Celebrity Dish: Serving up the gossip you should know!
Let the awards season begin.
Nominations for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards were announced last week, with a televised concert honoring some of the year’s best in music. The awards show itself will air on CBS on Jan. 31 live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
For the most part, the nominations went as expected. The leading ladies in music for the past 12 months – Beyonce (or should we call her Sasha Fierce?), Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift – earned a combined 23 nominations for their albums. It’s interesting to see such a large chunk of nods go to three genres of music. Beyonce clearly has a strong R&B sound, Lady Gaga has a definite dance/techno/electronica/disco vibe, and Taylor Swift’s country music borders on pop. But a blend of the three is apparently what we’re all listening to these days. And are we noticing a theme here? Yep – fearless, independent women (and single ladies – thank you, Beyonce) who want to just dance and understand that it’s too late for a white horse. Pink, Colbie Caillat, Katy Perry and, yes, even Britney Spears are joining in that message of girl power.
The Grammys also love bands. And this year is no exception. Black Eyed Peas, U2, Green Day and Kings of Leon all got significant numbers
of nominations. Dave Matthews Band, with a sound that is becoming more country than pop, snuck in with an Album of the Year nomination for Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King.
There are, of course, some interesting choices. The French pop of Phoenix in the alternative music album category, for example. But the one that surprised me was the nomination for Twilight for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album and Paramore’s Decode for Best Song Written for Motion Picture. Not that I disagree with those nods – not at all, in fact. I have the soundtrack, and I love it. It just seems like such a … mainstream … choice for the Recording Academy. After all, they gave Herbie Hancock the Album of the Year award a couple of years ago. It’s nice to see them paying attention to the music the public (or in this case, audiences) are responding to. Heck, the Twilight soundtrack already has an American Music Award. So, if it wins, does this mean that we’re going to call him “Grammy winner Robert Pattinson” in the promos for his upcoming films?
And in other music notes, former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson is recording a single, “High,” with fashion designer Richie Rich. No, it’s not about illegal substances, but rather haute couture. Now, this – perhaps – makes sense, given that she was married to drummer Tommy Lee. But I don’t foresee any Grammys in her future. But Anderson and Rich are familiar with the subject matter. The two are collaborating on a clothing line, A*Muse, that will hit runways during Fashion Week in February. We’ll see if she’s better at designing fashions or singing about them …
Krista Richmond is a journalist and pop culture enthusiast. Have a question, suggestion or hot gossip tip? Send them to her at krista@killerfilm.com.
