Eminem leads Grammy nominations

When Eminem was first nominated for album of the year some 10 years ago for The Marshall Mathers LP, it marked a milestone for the Grammys as it chose to honour an album that was considered masterful in its artistry yet morally bankrupt in its values.

On Wednesday, as the Recording Academy once again nominated Eminem for album of the year along with nine other bids, they again gave accolades to a foul but genius piece of work - Cee Lo's F**k You, an infectious retro groove with an unforgettable, unprintable chorus.

The tune, which is so profane it had to be changed to Forget You for radio play, was nominated for two top Grammy honours: record and song of the year.

"It wasn't meant to be a radio song," said Cee Lo after the nominations. "It was meant to be something with flair and first impression and it really took on a life of its own, and I had no idea it would become what it is today."

It's a sign of how much times have changed, and Eminem himself, that his leading nominations were not controversial, but expected and respected.

The person with the second-leading tally, Bruno Mars with seven, was not without his own drama this year, after getting arrested in Las Vegas for coke possession; his case is pending.

It was the only negative in brilliant year for Mars, who co-wrote F**k You and was also featured on B.o.B's Nothin' On You, also nominated for record of the year.

"It's just been a great year, incredible, incredible year, and I can't believe this is happening to me," said Mars, who was also nominated for best male pop vocal for his own hit, Just the Way You Are.

"We've worked so hard trying to make a living doing music and the fact that we're here right now is incredible, incredible," he added, speaking from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, where the nominations were announced as part of an hour-long live special on CBS.

Other top nominees included Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, who were all nominated for six each. Gaga also was nominated for album of the year - the second straight nomination in the category for her.

For Eminem, Recovery was a critical and commercial triumph. It became the best-selling album of the year so far, with more than three million copies sold, and spawned top hits like Love the Way You Lie featuring Rihanna, which was nominated for song and record of the year.

It also marked a stark contrast between the Eminem nominated 10 years ago and the one today. Back then, he was a stunning yet divisive figure whose violent imagery and slurs against gays and women outraged as many people as he entertained.

Eminem would become one of the best-selling artists in the world and arguably rap's greatest artist, but his stature was diminished as his battle with prescription drug addiction led to lags between albums and sub par material.

With Recovery, an album that detailed his battles and how he overcame them, his status as the best rapper - and pop's top artist - was restored.

Country trio Lady Antebellum couldn't be more opposite than Eminem, but their album Need You Now was the second-best selling album of the year, doing almost as well as Recovery, with almost three million albums sold and fuelled by the lovelorn title track - a huge crossover hit for the band. Grammy voters rewarded that success, nominating them for album of the year and also record and song of the year for the hit.

Only last year, they were celebrating their first Grammy win.

"It's been a wild and crazy year; it definitely feels like Christmas came early for us," said Lady A's Dave Haywood in a telephone interview after the awards were announced. He wasn't watching with his bandmates, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, but they watched the special and texted each other with amazement.

"It's just kind of complete shock that we'd be recognised, especially to be recognised in some of these all-genre categories," said Haywood. "It's pretty bizarre for a couple of rednecks from Tennessee and Georgia."

Other nominees for record of the year included Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' anthem for New York, Empire State of Mind.

Rounding out the nominations for song of the year were Ray LaMontagne's Beg Steal Or Borrow and Lambert's hit The House That Built Me, written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin.

Perry's California Gurls was one of the year's top hits but was shut out of the record and song of the year categories. Yet Perry, who performed the hit on the nominations broadcast, was far from disappointed: Her album Teenage Dream was nominated for album of the year, along with Gaga's The Fame Monster, Recovery, Need You Now and Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.

"It's amazing. It's like no other award show because I feel like you're being recognised by your peers," she said. "And there's so many fantastic performers and artists that could be in this category, so when they nominate you, it feels like a win."

Bieber appeared on the show from London and the 16-year-old was rewarded for staying up: he was nominated for best new artist in a category that also included Drake, Florence & the Machine, Mumford & Sons and jazz artist Esperanza Spaulding.

"It feels amazing. I can't believe I'm in this position. Thank you to the fans," he said. "I don't know what to say."

The evening's biggest snub may have belonged to Ke$ha. Even though the party girl singer had a top-selling debut and several hit songs, she was not nominated for any awards.

Nominees in top categories for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards

Record of the Year

Nothin' on You B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
Love the Way You Lie Eminem featuring Rihanna
F**k You Cee Lo Green
Empire State of Mind Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Need You Now Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year

The Suburbs Arcade Fire
Recovery Eminem
Need You Now Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster Lady GaGa
Teenage Dream Katy Perry

Song of the Year

Beg Steal or Borrow, Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (performed by Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
F**k You, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence and Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green)
The House That Built Me, Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
Love the Way You Lie, Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman and Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem featuring Rihanna)
Need You Now, Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

New Artist

Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Pop Vocal Album

My World 2.0 Justin Bieber
I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle
The Fame Monster Lady GaGa
Battle Studies John Mayer
Teenage Dream Katy Perry

Rock Album

Emotion and Commotion Jeff Beck
The Resistance Muse
Backspacer Pearl Jam
Mojo Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Le Noise Neil Young

R and B Album

The Love and War Masterpeace Raheem DeVaughn
Back To Me Fantasia
Another Round Jaheim
Wake Up! John Legend and The Roots
Still Standing Monica

Rap Album

The Adventures of Bobby Ray B.o.B
Thank Me Later Drake
Recovery Eminem
The Blueprint 3 Jay-Z
How I Got Over The Roots

Country Album

Up On The Ridge Dierks Bentley
You Get What You Give Zac Brown Band
The Guitar Song Jamey Johnson
Need You Now Lady Antebellum
Revolution Miranda Lambert

Latin Pop Album

Poquita Ropa Ricardo Arjona
Alex Cuba Alex Cuba
Boleto De Entrada Kany Garcia
Paraiso Express Alejandro Sanz
Otra Cosa Julieta Venegas

Contemporary Jazz Album

The Stanley Clarke Band The Stanley Clarke Band
Never Can Say Goodbye Joey DeFrancesco
Now Is The Time Jeff Lorber Fusion
To The One John McLaughlin
Backatown Trombone Shorty

Classical Album

Bruckner: Symphonies No. 3 and 4, Mariss Jansons, conductor (performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Terrence Wilson; Nashville Symphony Orchestra)
Steven Mackey: Dreamhouse, Gil Rose, conductor (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Synergy Vocals)
Sacrificium, Giovanni Antonini, conductor (Il Giardino Armonico)
Verdi: Requiem, Riccardo Muti, conductor (Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Barbara Frittoli and Mario Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus).

Full nominee list available here.

-AP