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Pop Royalty Join Jazzman Jon Batiste Atop Grammy Nominations

Jon Batiste, the longtime musical director of the popular "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest EVA HAMBACH AFP/File
Jon Batiste, the longtime musical director of the popular "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest EVA HAMBACH AFP/File
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Pop Royalty Join Jazzman Jon Batiste Atop Grammy Nominations

Jon Batiste, the longtime musical director of the popular "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest EVA HAMBACH AFP/File
Jon Batiste, the longtime musical director of the popular "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest EVA HAMBACH AFP/File

Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo are leading a splashy class of pop stalwarts and newbies nominated for this year's Grammy awards.

But it's Jon Batiste -- the jazz and R&B artist, television personality and bandleader, whose prizes include an Oscar for his soundtrack to the movie "Soul" -- who has the most chances at Grammy gold, snagging 11 nominations including in the top categories.

Bieber will vie for eight trophies at the January 31 gala in Los Angeles, as will R&B favorite H.E.R. and singer-rapper Doja Cat, AFP said.

Grammy darling Eilish is in the running for seven, as is Olivia Rodrigo, a former Disney channel actress who exploded onto the pop scene this year with her breakout "drivers license."

The 18-year-old Rodrigo was expected to be a top contender and did not disappoint, landing nods for her much-touted debut album "Sour."

Like Eilish in 2019, Rodrigo has the opportunity to sweep the top four categories, including Best New Artist where she's competing against Kid Laroi, Japanese Breakfast, Saweetie, Eilish's brother Finneas, and a smattering of lesser-known acts.

The 64th annual show has once again expanded the number of nominees in its prestigious general categories, taking the count from eight to 10, in the wake of perennial criticism that it lacks diversity.

The longtime musical director of the popular "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest.

The Black artist born to a prominent New Orleans musical dynasty will compete with work including his "We Are" LP and its rousing single "Freedom."

The sleeper frontrunner -- who has been nominated for three Grammys in past years but never won -- will go up against flashy, big-budget releases from artists including Bieber and Rodrigo in major categories including Album and Record of the Year.

Batiste is also up for awards in fields spanning genre and medium, including R&B, jazz, American roots and classical, along with nods for Best Music Video along with his composition work on the acclaimed Pixar animated film "Soul."

"WOW!! Thank you God!! I love EVERYBODY! I'm so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors," he tweeted.

- Taylor vs. Kanye -
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, the beloved 95-year-old crooner, posted a strong showing with six nominations for work related to their album "Love For Sale."

And rap mogul Jay-Z is now the most nominated artist in the show's history, with 83.

He was previously tied with legendary producer Quincy Jones, who had 80. At last year's ceremony Jay-Z's wife Beyonce became the show's most decorated singer in history, with 28 career wins.

Kanye West meanwhile scored several nominations for his album "Donda" -- and will face off with longtime nemesis Taylor Swift in the best album category, where she has her sole chance at Grammy gold for her record "evermore."

Swift did not submit "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" -- her 2021 re-recorded album of her 2008 release -- for Grammy consideration this go-around. The original record already won her four Grammys in 2010.

Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" was conspicuously left out of the general field categories but is up for two awards in the rap categories that include West along with Nas, J. Cole and Tyler, the Creator.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will compete in the Best Rap Performance category, the only field in which the artists behind the smash "WAP" -- which still hasn't been submitted for consideration -- are in the running.

- Another prize for the Obamas? -
Pop star Lorde was snubbed completely despite releasing her album "Solar Power." Fellow pop superstar Ariana Grande snagged a handful of chances at a win for her album "Positions."

Korean pop juggernauts BTS scored one nomination in the pop categories for the huge commercial hit "Butter" -- less than expected for the massively popular boy band act that's struggled to make inroads at the Grammys.

In a rare occurrence last year's rock categories heavily featured women and women-led acts -- but this year the four fields of that genre were almost completely run by men.

