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There are almost always better reasons to tune into the Grammy Awards than simply finding out who will win and who won’t. Ever since the annual ceremony moved out of smaller places like the Shrine and stepped up to arena size at Staples Center in 2000 (the 54th event happens there Sunday), the victors have become a minor sideshow to the major spectacle of new stars, still-vital (or not) legends and the sort of mad but sometimes memorable collaborations that only occur at the Grammys.
But interest in who might get singled out for an acceptance speech grows even more apathetic whenever there looks to be a runaway favorite – and not since Norah Jones took home five trophies for her debut roughly a decade ago has there been a cross-generational media darling so heavily favored to win big. Never rule out upsets, or the academy’s failure to function properly (witness the complete oversight of Paul Simon’s last album), but it will be shocking if Adele doesn’t dominate when names are rattled off.
Ms. Adkins and her instant-classic breakup album 21 are up for six awards in all, and there isn’t a seasoned prognosticator alive who doesn’t think she’s firmly poised to sweep the top categories: album, record and song of the year. She’s also highly likely to win for best pop vocal album and the newly condensed category best pop solo performance (for “Someone Like You”), although competition from the likes of Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and especially Lady Gaga isn’t exactly weak.
If she can nab those as well as the prize for best short form music video – where her clip for “Rolling in the Deep” squares off against more innovative bits from Radiohead, Skrillex and OK Go – the beloved sensation would tie Beyoncé’s recently established record for most wins by a female in a single night. You gotta figure that if Amy Winehouse was able to win five in 2008, at a time when the late singer was so problem-plagued she couldn’t be cleared to attend and had to appear via satellite, then the cleaner, endearingly chatty Britsoul alternative should walk away with the night.
Also: Adele: ‘I represent the majority of women.’
Frankly, Adele will do that even if she gets astonishingly shut out (fat chance). Sunday night marks her first performance since undergoing throat surgery in October following vocal-cord hemorrhaging. If she has fully regained her strength, she’ll bring the house down no matter the tune, whether hollering out “Rolling in the Deep” or (hopefully) going stark with the powerful heartbreak ballad “Someone Like You.” Heck, if the Grammys are smart, they’ll open with her.
That spotlight alone should help this year’s ceremony measure up to the last, which ranks as one of the most consistently entertaining in the telecast’s recent history. Bolstering the lineup are several unusual and/or promising collaborations: the reunited Beach Boys (featuring Brian Wilson and Mike Love) alongside Foster the People and Maroon 5; Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paying tribute to the late Etta James; Glen Campbell, one of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award honorees, getting assists from the Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay complemented by Rihanna; a potentially nutty dance/electronic segment showcasing deadmau5 and David Guetta along with Chris Brown, Foo Fighters and Lil Wayne.
Some seriously heavy hitters have also been tapped: Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Tony Bennett, who will duet with Carrie Underwood. Also performing: Perry, Mars, Diana Krall, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson, the Civil Wars, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and surely more. LL Cool J hosts. Presenters include Fergie, Miranda Lambert, Ringo Starr, Lady Antebellum, Common, Drake, Dierks Bentley, Roots drummer ?uestlove and Diana Ross.
The Supremes singer, like Campbell, will receive the lifetime trophy, as will the Allman Brothers Band, Gil Scott-Heron, George Jones, Antonio Carlos Jobim and the Memphis Horns, famed for their contributions to Stax Records in the ’60s and ’70s.
Notice there are several African-Americans on that list of legends, as well as the Brazilian Jobim. That in some measure counteracts the claims of several activists (Jesse Jackson, Cornel West) and artists (Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock) who insist that this year’s reduction and consolidation of categories, from 109 to 78, is unjust, unfair or, worse, outright racist.
I don’t get how the restructuring of genres across the board (rock and country have been just as reduced as R&B and rap) or the elimination of a few oft-neglected or hard-to-fill categories (zydeco, Cajun, spoken word for children) equates to discrimination on the part of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
There seem to be just as many nominees of color and other nationalities as before, particularly in major face-offs. And at the risk of making a specious separate-but-equal argument, complaining about the loss of certain ethnic music prizes (best Latin jazz album, for instance) when the entirety of Latin music has been celebrated with its own Grammy ceremony, a dozen years running, seems slightly absurd.
Doing away with male/female races so that everyone competes together, among other changes, makes the playing field closer to level while alleviating the time constraint (and boredom) of handing out 100-plus accolades. At some point, don’t too many awards dilute the meaning of the most important ones?
As it is, pre-telecast winners still need to be revealed starting hours earlier, at 1 p.m. Watch a live stream of it via the official Grammy site … and click the photo above for predictions of who (other than Adele) will win.
Photo by Kevin Winter, Getty Images.
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Grammy predictions: Adele will have it all is a post from: Soundcheck