooper & Mark Donahue, surround mastering engineers; Blanton Alspaugh, surround producer (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
[Chandos]

* Ringo 5.1 The Surround Sound Collection
Bruce Sugar, surround mix engineer; Chris Bellman, surround mastering engineer; Bill Crowley, Ringo Starr & Bruce Sugar, surround producers (Ringo Starr)
[Koch]

* Sensurround + B-Sides
Toru Takayama, surround mix engineer; Ryuichi Tanaka & Yu Yamaguchi, surround mastering engineers; Keigo Oyamada, surround producer (Cornelius)
[Everloving]



Field 29 — Production, Classical



Category 96

Best Engineered Album, Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

* Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Fred Vogler, engineer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Divertimenti
Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, engineers (Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene)
[2L (Lindberg Lyd)]

* Puccini: La Bohème
Michael Bishop, engineer (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
[Telarc]

* Respighi: Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions, Rossiniana
John Newton, engineer (JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
[Naxos]

* Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago
David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
[CSO Resound]

Category 97

Producer Of The Year, Classical
(A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

* David Frost
o Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
o Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music (ARC Ensemble)
o Schubert: Sonata In D Maj.; Liszt: Don Juan Fantasy (Min Kwon)
o Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Yo-Yo Ma, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)


* David Groves
o Baroque (Gabriela Montero)
o Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (Jonathan Biss)
o Polish Spirit (Nigel Kennedy & Jacek Kaspszyk)
o Respighi: Roman Trilogy, Il Tramonto (Antonio Pappano)
o Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Martha Argerich)


* Judith Sherman
o Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5 (Pacifica Quartet)
o Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky And Lutoslawski (Gloria Cheng)
o Reich: Daniel Variations (Grant Gershon, Alan Pierson, Los Angeles Master Chorale & London Sinfonietta)
o Riley, Terry: The Cusp Of Magic (Kronos Quartet & Wu Man)
o String Poetic (Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida)


* Robert Woods
o Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night On Bald Mountain, Prelude To Khovanshchina (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
o Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, Lieutenant Kijé Suite (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
o Puccini: La Bohème (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
o Ravel: Boléro (Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra)
o Revolutionary (Cameron Carpenter)


* Robina G. Young
o Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18, Nos 1-6 (Tokyo String Quartet)
o Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' (Andrew Manze & Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra)
o Birds On Fire (Fretwork)
o Heavenly Harmonies (Stile Antico)
o Scattered Rhymes (Paul Hillier, Orlando Consort & The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)



Field 30 — Classical



Category 98

Best Classical Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.)

* Maria
Cecilia Bartoli; Christopher Raeburn, producer; Wolf-Dieter Karwatky & Philip Siney, engineers/mixers (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla)
[Decca Records]

* O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn; Sid McLauchlan & Arend Prohmann, producers; Stephan Flock, engineer/mixer (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary
Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Jonathan Cooper, mastering engineer
[Chandos]

* Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny
James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Chorus; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra)
[EuroArts]

Category 99

Best Orchestral Performance
(Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)

* D'Indy: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Rumon Gamba, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
[Chandos]

* Glazunov: Symphony No. 6, La Mer, Introduction And Dance From Salome
José Serebrier, conductor (Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
[Warner Classics & Jazz]

* Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20
Alan Gilbert, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Track from: Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago
[CSO Resound]

* Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
Bernard Haitink, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
[CSO Resound]

* Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements
Chris Walden, conductor (Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra)
[Origin Classical]

Category 100

Best Opera Recording
(Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)

* Dun, Tan: The First Emperor
Tan Dun, conductor; Michelle DeYoung, Plácido Domingo, Elizabeth Futral, Paul Groves, Wu Hsing-Kuo & Hao Jiang Tian; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
[EMI Classics]

* Lully: Psyché
Paul O´Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Colin Balzer, Karina Gauvin, Carolyn Sampson & Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; Boston Early Music Festival Chorus)
[CPO]

* Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor; Sara Mingardo, Monica Piccinini, Anna Simboli & Furio Zanasi; Jean-Pierre Loisil, producer (Concerto Italiano)
[Naive Classique]

* Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Valery Gergiev, conductor; Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Ramón Vargas; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
[Decca]

* Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny
James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra; Los Angeles Opera Chorus)
[EuroArts]

Category 101

Best Choral Performance
(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)

* O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works
Charles Bruffy, conductor (Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir)
[Chandos]

* Symphony Of Psalms
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Berliner Philharmoniker; Rundfunkchor Berlin)
Track from: Stravinsky: Symphonies
[EMI Classics]

