GRAMMY NOMINATIONS!!!!!

Kanye West nabbed a leading seven nominations for the 54th annualGrammy Awards announced Wednesday, but the rapper ceded the brightest light of music industry esteem to British singer Adele, whose six nominations include the most prestigious categories: record, album and song of the year.

West's nods came predominantly in rap categories, with just one, a co-writer credit for "All of the Lights," in the song of the year competition. His "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" CD is nominated for rap album but didn't make the cut for album of the year.

Adele's "21" is the biggest album of 2011, with sales of 4.7 million. Her singing voice has been temporarily silenced, however, by vocal cord surgery, which prematurely ended her American tour. It's not clear whether Adele will be sufficiently recovered to perform when the Grammy Awards are handed out Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.

Her single "Rolling in the Deep" is up for record of the year honors, which recognizes performance and production, along with Bon Iver's "Holocene,"Bruno Mars' "Grenade," Mumford & Sons' "The Cave" and Katy Perry's "Firework." "Rolling" is also up for song of the year.

Adele's "21" will compete with the Foo Fighters'"Wasting Light," Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" and Rihanna's "Loud" for album of the year.

Best new artist nominees along with Bon Iver are country trio The Band Perry, rappers J. Cole and Nicki Minaj, and DJ-dance music performer Skrillex.

Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning in July, collected a posthumous nomination for her duet with Tony Bennett on "Body and Soul," in the pop duo or group performance category.

Surprisingly, the two fastest-selling albums of the last 12 months, Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" -- the first collections in more than five years to sell more than a million copies in their first week of release -- collectively generated just one nomination in the top four categories, an album-of-the-year nod for "Born This Way." Swift, whose third album has sold almost 3.8 million copies, is vying for country album honors, and her anti-bullying single "Mean" is nominated for country song and solo performance.

Wednesday's live "Grammy Nominations Concert" was dominated by opening and closing act Lady Gaga, who lead off with her latest single, "Marry the Night."

Who do think got snubbed?

I think Beyonce and Lady Gaga should have gotten more nominations!!!

For the complete list of nominees, go to grammy.com.

Grammy: The Ups And Downs of Music's Biggest Night

To say that I didn't enjoy the show, would be a lie. I gotta say performance wise it was one of the best I have watch in my short life and it shows as it was the most watched grammys since 2000 with 26.66 millions viewers. The list of the people that performed is long but my favorites was of course Lady GaGa's simple (for her) performance of her soon to be no. 1 single, Born This Way, Rihanna (with Drake) and Eminem, Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey was a great mashup. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream and montage of her wedding and performance of Not Like The Movies, Lady Antebellum, Cee-Lo (a.k.a Big Bird) with Gwneyth Paltrow, Mumfords & Sons, Bruno Mars, B.O.B. with Janelle Monae and Miranda Lambert. And the others did quite well.

And now to the awards.....Record And Song Of The Year are fine with me but Best New Artist and Album Of The Year is where I think some people got snubbed. Like i said before, the people that deserve Album of The Year is either Eminem or Lady GaGa, Arcade of Fire is the second last artist I would choose for the winner (ahead of Katy Perry) as they didn't have that much commercial success with their album though it was high praised by the critics. And The Best New Artist category. Everyone thought Justin Bieber would win this or (like I guess) Drake should win. Then Esperanza Spalding wins and funny enough some Believers when a little overboard with the situation by editing Esperanze's wiki page with "Justin Bieber deserved it go die in a hole. Who the heck are you anyway?" and "Biber 4 Lyfe." Bieber himself shared in his fans' frustration, telling MTV News on Sunday night, "I'm not going to lie — I was disappointed. But, you know, I'm gonna come back [next year] and we'll take a few home." Unlike the Wikipedia hackers, however, the "Baby" singer showed no bitterness whatsoever when he ran into Spalding backstage at the Staples Center. The two artists shook hands and Bieber congratulated Spalding on the victory.

Other than that congrats to Lady Antebellum that leads this year wins with five wins and Lady GaGa for her three awards and also other winners.

