عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Entertainment

Beyonce Leads 2021 Grammy Nominations with 9 Nods

Beyonce. (AP)
Beyonce. (AP)
TT
TT

Beyonce Leads 2021 Grammy Nominations with 9 Nods

Beyonce. (AP)
Beyonce. (AP)

Pop queen Beyonce's "Black Is King" musical film propelled her to the front of this year's Grammy pack with nine nominations, organizers said Tuesday ahead of the annual awards show.

Fellow pop stars Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift each snagged six nominations for second place, as did rapper Roddy Ricch.

As the music industry attempts to weather one of its most tumultuous years in modern history due to the coronavirus pandemic, danceable pop made a comeback in the Recording Academy's top categories.

Women scored big gains across all genres ahead of the 63rd annual Grammys, set to take place on January 31, with comedian Trevor Noah as host.

Beyonce's sweeping "Black Parade" -- released in June amid explosive nationwide anti-racism protests after another spate of police killings of Black Americans -- is vying for Record of the Year and Song of the Year honors.

Swift, a former Grammy darling who had fallen out of grace with the Academy in recent years, bagged a coveted Album of the Year nomination for her quarantine surprise album "Folklore," and its single "Cardigan" is up for Song of the Year, which honors songwriting.

Rivals in that category include "Black Parade" as well as songs penned by Ricch, last year's big winner Billie Eilish and warbling rapper Post Malone.

Bluesy rock singer and songwriter Brittany Howard -- known for her leading vocals with the band Alabama Shakes -- jumped into the spotlight on her own with five nominations after releasing her first solo album "Jaime."

Bieber back in the mix
Justin Bieber snagged four nominations in the pop categories as well as his first country nod, for his work on the song "10,000 Hours" by Dan and Shay.

After sweeping the general categories at last year's gala Eilish also picked up another four nominations, as did rapper DaBaby.

Following a banner year, Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion received her first Grammy nominations, posting four.

The remix of her wildly popular song "Savage" featuring Beyonce is up for several awards including Record of the Year -- and helped Queen Bey jump to the lead spot.

The format for the 63rd Grammys remains unclear -- other awards shows have been forced to go partially or fully virtual in light of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.

The nominations were rolled out by stars across the globe speaking via video chat.

The Academy's interim president Harvey Mason Jr. dedicated this year's ceremony to the resiliency of the music industry as well as frontline workers combatting the infection's spread.

Most Viewed

 
 
Entertainment

Donna Summer Is Posthumously Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Donna Summer. (Reuters)
Donna Summer. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Donna Summer Is Posthumously Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Donna Summer. (Reuters)
Donna Summer. (Reuters)

There are giants, and then there is Donna Summer. The Queen of Disco and then some, known for such timeless tunes as “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the hall said.

Summer, who died in 2012 at age 63, was welcomed into the Songwriters Hall on Monday at a ceremony at The Butterfly Room at Cecconi’s in Los Angeles. It was led by Academy Award-winning songwriter Paul Williams. Summer's husband, Bruce Sudano and their daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez were in attendance.

“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the great songwriters of all time who changed the course of music,” said Williams in a statement. “She wrote timeless and transcendent songs that continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, above all, feel love.”

Summer's smooth blend of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and electronica launched numerous chart-topping hits in the ‘70s and ’80s as well as three multiplatinum albums. She won five Grammys. She was unstoppable — both as a performer and a writer.

“It’s important to me because I know how important it was for Donna,” said Sudano in a press release. “The backstory is, with all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked. So, for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame I know that she’s very happy ... somewhere.”

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.

The annual Songwriters Hall of Fame gala does not usually include posthumous inductions; those are reserved for separate events.

Songwriter Pete Bellotte — known for his work with Summer on “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby” — is a current nominee for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame class. “Love To Love You Baby” was co-written with Summer and producer Giorgio Moroder. One of Summer's best-known hits, the song has been sampled many times, including in tracks by Beyoncé, LL Cool J and Timbaland.

The 2026 inductees will be announced in early 2026.

Entertainment

Eurovision Host Says It Will Not Drown Out Any Boos During Israel’s Performance

A screen shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 during a press conference of Austrian national public broadcaster ORF in Vienna on December 16, 2025. (AFP)
A screen shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 during a press conference of Austrian national public broadcaster ORF in Vienna on December 16, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

Eurovision Host Says It Will Not Drown Out Any Boos During Israel’s Performance

A screen shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 during a press conference of Austrian national public broadcaster ORF in Vienna on December 16, 2025. (AFP)
A screen shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 during a press conference of Austrian national public broadcaster ORF in Vienna on December 16, 2025. (AFP)

The host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, Austria's ORF, will not ban the Palestinian flag from the audience or drown out booing during Israel's performance as has happened at previous shows, organizers said on Tuesday.

The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the smallest number of participants since 2003, after five national broadcasters including those of Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands said they would boycott the show in protest at Israel's participation.

What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife, with those boycotting saying it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza as part of Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023.

"We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form - size, security risks, etc," the show's executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organized by ORF.

" ... we will not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are," Kroen said.

AUSTRIA SUPPORTED ISRAEL PARTICIPATING

The broadcaster will not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened this year during Israel's performance, ORF's director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said.

"We won't play artificial applause over it at any point," she said.

Israel's 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival that was a target of the Hamas-led attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN had likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a form of "cultural boycott".

ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating over the objections of countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which will also boycott the next contest in protest. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to show his support.

This year's show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the Super Bowl.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in Gaza say.

Entertainment

Mariah Carey to Perform at Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony

FILE - Mariah Carey performs during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mariah Carey performs during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
TT
TT

Mariah Carey to Perform at Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony

FILE - Mariah Carey performs during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mariah Carey performs during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Mariah Carey is going to add some American pop-star pedigree to the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

The local organizing committee announced on Monday that the 56-year-old Carey — the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer — is the first international star named to perform in the Feb. 6 ceremony at Milan’s San Siro soccer stadium.

“Ci vediamo a Milano” — ‘See you in Milan’ — Carey said on Instagram.

Carey sang the US national anthem at the 2002 Super Bowl but has never performed at the game’s halftime show. She has won six Grammy awards.

Carey has recorded 19 No. 1 hits, according to Billboard, which lists her as the fourth-greatest recording artist of all time, trailing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elton John.

A crowd of 60,000 spectators is slated for the opening ceremony, with millions more expected to watch on television.

Lady Gaga and Celine Dion performed during the opening ceremony for last year's Summer Olympics in Paris.

“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the committee said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”

The only other detail announced for the ceremony so far is that there will be a tribute to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died at his home in Milan in September at the age of 91.

The Games will be spread over northern Italy, and simultaneous but smaller opening ceremonies are to be held in three mountain clusters as well.

The main ceremony will put a spotlight on the San Siro, which is home to the Inter Milan and AC Milan soccer clubs. It is set to be torn down and replaced by a new stadium after the Games.

Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is slated for Verona’s ancient Roman Arena on Feb. 22.