European Film Awards: Winners

EUROPEAN FILM 2011:
MELANCHOLIA, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Lars von Trier
PRODUCED BY: Meta Louise Foldager & Louise Vesth

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2011:
Susanne Bier for HÆVNEN (In a Better World)

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2011:
Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2011:
Colin Firth in THE KING’S SPEECH

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2011:
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne for LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike)

CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2011:
Manuel Alberto Claro for MELANCHOLIA

EUROPEAN EDITOR 2011:
Tariq Anwar for THE KING’S SPEECH

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2011:
Jette Lehmann for MELANCHOLIA

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2011:
Ludovic Bource for THE ARTIST

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2011:
ADEM (Oxygen) by Hans Van Nuffel, Belgium/theNetherlands

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2011 - Prix ARTE:
PINA by Wim Wenders, Germany

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2011:
CHICO & RITA by Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal & Fernando Trueba

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2011:
THE WHOLLY FAMILY by Terry Gilliam, Italy

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2011 - Prix EURIMAGES:
Mariela Besuievsky, Spain

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2011:
Mads Mikkelsen, Denmark

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Stephen Frears, UK

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SPECIAL HONORARY AWARD:
Michel Piccoli, France

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2011:
THE KING’S SPEECH by Tom Hooper, UK

My People's Choice Awards Picks

I know the People's Choice Awards are simply appealing to the masses. That being said, I always vote just to say I did and here are my picks:

FAVORITE MOVIE - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR - Johnny Depp
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS - Emma Stone
FAVORITE MOVIE ICON - Morgan Freeman
FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE STAR - Hugh Jackman
FAVORITE DRAMA MOVIE - The Help/Moneyball (voted twice)
FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIE - Bridesmaids
FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTOR - Steve Carell
FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTRESS - Emma Stone
FAVORITE MOVIE STAR UNDER 25 - Emma Watson
FAVORITE ENSEMBLE MOVIE CAST - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE VOICE -Johnny Depp as Rango (Rango)
FAVORITE MOVIE SUPERHERO - Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique
FAVORITE BOOK ADAPTATION - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
FAVORITE NETWORK TV DRAMA - The Good Wife
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR - Patrick Dempsey
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS - Ellen Pompeo
FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA - Game of Thrones
FAVORITE NETWORK TV COMEDY - Modern Family
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR - Neil Patrick Harris
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS - Courteney Cox
FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
FAVORITE TV COMPETITION SHOW - Dancing With The Stars
FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA - Criminal Minds
FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW - Fringe
FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST - Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show)
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV HOST - Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live)
FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR - Kristin Chenoweth (Glee)
FAVORITE TV CELEBREALITY STAR - Kathy Griffin
FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA -Once Upon A Time
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY - New Girl
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST - Eminem
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST - Adele
FAVORITE SONG OF THE YEAR - Rolling in the Deep, by Adele
FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR - 21, by Adele
FAVORITE POP ARTIST - Lady Gaga
FAVORITE HIP HOP ARTIST - Nicki Minaj
FAVORITE R&B ARTIST - Beyoncé
FAVORITE BAND - Foo Fighters
FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST - Lady Antebellum
FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO - Rolling in the Deep, by Adele
FAVORITE TOUR HEADLINER - Bon Jovi

State of the Race: Updated Oscar Predictions (Main Categories)

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

Other Contenders - The Tree of Life, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Ides of March, Young Adult

Best Director
Stephen Daldry "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"
Michel Hazanavicius "The Artist"
Alexander Payne "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese "Hugo"
Steven Spielberg "War Horse"

Other Contenders - Terrence Malick "The Tree of Life", Woody Allen "Midnight in Paris", Bennett Miller "Moneyball", David Fincher "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", Tate Taylor "The Help"

Best Actor
George Clooney "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender "Shame"
Gary Oldman "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
Brad Pitt "Moneyball"

Other Contenders - Leonardo Dicaprio "J. Edgar", Michael Shannon "Take Shelter", Woody Harrelson "Rampart", Ryan Gosling "Drive/The Ides of March"

Best Actress
Viola Davis "The Help"
Meryl Streep "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Charlize Theron "Young Adult"
Michelle Williams "My Week With Marilyn"

Other Contenders - Glenn Close "Albert Nobbs", Rooney Mara "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", Felicity Jones "Like Crazy", Elizabeth Olsen "Martha Marcy May Marlene", Kirsten Dunst "Melancholia"

