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2011 Grammy Nominations: Eminem Leads The Pack

Bruno Mars, Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum and Lady Gaga trail Em's 10 nods.
By MTV News staff

Eminem
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

At this point, perhaps we can officially declare Eminem's comeback to be complete. He's already got the year's best-selling album (and a pair of the biggest singles), and now, well, he's the most-nominated artist of the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.

On Wednesday night (December 1), Em picked up a staggering 10 Grammy nods, including Song and Record of the Year (for "Love the Way You Lie") and Album of the Year (for Recovery, which is also up for Rap Album of the Year). He also scored noms for Best Rap Solo Performance (for "Not Afraid"), Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for his turn on B.o.B's "Airplanes Part II") and Best Rap Song (for "Lie").

Following (not so) closely behind him is Bruno Mars, who landed seven nominations, followed by Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum and Lady Gaga, who earned six apiece. B.o.B and John Legend are among the names who will head into the Grammys with five noms.

The complete nominations for the 53rd annual Grammys:

Album of the Year
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Eminem - Recovery
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Record of the Year
B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - "Nothin' on You"
Eminem (featuring Rihanna) - "Love the Way You Lie"
Cee Lo Green - "F--- You"
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & the Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Song of the Year
Ray LaMontagne - "Beg Steal or Borrow"
Cee Lo Green - "F--- You"
Miranda Lambert - "The House That Built Me"
Eminem (featuring Rihanna) - "Love the Way You Lie"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
"Glee" cast - "Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)"
Maroon 5 - "Misery
Paramore - "The Only Exception"
Sade - "Babyfather"
Train - "Hey, Soul Sister (Live)"

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
B.o.B, Eminem and Hayley Williams - "Airplanes II"
Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck and Oumou Sangare - "Imagine"
Elton John & Leon Russell - "If It Wasn't For Bad"
Lady Gaga and Beyoncé - "Telephone"
Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg - "California Gurls"

Best Dance Recording
Goldfrapp - "Rocket"
La Roux - "In For The Kill"
Lady Gaga - "Dance in the Dark"
Rihanna - "Only Girl (In the World)"
Robyn - "Dancing on My Own"

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Arcade Fire - "Ready to Start"
Jeff Beck and Joss Stone - "I Put a Spell on You"
The Black Keys - "Tighten Up"
Kings of Leon - "Radioactive"
Muse - "Resistance"

Best Hard Rock Performance
Alice in Chains - "A Looking in View"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Let Me Hear You Scream"
Soundgarden - "Black Rain"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Between the Lines"
Them Crooked Vultures - "New Fang"

Best Rock Song
Neil Young - "Angry World"
Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man"
Kings of Leon - "Radioactive"
Muse - "Resistance"
The Black Keys - "Tighten Up"

Best Alternative Music Album
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
The Black Keys - Brothers
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Vampire Weekend - Contra

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Chris Brown and Tank - "Take My Time"
Chuck Brown, Jill Scott and Marcus Miller - "Love"
Ronald Isley and Aretha Franklin - "You've Got a Friend"
John Legend and the Roots - "Shine"
Sade - "Soldier of Love"

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Chris Brown - Graffiti
R. Kelly - Untitled
Ryan Leslie - Transition
Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
Usher - Raymond v. Raymond

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - "Nothin' on You"
Chris Brown, Tyga and Kevin McCall - "Deuces"
Eminem and Rihanna - "Love the Way You Lie"
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
John Legend, the Roots, Melanie Fiona and Common - "Wake Up! Everybody"

Best Rap Song
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
Eminem and Rihanna - "Love the Way You Lie"
Eminem - "Not Afraid"
B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - "Nothin' on You"
Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz - "On to the Next One"

Best Rap Album
B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Drake - Thank Me Later
Eminem - Recovery
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
The Roots - How I Got Over

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson - "Bad Angel"
Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury and the Punch Brothers - "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson - "As She's Walking Away"
Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins - "Hillbilly Bone"
Marty Stuart and Connie Smith - "I Run to You"

Best Country Song
George Strait - "The Breath You Take"
Zac Brown Band - "Free"
Miranda Lambert - "The House That Built Me"
Gretchen Wilson - "I'd Love To Be Your Last"
The Band Perry - "If I Die Young"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"

