Grammy Nominees... As They Relate to Movies, Theater, and TV
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 12:00PM Nominations have been announced for the 59th annual Grammy Awards honoring the year in music (sort of.. their timelines can be very confusing). More than any of the other big 4 awards shows (Tonys, Emmys, Oscars) Grammy nods are largely based on financial success so it's usually the superstars in the major categories and that's true again this year with Beyoncé leading with 9 nominations and other superstars not far behind. The surprise this year was country star Sturgill Simpson (A Sailor's Guide to Earth) sharing the most coveted category "Album of the Year" category with Beyoncé (Lemonade), Adele (25), Justin Beiber (Purpose), and Drake (Views).
Adele's "25" is so great. But if she loses everything she can console herself with her 10 previous Grammys
But since the Grammys have over 80 categories (we are not exaggerating) here at TFE we just focus on those in which film, tv, or stage types are in play. i.e. the ones that can sometimes lead to EGOTing are after the jump.
SPOKEN WORD ALBUM
- The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo - Amy Schumer
- In Such Good Company... - Carol Burnett
- M Train - Patti Smith
- Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of LA Punk - John Doe with Tom DeSavia
- Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Inc - Elvis Costello
Carol Burnett has Emmys (of course) and a special Tony but no Oscar or Grammy.
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
- Can't Stop This Feeling from Trolls (Justin Timberlake, etc...)
- Heathens from Suicide Squad (Twenty One Pilots)
- Just Like Fire from Alice Through the Looking Glass (P¡nk, etc...)
- Purple Lambourghini from Suicide Squad (Skrillex & Rick Ross, etc...)
- Try Everything from Zootopia (Sia, Shakira, etc...)
- The Veil from Snowden (Peter Gabriel)
You can probably rule out the Suicide Squad songs for Oscar play but one or two of these others could sneak in to compete with the La La Land songs and Moana's big number for Best Original Song at the Oscars.
BEST COMEDY ALBUM
- ...American...Great... - David Cross
- American Myth - Margaret Cho
- Boyish Girl Interrupted - Tig Notaro
- Live at the Apollo - Amy Schumer
- Talking for Clapping - Patton Oswalt
Notaro lost this category once before and Oswalt and Cho have lost multiple times. Cross and Schumer are newbies. I'm betting this year Oswalt finally wins but what a category, eh?!
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
- Bright Star
- The Color Purple
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Kinky Boots
- Waitress
The Grammys are suddenly only honoring two principal soloists (or less!) for Broadway albums which is just awful. The whole principle cast used to be nominated (consider that if they had done this last year most of the Hamilton principle actors would not have Grammys!) and most musicals have more than two major characters! This seems insane because that basically means with a show like The Color Purple with three major female characters one of them (in this case Danielle Brooks who got a well deserved Tony nomination for playing Sophia) will not get a Grammy if it wins because she was not the lead or the most famous cast member (Jennifer Hudson, who did not get a Tony nomination). Crazy-making!
If you're wondering how Kinky Boots is showing up so late after its Tony wins and how it's even here considering Kinky Boots won this same exact Grammy category in 2014. Here's why: this nomination is for the new West End production rather than the original Broadway production. Cyndi Lauper has won both a Tony and a Grammy for Kinky Boots and has an Emmy for her guest actressing on Mad About You so OSCAR IS ALL THAT REMAINS FOR HER EGOT.
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
- Amy (Various Artists)
- Miles Ahead (Miles Davis & Various Artists)
- Straight Outta Compton (Various Artists)
- Suicide Squad (Various Artists)
- Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1 (Various Artists)
Did Suicide Squad really need 3 Grammy nominations? Oh right. Grammys are all about what sells and that was a massive hit at the box office despite being awful in virtually every way a movie can be.