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks "Drive"
Ben Kingsley "Hugo"
Patton Oswalt "Young Adult"
Christopher Plummer "Beginners"
Max von Sydow "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

Other Contenders - Kenneth Branagh "My Week With Marilyn", Jonah Hill "Moneyball", Alan Rickman "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2", Philip Seymour Hoffman "The Ides of March/Moneyball", Nick Nolte "Warrior", Kevin Spacey "Margin Call", Stanley Tucci "Margin Call", David Thewlis "War Horse", Niels Astrup "War Horse",

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bojo "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain "The Help"
Vanessa Redgrave "Coriolanus"
Octavia Spencer "The Help"
Shailene Woodley "The Descendants"

Other Contenders - Jessica Chastain "The Tree of Life/Take Shelter", Janet McTeer "Albert  Nobbs", Melissa McCarthy "Bridesmaids", Judy Greer "The Descendants", Sandra Bullock "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

WGA Names Ineligible Films

Here is the list of films that are ineligible for the WGA. Like always, there are so many films that are contenders for the Oscar are not written under WGA guidelines, which doesn't necessarily mean that the WGA is not an accurate predictor, but it is guaranteed that Oscar will include films even if the WGA does not. That being said, the exclusion of The Artist, Beginners, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a big hole.

Original Screenplay - Ineligibles
"The Artist,"
"Beginners,"
"The Iron Lady,"
"The Lady,"
"Margin Call,"
"Martha Marcy May Marlene,"
"Melancholia,"
"Rango"
"Take Shelter."

Adapted Screenplay - Ineligibles
 "Albert Nobbs,"
"Carnage,"
"Jane Eyre,"
"My Week with Marilyn,"
"Sarah's Key,"
"The Skin I Live In"
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."

PGA Documentary Nominees

Here are the nominees for Best Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture by the Producers Guild of America.:

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
PROJECT NIM
SENNA
THE UNION

First 2012 Grammy Predictions

Here are my initial knee-jerk predictions for the newly minted Grammy nominees. Obviously these will change as  I take a greater look at the list.

Album of the Year - Adele "21"
Record of the Year - Adele "Rolling in the Deep"
Song of the Year - Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth "Rolling in the Deep"
Best New Artist - Bon Iver
Best Pop Solo Performance - Adele "Someone Like You"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse "Body and Soul"
Best Pop Vocal Album - Adele "21"
Best Dance Recording - Skrillex "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites"
Best Dance/Electronica Album - Skrillex "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album - Tony Bennett "Duets II"
Best Rock Performance - Mumford & Sons "The Cave"
Best Rock Song - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, & Country Winston "The Cave"
Best Rock Album - Foo Fighters "Wasting Light"
Best Alternative Music Album - Bon Iver "Bon Iver"
Best R&B Performance - Ledisi "Pieces of Me"
Best Traditional R&B Performance - Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona "Fool For You"
Best R&B Song - Charles Harmon, Claude Kelly & Ledisi Young "Pieces of Me"
Best R&B Album - Ledisi "Pieces of Me"
Best Rap Performance - Nicki Minaj feat. Drake "Moment 4 Life"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - Kanye West, Rihanna, & Kid Cudi "All of the Lights"
Best Rap Song - Jeff Bhasker, Fergie, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West "All of the Lights"
Best Rap Album - Kanye West "My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy"
Best Country Solo Performance - Taylor Swift "Mean"
Best Country Duo/Group Performance - Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson "Don't You Wanna Stay"
Best Country Song - Taylor Swift "Mean"
Best Country Album - Taylor Swift "Speak Now"
Best Bluegrass Album - Alison Krauss and Union Station "Paper Airplane"
Best Folk Album - The Civil Wars "Barton Hollow"
Best Spoken Word Album - Betty White "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)"
Best Comedy Album - Kathy Griffin "Kathy Griffin 50 & Not Pregnant"
Best Musical Theater Album - The Book of Mormon
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media - Glee: The Music, Vol. 4
Best Score Sountrack for Visual Media - Alexandre Desplat "The King's Speech"
Best Song Written for Visual Media - Dianne Warren "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet"

10 Animated Shorts Advance in Oscar Race

So I know nothing about the shorts this year, but for those who do follow them here are the 10 animated shorts which are now finalists for the Oscars.

