GRAMMY WATCH - Musical Show Category - Picks & Predictions

This is TOUGH! This category is always so good and solid to me. Seriously, ANYONE could win. I am not a huge fan of Green Day... Not hating on them, but I just can't really get into their music and was very skeptical when the musical came out. I also think their rock and pop background will help their musical in this particular category. It just seems obvious to me here.

Musically, I can most personally feel, live and thrive my way through FELA! - I just love all the rhythm, and again - the material was a pleasant surprise when adapted into this modern masterpiece of theatre and dance.

For this category, because it is so good, I am listing the full nominations list for it.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 8pm/EST. For complete coverage and list of nominees, visit the Grammy website.

And the nominees are:

Best Musical Show Album

AMERICAN IDIOT (FEATURING GREEN DAY)

Billie Joe Armstrong, producer (Green Day, composers; Billie

Joe Armstrong, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With John

Gallagher, Jr., Michael Esper & Others) [Reprise]

FELA!

Robert Sher, producer (Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, composer; Fela

Anikulapo-Kuti, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Sahr

Ngaujah, Lillias White & Others) [Knitting Factory]

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

Tommy Krasker, producer (Stephen Sondheim, composer;

Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2009 Broadway Revival Cast

With Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angela Lansbury & Others)

[Nonesuch - PS Classics]

PROMISES, PROMISES

David Caddick & David Lai, producers (Burt Bacharach,

composer; Hal David, lyricist) (New Broadway Cast With

Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth & Others) [Masterworks Broadway]

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM

Philip Chaffin & Tommy Krasker, producers (Stephen

Sondheim, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (Original

Broadway Cast With Barbara Cook , Vanessa Williams, Tom

Wopat & Others) [PS Classics]

My Pick: FELA!

My Prediction: AMERICAN IDIOT (FEATURING GREEN DAY)

Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride! LOL

GRAMMY WATCH - Package, Notes & Historical Album Categories - Picks & Predictions

This next set of categories in my Grammy Award preview is for the packaging of recordings and Historical Album. These usually cover those big, bawdy, awesome packaged, multiple CD/DVD sets, some with books, all artistically manipulated to give music fans an 'ooh and ahh' experience in their journey.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be telecast live on CBS on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 8pm/EST. For complete Grammy Award coverage and to see the complete list of nominees, be sure to visit the Grammy website.

Best Recording Package

Not sure why it took 5 people to create the packaging for Eggs by Oh No Ono, it was so simple.

My pick & prediction:

HADESTOWN

Brian Grunert, art director (Anaïs Mitchell)

[Righteous Babe Records]

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

My pick & prediction:

UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS (LIMITED

EDITION BOX SET)

Rob Jones & Jack White III, art directors (The White Stripes)

[Third Man/Warner Bros.]

Best Album Notes

My pick & prediction:

ALAN LOMAX IN HAITI: RECORDINGS FOR THE

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 1936-1937

Gage Averill, album notes writer (Various Artists)

[Harte Recordings]

Best Historical Album

My pick:

ALAN LOMAX IN HAITI: RECORDINGS FOR THE

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 1936-1937

Jeffrey A. Greenberg, David Katznelson & Anna Lomax

Wood, compilation producers; Steve Rosenthal & Warren

Russell-Smith, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

[Harte Recordings]

My prediction:

THE BEATLES (THE ORIGINAL STUDIO RECORDINGS)

Jeff Jones, compilation producer; Paul Hicks, Sean Magee,

Guy Massey, Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers

(The Beatles) [Capitol/Apple]

GRAMMY WATCH - Production, Remixer & Surround Sound Categories - Picks & Predictions

My Grammy Award preview coverage continues with those behind the scenes categories, which showcase some very important processes in the recording industry. For full coverage and list of nominees, feel free to visit the Grammy website. The Grammy Awards will be telecast live on CBS on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 8pm/EST.