* Szymanowski, Karol: Stabat Mater
Antoni Wit, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, chorus master (Jaroslaw Brek, Iwona Hossa & Ewa Marciniec; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir)
[Naxos]

* Tippett: A Child Of Our Time
Colin Davis, conductor; Joseph Cullen, chorus master (Steve Davislim, Mihoko Fujimura, Matthew Rose & Indra Thomas; London Symphony Orchestra; London Symphony Chorus)
[LSO Live]

Category 102

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)

* Bloch/Lees:Violin Concertos
John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Elmar Oliveira (National Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine)
[Artek]

* Harrison: Pipa Concerto
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Wu Man (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Track from: Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago
[CSO Resound]

* Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20
Leif Ove Andsnes (Norwegian Chamber Orchestra)
[EMI Classics]

* Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 2 & 5
Charles Dutoit, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet (L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande)
[Decca Records]

* Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)
[Deutsche Grammophon]


Category 103

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)

* In A State Of Jazz
Marc-André Hamelin
[Hyperion]

* Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky, And Lutoslawski
Gloria Cheng
[Telarc]

* Red Cliff Capriccio
Wei Li
[First Impression Music]

* Revolutionary
Cameron Carpenter
[Telarc]

* Strange Toys
Joan Jeanrenaud
[Talking House Records]


Category 104

Best Chamber Music Performance
(Award to the Artists.)

* Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51, No. 2, Piano Quintet Op. 34
Stephen Hough; Takács Quartet
[Hyperion]

* Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5
Pacifica Quartet
[Naxos]

* Folk Songs
Trio Mediaeval
[ECM New Series]

* Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music
ARC Ensemble
[RCA Red Seal]

* String Poetic
Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida
[Cedille Records]

Category 105

Best Small Ensemble Performance
(Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.))

* Divertimenti
Øyvind Gimse, conductor; TrondheimSolistene
[2L (Lindberg Lyd)]

* Dun: Pipa Concerto; Hayashi: Viola Concerto; Takemitsu: Nostalgia
Roman Balashov, conductor; Yuri Bashmet; Moscow Soloists (Wu Man)
[Onyx Classics]

* Im Wunderschoenen Monat Mai
Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor; Barbara Sukowa; Schoenberg Ensemble
[Winter & Winter]

* Monk: Impermanence
Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble
[ECM New Series]

* Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary
Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale
[Chandos]

Category 106

Best Classical Vocal Performance
(Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)

* Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
[Naxos]

* Fussell, Charles: Wilde
Sanford Sylvan (Gil Rose; Boston Modern Orchestra Project)
[BMOP/sound]

* Gomidas Songs
Isabel Bayrakdarian (Eduard Topchjan; Serouj Kradjian; Chamber Players Of The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra)
[Nonesuch Records]

* Maria
Cecilia Bartoli (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla)
[Decca Records]

* Terezín: Theresienstadt
Anne Sofie Von Otter (Christian Gerhaher & Daniel Hope; Bengt Forsberg & Gerold Huber)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

Category 107

Best Classical Contemporary Composition
(A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.)

* Dalbavie: Concerto Pour Flûte
Marc-André Dalbavie (Peter Eötvös)
Track from: Dalbavie/Jarrell/Pintscher: Flute Concertos
[EMI Classics]

* Gandolfi: The Garden Of Cosmic Speculation
Michael Gandolfi (Robert Spano)
[Telarc]

* Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
John Corigliano (JoAnn Falletta)
Track from: Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
[Naxos]

* Violin Concerto No. 2
George Tsontakis (Douglas Boyd)
Track from: Tsontakis: Violin Concerto No. 2, Clair De Lune
[Koch Int'l Clasiscs]

* Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements
Chris Walden (Chris Walden)
[Origin Classical

Category 108

Best Classical Crossover Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)

* Baroque
Gabriela Montero
[EMI Classics]

* Indigo Road
Ronn McFarlane
[Dorian Sono Luminus]

* Olde School
East Village Opera Company
[Decca Records]

* The Othello Syndrome
Uri Caine Ensemble
[Winter & Winter]

* Simple Gifts
The King's Singers
[Signum Records]


Field 31 — Music Video

Category 109

Best Short Form Music Video
(For an individual track or single promotional clip. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer.)