Best Country Album
Dierks Bentley - Up on the Ridge
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give
Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Miranda Lambert - Revolution

Best Americana Album
Rosanne Cash - The List
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
Willie Nelson - Country Music
Robert Plant - Band of Joy
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone

Best Traditional Blues Album
James Cotton - Giant
Cyndi Lauper - Memphis Blues
Charlie Musselwhite - The Well
Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Joined at the Hip
Jimmie Vaughan - Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites

Did your favorites get nominated? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Related Videos

• 2011 Grammy Nomination Reactions

Related Photos

• The 2011 Grammy Nominations Concert

Related Artists

• Eminem
• Bruno Mars
• Jay-Z
• Lady Antebellum
• Lady Gaga

Source: "Eminem In The News" via Glen in Google Reader

The 2011 Grammy Nominees Revealed ... Possibly

Eminem, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and more Grammy guesses, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery

Eminem and Jay-Z
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

On Wednesday night (December 1), CBS will broadcast one of my favorite events of the year: the annual Grammy Nominations telecast/concert/thingy. Not only is it the unofficial kickoff of the self-congratulatory season, but it gives me a chance to wager on another largely arbitrary and oft insane awards show. So, you know, I'm pumped.

After all, it's not exactly news to readers of Bigger Than the Sound that I fancy myself quite the prognosticator, particularly when it comes to shows like the Grammys (or the VMAs). This is partially because I consider myself an expert on these kinds of things, but also because I have a huge gambling problem. Sometimes, I even manage to hit the nail on the head, like I did with my predictions for last year's Grammys (who among us can forget my triumphant 4-for-5 performance in Record of the Year?!?), though, more often than not, I fail miserably.

Still, I keep trying. It seems I cannot turn down the opportunity to pick the nominees at crazy awards shows, and the 2011 Grammys (which will air Sunday, February 13) are perhaps the craziest in recent memory. After all, back in April, the Recording Academy — the folks behind the Grammys — decided to randomly extend the eligibility period to 13 months (from September 1, 2009, to September 30, 2010), which meant a whole lot of albums that I practically forgot about (Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, Muse's The Resistance, John Mayer's Battle Studies) were all of a sudden back in play.

All of that is a rather longwinded way of saying that these picks are nothing more than informed guesses, really — though, in keeping with the general WTF-ery of the Grammys, I suppose that makes them strangely perfect. In an attempt to save myself from total humiliation, I've decided to tackle only the so-called Big Four categories: Record, Album and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist. So here, for your wagering pleasure (and mine) are my predictions for the 2011 Grammy nominations.

Record of the Year
This is the Grammy for song of the year (in olde-tyme speak — and hip-hop — songs are referred to as "records"), though they might as well call it the Group of Death, since over the past 13 months, so many massive artists released so many massive songs. Last year, Academy voters gave the award to the Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," though this year, I have a feeling it could be a rapper taking home the hardware. My picks:

Eminem (featuring Rihanna), "Love The Way You Lie"
Florence and the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"
Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys), "Empire State of Mind"
Train, "Hey Soul Sister"
Usher, "OMG"

I'm pretty confident that Em, Jay and Train are mortal locks here, since their respective songs were so huge. Usher had himself a mega-year too, and since I see him getting shut out pretty much everywhere else, I penciled "OMG" in for a nom. I have a creeping suspicion that Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days" could be the dark-horse darling of this year's Grammys, since it's done nothing but gain momentum (and radio play) over the past six months or so. Of course, Grammy voters may just decide to go big, and if that's the case, forget Florence and pencil in Katy Perry's "California Gurls" (or Taylor Swift's "Mine") for the fifth slot.

