Who Will Win? (Really, It's Who We Want To Win/Should Win)- Grammy Predictions From Your Favorite Blog

Yes, the Grammys are on Sunday. Yet another year of the same people getting the same awards, with the exception of a few upsets (Zac Brown Band beating out MGMT. Not that ZBB is bad, but come on. MGMT is the shit). However repetitive the Grammys might be, we as music bloggers must still report our predictions and general ideas of who really should win this year (not just the popsters, aka Lady Gaga).

So here it is, genre by genre. Oh, and, disclaimer: It would be impossible/ridiculous for us to try and hit every genre since we don't listen to every genre. So we'll just hit the ones we know. The rest is up to you. We'll put who we think will win in bold, and who we think should win in italics.

Best Alternative Music Album:

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms - Band Of Horses
Brothers - The Black Keys
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Contra - Vampire Weekend

Best Dance Recording:

Rocket - Goldfrapp
In For The Kill - La Roux
Dance In The Dark - Lady Gaga
Only Girl (In The World) - Rihanna
Dancing On My Own - Robyn

Best Short Form Music Video:

Ain't No Grave/The Johnny Cash Project - Johnny Cash
Love The Way You Lie (Explict Version) - Eminem & Rihanna
Stylo - Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Best Recording Packaging:

Brothers - Michael Carney (The Black Keys)
Eggs - Malene Mathiasson, Malthe Fischer, Kristoffer Rom, Nis Svoldgård & Aske Zidore (Oh No Ono)
Hadestown - Brian Grunert, Anaïs Mitchell, Peter Nevins (Anaïs Mitchell)
What Will We Be - Devendra Banhart & Jon Beasley (Devendra Banhart)
Yonkers NY - Andrew Taray (Chip Taylor)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance:

King Of Anything - Sara Bareilles
Halo (Live) - Beyonce
Chasing Pirates - Norah Jones
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:

Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
This Is It - Michael Jackson
Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Half Of My Heart - John Mayer

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:

Don't Stop Belivin - The Glee Cast
Misery - Maroon 5
The Only Exception - Paramore*
Babyfather - Sade
Hey Soul Sister (Live) - Train

*This song deserves a Honorable Mention. They also deserve to win!

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals:

Airplanes, Part II - B.o.B, Eminem and Haley Williams
Imagine - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
If It Wasn't For Bad - Elton John & Leon Russel
Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyonce
California Gurls - Katy Perry & Snoop Dog

Best 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

Best Rap Solo Performance:

Over - Drake
Not Afraid - Eminem
How Low - Ludacris
I'm Back - T.I
Power - Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:

Nothin' On You - B.o.B & Bruno Mars
Deuces - Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem & Rihanna
Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Wake Up Everybody - John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common*

*We sincerely believe this song belongs in the category of R&B, not Rap.

Best Rap Song:

Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem & Rihanna
Not Afraid - Eminem
Nothin On You - B.o.B & Bruno Mars
On To The Next One - Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz

Best Solo Rock Performance:

Run Back To Your Side - Eric Clapton
Crossroads - John Mayer*
Helter Skelter - Paul McCartney
Silver Rider - Robert Plant
Angry World- Neil Young

*This song deserves an Honorable Mention. This was also awesome!

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:

Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
I Put A Spell On You - Jeff Beck & Josh Stone
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Radioactive - Kings Of Leon
Resistance - Muse

Best Rock Song:

Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
Radioactive - Kings Of Leon
Resistance - Muse
Tighten Up - The Black Keys

Best New Artist:

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

Song Of The Year:

Beg Steal Or Borrow - Ray LaMontagne
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna
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

Record Of The Year:

Nothin On You - B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

These are what we think will/should happen, so it's just our opinion. Thanks :)

-Raivynn & Whitni

Have A Good Laugh, Kids

Found this video while doing some stuff online- it features Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, the guys who make up The Black Keys, and Ezra Koenig, lead singer of Vampire Weekend, on the Colbert Show having a sell-out off. It's hilarious and, hey, who couldn't use a good laugh?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
MeTunes - Grammy Vote - Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney & Ezra Koenig
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

- The SMP Mgmt

Awkwardness Part Three: Holiday Awkwardness

It really is that time of year again. The holidays. Children around the world rejoice, while the rest of us simply groan. Just kidding, there are really people out there who still enjoy the holidays. But there are also a large group of people who don't look forward to dealing with other people. For this post, I'm going to focus on a certain group of people: young adults. For YAs, the holidays can be very good...or not so good.

In fact, they can be quite awkward.