* Honey
Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu & Mr. Roboto, video directors; Megan Gutman, video producer
[Universal Motown]

* Who's Gonna Save My Soul
Gnarls Barkley
Christopher Milk, video director; Anne Johnson, video producer
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Another Way To Die
Alicia Keys & Jack White
PR Brown & MK12, video directors; Mick Ebeling, Sheira Rees-Davies & Jane Tredget, video producers
[J Records]

* House Of Cards
Radiohead
James Frost, video director; Dawn Fanning, video producer
[TBD Records]

* Pork And Beans
Weezer
Mathew Cullen, video director; Bernard Rahill, video producer
[DGC/Interscope]

Category 110

Best Long Form Music Video
(For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)

* Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles
John Mayer
Danny Clinch, video director; Lindha Narvaez, video producer
[Columbia]

* Runnin' Down A Dream
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Peter Bogdanovich, video director; Skot Bright, video producer
[Warner Bros.]

* Good Girl Gone Bad Live
Rihanna
Paul Caslin, video director; John Paveley, Ruth Paveley & Rupert Style, video producers
[Def Jam/SRP Records/Mercury Music Group/Universal Music]

* Respect Yourself — The Stax Records Story
(Various Artists)
Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video directors; Mark Crosby, Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video producers
[Stax/Tremolo Productions/Concord Music Group]

* Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who
The Who
Paul Crowder & Murray Lerner, video directors; Murray Lerner, Robert Rosenberg & Nigel Sinclair, video producers
[Universal Home Entertainment]

Gordon in the morning: Without you, I'm nothing

It's been a torrid relationship, but it's taken to a whole new level this morning:

SINGER AMY WINEHOUSE gave junkie hubby BLAKE FIELDER-CIVIL a “farewell bonk” in hospital before he returned to jail, pals said last night.

No, not Blake and Amy. Pete and Gordon:

By PETE SAMSON
and GORDON SMART

The deputy's byline climbing on top of the guv'nor? And the pair of them sharing a tiny story like this?

The source added: “It was obvious what went on.”

No, that's back to the supposed Amy and Blake sex. This might seem a little odd to readers who rely on Pete Samson's Gordon Smart's Bizarre column to track the lives of the famous, as they would have finished their breakfast yesterday assured that Amy and Blake were over. Apparently, it was Blake's Harold Steptoe charm which sealed the deal:

He told Amy, 25, how sexy she looked — and unlike the line from her hit Rehab, she could not say “No, no, no”.

Two men wrote that.

Elsewhere in The Sun - away from Gordon's kingdom - Leon Watson reports on Google's moves to tidy up YouTube:

YouTube bans 'suggestive' vids

Really, Leon?

"Videos with sexually suggestive (but not prohibited) content will be age-restricted, which means they'll be available only to viewers who are 18 or older," the Google-owned website said.

So they're banning videos, but not prohibiting them.

The internet's top video-sharing site also said it would step up enforcement of rules banning misleading descriptions in the tags and titles of a video.

Misleading titles, huh? Like putting "X bans Y" on top of a story about X not actually banning Y at all, for example?

Indie disaster: Hear a Pinnacle drop

Some really grim news for most of the top tier of UK indie labels, as Hypebot is reporting that Pinnacle distribution has gone into administration. Pinnacle ships out records for the likes of One Little Indian and Cooking Vinyl, as well as running its own label alongside.

Fingers crossed the administrators are able to keep Christmas alive for the labels relying on Pinnacle to get their stuff to customers - otherwise, the collapse of Pinnacle could just be the, well, tip of the iceberg.

Amazon MP3s come to the UK

After what seems like an age, Amazon have finally launched their mp3 downloads store for the UK.

Such a big player striding on to the UK market must make a few people nervous, huh, 7Digital?

'That's right', says 7Digital, 'it's going to make some people real worried':

“Amazon’s entry into the market is good news for the digital music consumer and will help accelerate the migration from physical format to digital. This is another victory for MP3 and another blow for iTunes – which doesn’t offer MP3s at all,” [says 7Digital’s CEO Ben Drury].

Actually, 7Digital, we were thinking that it might be more of a worry for, you know, smaller companies also flogging MP3s rather than iTunes, given that Amazon and iTunes have been fighting head-to-head in the US for quite a while without Apple whimpering.

But 7Digital aren't worried, because they've got something that Amazon don't offer:

“7digital.com’s sole aim is to provide consumers with a first rate music delivery service because that’s what we are and what we know. Their [Amazon's] MP3 downloads are only 256kps quality so they are not delivering the high quality 320kps MP3’s unlike 7digital.com,” he noted.

