The 46th Annual Grammy Awards might easily be mistaken for a three-hour episode of “Total Request Live” minus Carson Daly. Don’t change the channel yet, though.
If viewers can ignore “American Idol” Kelly Clarkson’s nomination, 50 Cent’s five nominations and Celine Dion’s upcoming performance, then the Grammys actually succeed in recognizing genuine musical talent.
The White Stripes get due respect with their Album of the Year nod for Elephant, and the selection committee rightly nominated OutKast for six awards. However, both Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below and Elephant equally qualify for the coveted Album of the Year award. OutKast and the Stripes will also perform during the awards that start at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
The late Warren Zevon and George Harrison each received nominations, and if either wins, maybe Clarkson could borrow one of their statuettes to place on her mantle for a couple of years.
Christina Aguilera fetched several deserving nominations because unlike Britney Spears, who will be presenting an award, Aguilera actually has talent.
Record of the Year poses a difficult decision as Coldplay’s “Clocks” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya” span the musical spectrum. Perhaps the nominating committee should just tally up votes and see which song was overplayed the most.
Surprisingly, Avril Lavigne was not asked to present any awards this year- then again, maybe it has something to do with her mispronouncing David Bowie’s name when she announced last year’s nominations. But she did receive a nomination for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her sweetheart song “I’m With You.”
Hip-hop dominates this year’s award pool – Pharrell Williams pulled in six nominations, as did Beyoncé. Williams really deserves 11 bids for Grammy gold, yet somehow Justin Timberlake got the other five for his solo debut Justified.
Surely, when Hilary Duff received a postmarked letter from the Recording Academy, she had high hopes for her 2003 release, Metamorphosis. Fortunately, she was only invited to present an award. Other presenters include B.B. King, Faith Hill, Brian McKnight, Steven Tyler and Carlos Santana.
The Academy also recognized artists from another era, as Luther Vandross received a Song of the Year bid for “Dance With My Father,” proving mainstream music doesn’t always dominate the selections.
While Aguilera and Timberlake will give their predictable pop performances, Earth, Wind ‘ Fire, the Foo Fighters, the Black Eyed Peas and Prince will undoubtedly make the show a worthwhile viewing experience.