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Kanye West & Adele Leads; Nominees Announced For 54th Annual Grammy Awards 2012

On Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Nominations for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards^®(www.grammy.com) were announced by The Recording Academy^® and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy.

For the fourth year, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of “The GRAMMY^®Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night^®,“ a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE. The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on “GRAMMY Sunday,” Feb. 12, 2012, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Kanye West tops the nominations with seven; Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars each garner six nods; and Lil Wayne and Skrillex each are up for five awards. Drake, Paul Epworth, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Nicki Minaj, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead, Rihanna, and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) each receive four nominations.

“Once again, it is most gratifying to see the GRAMMY Awards process produce a broad cross section of diverse and impressive nominees across multiple genres,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “This year’s nominations truly reflect an exceptional and talented creative community that embodies some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry in their respective fields. Coupled with the fourth year of our primetime nominations special, the road to Music’s Biggest Night, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards in February, is off to an exciting and appropriate start.”

Following is a sampling of nominations in 78 categories from the GRAMMY Awards’ 30 Fields:

GENERAL FIELD
Album Of The Year:
21— Adele
Wasting Light— Foo Fighters
Born This Way— Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops & Hooligans — Bruno Mars
Loud — Rihanna

Record Of The Year:
“Rolling In The Deep” — Adele
“Holocene” — Bon Iver
“Grenade” — Bruno Mars
“The Cave” — Mumford & Sons
“Firework” — Katy Perry

Best New Artist:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Song Of The Year:
“All Of The Lights” — Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters
(Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)
“The Cave” — Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
“Grenade” — Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Andrew Wyatt,
songwriters (Bruno Mars)
“Holocene” — Justin Vernon, songwriter (Bon Iver)
“Rolling In The Deep” — Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

POP FIELD
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Someone Like You” — Adele
“Yoü And I” — Lady Gaga
“Grenade” — Bruno Mars
“Firework” — Katy Perry
“F***in’ Perfect” — Pink

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Body And Soul” — Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
“Dearest” — The Black Keys
“Paradise” — Coldplay
“Pumped Up Kicks” — Foster The People
“Moves Like Jagger” — Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera

DANCE FIELD
Best Dance Recording:
“Raise Your Weapon” — Deadmau5 & Greta Svabo Bech
“Barbra Streisand” — Duck Sauce
“Sunshine” — David Guetta & Avicii
“Call Your Girlfriend” — Robyn
“Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites” — Skrillex
“Save The World” — Swedish House Mafia

ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Performance:
“Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” — Coldplay
“Down By The Water” — The Decemberists
“Walk” — Foo Fighters
“The Cave” — Mumford & Sons
“Lotus Flower” — Radiohead

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance:
“On The Backs Of Angels” — Dream Theater
“White Limo” — Foo Fighters
“Curl Of The Burl”— Mastodon
“Public Enemy No. 1″ — Megadeth
“Blood In My Eyes”— Sum 41

Best Rock Album:
Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul— Jeff Beck
Wasting Light— Foo Fighters
Come Around Sundown— Kings Of Leon
I’m With You— Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Whole Love— Wilco

ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver— Bon Iver
Codes And Keys— Death Cab For Cutie
Torches— Foster The People
Circuital — My Morning Jacket
The King Of Limbs— Radiohead

R&B FIELD
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“Sometimes I Cry” — Eric Benét
“Fool For You” — Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona
“Radio Message” — R. Kelly
“Good Man” — Raphael Saadiq
“Surrender” — Betty Wright & The Roots

Best R&B Album:
F.A.M.E.— Chris Brown
Second Chance — El DeBarge
Love Letter — R. Kelly
Pieces Of Me— Ledisi
Kelly— Kelly Price

RAP FIELD
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:
“Party” — Beyoncé & André 3000
“I’m On One” — DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne
“I Need A Doctor” — Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey
“What’s My Name?” — Rihanna & Drake
“Motivation” — Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne
“All Of The Lights” — Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Best Rap Performance:
“Look At Me Now” — Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
“Otis” — Jay-Z & Kanye West
“The Show Goes On” — Lupe Fiasco
“Moment 4 Life” — Nicki Minaj & Drake
“Black And Yellow” — Wiz Khalifa

COUNTRY FIELD
Best Country Solo Performance:
“Dirt Road Anthem” — Jason Aldean
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” — Martina McBride
“Honey Bee” — Blake Shelton
“Mean” — Taylor Swift
“Mama’s Song” — Carrie Underwood

Best Country Song:
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” — Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy, songwriters (Thompson Square)
“God Gave Me You” — Dave Barnes, songwriter (Blake Shelton)
“Just Fishin’” — Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
“Mean” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Threaten Me With Heaven” — Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O’Brian, songwriters (Vince Gill)
“You And Tequila” — Matraca Berg & Deana Carter, songwriters (Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter)

AMERICAN ROOTS FIELD
Best Americana Album:
Emotional Jukebox— Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down— Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain— Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman— Levon Helm
Blessed— Lucinda Williams

Best Blues Album:
Low Country Blues — Gregg Allman
Roadside Attractions— Marcia Ball
Man In Motion— Warren Haynes
The Reflection — Keb’Mo’
Revelator— Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best Folk Album:
Barton Hollow— The Civil Wars
I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive— Steve Earle
Helplessness Blues— Fleet Foxes
Ukulele Songs— Eddie Vedder
The Harrow & The Harvest— Gillian Welch

This year’s Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Danger Mouse, Paul Epworth, the Smeezingtons (Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars), Ryan Tedder, and Butch Vig.