Oh, yes: when the consumers come comparison shopping for mp3s, they'll notice that extra 64kps in the big grid they draw up of rival offerings, and that'll swing it. It's not like an mp3 download is a spur-of-the-moment purchase where you'd buy the thing at the first place you think of, is it?

Given that 7Digital are one of those companies who think their customers need a logo to get what an mp3 even is, are they really pinning their hopes on the same consumers understanding why the slightly larger number even marks a difference?

EMI dragging down Terra Firma

The bumbling regime at the head of EMI owners Terra Firma have sacked two of the people who helped Guy Hands' attempts to control the record label. The FT reports that Chris Roling, appointed by Mr Hands as EMI’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, and Ashley Unwin, the music group’s chief operating officer for the UK and North America have left the company; Terra Firma has been forced to pump more cash into EMI to keep its bankers happy.

The FT suggests that making money from EMI is proving to be sticky:

Terra Firma’s equity injection highlights the scale of the turnround challenge facing Mr Hands without access to the credit markets he had hoped would allow a securitisation of EMI’s music publishing and catalogue businesses. Mr Hands has said EMI remains on target to cut £200m of costs, and has highlighted a £200m improvement to operating cash flow in the six months to September.

Ah, yes, Mr. Hands - a massive improvement to cash flow in the first half of the year. All you need to do is release a Coldplay album every six months, and you'll be back on course in no time.

Re-enterting Orbit(al)

After five years away from the stage (literally) Orbital look like they're getting ready to headline next summer's The Big Chill.

Juggy D hospitalised in Australia

Nasty incident in Australia, where Juggy D has wound up in hospital with the rest of his tour canceled after a massive asthma attack. D apparently had two inhalers, both of which failed. He's expected to make a full recovery.

Gordon in the morning: Boomerang Blake

Gordon and Pete are working together this morning - it would be unkind to assume that Samson's done the writing and Smart wrote the byline - as editor and deputy claim that Blake Filledof-Cocaine has failed a drugs test and will be heading back to prison (or "back to lags" as the headline has it, which presumably is meant to be a pun on Back To Black, even although it isn't). The pair claim that Blake - upon hearing the news - rushed off to try and see Amy Winehouse in hospital, while Amy's friends delight at the news:

Amy’s friend said yesterday: “She had finally started stepping up divorce proceedings again but he started phoning again and getting inside her mind.

“Now he is out of the picture again she can concentrate on getting her life on track.”

Given that while he was in prison before, Winehouse was more devoted than ever, you wouldn't necessarily put money on that.

In the interests of fairness, there's a brilliant headline in Bizarre today:

Beyonce's hirsutilicious

It's a pity it sits on top of a nasty non-piece about Beyonce's armpit hair.

Convenience stores: Blockbusters to sell tickets

LiveNation has signed an only slightly bemusing deal to allow Blockbuster stores in the US to sell gig tickets alongside hiring out videos and DVDs:

"Our research definitively shows that the vast majority of music fans who prefer to buy their concert tickets at a retail location find Blockbuster to be the most convenient choice," stated Nathan Hubbard, head of ticketing for Live Nation. "Blockbuster's huge national footprint provides Live Nation with a powerful marketing partner to help drive incremental ticket sales to our events and an incredible opportunity to develop other product lines centered around music for Blockbuster customers."

Blockbuster's huge national footprint is shrinking somewhat rapidly - but it does still boast around 4,000 stores across the US. Only 500 of which are going to be capable of selling tickets. So that's an average of ten stores per state, which is a wide spread but hardly the same as being just around the corner.

And what of this research which discovers - conveniently - that "the majority of music fans" who want to buy at a shop finding Blockbuster the most convenient choice? The first question is what proportion of likely purchasers said they'd rather buy tickets face-to-face than, say online: not, I'm guessing, that many.

But let's assume its a group of people sizable enough to be significant. Did they really say they thought Blockbuster would be the most convenient outlet? Rather than, say, the 7-11, or through a gas station? If they did choose Blockbuster, was it on the understanding that they might have to visit seven branches before finding one that was selling tickets?

It's a brilliant idea; it's just an idea which someone should have had fifteen years ago. In this age of internets, it's unclear there's a market of any size seeking to buy tickets alongside the DVDs they no longer wish to rent.

A very merry digital Christmas from the Raveonettes

The Raveonettes are making this the most magical time of they year, with an added special Christmas digital ep. They're even giving away a track as a sample: Come On Santa, for you to listen to. A ho-ho-ho.