AC/DC, Foo Fighters and the late Chris Cornell are among the top contenders, with Paul McCartney up for two awards.

Swedish pop sensation ABBA -- who staged a recent comeback with their new album "Voyage," nearly 40 years after they split up -- could win the coveted Record of the Year for the track "I Still Have Faith In You."

And in the ever-eclectic Spoken Word Album category, which includes poetry, audio books, and story-telling, Barack Obama once again has the leading chance to win for "A Promised Land," after his wife Michelle beat her competition to take home the prize last year.

The former president already has two Grammys to his name.

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Entertainment

Rapper Lil Jon Confirms Death of His Son, Nathan Smith

Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
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Rapper Lil Jon Confirms Death of His Son, Nathan Smith

Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)

American rapper Lil Jon said on Friday that his son, Nathan Smith, has died, the record producer confirmed in a joint statement with Smith’s mother.

"I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother (Nicole Smith) and I are devastated,” the statement said.

Lil Jon described his son as ‌an “amazingly talented ‌young man” who was ‌a ⁠music producer, artist, ‌engineer, and a New York University graduate.

“Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days. Thank you to the entire Milton police department involved,” the “Snap ⁠Yo Fingers” rapper added.

A missing persons report was ‌filed on Tuesday for Smith ‍in Milton, Georgia, authorities ‍said in a post on the ‍Milton government website.

Police officials added that a broader search for Smith, also known by the stage name DJ Young Slade, led divers from the Cherokee County Fire Department to recover a body from a pond near ⁠his home on Friday.

"The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office,” the post continued.

While no foul play is suspected, the Milton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division will be investigating the events surrounding Smith’s death.

Lil Jon is a Grammy-winning rapper known for a string ‌of chart-topping hits and collaborations, including “Get Low,” “Turn Down for What” and “Shots.”

Entertainment

Keke Palmer Is a Fish Out of Water in Horror-Comedy Series Based on Cult Movie ‘The ’Burbs’

Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Keke Palmer Is a Fish Out of Water in Horror-Comedy Series Based on Cult Movie ‘The ’Burbs’

Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

The suburbs are anything but bland in the new Peacock series “The 'Burbs,” where strange things are going on. Like how jokes mix with the dread.

Inspired by the 1989 Tom Hanks-led movie of the same name, “The 'Burbs” follows a new mom as she navigates a foreign world of white picket fences and manicured lawns while also investigating a possible murder.

“It’s got the comedy, it has the drama, it's got the mystery, it's got the horror, the thrills, the suspense — all of it,” says Celeste Hughey, the creator, writer and executive producer. All eight episodes drop Friday.

Hanks is replaced by Keke Palmer, who plays a newlywed and new mom who moves into her husband's family home in fictional Hinkley Hills, where everyone is in everybody else's business. “Suburbia is a spectator sport,” she is told.

Across the street is an abandoned home, where a local teen disappeared decades ago. Palmer's Samira soon joins forces with a band of off-beat suburbanites to help solve the case, even if her own husband had some sort of role.

“I really wanted to focus on that fish-out-of-water feeling, centering Samira as a Black woman in a white suburb who is a new mom, a new wife — new everything — and trying to figure out where she belongs in the environment,” says Hughey.

The cast includes Jack Whitehall as Samira's husband and the trio of Julia Duffy, Mark Proksch and Paula Pell as her wine-swilling, investigating neighbors who form a sort of found family.

“The movie came out when I was quite young, but I remember seeing it as a kid and it being like this terrifying movie to me,” says Hughey. “But revisiting it as an adult, it's just like the most timely movie.”

The scripts crackle with witty humor, from references to Marie Kondo to “Baby Reindeer,” and jokes often improvised by the actors. Chocolate brownies are described as “the Beyoncé of desserts” and there’s a joke about how white ladies love salad.