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
- Bridge of Spies -Thomas Newman
- The Hateful Eight - Ennio Morricone
- The Revenant - Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto
- The Force Awakens - John Williams
- Stranger Things: Vol 1 and Vol 2 - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein
Last year at the Oscars The Revenant was disqualified for Best Original Score but the three other films nominated here for the Grammy were nominated for the Oscar with The Hateful Eight winning.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
- Formation (Beyoncé directed by Melina Matsoukas)
- River (Leon Bridges directed by Miles Jay)
- Up & Up (Coldplay directed by Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia)
- Gosh (Jamie XX directed by Romain Gavras)
- Upside Down & Inside Out (OK Go direcred by Damian Kulash Jr & Trish Sie)
OK Go has previously won this Grammy (for "Here it Goes Again" in 2007) and Coldplay has been nominated multiple times. Weirdly I don't think Beyoncé has ever been nominated for this particular Grammy unless my eyes deceive me whilst staring at the lists.
Beyoncé has already won 20 Grammys. The only female artist with more is country star Alison Krauss with 27
BEST MUSIC FILM
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: Steve Aoki
- The Beatles: Eight Days a Week the Touring Years
- Lemonade
- The Music of Strangers
- American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry
The last two winners in this category (Amy & 20 Feet from Stardom) also won Oscars. Of these films only The Beatles and Music of Strangers are eligible for this year's Best Documentary Oscar
Reader Comments (24)
Yes Beyoncé is a "superstar" but Lemonade has been one of the most critically acclaimed and discussed albums of the year. Her leading the nominations, including album of the year, is well deserved.
This is a great list. I hope Adele wins most of these, but Beyonce has the recent momentum--and Lemonade is a damn fine work. Bieber's album is also very strong.
I used to love the Grammys. But the removal of the gender split in the vocal categories has rendered these awards ridiculous and disengaging.
I am in shock of the multiple snubs for The Lonely Island's "Superstar: Never stop never stopping", which should have swept the noms in the grammies. I'd nominate "Finest Girl (F*ck Bin Laden)" to Best Original Song at the Oscars... can we start a FYC campaign?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9Kaa1sycs
For those who didn't see the movie or listened the song.
When U see Bieber as a nominee for Best Album of the Year and Bowie not...FUCK OFF!
Jordan -- that was not a diss of Beyoncé, just a statement about the way the Grammys operate. Like last year there was literally no excuse to not nominated HAMILTON for Album of the Year but it doesn't fall under their 'household name superstars' umbrella by which they normally operate.
anyway. the only point was that it's much different than the Oscars or Emmys where being a hit doesn't guarantee you any nominations (though it doesn't hurt)
My man Elvis Costello (Best Spoken Word Album nominee) has been nominated for an Oscar* (Cold Mountain), Emmy (Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...) and has already won a couple of Grammys. He needs that elusive Tony nod for full EGOT cred. And he's been working on a new musical adaptation of A Face in the Crowd, so...
*should have been nominated for "God Give Me Strength" from Grace of My Heart, would have been nominated for "She" from Notting Hill if it hadn't been a cover ;-)
And yeah, Bieber over Bowie (further) delegitimizes these awards.
@Tony-Seriously? That little shit got a nomination for Album of the Year and not Bowie?
Well fuck the Grammys. It's a piece of shit award for a dying industry that celebrates itself and celebrates mediocrity. Let's not forget that they gave a Grammy to Milli Vanilli who seem to be more real nowadays than a lot of today's pop music.
I love Adele, but after Beyonce's stunning visual album I really hope she takes Album.
I'm certainly not defending Bowie's snub, but the only time he was nominated for Album of the Year was for Let's Dance, which was a huge hit. Let's not forget--this is the Grammys. Where commercialism reigns supreme. And whatever you think of Bieber himself, the album is strong. And it sold a buttload. I haven't heard Bowie's album, but of course he is a genius. Rest in peace.
Beyoncé's Lemonade is a masterpiece, even further enhanced by a masterful long-form video.
Metacritic:
Beyoncé, Lemonade: 92
Sturgill Simposon, A Sailor's Guide to Earth- 86
Adele, 25- 75
Drake, Views- 69
Justin Bieber, Purpose, 63
Only one is universally acclaimed.