Album of the Year
The award for the year's best album — according to the Recording Academy, at least — infamously went to Taylor Swift's Fearless at last year's show, a move that had Grammy naysayers howling that the category had more to do with album sales than album quality. Which sort of begs the question: Had any of those people ever watched the Grammys before? My predictions:

Eminem, Recovery
Carole King/ James Taylor, Live at the Troubadour
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Sade, Soldier of Love

Recovery is the year's best-selling album, so it's a given that it will land a nod here. Same goes for Lady Antebellum's massive Need You Now. Jay-Z actually won two Grammys last year, but BP 3 missed the nomination deadline, and it will be honored here. Sade's Soldier of Love was her first album in nearly a decade, a return made even more triumphant when it topped the Billboard charts for three straight weeks. And that Carole King/ James Taylor album? Dude, it's the Grammys. If one of those five stumbles, look for Usher's Raymond v. Raymond to pick up the nom or even (pleasepleaseplease) the Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.

Song of the Year
This one is given to the composer, not the performer. At last year's Grammys, Beyoncé's fantabulous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" shook its way to victory in this category, ending a two-year run of wins by British acts (Coldplay and Adele, just in case you were keeping score). Let's just say no one with a funny accent is gonna be winning this year, unless you count Lady Antebellum. Here's who I've got:

Eminem (featuring Rihanna), "Love the Way You Lie"
Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys), "Empire State of Mind"
Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
Train, "Hey Soul Sister"

Much like Record of the Year, Em, Jay and Train all seem like sure bets. Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" will get a nom here (shoot, it may get one in Record of the Year too). I think the wild card is Lady Gaga, who has to snag a Big Four nomination somewhere. Katy Perry and Taylor Swift could easily replace her, though. And don't count out Florence and the Machine, either.

Best New Artist
Last year's winner? The Zac Brown Band. I don't even see a country act getting a nom this year, though. Instead, this looks like a two-horse race between Drake and Justin Bieber, neither of whom — rather inexplicably — have been nominated in this category yet. Sure, Drizzy got a pair of nods last year, but thanks to the so-called "Lady Gaga rule change," he's eligible for BNA this year. You gotta love the Grammys. My picks:

B.o.B
Drake
Florence and the Machine
Justin Bieber
Mumford & Sons

I almost put Eminem and Jay-Z in this category out of habit. Like I said, there are definitely two front-runners here, though B.o.B had enough hits to at least warrant consideration too. Mumford & Sons and Florence both enjoyed rather modest success here in the States, though it's entirely possible they'll split votes between Academy members, meaning one of them might not get in here. If that's the case, write in Ke$ha or even the Black Keys, who are not only the kind of band Grammy voters love, but have actually been around for nearly a decade now, which sort of makes them the perfect act to win the Best New Artist Grammy.

Did we get it right? Share your Grammy predictions in the comments!

Related Artists

• Eminem
• Jay-Z
• Lady Gaga

Source: "Eminem In The News" via Glen in Google Reader

Ronald Isley, Anita Baker Honored At Soul Train Awards

Rihanna, Eminem, Usher, B.o.B, Alicia Keys among winners at event celebrating 40th anniversary of classic music show.
By Joel Hanek and Gil Kaufman

Anita Baker at the 2010 Soul Train Awards
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

Only at the Soul Train Awards could you have a tribute to R&B icons such as Anita Baker and Ronald Isley alongside a segment in which rap legend Doug E. Fresh attempts to teach CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer how to do the Dougie.

It was that kind of night at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, as rookies, veterans and legends came together in Atlanta for the second annual event — which was taped November 10 and aired Sunday night on BET. The show, hosted once again by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, featured a night of performances from some of the biggest names in soul and R&B.

Host Howard told MTV News that the show is meant to be an extension of the long-running and legendary '70s TV series that brought soul, disco, R&B and rap stars into viewers' living rooms. "It reminds me of the advancement black people have made over the years because 'Soul Train' really was the beginning of that Black Power movement when we could actually see ourselves — and to have an awards show based upon that 'Soul Train' — it's headed somewhere," Howard said. "We have a black president now. The country seems to be more tolerant towards the diversity inside of it so it seems like the train is moving well down the tracks."

The awards show marked the 40th anniversary of the classic music showcase hosted by Don Cornelius, and celebrated the careers of Baker and Isley, while handing out trophies to such contemporary stars as B.o.B (Song of the Year for "Nothing on You"), Melanie Fiona (Best New Artist), Eminem and Rihanna (Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year for "Love the Way You Lie"), Usher (Album of the Year for Raymond vs. Raymond) and Alicia Keys (Record of the Year for "Unthinkable [I'm Ready]" and Best Female R&B Soul Artist).

