Grammys!

Seemingly slipped under the radar yesterday, were nominations for next years Grammy awards. I would say they'd have been better off not releasing them at all considering they're yet again, a joke.

Kanye West received eight nominations and Amy Winehouse received an astonishing six. Why she received one is beyond me. Her album was quite possibly the worst of the year. I really do not see the appeal. Overrated to the Nth degree.

Patty Griffin was nominated in the Best Contemporary Folk album category for her brilliant Children Running Through album.

Every other category is pretty much a joke. Again proving that the Grammy's have lost any sense of art or integrity.

Here are the nominations and my picks for winner:

Record of the Year

• "Irreplaceable" – Beyoncé
• "The Pretender" – Foo Fighters
• "Umbrella" – Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
• "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake
• "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse

Album of the Year

• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters
• These Days – Vince Gill
• River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock
• Graduation – Kanye West
• Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

Song of the Year

(Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.)

• "Before He Cheats" – Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins (Carrie Underwood)
• "Hey There Delilah" – Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's)
• "Like a Star" – Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae)
• "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse)
• "Umbrella" – Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z)

Best New Artist

• Feist
• Ledisi
• Paramore
• Taylor Swift
• Amy Winehouse

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

• "Candyman" – Christina Aguilera
• "1234" – Feist
• "Big Girls Don't Cry" – Fergie
• "Say It Right" – Nelly Furtado
• "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

• "Everything" – Michael Bublé
• "Belief" – John Mayer
• "Dance Tonight" – Paul McCartney
• "Amazing" – Seal
• "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group w/ Vocals

• "(You Want to) Make a Memory" – Bon Jovi
• "Home" – Daughtry
• "Makes Me Wonder" – Maroon 5
• "Hey There Delilah" – Plain White T's
• "Window in the Skies" – U2

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals

• "Steppin' Out" – Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
• "Beautiful Liar" – Beyoncé & Shakira
• "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" (from Raising Sand) – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• "The Sweet Escape" – Gwen Stefani & Akon
• "Give It to Me" – Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

• "Off The Grid" (from The Mix-Up) – Beastie Boys
• "Paris Sunrise #7" (from Lifeline) – Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
• "Over The Rainbow" – Dave Koz
• "One Week Last Summer" (from Shine) – Joni Mitchell
• "Simple Pleasures" – Spyro Gyra

Best Pop Instrumental Album

• The Mix-Up – Beastie Boys
• Italia – Chris Botti
• At The Movies – Dave Koz
• Good To Go-Go – Spyro Gyra
• Roundtrip – Kirk Whalum

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Lost Highway – Bon Jovi
• The Reminder – Feist
• It Won't Be Soon Before Long – Maroon 5
• Memory Almost Full – Paul McCartney
• Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

Best Dance Recording

• "Do It Again" - The Chemical Brothers
• "D.A.N.C.E." - Justice • "Love Today" - Mika
• "Don't Stop The Music" - Rihanna
• "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake

Best Electronic/Dance Album

• We Are the Night – The Chemical Brothers
• † – Justice
• Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem
• We Are Pilots – Shiny Toy Guns
• Elements of Life – Tiësto

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

• Call Me Irresponsible – Michael Bublé
• Cool Yule – Bette Midler
• Trav'lin' Light - Queen Latifah
• Live In Concert 2006 – Barbra Streisand
• James Taylor At Christmas – James Taylor

Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance

• "Timebomb" - Beck
• "Only Mama Knows" - Paul McCartney
• "Our Country" (from Freedom's Road) - John Mellencamp
• "Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen
• "Come On" (from West) - Lucinda Williams

Best Rock Performance By a Duo/Group w/ Vocals

• "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
• "Working Class Hero" - Green Day
• "If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback
• "Instant Karma" (from Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur) - U2
• "Icky Thump" - The White Stripes

Best Hard Rock Performance

• "Sweet Sacrifice" - Evanescence
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "I Don't Wanna Stop" - Ozzy Osbourne
• "Sick, Sick, Sick" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Pot" - Tool

Best Metal Performance

• "Nothing Left" - As I Lay Dying
• "Never Ending Hill" (from Give Me Your Soul...Please) - King Diamond
• "Aesthetics of Hate" - Machine Head
• "Redemption" (from Threads of Life) - Shadows Fall
• "Final Six" (from Christ Illusion, special edition) - Slayer

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

• "The Ecstasy of Gold" - Metallica
• "Malignant Narcissism" - Rush
• "Always with Me, Always with You" (from Satriani Live!) - Joe Satriani
• "Once Upon a Time in the West" (from We All Love Ennio Morricone) - Bruce Springsteen
• "The Attitude Song" - Steve Vai

Best Rock Song

(Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.)

