HOT RAMBALAYA!!!

And without further ado, here are the 2003 Grammy noms, with snyde commentary interspersed):

RECORD OF THE YEAR:
Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - "Crazy In Love" (even I think this is a pretty good song...plus Beyonce is HOT)
Black Eyed Peas feat. Justin Timberlake - "Where Is The Love?" (I'm the only person in America who has never heard this song)
Coldplay - "Clocks" (the only song in this list by an artist I own a CD of, but this song is one of the worst off this album...fucking idiot Grammys)
Eminem - "Lose Yourself" (remember when this was ALWAYS on the radio? this song was about as ubiquitous as it gets)
Outkast - "Hey Ya!" (good song, I don't love it as much as a lot of people, but I got no beef with Outkast. Funny how Outkast has become the token "Look, I like black artists!" group for people like me. But not me specifically...I think the only CDs I have purchased by black artists were the first Puffy CD and a Busta Rhymes single...Prodigy have a black guy, but let's be honest, that doesn't count)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Missy Elliott - Under Construction (no idea...haven't heard it)
Evanescence - Fallen (I find their inclusion to be rather depressing)
Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (on general principle I wouldn't mind them winning)
Justin Timberlake - Justified (I really don't know much about this album but I actually think he's totally legit as an artist...the lead single was a great song for what it was)
White Stripes - Elephant (dilemma: do I go with my alt-rock pride and hope the White Stripes win or do I root against them because I think this album and their entire catalogue is hopelessly overrated? I think the latter)

SONG OF THE YEAR:
Christina Aguilera - "Beautiful" (this is such a token song...the video is so fucking contrived too...hey, let's put ugly, weird looking people in a video to be PC...hey fat girl, quit eating the goth chick's black lipstick!)
Avril Lavigne - "I'm With You" (Goddamnit, I thought we got all her shit out of the way...actually not a bad guilty pleasure type song)
Warren Zevon - "Keep Me In Your Heart" (I read somewhere "Death = Grammy"...looks like we might have a winner!)
Eminem - "Lose Yourself" (this should win, hands down)
Luther Vandross - "Dance With My Father" (if death doesnt = Grammy, maybe massive stroke does)

BEST NEW ARTIST:
Evanescence (gah...gotta love formulaic rock acts)
50 Cent (the more I see him, the more I think he's a pretty weak rapper, but great production will take you everywhere)
Fountains Of Wayne (these guys have been around forever...and that "Stacy's Mom" song is pretty fucking lame IMO)
Heather Headley (who is this?)
Sean Paul (will definitely garner the pothead vote)

BEST ROCK SONG:
Evanescence "Bring Me To Life" (why? to inundate us with commercial rock? nooooooo...)
Train "Calling All Angels" (WOW...what a horrible song by an equally horrible band)
Warren Zevon "Disorder In The House" (show the dead man some hardware)
The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" (deserves to win...if only for that badass vid)
Nickelback "Someday" (didn't hear it)

BEST ROCK ALBUM:
Audioslave, Audioslave (cool)
Evanescence, Fallen (not)
Foo Fighters, One by One (I don't love their music, but I love the Foo Fighters...Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins rule)
matchbox 20, More Than You think You Are (come on...though I admit, I did download "Unwell" and play it for a day)
Nickelback, The Long Road (they came out with an album?)

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever To Tell (this band is fucking retarded. Their only redeemable song, "Art Star" they ruin by having a terrible screaming part to the song...no one will care about them two years from now)
The White Stripes, Elephant (this will win, which annoys me to no end)
The Flaming Lips, Fight Test (I LOVE the Lips, though I don't see how this album of B-sides was nominated...does show mad respect for Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, which includes the title track and is an AWESOME album).
Radiohead, Hail to The Thief (This is a great album. It's a shame the White Stripes have become too hip not to win this award)
Sigur Ros, ( ) (I like the idea of this band, though I've never bothered trying to get into them)

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Looking for music? It's all about MTV2 Subterranean (nee 120 Minutes)...clicky. They've got Mando Diao (a Swedish band...not a Ghanian soccer player or something) on the front page...Mulldoggey recommends, and Mulldoggey is rarely wrong. More importantly, there's a free download of The Stills' "Lola Stars and Stripes," the best song off their new album Logic Will Break Your Heart (see my playlist to the right).

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I had the pleasure of digging my car out of the snow this afternoon/evening. It actually wasn't bad, the process of seeing my car go from completely buried in the snow to uncovered and free from snow on all four sides (even the curb side...which i was particularly proud of) was strangely rewarding. Now I wish I didn't have to drive it away because I'm giving up a gorgeous parking spot right in front of my house. Ah well.

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Remember Mase? The rapper who quit to become a minister...which of course no one really bought? Well, he's still getting his preach on and not rapping. But he did write a book about it (ah, sweet commercialism).

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Speaking of books (segue!), I will actually read one this week. Well, sorta...it's the autobiography of Barry Sanders, which also includes (gasp), a brief highlight DVD!!!