Best Performances of The Night

1. Lady GaGa - Born This Way

2. Eminem, Rihanna, Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey. - Love The Way You Lie/I Need A Doctor

3. Cee-Lo (with Gwneyth Paltrow) - Forget You

4. Bruno Mars, B.O.B. with Janelle Monae - Medley

5. Lady Antebellum - Medley

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Grammy: 2011 Album of The Year Predictions

Should Win: The Fame Monster

Will Win: Recovery/ The Fame Monster

Actually it's true that popularity of an album does affect the last results of the Grammy. And it shows as four out of five albums that is nominated for this year have their share of the single spotlight at mainstream radio. It came as a surprised when Katy Perry's Teenage Dream was nominated for this award. But people should reevaluate this situation as Katy Perry had three successful singles this year and one of them was called "The Song Of The Summer." As for Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. It came no surprise to music critics. As the album got very good reviews and one of the top rated album of the year. But with lack of commercial success, the album will not likely be the winner. And then we review the Country Album Of The Year by Lady Antebellum. The album is country at its best. The album have sold more than 3 million and spawned three no.1 Country songs with one of them going mainstream. It came to no surprise that the album got the nom. Though country is the Grammy usual favorite as the past two winners were country singers. The album will not likely be the winner for this year as 2010 was the year of Pop.

Now came the two albums that was one of the top selling album of 2010, had many hits and was favorites by critics and fans. They are the comeback album, Recovery by Eminem and the pop EP, The Fame Monster by Lady GaGa. After a not so successful album, Eminem had recover himself by releasing his seventh studio album. The album is certainly more matured than his several past albums and had quite successful single including the Record Of The Year nominee, Love The Way You Lie. I just have this feeling that he could win this with commercial and good critic success backing me up. Now to the artist that I think should and possibly win the award. It funny when you think that it just have been only about two and a half year since Lady GaGa got the attention that she totally deserve. The Fame Monster was released at the right time as if this pop perfection was released four or five years ago, I don't think it would be very successful. 2010 was the year of Pop. The album had three hit singles with two of them top the radio charts with Telephone becoming her sixth consecutive no. 1. And critics were all praised with the album noting that the album have no fillers. And this is true as one of her non-single song, Dance In The Dark was nominated for this year Best Dance Recording, a very rare situation. Although it is only an EP, I think it have the capability to win.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Grammy: 2011 Record of The Year Predictions

Should Win: Need You Now

Will Win: Love The Way You Lie/ F**k You

Record of The Year is different than Song of The Year. As Song of the Year is only judge by the song itself, even the singers not necessarily be the one who accept the award. Where Record Of The Year is the whole recording package, from the singer, production, engineering, and/or mixing. The writers are not involved.

Need You Now should win because of the success of the song going mainstream and the song is perfectly recorded and sung by the artist. But I think the one that will take the award will be either Love The Way You Lie or F**k You. Love The Way You Lie because of the song mixing and F**k You because of the song brilliant production. And of course because of the success of both songs.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Grammy: Rihanna - What's My Name (Rehearsal)

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Grammy: 2011 Best New Artist Prediction

Every year, we will look out for the Best New Artist nominees that had blown up the past year with their own kind of music.

Who Should Win: Justin Bieber

Who Will Win: Drake

I choose Justin Bieber because he had a great year in 2010. And looking back past his career, he had achieve a lot in just very short time. And that's include two albums, a biography, an upcoming movie, numerous radio singles and videos and a tons of magazine covers. Many people says that as soon as he blowed up that's how fast he will fall down. But I don't think he will disappears just yet, he will continues doing his not-so-bad music and his fans will continue to support him. But the problem is now that the Grammys doesn't really choose teen-heartthrob as their winners (like the Jonas Brothers). That's why I aim that Drake will take home the prize. He did quite well last year, his album Thank Me Later was a big success, topping the charts and critics calling it one of the best of the year. And this is a winning formula the Grammys.

As for the others, I congrats them for the nominee. (Ke$ha and Adam Lambert should have also get a nom for this.)

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Grammy: 2011 Song of The Year Prediction

Who Should Win: The House That Built Me (Miranda Lambert)

Who Will Win: Need You Now (Lady Antebellum)

The Grammy people loves country and they are the one that usually wins. So that's why I choose Need You Now that was received well both by critics and also pop radio. But they are not the only one that was mainstream last year. As four out of five of this year's nominees was commercially success with the exception of Beg Steal or Borrow by Ray Montagne.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Grammy: Lady Gaga & Elton John 2010 Performance

Lady GaGa is expected to sing her first single, Born This Way off her new record of the same name.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

News: Welcome To Grammy Week 2011

This week is probably the most important week of the year for music. The Grammy Awards will be live on Sunday night. And we here in Pop Flares want to celebrate that. First we put up the special AOTM/Grammy Week Banner and starting tomorrow I will post my expectation of who should and will win the Grammy for the four biggest awards of the night. And also I will post a special 'Flashback' of past Grammy performances and what performances you will be expecting this year. I hope you guys enjoy this special. Let's together celebrate Music's Biggest Night.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]