GRAMMY Watch - General Music Categories - Picks & Predictions

The only sure thing about the major categories for this year's Grammy Awards is that Justin Bieber will win Best New Artist, even if I am kicking and screaming about it. Not saying the kid don't have talent, just that at least 2.5 of the nominees seem so obscure that it is kind of a joke to even still have the category, if they are gonna nominate some of these virtual nobodies. Drake technically isn't even a new artist, considering he had TWO PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS last year (this is the reason I made the choice for my pick the way I did)! And where the hell is Kesha?! So, all that being taken into consideration, it is almost like it is by design for Bieber to get the win here.

As for Record, Album and Song - the Academy got ballsy with some of the nominees in these categories - they will either stop it there or go all the way. I say RUN WITH IT!

Please...take the Granny out of Grammy - for once in your lives!

Record of the Year

This has to be one of the best contests ever at the Grammy Awards - there are so many ways they could go.

My Pick: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Angela Hunte, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Shux, producers;

Ken "Duro" Ifill, Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton & Ann Mincieli,

engineers/mixers

Track from: The Blueprint 3

[Roc Nation]

My Prediction: NOTHIN' ON YOU - B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars

The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine, engineer/mixer

Track from: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray

[Rebel Rock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

So, like, where have you gone this past year where you haven't heard these two songs booming out of somebody's speakers. THAT is what Record of the Year should be about. Sure, I could get lazy and predict Lady Antebellum here. Because if the Academy stays safe, as they probably will, then YES, Lady Antebellum will get Record, Song and Album - something tells me that isn't gonna be the case this time around - we already had that surprise sweep a few years back a la Dixie Chicks and haven't heard a peep from them since.

Album of the Year

My Pick & Prediction: Recovery - Eminem [Aftermath/Shady Records/Interscope]

Grammy loves career defining albums and this is one of them. Not counting any of the other nominees out here, just that Eminem has the momentum this year is all.

Song of the Year

My Pick: F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters

(Cee Lo Green) [Elektra]

My Prediction: NEED YOU NOW - Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott,

songwriters (Lady Antebellum) (Track from: Need You Now) [Capitol Records Nashville; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing/DWHaywood Music/Radiobulletspublishing, EMI

Foray Music/Hillary Dawn Songs, Year of the Dog Music, Darth Buddha Music]

I really will squeal with delight if Cee Lo Green actually wins here. What a statement the Academy would make by embracing this. They may think the nomination is enough. though.

Best New Artist

My Pick: Florence & the Machine (wouldn't mind Drake, although he had 2 nods LAST year)

My Prediction: Justin Bieber

GRAMMY WATCH - R&B Music Categories - Picks & Predictions

Grammy loves a comeback... No... Better yet, Grammy LOVES a comeback, and that sentiment may show more here in the R&B music field more so than anywhere else on the Grammy ballot this year. Soul/R&B music surely has gotten younger these past years. We can surely see that there is a whole new crop of neo-soul veterans here. The genre has totally opened itself up to new, yet very familiar faces. I think some of these categories are the hardest to call and, if I were a betting man, I would think a lot of these races are really too close to call. A lot will depend if the Grammy voters are going for sentiment vs. talent, vice versa - or a little of both. I am hoping for the latter of the three scenarios.

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

What can I say? With Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Jill Scott out of the running this category should be quite interesting to see who comes up the eventual winner.

My Pick: EVERYTHING TO ME - Monica (track from "Still Standing") [J Records]

My Prediction: BITTERSWEET - Fantasia (Track from "Back to Me") [J Records/19 Recordings LLC/ S Records)

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

I really want El DeBarge to win this for some reason. He went through hell and back in his personal life and has taken his comeback, criticisms and applause all in stride - and, you know what, this latest album is his best work, in my opinion. When I spoke of comebacks, this is the type of story I was talking about. Not the pseudo-type of comeback from say....mmmm, the likes of Fantasia - you know, song-stressed diva takes a bottle of pills crying suicide and is wheeled out on cue some two weeks later on every talk show imaginable - and all within the month before her album's release. mmmm-Yeah, right - okay. Whatever. Hope, for her sake, that was all just a string of coincidences. Either way, I have a feeling she will get the Grammy in the previous mentioned category. Not saying she is a shoo-in, but she had the story this year out of those five nominees, even if it was only a story for five minutes. Here, in the male category, either man would be getting his due. It is quite competitive. I think Usher has the momentum, but I sure wouldn't mind being wrong - THIS time.

