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Rockers U2, Soul Divas Lead Grammy Nominees
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Irish rock band U2, which enjoyed a
triumphant 2001 playing to sold-out crowds in support of its
acclaimed new album, led the list of nominees on Friday for the
Grammy Awards, the music industry's top prizes.
U2 picked up eight nominations, including the key album,
song and record-of-the-year categories, organizers said at a
news conference in Beverly Hills.
In a field largely devoid of the controversy that dogged
the 2001 Grammys, when badboy rapper Eminem grabbed all the
attention, soulful newcomers India Arie and Alicia Keys grabbed
seven and six nominations each, respectively.
The R&B divas will compete against each other for best new
artist, a category that also includes pop singers David Gray
and Nelly Furtado and rock band Linkin Park.
Grammy winners will be announced during ceremonies on Feb.
27 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The awards, which honor artists in 101 categories, ranging
from pop, rock and soul to classical, spoken word and polka,
appeared to favor acclaimed singer/songwriters over disposable
acts whose songs are written for them by producers.
All the contenders for the song of the year category, which
honors the songwriter, performed their own songs.
U2's mournful "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of,'' a
tribute to Australian rocker Michael Hutchence, who killed
himself, will compete in the category against Arie's "Video,''
Keys' "Fallin','' Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird'' and rock band
Train's "Drops of Jupiter.''
"To me, being nominated for a Grammy is kind of like an
omen to having a long career,'' said 23-year-old Canadian native
Furtado, who received four nominations. "If you expect to be in
the biz for a long time a Grammy means a lot to you. And if
you're a musician and you write songs, a Grammy means even
more.''
'WALK ON' ROCKS TO POLITICAL THEME
Dublin-based U2 -- singer Bono, guitarist the Edge, bass
player Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. -- already has
10 Grammys to its credit, including album of the year for its
1987 opus "The Joshua Tree.''
Its contender for the 2002 race, "All That You Can't Leave
Behind,'' has sold more than 3.2 million copies in the United
States since its release in October 2000. The album's first
single, "Beautiful Day'' was released before the Sept. 30 cutoff
date for last year's Grammys, allowing the band to win three
Grammys in 2001, including record and song of the year.
U2 had about three tunes among the final 10 contenders for
song of the year, said Michael Greene, president of the
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which organizes
the Grammys. He declined to identify the other two.
However, the U2 song "Walk On'' -- dedicated to Burmese
political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi -- is competing for record
of the year, while "Elevation'' and "Walk On'' are competing
against each other for rock song.
U2 will also compete for rock album, and the pop (''Stuck in
a Moment You Can't Get Out Of'') and rock (''Elevation'') vocal
performance categories.
"Brilliance is something that is hard to keep down,'' Greene
enthused. "This is a big record and they will perform on the
show.''
Classical conductor and composer Pierre Boulez also picked
up six nominations.
THREE NOMINATIONS FOR BOB DYLAN
Among the acts with five nominations were bluegrass
musician Alison Krauss, R&B singer Brian McKnight and R&B duo
Outkast.
Five artists received four nominations each: producer
T-Bone Burnett, Furtado, Train, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler
and country-rocker Lucinda Williams.
Veteran folk rocker Bob Dylan was among the many acts to
score three nominations, including album of the year for his
acclaimed opus "Love and Theft.''
Greene said the album was important but "a little
inaccessible'' to some Grammy voters, which may have accounted
for the relative paucity of nods for the tireless troubadour.
Dylan's groundbreaking albums of the 1960s and 1970s were
famously overlooked by Grammy voters, fueling complaints that
the awards are hopelessly out of touch. Overdue recognition
finally came in 1998 when his previous release "Time Out of
Mind'' won three Grammys, including album of the year.
Other album-of-the-year nominees this year, besides U2 and
Dylan, were Arie's "Acoustic Soul,'' Outkast's "Stankonia'' and
the soundtrack to the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?''
Songs nominated for record of the year, a trophy that goes
to the artist and producer, were: Arie's "Video,'' "Keys'
''Fallin','' Outkast's "Ms. Jackson,'' Train's "Drops of Jupiter,''
and U2's "Walk On.''
Arie, 26, and Keys, 20, will also compete against each
other for female R&B vocal performance, R&B song and R&B album.
The only category where they are not head to head is album of
the year, where Keys' hit debut "Songs In A Minor'' was a
surprise omission.
Arie brushed off talk of a battle of the divas.
"I'm just gonna pray that I will get whatever I deserve,''
Arie said. "Anything's possible (on the night). Nothing's ever
going to stop me from making music, so it's not that serious.
As long as I'm always inspired, that's the most important
thing.''
By Dean Goodman
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Tuesday, October 17, 2005
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Friday, January 4, 2002
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[News] Westlife Star to Marry Ex-Atomic Kitten Singer (1:22PM)
[News] Indians Cheer as Copyright on Nobel Poet Tagore Ends (1:22PM)
[News] Networks' Reality Scuffle Tortures 'Chamber' (1:22PM)
[News] Hustler Publisher Flynt Wants to Cover Afghan War (1:22PM)
[News] 'New York State of Mind' Strikes Chord for Bennett (1:22PM)
[News] Vidal Sassoon Daughter Catya Sassoon Dead at 33 (1:22PM)
[News] Rockers U2, Soul Divas Lead Grammy Nominees (1:22PM)
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Friday, November 9, 2001
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[News] 'Lord of the Rings' Props Draw Crowds (2:00PM)
[News] Paris Considers Making Gainsbourg Home Into Museum (10:00AM)
[News] Miros, Rodins Among Millions in Art Lost at WTC (10:00AM)
[News] Soldiers Sing in Memory of the Dead (9:00AM)
[News] Britney Spears Performs Military Service (9:00AM)
[News] Diana Das Musical Debuts on German Stage (8:00AM)
[News] Pregnant Liz Hurley in Fine Form (7:00AM)
[News] 'Mandolin' Film Seen Off Key as Italy Heads to War (4:00AM)
[News] Kidman's Interested in 'Forgotten' Role (2:00AM)
[News] Networks Choose Sweeps Push Over Bush Address (1:00AM)
[News] Stiller Runs to DreamWorks (1:00AM)
[News] Country Kudocast Lifts CBS in Ratings (1:00AM)
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