Blackstar (Bowie) - 87
A Seat at the Table (Solange) - 89 (one &$#%ing nomination?!?)
I wanna say a Album of the Year win for Beyonce is undeniable, but the Grammys seem to like to surprise in that category. I'd never even heard of Sturgill Simpson until today, so I bet he wins the big prize.
True, tfj. Recent winners are Herbie Hancock, and Robert Plant with Alison Krause.
Paul - I was so angry. The Grammys always disappoint, but man. Ridiculous. That was the best album of the year, in my opinion. I'm happy Solange got a nomination, and I wasn't expecting Album of the Year bc that would be too good to be true, but not even an Urban Contemp./R&B nom for A Seat at the Table??? That was definitely within the realm of possibility and should've happened. And if you're gonna nominate Cranes in the Sky for performance, might as well go for songwriting as well. Senseless.
And then they went and nominated Drake and Justin Bieber just because they were hits. Silly. I don't mind one slot going towards pop hitmakers, but the entire category is pop this year, minus the random loner, Sturgill.
I don't even think 25 is that great (is certainly pales in comparison to her first two albums...but, I understand the pressure and expectations were a bit crippling), but that's a much more ideal scenario of massive hit as well as positive critical response.
With all of that said, I really hope Lemonade wins AOTY. I thought Beyonce deserved it for her self-titled LP, but then this album came along and blew that one out of the water. If she doesn't win this time, it'll truly be a shame. Her getting nine nods makes me hopeful. I love Adele but she doesn't deserve to win this for 25. And the rest are just lucky to be nominated.
Bieber getting in over Bowie is just ridiculous. The Grammy's have never been very prestigious, however. As it goes, Beyoncê definitely deserves AOTY with Lemonade, but as with her self-titled LP and the conservatism of the Grammy's she may lose it to others.
Nat - I've noticed you tend not to be very kind to Beyoncé. Is it because you are a fan of Madonna whose legacy is at risk of being overshadowed by Beyoncé?
I'm not refuting any perceived feelings, but I don't think anyone's legacy is at risk of being overshadowed by anyone else. It isn't a competition. And that kind of idea is never considered with men.
FYI: Cyndi Lauper also has a Best New Artist Grammy for her timeless debut album.
Madonna's legacy is not remotely at risk of being overshadowed by Beyonce.
beyaccount -- this reminds me of all the 'you hate amy adams!' comments. I dont know where its coming from. (i rarely mention Beyonce on the blog ... mostly because she doesn't act regularly). And I literally never think of Beyoncé in any Madonna context :) Agree with Philip that no one would ever compare them if they were men. The only comparison I can think of is that they are both household names that go by one name and both have vaginas.
now the Lady Gaga comparisons to Madonna on the other hand I understand partially because Gaga herself so cultivated/exploited them.
phillip -- i do think Beyonce will win AOTY. The Grammys really love her. I mean 20 Grammys already. She could even beat Allison Krauss for most ever if she wins enough of her nominations this time.
If Beyonce does win, Kanye will grab the mic. Taylor will sigh with satisfaction.
If Beyonce does win, Kanye will grab the mic. Taylor will sigh with satisfaction.
I know it came out almost a year ago but I was hoping Janet Jackson would sneak in a nom for Contemporary R&B Album or vocals or something. Hell, they even nominated her 20 Y.O album back in 2007 and that was easily her worst effort in almost her entire career whereas Unbreakable is great and got fantastic reviews. I mean, they also nominated Mint Condition and Mya this year and neither of those acts are exactly setting the world on fire.
I'm all in for Lemonade wining Album of the Year because when you listen to it from beginning to end, it tells a cohesive story, with or without the video.
If Schumer, Notaro or Cho when Best Comedy Album, they would only be the FOURTH woman to do so in the category (after Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Kathy Griffin). I still agree that it's Oswalt's to lose, but it's always my favorite category to watch.