Grammy Nominations 2009

Posted on Dec 3rd 2008 11:30PM by Melinda Newman
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Summon Paul Revere. The British are coming! It was a veritable British invasion as for the first time in 15 years, three acts from the other side of the pond received Grammy nominations Wednesday night for the coveted Album of the Year.

The Brits score a clean sweep for Record of the Year, with all five of the nominated songs performed by British acts (as with Album of the Year, Robert Plant is joined here by American Allison Krauss, but he's British enough for both of them.) Meanwhile, in Song of the Year, three British acts scored a nod, and a pair of British lasses garnered Best New Artist nods.

Both Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends' and Radiohead's 'In Rainbows,' whom many pundits feared would cancel each other out, will vie for Album of the Year with Plant and Krauss' 'Rising Sand,' Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter lll' and Ne-Yo's 'Year of the Gentleman.' 'Tha Carter' is this year's top seller, having notched more than 2.7 million copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Wayne leads all nominees with eight nods. He is followed by Coldplay with seven, while Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each have six. Meanwhile, shut out from the Album of the Year category was Grammy favorite Alicia Keys, who was widely expected to garner a nomination for 'As I Am.'

Good, Bad and OMG! Fashions

Boobylicious: Her delicious derriere might be her best physical ass-et, but Ms. Lopez's revealing Versace gown in 2000 brought all eyes front and center. Double-sided tape is a girl's best friend.Photo by Scott Gries, Getty Images

Whoa, Kelly! A svelte Kelly Clarkson proved she's a bona fide star in this classy black dress which she wore to last year's Grammys. Perfectly accessorized with just a touch of bling and intentionally-mussed hair, she looked just plain glamorous.Photo byKevin Mazur Archive 1, WireImage.com

English Garden: Blue-eyed soul star Joss Stone was in full bloom in a playful Petro Zillia gown at the 2005 Grammy ceremony. She later took the stage barefoot in a purple gown to duet with Melissa Etheridge, but, as she arrived, she kept her perfectly-matched '70s-inspired heels on as she posed for the paparazzi before the show.Photo by Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com

Winter White: Usher's trim outfit on last year's red carpet proved that white is indeed the new black ... but the look was derailed by his excessive jewels, including multiple gold necklaces which interfered with the crisp, clean lines of his ensemble.Weknow you can drop $1M on a watch, bro. You don't have to beat us over the head with it!Photo by Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com

Sweat Pea: Last year, Fergie's 'Humps' hadn't yet become infamous, and she displayed them elegantly in a strapless, form-fitting gown with a flirty, flared hem. Here's hoping that her '07 choice isn't loaded up with 'iceys' or plastered with head-to-toe Louis Vuitton logos.Photo by Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com

Pretty in Pink: Before she revealed her inner rock star to the world in '05, Hilary Duff walked the Grammy red carpet in a sugar-sweet shade of bubblegum pink. Although, the platinum hair and ultra-fair skin made the overall effect a little too 'Barbie doll.'Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive 1, WireImage.com

Fugly in Pink: While the colorful pop diva is usually applauded for her wild and crazy looks, the burlesque-leotard-space alien getup she wore in 2002 was just plain ridiculous. The Pussycat Dolls might be hiring, though. Pink would fit right in!Photo bySteve Granitz Archive 1, WireImage.com

Green Machines: These two OutKasts have become known for their eccentric and sometimes daring clothing choices, but these color-coordinated outfits just didn't work on the Grammy red carpet. The corduroy suit and blazer with jeans would have been fine, but, hey, it's not easy being green.Photo by Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Long N' Leggy: R&B diva Toni Braxton was only a breeze away from being X-rated in the ultra-revealing gown she wore to the 2001 Grammy ceremony. This barely-there creation belongs on the rack at Frederick's of Hollywood, not walking the red carpet.Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive 1, WireImage.com

Goddess Girl: If you want to look fantastic on the red carpet, study Beyonce. You are guaranteed to look stunning. This black and gold Roberto Cavalli dress, paired with perfect chandelier earrings and a chic updo, made Beyonce one of 2005's best-dressedGrammy girls.Photo by Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com

Following Amy Winehouse's win as Best New Artist last year, the Grammys continued to look to England to pluck new talent. Keeping company with Adele and Duffy are the Jonas Bros. (in a rare nod by the Grammys to the tween set), country trio Lady Antebellum and the definite longshot, R&B singer and Missy Elliott protege Jazmine Sullivan. Leona Lewis, the biggest sales breakthrough of the year, was locked out.

While Duffy bests her on sales almost 3 to 1, Adele's critical acclaim propelled her to nods in both Song and Record of the Year for 'Chasing Pavements.' Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida' also received a nomination in both categories.

For Song of the Year, they are joined by another Brit, Estelle, for 'American Boy' (featuring Kayne West), Jason Mraz's 'I'm Yours' and another Best New Artist shut out, Sara Bareilles with 'Love Song.'

The other Record of the Year nominees are Lewis' 'Bleeding Love,' M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes' and Plant and Krauss' 'Please Read the Letter.'

The nominations were announced Wednesday night as part of the first ever Grammy Nominations Concert Live, a CBS primetime special beamed from Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre, featuring performances by John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Foo Fighters and more. The evening benefitted the spanking new Grammy Museum, which opens Dec. 6.

The 51st annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2009 in Los Angeles and televised on CBS. Albums released between Oct. 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008 are eligible.