Lady Gaga release album on a trademark

A press release scuttles into the inbox, bringing exciting news:

Lady Gaga Brings Her Much Anticipated Debut album to...

Something tells you this isn't going to end with "an unexpected peak."

...Mobile Phones Via New slotMusic™ Card

Yes, given that most mobile phones are mp3 players now, you could actually get the album onto your phone without a whole new format, but let's not spoil the moment - at last: it's a format so small you can lose it even more easily than a twenty pence piece. And with the need for only one extra piece of equipment, you can even hear the album in your car - like it was a CD or something:

Fans of Lady Gaga, who scored a major international hit with her single "Just Dance" and is poised to have a huge hit in the States, can now enjoy her debut album in high fidelity, DRM-free MP3 music on the go - in their mobile phones or other slotMusic compatible players such as MP3 players with a microSD slot, any PC with a USB adapter and even cars with SD or USB slots.

Yes, what could be simpler or easier while you're driving than to swap out a tiny SD card from your stereo SD slot. Let's celebrate that, finally, someone has come up with a format which will free people from being tied to a gramophone when they want to listen to music "on the go" - this sudden freedom to have music wherever you go is being undersold by calling it Slot - they should call it a Walkman or something.

Hey, but it's not just music:

The 1 GB slotMusic card will come with exclusive content only available on slot Music, allowing Lady Gaga fans to go beyond the music for a deeper richer experience.

That's great - you know, some crappy old formats don't provide a deeper, richer experience; they just pad out their space with a few cheap remixes and lob on a video or two. It's exciting to hear this exciting new format is embracing the exciting possibilities of the excitingness of its format. How will it take us to a deeper, richer experience?

In addition to the full album, Lady Gaga's slotMusic card will contain "extras" including remixes of the songs "Just Dance" (Live From the Cherrytree House) and "Love Game" (by Robots To Mars) plus the "Pokerface" video with accompanying behind the scenes look at the making of the video.

Wow... it'll be great to go beyond the music by, erm, hearing some slightly different versions of the music. I can't wait.

It's the future! It's... oh, bugger, I've dropped it...

Zavvi closes website

Zavvi - the stupid new name for what used to be Virgin Megastores - has shuttered its website following stock problems.

The chain relied on Woolworths for its supply of music and movies, and with Woolworths buckling, the decision has been taken to concentrate what CDs and DVDs it has into its stores. Presumably the decision was based on the criteria 'where are people going to be able to hit us if they're upset'?

Surviving Ramones do best to reduce interest in legacy

Marky Ramone, with the sort of eye for accuracy that would make the New Yorker proud, has flatly denied the old story that Phil Spector pulled a gun on the band while they were working together:

"There were no guns pointed at anybody," he said. "They [guns] were there but he had a license to carry.

"He never held us hostage. We could have left at any time. We had the keys."

Of course, the guns and hostages story may very well not be true. But why on earth would you be so keen to kill a tale that makes your band part of rock legend? It's as if Alistair Cooke had suddenly blurted out "actually, I wasn't even in town the night Kennedy got shot..."

It must be the first case in history of a story getting smaller in the retelling.

... or the Beloved Entertainer

Jim M emails with the observation that Elvis Costello's move into TV presenting isn't entirely comfortable:

the phrase "vanity project" springs to mind. Some of us remember when Costello confined his TV appearances to those occasions when he he actually had something to say, or perform. He's now turned into the sort of media darling he would once have scorned in his lyrics.

How showbiz is the project? The New York Times explains:

Cue Elton John. Mr. John and David Furnish, his partner, are friends of Mr. Costello’s through his wife, the jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall. (The two were married at Mr. John and Mr. Furnish’s English castle in 2003.) So last year, when Mr. Furnish was approached by a Canadian production company about creating a music-oriented program, one frontman came to mind.

It's not just a vanity project, it's a bloody vanity unit.

MGMT forgot the candied yams

Partly to mark Thanksgiving, and partly to remind people of their music as we get into this most voting-for-readers-poll time of the year, MGMT pulled out all the stops during their appearance on Canal+:

Gordon in the morning: No promo

Gordon Smart does some reporting today: Record label bosses are, he says, annoyed with Axl Rose:

RECORD label bosses are fuming after GUNS N’ ROSES frontman AXL ROSE went missing for two months – costing the band a No1 album.

The suggestion is that Rose somehow failed to help getting the news out about the record:

Bosses at label Geffen are blaming unpredictable Axl for the disappointing sales after he went AWOL for two months before the release date.