• "Come On" (from West) - Lucinda Williams (Lucinda Williams)
• "Icky Thump" - Jack White (The White Stripes)
• "It's Not Over" - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young (Daughtry)
• "The Pretender" - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)
• "Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Rock Album

• Daughtry - Daughtry
• Revival - John Fogerty
• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
• Magic - Bruce Springsteen • Sky Blue Sky - Wilco

Best Alternative Music Album

• Alright, Still - Lily Allen
• Neon Bible - Arcade Fire • Volta - Björk
• Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
• Icky Thump - The White Stripes

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

• "Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
• "When I See You" - Fantasia
• "No One" - Alicia Keys • "If I Have My Way" (from I Am) - Chrisette Michele
• "Hate On Me" (from The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3) - Jill Scott

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

• "Woman" - Raheem DeVaughn
• "B.U.D.D.Y." - Musiq Soulchild
• "Because Of You" - Ne-Yo • "Future Baby Mama" (from Planet Earth) - Prince
• "Please Don't Go" - Tank

Best R&B Performance By a Duo/Group W/ Vocals

• "Same Girl" - R. Kelly Featuring Usher
• "Disrespectful" (from Funk This) - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
• Hate That I Love You - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
• "Baby" (from The Art of Love & War) - Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright
• "Bartender" - T-Pain Featuring Akon

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

• "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" - Otis Clay
• "All Night Long" - Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
• "In My Songs" - Gerald Levert
• "I Apologize" - Ann Nesby
• "I Am Your Man" - Ryan Shaw

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

• "Make A Baby" - Vikter Duplaix
• "That’s The Way Of The World" - Dwele
• "Daydreamin'" - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
• "Fantasy" - Meshell Ndegeocello
• "Dream" - Alice Smith

Best R&B Song

(Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.)

• "Beautiful Flower" - India.Arie & Joyce Simpson (India.Arie)
• "Hate That I Love You" - M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith (Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo)
• "No One" - Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys (Alicia Keys)
• "Teachme" - Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams (Musiq Soulchild)
• "When I See U" - Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters (Fantasia)

Best R&B Album

• Funk This - Chaka Khan
• Lost & Found - Ledisi
• Luvanmusiq - Musiq Soulchild
• The Real Thing - Jill Scott
• Sex, Love & Pain - Tank

Best Contemporary R&B Album

• Konvicted - Akon
• Just Like You - Keyshia Cole
• Fantasia - Fantasia
• East Side Story - Emily King
• Because Of You - Ne-Yo

Best Rap Solo Performance

Common -- The People
50 Cent -- I Get Money
Jay-Z -- Show Me What You Got
T.I. -- Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Kanye West -- Stronger

Best Rap Performance By a Duo/Group

Common Featuring Kanye West -- Southside
Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne -- Make It Rain
Shop Boyz -- Party Like a Rockstar
UGK Featuring OutKast -- International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)
Kanye West, Nas, & KRS-One -- Better Than I’ve Ever Been

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg -- I Wanna Love You
Chris Brown & T-Pain -- Kiss Kiss
Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil’ Kim -- Let It Go
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z -- Umbrella
Kanye West Featuring T-Pain -- Good Life

Best Rap Song

50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland -- Ayo Technology
T.I. -- Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Kanye West -- Can't Tell Me Nothing
Soulja Boy Tell’Em -- Crank That (Soulja Boy)
Kanye West Featuring T-Pain -- Good Life

Best Rap Album

Common -- Finding Forever
Jay-Z -- Kingdom Come
Nas -- Hip Hop Is Dead
T.I.-- T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Kanye West -- Graduation

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

"Simple Love", Alison Krauss
"Famous In A Small Town", Miranda Lambert
"Nothin' Better To Do", LeAnn Rimes
"Before He Cheats", Carrie Underwood
"Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love", Trisha Yearwood

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

"Long Trip Alone", Dierks Bentley
"A Woman's Love", Alan Jackson
"If You're Reading This", Tim McGraw
"Give It Away", George Strait
"Stupid Boy", Keith Urban

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

"Proud Of The House We Built", Brooks & Dunn
"How Long", Eagles
"Moments", Emerson Drive
"Lucky Man", Montgomery Gentry
"Sweet Memories", The Time Jumpers

Best Country Collaboration w/ Vocals

• Days Aren't Long Enough
Steve Earle & Allison Moorer

• Because Of You
Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson

• I Need You
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

• Lost Highway
Willie Nelson & Ray Price

• Oh Love
Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

Best Country Song

• "Simple Love" - Alison Krauss
• "Famous in a Small Town" - Miranda Lambert
• "Nothin' Better to Do" - LeAnn Rimes
• "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
• "Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love" - Trisha Yearwood

Best Country Album

• Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
• These Days - Vince Gill
• Let It Go - Tim McGraw
• 5th Gear - Brad Paisley
• It Just Comes Natural - George Strait

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

• The Calling - Mary Chapin Carpenter

• My Name Is Buddy - Ry Cooder

• Washington Square Serenade - Steve Earle

• Children Running Through - Patty Griffin

• Orphans - Tom Waits

Best Comedy Album

• America's Mexican - George Lopez
• Dirty Girl - Lisa Lampanelli
• The Distant Future - Flight of the Conchords
• I Still Have a Pony - Steven Wright
• Songs Pointed and Pointless - Harry Shearer

Best Short Form Music Video

• "1234" - Feist
• "D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
• "God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash
• "Gone Daddy Gone" - Gnarls Barkley
• "Typical" - Mute Math

Best Long Form Music Video

• "The Confessions Tour" - Madonna
• "Live and Loud at the Fillmore" - Dierks Bentley
• "Liberacion: Songs of the Cuban Underground" - Various artists
• "10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads" - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• "Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 13-22" - R. Kelly

Pardon the odd format I copied form Wikipedia and had to fill in some blanks.