Imagine it, talking to relatives you haven't seen in a few years, who remark on how you have or haven't grown (sorry short dudes), asking about your G.P.A (don't wanna know) or whether or not you have a boyfriend/girlfriend or gotten married yet.

For some of us stuck in a limbo moment (I'm not going to college, I dropped out, I dumped that chick three weeks ago), it can be even more awkward. How do we answer the questions that people really have no business asking?


Awkward Cat.

Well, I don't know. But I do know how we can avoid/diffuse these situations. Ask for more chicken, say 'no comment', take a swig of vodka (if you're of age), remark on how the fruitcake is extra nutty this year, hold somebody's baby, or trip one of your annoying cousins as he runs through the house (again). Other than that, you just have to get through it.

On a serious note, though, everyone should really be thankful for all that they have, especially family. Families can be hard to deal with (people are complex, remember?), but they are very worth it. How else are you going to get your 20 minutes of laughter a day?

Plus, you can always head back to your dorm/apartment and kick it til Easter. See ya suckers!

Awkward turtle says "Happy Holidays!"

-Raivynn

Don't Get All Technical

Happy December fellow readers! I hope the holidays aren't too stressful for everyone, and if they are, I hope this little blog of ours offers some relief from your crazy in-laws. This month will be very exciting, with all kinds of blog posts and new music, and starting in the new year, we've got a HUGE surprise that has even me geeking!

First off, we've got some new techie stuff on the side of the blog. The Grooveshark listening box (!!) is awesome. Use it. It features music from all the albums we've reviewed as well as new music (like from New Music Mondays!). If you have used it, you may have noticed a little problem. Yeah, we know, after 1-3 songs, it stops playing. And won't start again, unless you refresh the page. We are working on fixing this, and I'm sorry. Sometimes Grooveshark sucks.

Next, The Stack. It's awesome too, and you can definitely request albums for us to listen to (that would be the cool thing to do). Just know that, when you hit the 'Email Me', it will take you to the Yahoo! Mail link. If you don't have a Yahoo!, just email us at walnuts13@gmail.com. We are working on that too.

Okay, happy/good news!! New, fun posts coming up. I will be blogging, this Friday. It will start a series called 'The Beatles, After The Beatles'. For four weeks, it will be John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and their life after the Beatles. I can hardly wait.

We will have reviews, as usual. We will also have three special posts: Holiday Music, The Year In Music and Holiday Awkwardness. So keep an eye out for those.

So, I think that's it.

This is Raivynn, signing off!

Thanks and Giving

What is the longest word in the English language?

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Running at 45 letters, and meaning 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs,' this is a really long word (no kidding). So, the question is, what can you do with a word like this?

You can upgrade your bio research paper from a B to a A. Or, you can impress your friends and/or crush with your sophisticated language. Or...you could donate 10 grains of rice to feed a hungry person.

I personally think the last one sounds like the best choice. At the bottom of the blog, you will now find a banner for FreeRice, which is a website through the World Food Programme that, through the support of donors and people who play, feeds hungry people rice every day. I have signed this blog up as a Blog Against Hunger, and support FreeRice by encouraging you all to play. FreeRice will not only make you smarter, but it feeds little kids too. You can do everything from English to Geo to Spanish to Chem(I used it for Chem!).

Now, don't worry, I don't, at this moment, plan to start having a bunch of a annoying, moving ads around here. But this one, its different. I'm not getting any money. I'm not even getting rice.

But...please, help a five-year old in Haiti have some dinner. Trust me, learning has never been this fun.

Raivynn

P.S- Read all about it- http://www.freerice.com/about

A Proud Innie

There are three words that define a lot about me and my personality.

I'm an introvert.

In case you don't know what an introvert is, an introvert is a person who draws in energy by being alone for a while. The opposite is an extrovert, who draws in energy by being around people. Most people are a good mix of the two. As for myself, I am, according to the Meyer's Brigg Personality Test, 89% introverted. That's pretty significant.

You may wonder how this is at all related to music or you or life in general. I mean, who cares, right? WRONG!
Haha, just kidding. But seriously, it does matter. I'm pretty sure most of my friends are extroverts, which makes being a introvert that much harder. They don't understand why I sometimes have a hard times making friends, going up to/speaking to people, and, most importantly, why I don't go to parties. I'm pretty sure my roommate thinks I'm socially deficient because I was homeschooled. Homeschooling has nothing to do with this.