Despite all the effort put into one of the most extravagant rock albums of all time, staff could not contact Axl to get him to promote his rock epic.

This seems a little strange - admittedly, Rose might not have made himself available for Saturday morning's kids TV, but it's not as if Chinese Democracy was under-promoted in any way. There can't be many people left on the planet who were unaware of the record's imminent release.

And given that it took Rose the best part of two decades to deliver the record, did Geffen really expect to be able to control a process over which they've had little control so far?

Anyway, it's unlikely that anyone in the US is that bothered about the UK sales:

But they lost out to THE KILLERS’ Day & Age in Sunday’s UK album chart rundown — with BRANDON FLOWERS’ group notching up sales of 200,000 during the week — 80,000 more than Guns N’ Roses.

It's the US figures which will really be of interest to Geffen - and boy, does Smart make them sound bad:

Chinese Democracy’s first week US sales are between 300,000 and 500,000. Yet their 1987 debut album Appetite For Destruction went on to sell a staggering 28million, so they have a long way to go with their new effort.

It's sold 28 million, yes. But over 21 years, from a start being released into a very different market for music, not available solely through a single store. And when people cared about Guns N Roses.

Is anyone really thinking that getting Axl onto Letterman to let people hear one of the songs would have managed any more sales? On the contrary, the fewer people that heard the record before purchase the better - something Geffen seemed to accept, as it was so heavy-handed about slapping down that early leak.

If there are staff at Geffen who really think there were more sales in a clapped-out band's disappointing punchline, then they might want to think about following Rose off onto a much-needed holiday.

More festive stuff

If one version of Glam Chops' Christmas record isn't enough, you can download an alternative take - along with a bunch of other stuff, including Zombina & The Skeletones and The Priscillas - on Bizarre Magazine's Free album.

Argos giveaway

Eddie Argos' amusing-ish side-project Glam Chops has marked the start of Advent, not with a crown made of coathangers, but with a free download single, Countdown To Christmas and Baby Jesus Was The First Glam Rocker.

Meanwhile, back at the slightly less arch end of the business, Art Brut are off recording with Frank Black doing producery bits. For the next album.

The gang show

It's an increasingly cold world out there - when even the Independent and the Daily Mail are having to share the same toilets, what hope is there for independent bloggers? Hence, perhaps, the thinking behind MBV, a kind of United Artists of music bloggers, featuring Fluxblog, Largehearted Boy, Chromewaves, Said The Gramophone and others in a mix of feeds-and-unique content.

I'd just like to stress that No Rock is running around, screaming "the primo cartel will crush us" and plans, later this week, for us to announce a content-sharing merger deal with Courtney Love's MySpace blog, any vaguely music-related threads from the Points Of View message board and George Orwell's 1938 diary have long been in procession, and aren't just a panicky response to this new force in bloggery.

Annie quits the Island

Another artist for the clumsily named "actually, what the hell am I paying a record label for" file, as Annie tells Island goodbye:

"I think it's a great label, but I never felt they were that positive to my ideas...so we decided that we're not gonna work together anymore. After Nick Gatfield, who was the head of Island left the label...a couple of months after I signed, things changed. I'm an artist with lots of ideas, plans...so I'm gonna do things my own way from now on."

As if no longer having the confidence of musicians wasn't bad enough, record companies are now being patronised by the departing artists doing the "it's not you, it's me - I've changed..." speech.

John Barrowman webcam outrage... zzzzz...

Oh that noise? That's the Daily Mail busily gearing up for another witchhunt. Apparently, during last night's Radio One show The Switch, John Barrowman unzipped his flies in front of the webcam.

Seriously, how do the Mail know this? Do they have work experience kids watching all the BBC's output in a bid to find something supposedly shocking? Or does Paul Dacre spend his Sunday evenings watching The Switch website anyway and so happened to be there when it was unleashed?

Although there are only seven people left in Christendom who haven't already seen John Barrowman's cock, the Mail is keen to be starting something:

Last night, radio listeners heard as Barrowman, a guest who was promoting his new single, responded to goading by presenters.

Grimshaw said: 'You’re famous, we’re told, for getting your willy out in interviews. Is this going to happen today? Should Annie be careful?'

Barrowman asked: 'Is the webcam on?', and when he told it was, responded: 'All right. I’ll get it out for you then, no problem'.

Annie Mac is then heard screaming and shouting 'Oh my God!' as Grimshaw and Barrowman laugh.