"Dimanche/Sunday," Patrick Doyon, director (National Film Board of Canada)

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors (Moonbot Studios LA, LLC)

"I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat," Matthew O'Callaghan, director and Sam Register, executive producer (Warner Bros. Animation Inc.)

"La Luna," Enrico Casarosa, director (Pixar Animation Studios)

"Luminaris," Juan Pablo Zaramella, director (JPZtudio)

"Magic Piano," Martin Clapp, director and Hugh Welchman, producer (BreakThru Films)

"A Morning Stroll," Grant Orchard, director and Sue Goffe, producer (Studio AKA)

"Paths of Hate," Damian Nenow, director (Platige Image)

"Specky Four-Eyes," Jean-Claude Rozec, director and Mathieu Courtois, producer (Vivement Lundi!)

"Wild Life," Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, directors (National Film Board of Canada)

2011 Golden Satellite Nominees

As always, there are 1,000 nominees, and the reputation of this organization is not great. But press is press and recognition is recognition. Noticed some nice inclusions, and some snubs including Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bojo from The Artist.

Motion Picture

•The Artist
•The Descendants
•Drive
•The Help
•Hugo
•Midnight in Paris
•Moneyball
•Shame
•Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
•War Horse

Director

•Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
•Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
•Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
•John Michael McDonagh, The Guard
•Steve McQueen, Shame
•Alexander Payne, The Descendants
•Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
•Martin Scorsese, Hugo
•Steven Spielberg, War Horse
•Tate Taylor, The Help

Best Actress in a Motion Picture

•Olivia Colman, Tyrannosaur
•Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
•Viola Davis, The Help
•Vera Farmiga, Higher Ground
•Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
•Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
•Charlize Theron, Young Adult
•Emily Watson, Oranges and Sunshine
•Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Best Actor in a Motion Picture

•George Clooney, The Descendants
•Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
•Michael Fassbender, Shame
•Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
•Tom Hardy, Warrior
•Woody Harrelson, Rampart
•Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
•Brad Pitt, Moneyball
•Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Actress in a Supporting Role

•Jessica Chastain, Tree of Life
•Elle Fanning, Super 8
•Lisa Feret, Mozart’s Sister
•Judy Greer, The Descendants
•Rachel McAdams, Midnight in Paris
•Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
•Carey Mulligan, Shame
•Octavia Spencer, The Help
•Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus
•Kate Winslet, Carnage

Actor in a Supporting Role

•Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
•Albert Brooks, Drive
•Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
•Jonah Hill, Moneyball
•Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
•Nick Nolte, Warrior
•Christopher Plummer, Beginners
•Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
•Christoph Waltz, Carnage
•Hugo Weaving, Oranges and Sunshine

Motion Picture, Foreign Film

•Faust
•Kid with a Bike
•Las Acacias
•Le Havre
•Miss Bala
•Mozart’s Sister
•Mysteries of Lisbon
•A Separation
•13 Assassins
•The Turin Horse

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

•The Adventures of TinTin
•Kung Fu Panda 2
•The Muppets
•Puss in Boots
•Rango
•Rio

Motion Picture, Documentary

•American: The Bill Hicks Story
•Cave of Forgotten Dreams
•The Interrupters
•My Perestroika
•One Lucky Elephant
•Pina
•Project Nim
•Tabloid
•Senna

Screenplay, Original

•Tyrannosaur, Paddy Considine
•Mozart’s Sister, Rene Feret
•The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
•The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
•The Guard, John Michael McDonagh
•Shame, Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan

Screenplay, Adapted

•The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Lost Unicorn, Steven Moffat, Joe Cornish & Edgar Wright
•Albert Nobbs, Glenn Close, John Banville
•The Descendants, Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
•The Help, Tate Taylor
•Moneyball, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin story by Stan Chervin
•War Horse, Lee Hall and Richard Curtis

Original Score

•Marco Beltrami, Soul Surfer
•Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
•Michael Giacchino, Super 8
•Cliff Martinez, Drive
•James Newton Howard, Water for Elephants
•John Williams, War Horse

Original Song

•Bridge of Light, Pink, Alecia Moore & Billy Mann, Happy Feet 2
•Gathering Stories, Jonsi, Jonsi & Cameron Crowe, We Bought a Zoo
•Hello Hello, Elton John, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Gnomeo & Juliet
•Lay Your Head Down, Sinead O’Connor, Brian Byrne & Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
•Life is a Happy Song, Jason Segel & Amy Adams & Muppets, Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
•Man or Muppet, Jason Segel & Walter, Bret McKenzie, The Muppets