So, I tried to be more outgoing, I tried to go to parties. And then, I just couldn't do it. It drained me so much, I felt like I was falling out of myself. Today was a prime example of that. When I don't talk, my friends continuously ask if 'I'm okay.' I appreciate their concern, but I don't have to be talking to be okay.
Another example is when I was talking to my roommate a few weeks ago. I was trying to ask for some help on how to talk to guys, but I think I told her/she took it as I needed help communicating my feelings.

Well, I don't. I tell my friends how I'm feeling sometimes, and sometimes I don't, but they don't always respond to what I'm saying. Scratch that, they don't listen (when someone tells you they have been depressed for five days, you follow up!) I DO listen (most of the time), and I pride myself on this.

See, I love being an innie. Even though I was trying to be more outgoing (I didn't want to lose my friends), I like that I am more reflective and thoughtful than the usually loud and impulsive exies. I couldn't even imagine being like this. And even though Psych Today reports that there are 50% innies and exies, it doesn't seem like it.But anyways, back to my conversation with my roommate. I told her I was introvert, and the way she was talking to me was if that was a bad thing. Like a bad habit I needed to drop. I have issues with some exies. Stuff like this.

Guess what exies? We like the way we are, just like you do. I'm not trying to be mean, I just think exies think they have it best. They don't. Things like this are relative, it depends on the person. I observe things you will never see, I have time to myself, I have the ability to process info in an entirely new light, AND... I think before I speak. And even though this is an extroverted world, I will be fine.

For some reason, people seem uncomfortable when I say this. Like its this horrible thing, an ailment, or its shyness (ITS NOT). I told my friend the other day, and she gave me a look that said, 'Why should it matter?'
Well, it does. It does to me. Not a whole bunch of things matter to me (Activism, Music, Education, Human Rights, Family, Introversion), but this is one of them. Plus, don't you think knowing this will help you and me be able to communicate more effectively? Understand each other better?

Yes, I am an introvert. I have the communication skills needed to succeed. I don't make snap decisions, but consider the possible outcomes. I take time to just be alone. And, no, I'm not the life of the party. But I can be the life of your conversation. And (not saying all exies believe these) if you can't deal with the fact that there are some people in this world who don't overpower others in a conversation, actually listen, or don't go to clubs on a Tuesday, oh well.

And guess what?

Innies rule.

Raivynn
P.S- Here's a cool article I read yesterday. Psych rocks!! http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201008/revenge-the-introvert
P.S- As you will read in the article, mental illness is at some all time highs for people who are introverted. A lot of it has to do with not feeling accepted in our own society. Society seems geared towards exies, which definition hurts innies, especially kids. If you are an introverted kid, or you know a introverted kid, let them know its okay, and definitely great, to be the way you are. I'm (kinda) an introverted adult, and I wouldn't change it for the world. You are awesome!

P.P.S.S- The kids are so cute!!!

Converse(ly) Speaking

I love the Converse brand. The shoes (I have two pairs, Whitni has three, our little sister has one), the socks (yes, I have socks), the clothes (Whitni has a Converse jacket), everything. Even the logo, which I am considering getting a tattoo of. I know, it sounds crazy, right? I mean, its just a brand.

Right?

See, I don't see Converse as just a brand. I also see it as a statement. But more on that later.

First, a little history. Production of the shoes started in 1908, and were available to women, men and children. There were shoes for sports like tennis and basketball. Soldiers (yes, soldiers) wore them in World War II, and Converse was officially recognized for its contributions. In military training today, they still use shoes/boots manufactured by Converse.

Celebs have been wearing them forever. And in the '50s, wearing Converse was considered an act of rebellion. The number of youth wearing them increased dramatically. This continued through the '70s and '80s, until the popularity started going under. And it just got worse and worse, until, in 2001, Converse filed for bankruptcy. In 2003, Nike bought Converse, and this is where we stand today. (Thanks www.conversestore.net/History1.html for the info)

I never got to wear Converse before Nike got them, and some people complain that the shoes are not the same, but I wouldn't know. All I know is that I love the shoes and what they stand for. I think Converse stands for youth, for activism, for originality, for the present day, as well as the past. Converse is a sign of the times.

It's a shoe for every person. You can find the old-fashioned black and white All-Stars, some Converse boots for that fashionista in your life, or some One Star strap-ons, Nemo style, for your favorite nephew.

When people tell me they don't own a pair of Converse, I always ask why not. Many say they never thought about it, or they just don' think it would look good on them. Not true, and I encourage everyone to go out to your local show store, or go to www.converse.com, and find yourself your shoe.

Because Converse is a multi-generational shoe, and it holds no boundaries.

-Rai

P.S- Happy Halloween!!! Now go design some black and orange Converse!!