Actually, that is pretty disgusting - imagine a webcam which might catch a glimpse of Nick Grimshaw.

So, Daily Mail - this is a man flashing his cock on a webcam, is it?

What's that, Daily Mail? You seem to have got bashful all of a sudden. What actually happened?

The BBC confirmed Barrowman had exposed himself on the programme, but said it was not visible to online viewers.

It also said Mac apologised at the end of the show and that no complaints had been received last night.

So, nobody listening was upset. Nobody - if there was anybody - watching complained. And, erm, Barrowman didn't actually expose himself to the audience.

So how does that opening paragraph on your report make sense?

The BBC was engulfed in another decency row today after one of its highest profile stars exposed himself live on air.

Doctor Who actor John Barrowman revealed himself in a pre-watershed Radio 1 show which was also broadcast online via a webcam.

The BBC received no complaints - which is the weakest definition of 'engulfed' I've ever come across - and Barrowman didn't actually 'expose himself on air'. Yes, the story does stir outrage, but only at the really skewed deceit of Daily Mail journalists.

Lesley Douglas: Life after Brand

Lesley Douglas has given her first post Radio 2 interview to Music Week. But, naturally, being the voice of the UK music industry MW decides to waste this valuable scoop by putting it behind a paywall, so instead we're relying on the MediaGuardian report:

"The music industry were so supportive, but it is very strange to read about yourself because I don't like courting press and singularly failed in that in the last few weeks. But the support I got from the music industry was amazing," added Douglas.

"It's hard for me to talk about the past, which is why I'd rather talk about the future. It's been a horrible four weeks in many ways but, as I say, the support I got personally was amazing."

Aha. So, instead of anything that might be interesting, we get a lot of stuff about her new job at the lucrative-but-dull Universal TV division. The BBC will be as delighted as the Mail annoyed that she has chosen to keep quiet about the Ross-Brand business that cost her job; it might not be too cynical to believe that she is clearly keeping one eye on a return to the BBC at some point and is keen to help the scars heal more quickly.

The Long Blondes: Dorian's robohand

Dorian from the Long Blondes is in today's Telegraph, which reports on the treatment he's getting following his stroke:

[T]he musician is now undergoing neurological physiotherapy – including training sessions with a "revolutionary" mechanical glove – and is optimistic about regaining movement in his right hand.

The device, called a SaeboFlex, can benefit patients by supporting their wrists and helping them grasp and release objects.

"It's a fantastic service, it's helping tremendously and I think it can work wonders for me and others – it's almost like a gym for my hand," Mr Cox, from York, said.

The Telegraph call the glove a "bionic hand", although it's not a robotic prosthetic - what it does do, though, is offer a hope that Dorian might get the use of his actual hand back. Nice to have a positive-sounding story to start the week with.

3AM Girls: In no way part of an attempt to market a TV show

The story of Simon Cowell being bugged and followed is in no way an attempt to add drama to the X Factor, oh no:

The newly-single X Factor mogul was "completely freaked out" after a sophisticated tracking device was found attached magnetically to the undercarriage of his flash Bentley Continental.

That this story has turned up on the soft shores of 3AM rather than what remains of the Mirror's news pages makes it in no way any the less credible:

He gets easily bugged by out-of-tune warblings on the X Factor, but the tables have been turned on Simon Cowell - he is being bugged by a Secret Service-style stalker.

Does that actually make any sense?

Our source tells us: "Simon is completely freaked out by this. He can't believe someone has gone to so much trouble and expense to monitor his every movement. It's extremely sinister.

"He was aware that someone, dressed in motorbike leathers and a crash helmet, kept turning up a few minutes after he went every-where. He couldn't work out how that person knew his movements."

Hang about - a person in motorbike gear and a helmet turning up at inappropriate moments? I think I might be able to help you, Simon:



So, let's see: someone has managed to somehow attach an expensive, mysterious tracking device to Cowell's car, without him realising and then - having been so secretive - turns up everywhere that Cowell goes dressed in a B-movie outfit that makes them stand out so much that he keeps spotting them. That's in no way inconsistent at all.

Gordon in the morning: Advent

I'm not sure why, but I'm getting the feeling Gordon might be a bit low on stuff to share with us today. Just a feeling, mind. Can't put my finger on why.

It's the most wonderful time of the year: that countdown to Christmas where Gordon Smart does his best to spoil Christmas surprises:

Secret for Victoria, David?