Best Surround Sound Album

My pick:

SONGS AND STORIES (MONSTER MUSIC VERSION)

Don Murray, surround mix engineer; Sangwook Nam & Doug

Sax, surround mastering engineers; John Burk, Noel Lee &

Marcus Miller, surround producers (George Benson)

[Concord Records/Monster Music]

My prediction:

BRITTEN'S ORCHESTRA

Keith O. Johnson, surround mix engineer; Keith O. Johnson,

surround mastering engineer; David Frost, surround

producer (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony)

[Reference Recordings]

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

My pick & prediction:

REVOLVER (DAVID GUETTA'S ONE LOVE CLUB

REMIX)

David Guetta, remixer (Madonna)

[Warner Bros.]

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Tight category and, as usual, there are a couple of questionable ones (Rob Cavallo & Danger Mouse) and a couple glaring omissions (will.i.am & Timbaland). I think it will be a battle between Redone and The Smeezingtons between the two parties were nothin' but chart topping #1 songs.

My pick:

REDONE

• Alejandro (Lady Gaga) (S)

• Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) (S)

• The Fame Monster (Lady Gaga) (A)

• I Like It (Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull) (S)

• More (Usher) (T)

• We Are The World 25 For Haiti (Artists For Haiti) (S)

• Whole Lotta Love (Mary J. Blige) (S)

My prediction:

THE SMEEZINGTONS (BRUNO MARS, PHILIP

LAWRENCE, ARI LEVINE) (pictured; CREDIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER)

• Billionaire (Travie McCoy Featuring Bruno Mars) (T)

• Bow Chicka Wow Wow (Mike Posner) (T)

• F*** You (Cee Lo Green) (S)

• Island Queen (Sean Kingston) (T)

• Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars) (S)

• Nothin' On You (B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars) (T)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

My pick & prediction:

BATTLE STUDIES

Michael H. Brauer, Joe Ferla, Chad Franscoviak & Manny

Marroquin, engineers (John Mayer)

GRAMMY WATCH - Classical Music Categories - Picks & Predictions

The Classical categories are always a crap shoot for me. I do my best to research the nominees, but there are always so many. For this post, I am listing only my picks and predictions. For the complete list, as always, visit the Grammy website. Some years, I am on the money and others not so much. My picks are what I like from what I have heard. Predictions, on the other hand, are hard for me as a lot of times I have to base it on history and instinct. Although, that pretty much is what predicting the way an industry may go, as opposed to another, is all about. It depends on if this year will be one when a label or symphony orchestra votes in a bloc or not. Yes, this does happen with the Grammy Awards, in my opinion, and historically it shows it's face more so in these Classical categories more than anywhere else. We shall see. Wish me luck - I'm going in...

Best Classical Vocal Performance

My Pick & Prediction:

OMBRE DE MON AMANT - FRENCH BAROQUE ARIAS

Anne Sofie Von Otter (William Christie; Les Arts Florissants)

[Deutsche Grammophon] (pictured, CREDIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER)

Best Classical Contemporary Composition

My Pick & Prediction:

DAUGHERTY, MICHAEL: DEUS EX MACHINA

Michael Daugherty (Giancarlo Guerrero)

Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony [Naxos]

Best Small Ensemble Performance

My Pick:

VICTORIA: LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH

Peter Phillips, conductor; The Tallis Scholars [Gimell]

My Prediction:

CEREMONY AND DEVOTION - MUSIC FOR THE

TUDORS - Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen [CORO]

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)

It will be a battle between the Decca artists.