Though top winners such as Trey Songz, Usher, Ciara, Eminem and Rihanna were not in the house, Blitzer graciously agreed to accept Slim Shady's award for him, joking, "Who better to accept this award on behalf of Eminem ... I know he's thrilled."

Weaving through a series of skits involving magic tricks and jovial bickering by the hosts, the performance-heavy program delivered on talent. R. Kelly opened by teasing the crowd with his classic "Bump n' Grind," then diving into his new single "When a Woman Loves" — transforming the song from a slow jam into an all-out '50s rock-and-roll epic. Ne-Yo kept the show moving with a showcase of his singles from this year, including "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million."

The tribute to Baker featured an all-star cast, with artists like Chrisette Michele, Goapele, Lalah Hathaway, Dionne Farris, Kem, Tamia, Faith Evans and El DeBarge covering a medley of the singer's greatest hits. Baker told the crowd that the biggest honor of the night for her was that real musicians were performing live with an actual band. "It's amazing because you've got children behind you singing 'Rapture' — it's lovely," she said, adding, "Let's do it again!"

Ronald Isley, co-founder and lead singer of the Isley Brothers, also received a special homage that featured Jeffrey Osborne, Freddy Jackson, DeBarge, Tank, Eric Benet, Bilal and Peabo Bryson. Isley also came out to perform his own medley of hits and was joined onstage by Chanté Moore and R. Kelly for a rendition of "Contagious," their 2002 single that featured the Isleys. In addition, Cee Lo Green closed the show with a duet on the Isleys' classic 1959 hit, "Shout."

Among the event's other highlights was Cee Lo's performance of his smash "Forget You," which took place on a golden stage that resembled a cross between Kanye's Egyptian fusion and an OK Go video, and found the singer gliding down conveyor belts while belting his number.

Erykah Badu delivered a stripped-down version of her 2010 breakout "Window Seat" that featured the singer perched on the floor over a web of lights while appearing to orchestrate the vibrations of light flickers with her hands.

Soul singer Eric Benet performed "Sometimes a Cry" — a song that Lil Wayne cited as one of his favorites while in prison — bringing down the house with a soaring falsetto that bested his studio rendition of the track.

The evening's other performers included Bruno Mars, who sang his new hit "Grenade," and Jazmine Sullivan, who did a medley of "10 Seconds" and "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)."

Did you watch the 2010 Soul Train Awards? Tell us about your favorite highlights in the comments.

Related Artists

• Rihanna
• B.o.B
• Alicia Keys
• Usher
• Eminem

Source: "Eminem In The News" via Glen in Google Reader

PAC-MAN - Namco Networks America Inc.

PAC-MAN Namco Networks America Inc. Genre: Games Price: $4.99 Release Date: July 11, 2008

New Low Price for a Limited Time! ***************************************** Now Supporting Apple Game Center!! HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY PAC-MAN! PAC-MAN, the world famous arcade classic, returns in this faithful rendition for your iPhone! Who can forget the countless hours and quarters spent avoiding pesky ghosts while chompin’ on dots and gobbling up the fruit for bonus points? Relive the retro arcade action! Play Original, Normal or Easy Mode and guide PAC-MAN with three new control modes. Dodge pesky ghosts by tilting or rotating your iPhone in Accelerometer Mode. Navigate through the mazes by touching the onscreen Directional Pad in D-Pad Mode. Chomp on dots with the swipe of a finger in Swipe Mode. Munch fruits and other items for big points! Chomp all of the dots to advance to the next stage. Go for high scores and high levels! Gain an extra life at 10,000 points! Gobble blinking Power Pellets to weaken ghosts temporarily and eat them up before they change back. Avoid Blinky, the leader of the ghosts, and his fellow ghosts Pinky, Inky and Clyde, or you will lose a life. Lose all your lives and it’s game over! CHECK OUT THESE OTHER COOL NAMCO GAMES: - Pool Pro Online 3 - Isaac Newton's Gravity - Lt. Fly - Mr. Driller © 1980, 2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.

Source: "Top 25 Apps" via Glen in Google Reader