Grammys: December 2007 Archives

By MITCHELL PETERS

A Grammy Award is ‘‘probably the most coveted award in the music industry,’’ Universal Music Group Nashville chairman Luke Lewis says. Even the nod leading up to the statuette can boost artist awareness and album sales, as some nominees this year have already observed.

Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters, Vince Gill and Herbie Hancock will vie for the album of the year honor at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. And in the days following the Dec. 6 nominations announcement in Hollywood, the impact was felt at retail. ...

Songwriting legend Burt Bacharach, the Band and late jazz vocalist Cab Calloway are among the acts that will receive the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement award at the upcoming 50th annual Grammy Awards.

Swing vocalist Doris Day, Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman, jazz drummer Max Roach and bluegrass innovator Earl Scruggs will also receive Lifetime Grammys. ...

Kanye West leads this year's Grammy nominations, so he's not having a fit (yet). But apparently another Chicago music star is voicing his disappointment about being snubbed from this year's nominations ...

Grammy nominations came out just yesterday, but Rolling Stone is already offering predictions on who will (and should) win.

Kanye West, of course, leads all Grammy nominees with a total of eight nods. Fellow Chicago rapper Common also picked up three nominations. Here's a list of other Chicago-native nominated acts, which includes — alas — no polka this year ...

They're getting testy with each other on the campaign trail, and now Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama face each other in another contest: the Grammys. Both were nominated this morning in the Best Spoken Word Album category.

Clinton was nominated for "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World," and Obama's entry is "The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream." Former President and previous Grammy winner Jimmy Carter's "Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World" is also up for the award. ...

Comedian George Lopez began announcing the 50th annual Grammy nominations this morning — in Spanish. Then he stopped and said, "Sorry, I forget, it’s still English just for a few more years.’’

Some other quips and quotables from today's revelations...

The top categories have been announced thus far...

Early word is Chicago rapper Kanye West has scored the most Grammy nominations this morning, totaling eight — including Album of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album.

LOS ANGELES — Things couldn’t get much better for country star Taylor Swift. Her self-titled debut album has gone double-platinum, the Recording Academy invited her to help announce this morning's 50th annual Grammy nominations, she was considered a favorite in the best new artist category, and her 18th birthday is less than one week away.

‘‘I can’t believe all this has happened in just one year,’’ she said. ‘‘There’s a lot to celebrate!’’

Stay tuned — Grammy nominations about to be announced!

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY

NEW YORK — At first, Amy Winehouse was heralded as a gifted new artist with an amazing albums. Now she’s known for erratic behavior and alleged substance abuse — but Thursday’s Grammy nominations should put the focus back on her music. ...

At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards will be announced at the Music Box in Hollywood, Calif. Artists scheduled to announce nominations include R&B singer-songwriter Akon, three-time Grammy winner Fergie, 18-time Grammy winner Vince Gill, two-time Grammy-winning group Linkin Park, actor-comedian George Lopez and platinum country singer Taylor Swift. The Grammy ceremony will be Feb. 10.