My pick:

CHOPIN: THE NOCTURNES - Nelson Freire [Decca]

My prediction:

PAGANINI: 24 CAPRICES - Julia Fischer [Decca]

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)

My pick:

MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 23 & 24

Mitsuko Uchida (The Cleveland Orchestra) [Decca]

My prediction:

DAUGHERTY: DEUS EX MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Terrence Wilson (Nashville

Symphony) Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony [Naxos]

Best Choral Performance

My pick & prediction:

VERDI: REQUIEM

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master (Ildar

Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario

Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony

Chorus) [CSO Resound]

Best Opera Recording

My pick & prediction:

SULLIVAN: IVANHOE

David Lloyd-Jones, conductor; Neal Davies, Geraldine

McGreevy, James Rutherford, Toby Spence & Janice Watson;

Brian Pidgeon, producer (BBC National Orchestra Of Wales;

Adrian Partington Singers) [Chandos]

Best Orchestral Performance

My Pick:

STRAVINSKY: PULCINELLA; SYMPHONY IN THREE

MOVEMENTS; FOUR ÉTUDES

Pierre Boulez, conductor (Roxana Constantinescu, Kyle

Ketelsen & Nicholas Phan; Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

[CSO Resound]

My Prediction:

DAUGHERTY: METROPOLIS SYMPHONY; DEUS EX

MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Terrence Wilson; Nashville

Symphony) [Naxos]

Best Classical Album

My Pick:

VERDI: REQUIEM

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master;

Christopher Alder, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus &

Christopher Willis, engineers/mixers (Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga

Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario Zeffiri; Chicago

Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus) [CSO Resound]

My prediction:

DAUGHERTY: METROPOLIS SYMPHONY; DEUS EX

MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer;

Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers

(Terrence Wilson; Nashville Symphony Orchestra) [Naxos]

Producer of the Year, Classical

My Pick: David Frost

My Prediction: Blanton Aspaugh

Best Engineered Album, Classical

My pick & prediction:

VOCABULARIES

Steve Miller, Allen Sides & Roger Treece, engineers (Bobby

McFerrin) [Emarcy]

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS - Sunday, February 13, 2011.

GRAMMY WATCH - Best Classical Crossover Album - Picks & Predictions

In a year where Sting overtook the Classical Albums charts on Billboard, he is noticeably absent from the Grammy's list for this category. That being said, it is still a dog fight in my eyes. All I can say is WOW! This is what it is all about. Some of the best really shine the brightest here and that is why I covered it alone, as opposed to with the other several Classical categories.

And the nominees are:

Best Classical Crossover Album

MEETING OF THE SPIRITS
Matt Haimovitz (Amaryllis Jarczyk, Jan Jarczyk, John
McLaughlin, Dominic Painchaud, Leanna Rutt & Matt
Wilson) [Oxingale Records]

OFF THE MAP
The Silk Road Ensemble [World Village]

ROOTS - MY LIFE, MY SONG
Jessye Norman (Ira Coleman, Steve Johns, Mike Lovatt,
Mark Markham & Martin Williams) [Sony Classical]

TIN, CHRISTOPHER: CALLING ALL DAWNS
Lucas Richman, conductor (Sussan Deyhim, Lia, Kaori
Omura, Dulce Pontes, Jia Ruhan, Aoi Tada & Frederica von
Stade; Anonymous 4 & Soweto Gospel Choir; Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra) [Tin Works Publishing]

VOCABULARIES
Bobby McFerrin
[Emarcy/Universal

Jessye Norman has had a long and storied career and her look back on not only that in Roots, but her life as well is a surefire tour de force. Silk Road Ensemble and Matt Haimovitz put forth solid efforts. Soweto Gospel Choir with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, just the culmination of that work coming together and the back story of it makes you want to cheer for them. Definitely a heart tugger. Bobby McFerrin will definitely get votes from his pop and jazz families, and deservedly so with him expanding his already broad range. His Vocabularies is definitely a feather in his cap.

My Pick: Jessye Norman

My Predicition: Bobby McFerrin

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be telecast live on CBS - Sunday, February 13.

For more information on the nominees and for full coverage visit www.grammy.com.