This year’s GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 17,500 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2010 – Sept. 30, 2011). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 14 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 11, 2012, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 54th GRAMMY telecast.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures and John Cossette Productions for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, and Louis J. Horvitz is director.

“The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night,” hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J, featured the announcement of nominations in several categories as well as performances by country star Jason Aldean, two-time GRAMMY winnerCommon, hip-hop innovator Grandmaster Flash, five-time GRAMMY winner Lady Gaga, LL COOL J, three-time GRAMMY winner Ludacris, GRAMMY winner Lupe Fiasco, GRAMMY-winning hip-hop artist Melle Mel, four-time GRAMMY winner Rihanna, rapper Scorpio, singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson,GRAMMY winner Mike Stoller,GRAMMY-winning duo Sugarland, country music sensation The Band Perry, and seven-time GRAMMYwinner Usher.Presenters included actor Taraji P. Henson, GRAMMY winner Bruno Mars, R&B/rap star NickiMinaj, and pop singer/songwriter Katy Perry.

About The Recording Academy: Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to all the nominees and we wish them good luck. For a complete list of all the nominees visit at http://www.grammy.com/nominees

Source: The Recording Academy
Photo credit to: The Recording Academy

Drake to Perform at the 2011 American Music Awards; Ludacris to Perform with Enrique Iglesias

On Thursday, November 17, 2011 dick clark productions (dcp) president and executive producer Orly Adelson announced that Drake and Ludacris will each perform at “The 2011 American Music Awards®.” From the highly demanded album in stores now “Take Care”, Drake will perform his hit record “Headlines.”

Ludacris will join Enrique Iglesias as the 6^th unique collaboration of the evening which sets a new AMA record for the most collaborations in the show’s 39 year history.

The other collaborations will include Pitbull with Marc Anthony and Lil Jon, Gym Class Heroes with Adam Levine, will.i.am with Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj with David Guetta, and Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera.

The show will be broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20^th (8:00-11:00 pm ET/PT) on ABC.  Tickets are now on sale (please visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-234-8425.)

The show’s full roster of performing talent now includes: Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Drake, Gym Class Heroes, David Guetta, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Pitbull, Maroon 5, OneRepublic, The Band Perry and will.i.am.

This year, ABC will air a live pre-show “Countdown to The American Music Awards” hosted by Chris Harrison and Vanessa Lachey and live reporting by Ryan Devlin starting at 7:00pm ET/PT. In addition, the online pre-show “Coca-Cola Red Carpet LIVE! @ the 2011 AMAs” hosted by Lance Bass, Michael Buckley, Estelle, Sarah Hyland, Mario, Audrina Patridge and Josh Sussman will stream live for fans worldwide starting at 2pm PT / 5pm ET at ABC.com, Livestream.com/AMAs and other partner sites.

Artists will be honored in the categories of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin, and Contemporary Inspirational.  Fans can go to the official homepage of the “2011 American Music Awards,” AMA.abc.com, to find performer and presenter announcements, artist information, and more.

About the Voting :
American Music Awards® nominees are selected from both BigChampagne’s Ultimate Chart and Mediabase. The Ultimate Chart is a ranked list of the most popular artists and songs based on a weighted combination of music sales, radio and TV broadcast, internet streaming and video viewing, and incorporating additional online metrics, including activity on social networks. Mediabase monitors more than 1,800 radio stations in 180 U.S. and Canadian markets, 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and provides vital airplay and programming information to more than 1,700 affiliate radio stations and every major broadcast group.  Winners are chosen by public vote online.

About dick clark productions, inc.:
Founded in 1957, dick clark productions, inc. (dcp) is a leading independent producer of television programming. dcp produces perennial hits such as the “American Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Academy of Country Music Awards,” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”  dcp also produces popular weekly television programming, including “So You Think You Can Dance,” and owns and maintains one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment libraries, which includes more than 30 years of “American Bandstand” footage.  For additional information about dcp, please visit www.dickclarkproductions.com 

About the American Music Awards:
In 1973 Dick Clark created the American Music Awards to pay tribute to popular musicians from various genres of music and to put audiences in touch with the latest phenomena in American music.  Since its founding, the AMAs have honored and showcased the talents of some of the biggest names in the music industry. For press credential requests, please go to http://ama.dickclark.com.

Sources: dick clark productions and ABC
Photo credit to: Enrique Iglesias & Drake Facebook Fan Page