Cinematography

•Bruno Delbonnel, Faust
•Janusz KaminskI, War Horse
•Emmanuel Lubezki, Tree of Life
•Robert Richardson, Hugo
•Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
•Newton Thomas Sigel, Drive

Visual Effects

•Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Tim burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
•Hugo – Robert Legato
•Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Jeff Capogreco, R. Christopher White
•Super 8 – Dennis Muren, Kim Libreri, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh
•Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon – Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler, John Frazier
•War Horse – Ben Morris

Film Editing

•Chris Gill, The Guard
•Mat Newman, Drive
•Kevin Tent, The Descendants
•Joe Walker, Shame
•John Gilroy, Sean Albertson, Matt Chesse, Aaron Marshall, Warrior

Sound (Editing and Mixing)

•Drive – Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis, Robert Fernandez, Dave Patterson
•Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener, James Mather
•Super 8 – Mark Ulano, Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson,Tom Johnson, Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
•The Tree of Life – Craig Berkey, Christopher Scarabosio, Jeremy Peirson, Erik Aadahl, John Pritchett, Kirk Francis
•Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon – Peter J. Devlin, Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Erik Aadahl
•War Horse – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom johnson, Richard Hymns

Art Direction & Production Design

•Anonymous, Stephan O. Gessler, Sebastian T. Krawinkel
•The Artist, Gregory S. Hooper, Laurence Bennett
•Faust, Yelena Zhukova, Jiri Trier
•Hugo, Dante Ferretti, Francesca lo Schiavo
•Mysteries of Lisbon, Isabel Branco
•Water for Elephants, Jack Fisk

National Board of Review Winners

So Hugo gets a huge publicity boost, as it has been a while that a NBR winner did not go on to get a Best Picture nomination. The Descendants also got a boost after its NYFCC shut out winning Actor, Supporting Actress, and Adapted Screenplay. Tilda Swinton also got a huge boost, and she needs it in the crowded Best Actress race. There were some snubs, The Help managing an ensemble nod, but not top 10, and Moneyball completely left out. This does not mean they are out of the race. I also think that the NBR shows the weakness of The Artist. Hugo is similar to it as a love letter to cinema, and with both vying the may cancel each other out. It also means that there will probably not be one critics winner this season, but maybe split up among a few films. I know that some see the NBR as worthless, but they still manage to be included in the conversation and serve as a boost for its honorees. So it's worth taking note. Also, the 50/50 screenplay win means in that category it could be a surprise dark horse contender.

Best Film - Hugo

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, "50/50"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, "The Descendants"

Best Animated Feature: "Rango"

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, "Like Crazy"

Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"

Best Ensemble: "The Help"

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender ("A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame," "X-Men: First Class")

NBR Freedom of Expression: "Crime After Crime"

NBR Freedom of Expression: "Pariah"

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"

Best Documentary: "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise - A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film

Top Films (in alphabetical order)
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Drive"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"The Ides of March"
"J. Edgar"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
"13 Assassins"
"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"
"Footnote"
"Le Havre"
"Point Blank"

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
"Born to be Wild"
"Buck"
"George Harrison: Living in the Material World"
"Project Nim"
"Senna"

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
"50/50"
"Another Earth"
"Beginners"
"A Better Life"
"Cedar Rapids"
"Margin Call"
"Shame"
"Take Shelter"
"We Need To Talk About Kevin"
"Win Win"