GRAMMY WATCH - Music Video Categories - Predictions & Picks

Last year, I waited till the last minute, got horribly ill and couldn't finish my blogs about the Grammy Awards - with my annual picks and predictions. In fact, for the first time in my life, I totally missed the entire broadcast altogether. Anyone who knows me knows that the four major U.S. showbusiness awards dates are almost like a national holiday for me - these next several blogs will be all about the music, which is food for my soul.

This year, as always, the Grammy nominations provide a hodge podge of what the music industry sees as it's best worthy of recognition. They have gotten younger in their choices, but all in all every category has what should be there along with one or two surprises - and, of course, a few glaring omissions.

I am kicking off my Grammy coverage with two categories that I have always argued whether or not Grammy ever gets it right. Sometimes they reward an artist for career achievement here, without having to give them a vocal Grammy (ie Janet Jackson and Madonna won their first Grammy Awards in these categories), other times they go so left field one wonders who is choosing in these categories (if anyone at all). Short Form is for those videos we lay people seemingly catch on MTV, VH1, et al - Long Form is collections, concerts, documentaries with longer running times.

Best Short Form Music Video

AIN'T NO GRAVE / THE JOHNNY CASH PROJECT

Chris Milk, video director; Jennifer Heath, Aaron Koblin & Rick

Rubin, video producers [American/Universal] (Johnny Cash)

LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (EXPLICIT VERSION)

Joseph Kahn, video director; Maryann Tanedo, video producer

[Aftermath] Eminem & Rihanna

STYLO

Pete Candeland & Jamie Hewlett, video directors; Cara Speller,

video producer

[Virgin Records] Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack

F*** YOU

Matt Stawski, video director; Paul Bock, video producer

[Elektra] Cee Lo Green

BAD ROMANCE

Francis Lawrence, video director; Heather Heller, video producer

[Streamline/Interscope/KonLive/Cherrytree] Lady Gaga

I say it is between Lady Gaga and Cee Lo Green. First of all, let it be known I am tickled pink about F*** YOU getting some nominations. It says a lot about censorship, freedom of speech, etc. Cee Lo Green I ain't mad at ya! I love it. However, Lady Gaga simply, very simply worked the hell out of that Bad Romance video and I hope she gets the prize here. Don't count out Eminem & Rihanna (Em has the most nominations this year with 10) and everybody industry wide loves them some Johnny Cass and I wouldn't be surprised if they reward him posthumously here.

My Pick: Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

My Prediction: Bad Romance - Lady Gaga, BUT...she may be 'too popular' for Granny tastes among elder Grammy voters beaming it to Cash, or those who want to make a bold statement guiding Grammy Cee-Lo Green's way.

Best Long Form Music Video

NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN

Blur. Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern & Giorgio Testi, video directors;

Thomas Benski, Laura Collins & Lucas Ochoa, video producers

[Parlophone/EMI]

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE

(The Doors). Tom Dicillo, video director; John Beug, Jeff Jampol, Peter

Jankowski & Dick Wolf, video producers [Eagle Vision]

THE GREATEST EARS IN TOWN: THE ARIF MARDIN

STORY

(Arif Mardin) Doug Biro & Joe Mardin, video directors; Doug Biro & Joe

Mardin, video producers [Nunoise Records]

RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE

Rush. Sam Dunn & Scot McFadyen, video directors; Sam Dunn & Scot

McFadyen, video producers [Zoe]

UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The White Stripes. Emmett Malloy, video director; Ian Montone & Mike Sarkissian,

video producers [Third Man/Warner Bros.]

A lot of history here. The Doors, Rush, Arif Mardin, White Stripes, Blur... WOW!

My pick: Arif Mardin - Gone, but not forgotten - he was such an awesome producer and this would be a nice testament to his legacy.

My prediction: The White Stripes are Grammy darlings and I just have a hunch about this one.

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Photo: Lady Gaga, from Nick Knight photo shoot, CREDIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be telecast live on Sundays, February 13 - 8pm on CBS.

For more about the Grammy Awards visit their website.