“The ’Burbs” also touches on more serious issues over its eight episodes — microaggressions, racial profiling, bullying and childhood trauma — but takes a kooky, off-beat approach.

“I always look at things with a sense of humor,” says Hughey. “I think comedy is a way to be able to examine all these pretty heavy subjects, but in a way that’s accessible, in a way that is clarifying.”

Palmer says she grew up watching Norman Lear shows and admired his ability to both entertain and address social tensions — something she found in “The 'Burbs.”

“When I read this script for the first time, then as we started doing the show, it started to become clear that we had an opportunity to do the same thing,” Palmer says. “We can expose cliches, we can lean into things, which is one of the greatest tools of satire and comedy in itself, and horror as well, because horror can play as a good allegory for the issues in our life.”

Whitehall, who grew up in the London suburb of Putney, says he appreciates that the social commentary never feels that heavy handed between the comedy and horror: “It was great to sort of be able to play in both genres.”

There are multiple nods to the original movie, like picking the last name Fisher after the late actor Carrie Fisher, who appeared in the Hanks-led version, and naming a dog Darla after the name of the pup who starred in the 1989 version. Hanks, himself, appears in a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it image.

There’s a scene where Samira steps onto her neighbor’s grass and leaves suddenly swirl around her feet menacingly, an echo to the original. And there’s a moment when sardines and pretzels are served, a riff off a classic moment in the movie. The creators even asked original actor Wendy Schaal to return to play the town librarian.

“I really wanted to honor the original fans of the movie and make sure that they see that someone who respects the original material and loves the movie had it in their hands,” says Hughey. “I see the fans.”

Hughey said she wrote the series with Palmer's voice in mind, a piece of manifesting that turned out to actually work when she first met Palmer over a year later.

The music ranges from Bill Withers' “Lovely Day” to Steve Lacy's “Dark Red” to Doechii’s “Anxiety” and Big Pun's “I'm Not a Player.”

“Music is very much a part of my creative process and something that I wanted to stand out in the show as well,” says Hughey. “I got to pull in so many of my inspiration songs.”

Entertainment

Kurt Cobain's 'Nevermind' Guitar Up for Sale

Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
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Kurt Cobain's 'Nevermind' Guitar Up for Sale

Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

The guitar played by late rock legend Kurt Cobain on the anthemic grunge track "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is going under the hammer next month.

 

The 1966 Fender Mustang is among a treasure trove of instruments and musical memorabilia that also includes the logo-emblazoned drum that announced The Beatles to the United States when the Fab Four played "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964.

 

The Jim Irsay collection -- put together by the one-time owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team -- includes guitars played by musicians who defined the 20th century, including Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, as well as Eric Clapton, John Coltrane and Johnny Cash.

 

But at the center of the collection are handwritten lyrics for The Beatles' smash "Hey Jude" as well as guitars played by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

 

"I think it's fair to say that this collection of Beatles instruments...is the most important assembled Beatles collection for somebody who wasn't a member of the band," Amelia Walker, the London-based head of private and iconic collections at Christie's, told AFP in Beverly Hills.

 

"There are five Beatles guitars in his collection, as well as Ringo Starr's first Ludwig drum kit (and) John Lennon's piano, on which he composed several songs from Sergeant Pepper."

 

Also included is "the drum skin from Ringo's second Ludwig kit, which is the vision which greeted 73 million Americans who tuned in to watch 'The Ed Sullivan Show' on the ninth of February 1964 when the Beatles broke America."

 

The drum kit is expected to fetch around $2 million, while the guitars could sell for around $1 million at the auction in New York, Christie's estimates.

Perhaps the most expensive item in the collection is Cobain's guitar, which experts say might sell for up to $5 million.

"It's a talismanic guitar for people of my generation... who lived through grunge," said Walker.

"(Smells Like Teen Spirit) was the anthem of that generation. That video is so iconic.

"We're incredibly proud and privileged to have that here."