Grammy Nominations Analysis

General Categories
The Grammys are of course a conundrum for all who pay attention to them, because for every great nomination, there are some that are simply cringe worth. And this year was no exception. In Album of the Year, Adele and Lady Gaga got in, both not surprises at all, and while I think this is a slight Foo Fighters record, I'm not shocked that they too got a nod, considering the Grammy's love them. It is the last two slots that bother me. Rihanna has some great singles, but Loud as a whole wasn't her best effort. She should have gotten Record of the Year over Album of the Year, but even then I like her, and she is less cringe-worthy than the completely annoying Bruno Mars, who managed to get in here. Those last two slots could have gone to some incredible work, and spread the love out over several genres. Instead they took four Pop Vocal nominees and one Rock Album nominee (And let's face it, The Lady Killer from Cee-Lo would have been a better choice). While I'm glad the love affair with Taylor Swift has ended for the General Categories, I'm surprised that there were no country nods. And I'm happy Kanye leads (I know he's a douche, but he's a  talented douche), I can't help but think his indiscretions cost him an Album of the Year nomination, which is simply a travesty, considering it was the best mainstream album in this eligibility period. Hell, even efforts like Watch the Throne and Pink Friday didn't make the list, and both were better than Rihanna and Bruno Mars. The Record and Song of the Year categories had some normal inclusions including Katy Perry, Adele, and of course Bruno Mars, with his cheesy, metaphorical laden tune Grenade, a truly terrible song. But the inclusion of Kanye West, Bon Iver, and Mumford and Sons are simply fantastic, and maybe make up for Mar's nominations. In Best New Artist, we had four contenders that were possibilites get in, The Band Perry, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, and Bon Iver (who is not a new artist, but whatever). But of course the Grammy's threw us a curve ball with the choice of Skrillex, a dub step group. Who new the Grammy committee liked dubstep? Of those snubbed names like Paul Simon, Beyonce, and Tony Bennett are the ones that kind of sting, well and Kanye, but you already know about that.

Pop
Pretty standard nominations to be honest, considering all the General Field nods for Pop Artists, most of these were completely expected. I was glad to see Foster the People, P!nk, Cee-Lo, The Black Keys (Which I don't get in Pop, but I'll take it), Body and Soul, Duck Sauce, Robyn, Tony Bennett, and Seth McFarlane. The winners of these categories will be huge indicators of who wins the general awards. My guess is still that Adele takes home most of the prizes, but there are always surprises.

Rock
I'm not really a Rock expert, so I'm not sure if these are great nominations or not. Coldplay to me is overrated, but I'm glad they only got category nods, and not General ones. To be honest, these seem like pretty standard nominations with old time Grammy faves like Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Kings of Leon getting major nods. I am glad to see Mumford & Sons, The Decemberists, Foster the People, and Bon Iver get some love as well. I will say that if there is any hope in voting directly on quality then Wilco, which was nominated for Best Rock Album will win. They deserve it, but unfortunately will lose to a lesser Foo Fighters album.

R&B 
I must have missed some artists this year, because I had never heard of Marsha Ambrosius. Of course then I did my research and realized she was once a member of Floetry. Then I did even more research and realized that when released it reached #2 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the R&B Charts. So apparently I really missed the boat, but the Grammys did not, and I am proud of them for thinking outside the box. Kelly Price, Ledisi, and Charlie Wilson also did well, as they have done before. Chris Brown also got a album nod, which may perturb some people, but the album was actually pretty damn good. The biggest exclusion is of course Beyonce. While 4 wasn't the biggest selling album of her career, it was still great in terms of quality, and while her exclusion in the general categories wasn't surprising, the fact that she managed only one nod (in Rap/Sung) is astounding, and she definitely deserved some recognition. Apparently, you have to continue to sell at your peak otherwise the Grammy committee forgets you.   

Rap
Three incredible albums that did not get Album of the Year nods, Pink Friday, WTT, and MBDATF, luckily got in here, although the Lil Wayne nod for the dreadful Carter IV makes me squeamish. I also love the Lupe Fiasco love, but would have wanted more J. Cole and less Wiz Khalifa. Overall these nominations seem like they were supposed to be this way, although the fact that Super Bass did not get any nods is beyond me. Love it or Hate it, it is the most infectious song of the year, and shows off Nicki's incredible talent very well.

Country
Where the heck is Brad Paisley? His, This is Country Music was a country album I actually liked, and it got great reviews, but it somehow managed to be snubbed completely. Oh well, I honestly don't know who will win any of these awards, considering the Country categories managed only one general nod in Best New Artist for The Band Perry, but that is not necessarily an indication because they too got no Country category nods. I don't know enough about Country to really gauge these nominations, but some normal names we are used to seeing got in, so I'm sure there weren't too many surprises. Please tell me if there were.

Overall, I am not too disappointed with these nods as I have been in recent years, although of course some of my favorites were left out. In the end, I kind of have this eh? feeling regarding the whole thing. Maybe this just wasn't my favorite year in music, but none of these nominations seem exciting, even the surprises. Of course, these are just knee-jerk reactions, and as I examine the list more closely I'm sure I will find some more things to be look forward to, and some more things that make me cringe. Later today or tomorrow I will post my first winner predictions, and also look out for the NBR awards sometime today!