Awards Show Tries Something New:  Music That Doesn’t Completely Suck

The Grammys generally don’t offer much in the way of music people actually listen to but this year’s list of nominees for the annual snooze-apalooza is surprisingly not awful. Sadly they still haven’t done away with vintage terms like “album” or “record” but at least most of the tunes aren’t ones your parents are likely to groove to in the mini-van so it’s a start.

But with the across-the-pond centric tilt to some of the categories, the award ceremony seems more like the Brit Awards than the Grammys.

Notable nods:

Leona Lewis’ career has skyrocketed since winning the British reality show X Factor. (For non-Brits: X Factor is a U.K. singing talent search with cantankerous Simon Cowell as the show’s lead judge and executive producer; American Idol is the uber successful U.S. version.) Nominated in several categories, including Record of the Year and Best Pop Female, for her single “Bleeding Love,” pop’s Cinderella superstar could cap a fairytale year with multiple wins.  Mariah, you might want to polish up that pop crown and have it ready to hand over, just in case.

Fellow Britster Adele, who’s hijacked Amy Winehouse’s once-promising career with her angst-y hit “Chasing Pavements” (and the whole not being a coke fiend thing) is up against Lewis for Record of the Year, and has several chances to return to the stage to claim trophies, including the career “kiss of death” award, Best New Artist.  Anyone remember Paula Cole?  Exactly.  Also up for the dubious honor, soul-voiced nominee Duffy, who charted with hits “Rockferry” and “Mercy.”

“American Boy” singer Estelle keeps the British invasion going with a nom for Song of the Year.  If she wins, the award would be sitting pretty next to the UK Best Female trophy she won over Lewis at the Music of Black Origin awards last year.  Maybe collab partner Kanye West will gift her with some mad Louis Vuitton swag from the line of shoes he’s designing between music tracks and all-cap blog posts.

Not to be shown up by the popsters from across the pond, America’s lyrical ladies are also representing.  Katy Perry and her ubiquitous played-it-till-you-wanted-to-scream song “I Kissed A Girl” will go retro pinup toe-to-toe against Duffy and Adele for Best New Artist.

Her marriage crashed and burned, but the music industry showed Madonna some love with a Best Pop Collaboration nod for her hit “Four Minutes” with music maestros Justin Timberlake and Timbaland and another for Best Dance Track, “Give It 2 Me.” Our money is on the Sticky and Sweet and very single divorcee rocking the red carpet in something sheer with fishnets.  Will the “fabulous at fifty” material model rock a pair of those to die for shoes from her new spring 2009 Louis Vuitton ads or something from Miu Miu, Givenchy or even Stella McCartney?  Such an embarrassment of riches!  As if hooking up with A-Rod isn’t reward enough.

And after recent family tragedies, R&B newcomer Jennifer Hudson returns to the “Spotlight” with four nominations, including Best Female R&B Vocal, where she is pitted against Dream Girls rival Beyonce and her metal glove. If Bey gets knocked off the podium, at least she’ll have bagging rights that she sang for the new prez and he knows the dance moves to “Single Ladies.”  Priceless.  But if she does win, who will accept the trophy:  Mrs. Jay-Z or Sasha Fierce?

Worst dressed on the red carpet is one award Grammy nominees don’t want to win.  The stars’ footwear will be ready for their close-up on the E! Stiletto Cam in these a “little bit rock n’ roll, a whole lotta cool” ‘Jewel’ heels from Sergio Rossi.

Read the complete list of nominees here.  The big show goes down February 8, 2009 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center and will be broadcast live on CBS. Yeah, we’re going to catch the highlights and the inevitable WTF moment on YouTube, too.

By ShoeMinx Pop Star Paige Muller

Inaugural Brat Pack.  So Much for “We Are One.”

Singer Beyonce is living up the title of her song “Diva.”  The R&B hit maker joined in the pre-inaugural celeb concert at the Lincoln Memorial in DC, but apparently the high wedge boots she sported were strictly for the stage, and not you know, actual mobility.

According to the New York Daily News:

After Jay-Z finished rehearsal for his pre-inaugural concert, he and wife Beyoncé found out police had shut down streets around the Warner Theater. Cops told the star couple they’d have to walk four blocks to meet their driver.

“Beyoncé wouldn’t walk in high heels in the cold,” says our spy. “The cops wouldn’t budge, but the Secret Service agreed to let the driver pick Jay and Beyoncé up, bring them to their hotel so they could change, and get them back to the theater.”

Well, glad to know the security of the nation’s president is in such keen hands.  And ShoeMinx would like to point out to Bey that Michelle Obama managed to walk the inaugural parade route in a pair of high heel Jimmy Choos.  So there.

But that was nothing compared to the antics of diva-tude poster child, Mariah Carey.  The cleavage-baring “Hero” song bird, who performed her classic ballad at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, threw a snit when she found that she wasn’t sitting with the First Couple.

Mrs. Nick Cannon was seated with other celebs, like Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, in the VIP area but somehow thought she’d be breaking bread with Barack and Michelle.  According to a Page Six snitch, when she realized she wasn’t, she bailed.” Maybe she thinks filling in for the Queen Helen Mirren in the indie flick Push actually makes her royalty.

The dueling divas weren’t the only drama queens at the celebrations.  Sean “Diddy” Combs, president and founding member of the “It’s All About Me” club, was rumored to be sulking that he hadn’t received an invite to perform at any of the official events.  And his ego was further insulted that Jay-Z had a bigger presence at the festivities than he did.

Maybe they all should have followed his advice to Lil Kim when she complained about her portrayal in the Biggie Smalls’ flick Notorious: “I can’t believe this sh*t. This ain’t about her. She needs to grow up and stop being a baby.”  Hello, pot.  Meet kettle.

If you’re going to act like a diva, dress the part in these attention-grabbing ‘Diva” heels by Mia.

By ShoeMinx Diva Paige Muller