My Pick: SECOND CHANCE - El DeBarge [Geffen]

My Prediction: THERE GOES MY BABY - Usher (Track from: Raymond V Raymond) [Jive/ LaFace]

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Ugh... Why, oh why do I get the feeling Aretha Franklin will win another undeserved Grammy Award? Okay, yell... scream - beat me up, but you know what I am saying. We all love Aretha, but dayum... I can count at least a few of her Grammy wins from the past that were questionable. She IS the Queen of Soul, so she IS unbeatable a lot of the times. I am just saying, this one she can sit out - health problems this past year, Lord knows, I said some prayers for ol' girl, but her duet with Ronald Isley is certainly not the best in this category. Not this time around. This category used to be so competitive too. Back when the likes of The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Four Tops and the like were around. What has happened to the GOOD R&B groups? Lately this category has been laced with artists featuring artists and duets and vice versas...who can keep up? And then there is Sade, who really is more of a solo artist seemingly being nice to her back up band. That is cute and I think she should win in any category, but she has cost herself more Grammy wins spreading the wealth for sure. I am sure she could care less, as that is the type of artist she appears to be - all for the art foregoing accolades; if accolades come, so be it - she seems very 'comme ce, comme ca' about it all. And the jury is out on whether Soldier of Love should even be in this category. It feels more pop, than r&b to me, which is THE ONLY reason I actually didn't select Sade as my pick for this category.

So, don't get it twisted. This is in no way an attack on our beloved Aretha. The whole category is jacked anymore. May the best (well, er....) one win.

My Pick: SHINE - John Legend & The Roots (Track from: Wake Up!) [G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia Records/Home School Records]

My Prediction: YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND - Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin [Island/Def Jam Recordings]

Gee, I hope I am wrong.

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Great to see Betty Wright getting a mention in this category and I wouldn't mind seeing John Legend and The Roots pulling an upset here, but there is that but... That being said...

My Pick & Prediction: WHEN A WOMAN LOVES - R. Kelly [Jive Records]

STRONGEST R&B joint I have heard in years, I think R will be hard to beat here.

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

While I love Janelle Monae, Cee Lo Green pretty much has this one in the bag. His song is not only nominated in the top two categories on the ballot (Record & Song of the Year), it resonates with just about anyone who has been jaded. Finally, someone put these words to a catchy tune - not to mention what it says about freedom of speech and for censorship. Bravo, Mr. Green!

My Pick & Prediction: F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green [Elektra]

Best R&B Song

My Pick & Prediction: SECOND CHANCE - El Debarge & Mischke, songwriters (El DeBarge)

[Geffen; Publishers: myElmusic, mischemusic/Universal Music]

Best R&B Album

My Pick & Prediction: WAKE UP! - John Legend & The Roots [G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia Records/Home School Records]

I wouldn't mind Jaheim sneakin' in here as well. I just think John Legend's work with The Roots is inspiring on many different levels - and I think Grammy will feel the same way too.

Best Contemporary R&B Album

My Pick: THE ARCHANDROID - Janelle Monáe [Bad Boy/Wondaland/Atlantic]

I know she doesn't have a snow cone's chance in Phoenix of winning, but dang what an upset it would be!

My Prediction: RAYMOND V RAYMOND - Usher [Jive]

Don't count R Kelly out here either. Usher's album had more hits though and he resonates with more of the general voting body, in my opinion.

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

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This marks my 250th blog post here - Thank YOU for your continued support!

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.