“Tha Carter III?” Not even close. Try “Tha Carter VIII.”
Lil Wayne – who is on track to have the best-selling album of 2008 – also leads the nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards with eight nods, including album of the year and best rap album for “Tha Carter III,” best rap song for “Lollipop” and best rap/sung collaboration for “Got Money” featuring T-Pain.
Other leading artists are Coldplay, who earned seven nominations, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, who each earned six nominations.
In album of the year, the nominees are: Coldplay for “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends,” Lil Wayne for “Tha Carter III,” Ne-Yo for “Year of the Gentleman,” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for “Raising Sand” and Radiohead for “In Rainbows.”
“When I was putting [the album] together I was trying to do something that more people would enjoy besides my pop and R&B core,” Ne-Yo said. “I wanted to do something the whole world could enjoy.”
For record of the year, the nominees are: Adele for “Chasing Pavements,” Coldplay for “Viva La Vida,” Leona Lewis for “Bleeding Love,” M.I.A. for “Paper Planes” and Plant & Krauss for “Please Read The Letter.”
Song of the year nominees include: “American Boy,” by songwriters William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West; “Chasing Pavements” by songwriters Adele Adkins & Eg White; “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz; “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles and “Viva La Vida” by songwriters Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, & Chris Martin.
In the best new artist category, Adele, Duffy, The Jonas Brothers, Lady Antebellum – for their second nomination of the night – and Jazmine Sullivan received nominations.
Backstage, Sullivan – a five-time nominee for the evening, including for best female R&B vocal performance for “Superwoman” – squealed “It’s surreal, I can’t believe they liked the project!” she said, laughing. “My story is one is perseverance, picking yourself up and learning from your mistakes and getting better.”
Fellow best new artist nominees the Jonas Brothers seemed a bit stunned by their nominations. “I can’t believe we’re here today, on stage,” said Kevin Jonas. “We’ve always dreamed of being recognized for being artists,” said Joe Jonas, wearing stylin’ silver loafers (see sidebar for more backstage dish) and brother Nick Jonas added: “I think what’s been very important for us is the songwriting.”
Two of West’s nominations came in production for his work on “Tha Carter III” and “American Boy.” And one has to wonder how he’ll feel about his Kanye vs. Kanye nominations in the best rap performance by a duo or group category for “Swagga Like Us” with Jay-Z & T.I. and featuring Lil Wayne and “Put On” with Young Jeezy.
Jay-Z also faces off against himself in that category, with “Swagga” going up against his collab on “Mr. Carter” with Lil Wayne.
Nominees in other major categories are:
Danger Mouse, Nigel Godrich, Johnny Karkazis, Rick Rubin, and will.i.am are nominated for producer of the year, non-classical.
For best female pop vocal performance, the nominees are: Adele – who received four nominations total – for “Chasing Pavements,” Sara Bareilles for “Love Song,” Duffy for “Mercy,” Leona Lewis for “Bleeding Love” and Katy Perry for “I Kissed A Girl.”
In best male pop vocal performance, Kid Rock for “All Summer Long,” John Mayer for “Say,” Paul McCartney for “That Was Me,” Jason Mraz for “I’m Yours,” Ne-Yo for “Closer” and James Taylor for “Witchita Lineman” are nominated.
In the rock sector, the nominees for best rock album are: Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends,” Kid Rock’s “Rock N Roll Jesus,” Kings of Leon’s “Only By The Night,” Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” and The Raconteurs’ “Consolers Of The Lonely.”
Nominees for best R&B album of the year included Eric Benet for “Love & Life,” Boyz II Men for “Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA,” Al Green for “Lay It Down,” Jennifer Hudson for “Jennifer Hudson” and Raphael Saadiq for “The Way I See It.”
Jay-Z for “American Gangster,” Lil Wayne for “Tha Carter III,” Lupe Fiasco for “The Cool,” Nas for “Nas” and T.I. for “Paper Trail” all are nominated for best rap album.
In the best country album category, the nominees are: Jamey Johnson for “The Lonesome Song,” Patty Loveless for “Sleepless Nights,” Randy Travis for “Around The Bend” and Trisha Yearwood for “Heaven Heartache And The Power Of Love.”
In some non-televised categories, Gwyneth Paltrow may get her own Grammy on the mantle alongside her husband, Coldplay’s Chris Martin’s: the actress is nominated for best spoken word album for children for her work on “Brown Bear and Friends.”
And although the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences ruled him ineligible to receive an Oscar, Johnny Greenwood can get some solace out of his Grammy nomination for the score for “There Will Be Blood.”
For the first time this year, the Recording Academy unveiled nominations in the top categories via a primetime concert special on CBS. Co-hosted by Taylor Swift and LL Cool J, performers at the Nokia Theatre included Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, John Mayer and B.B. King and the Foo Fighters, all singing their favorite songs that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The proceeds will benefit the Grammy Museum, which opens Dec. 6 at the L.A. Live complex in downtown Los Angeles.
After the program, King – who performed “Let The Good Times Roll” with Mayer during the telecast – said “it was a great thing for me. It makes me so happy. It makes me grateful to see all this technology and all these young people…It’s so good to be alive at 83.”
Grammy ballots will be mailed Dec. 17; they are due back on Jan. 14, 2009. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and again broadcast on CBS. Recording Academy Chairman of the Board Jimmy Jam said planning for the show – and creating a wishlist of performers – will begin Thursday.
For a complete list of nominees, please see Grammy.com.
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