DAVID BECKHAM looks like he’s trying to Spice up his sex life — by buying undies for wife VICTORIA.

Becks, 33, and son Romeo, six, were seen holding bags from lingerie store Victoria’s Secrets in New York — also with Brooklyn, nine, and Cruz, three.

Not much of a secret now, is it?

Noel Gallagher has brought some of his trademark wit to respond to Status Quo's suggestion that Oasis are quite dull on stage and, since Smart seems to have confused Gallagher and Murdoch and lets him treat the Bizarre column as his personal fiefdom, he runs Noel's response in full:

“Normally I wouldn’t give a rat’s arsehole what Status Quo have got to say about anything.

“But tell those ****s from me that when I go on stage at Wembley next summer, I won’t be wondering about what the poster boys for Help The Aged think.”

Ha-ha. They're old, you see. There's nothing like 'you're older than me' as an amusing comeback from a rock star in his 40s.

You know what would be great, though? If there was some way we could conflate Noel's stance with everyday Bizarre stuff... a crossover... if only there was some way...

Not so historic after all, then

After all that waiting, all that press, and the best Guns N Roses can manage is runner-up to The Killers.

Eavis: Hostage to fortune

Were I a voter in Mendip District, or, indeed, a councilor, I might take a very dim view indeed of Michael Eavis claiming that there was no way Glastonbury would ever not get a licence:

"The local economy gets £100m a year", he told Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

"So there's no discussion about not allowing the festival a licence any more. They won't stop it now."

Interesting that Glastonbury has come so far from its roots that Eavis can apparently only conceive that a planning decision would be taken on financial grounds alone. If nothing else, there might be a risk to the festival of local people keen to send a message that their decisions can't simply be bought by a large cheque.

Downloadable: Carrie Brownstein's The Spells

Something which I've had sat in my inbox for an embarrassingly long time without posting: an email from Barry S pointing to NPR hosting mp3s and streams (and an interview) from Carrie Brownstein's The Spells project. Thanks to Barry, and apologies for having sat on this for way too long.

Live Earth 2008 axed

It's unfortunate that - for most people - the only indication they'll have had that there was meant to be a Live Earth concert this year would have come when it got canceled following the Mumbai attacks.

Moose weekend: Little Bird

Continuing our Moose shoot collection:



[Part of Moose weekend]

Blake: I'm the fall guy

From the shape of this morning's News Of The World, it's looking like Blake has decided that it's over with Amy and has embarked on a round of mea culpas.

Let's not be cynical - it would be very easy to believe that Fielder-Civil is merely telling the tabloids what they want to hear ("I introduced Amy to drucks") in return for a payday, or that he has cooked up a noble-sounding "I have chosen to leave her to save the woman I love" cover for the end of a relationship. It may all be true. But - oh, alright then, let's be cynical: if you really want to accept the guilt for Amy's addiction, and to do the right thing, why the hell are you in the pages of one of her tormentors making it all worse again?

ITV own your brains

Some somewhat alarming news for the celebrities - and David Van Day and Timmy Mallet - down in the wilds of ITV. Cerys Matthews is suggesting they check their contracts:

"Anything written in the jungle belongs to ITV. It's in the contract," she told ITV2's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Now. "David and Timmy think it could be a Christmas Number One but the money will go to ITV."

Presumably this is a little snare that ITV added in after Insania; but it makes you wonder who would be so foolish as to sign a contract which would strip away their rights like that? I'm A Celebrity With A Rotten Agent Get Me Out Of Here...

This week just gone

The most-read stories during November were:

1. R Kelly's sex video will get a court outing
2. McFly without clothes on
3. Beth Ditto without clothes on
4. Lily Allen with clothes on, but not the ones she started out with
5. Free download: School Of Seven Bells
6. Video: Von Sudenfed and Mark E Smith
7. Heather Mills, possibly without clothes on
8. Robbie Williams' passion for Keira Knightley
9. The Smiths a long shot for the Christmas Number One
10. RIP: Kenny MacLean

It was a weak week for new releases:


On The Hour Boxset - with the Lee & Herring written bits back in


Edith Sitwell - The Spoken Word


Rivers Cuomo - Alone 2


Rubella Ballet - Anarchy In The UV


John Peel - The Olivetti Chronicles


Kenneth Williams Unseen A somewhat surprising pairing of Hunter Davies and Wes 'chart show' Butters rummage through William's private papers


Chas & Dave - All About Us


Louis Barfe - Turned Out Nice Again - The Story of British Light Entertainment