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AT THE PIG
o It's that time of the year
again. Hash Bash.is still
a few months away,
but that doesn't mean
you can't celebrate Bob
Marley and his lifestyle.
o Join headliner Turbulence
in celebration of Marley's
o birthday at the Blind Pig's
10th annual party on
o Saturday. Doors open at 8
p.m. and tickets are $25 in
advance or $30 the day of.
AT RACKHAM
Make sure to check out
By CHRIS GAERIG I MANAGING ARTS EDITOR and MATT EMERY I ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR
RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Irreplaceable" - Beyonc6
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"Umbrella" - Rihanna ft. Jay-Z
"What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
Should win: "Umbrella" - Rihanna ft. Jay-Z
Will win: "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
In a year when the charts have been completely domi-
nated by R&B and hip-hop songs, "Umbrella" stands as the
unchallenged best. Despite the track's unfortunate bastard
spawn - the version of "Umbrella" that features Chris Brown
- Rihanna's masterpiece has solidified her as a pop force.
The song's cascading chorus and shuffling, sharp beat make
it an instant classic. The Grammys need to look past its adult-
rock stint and finally choose a pop R&B track for this award
(which is misleadingly named and actually goes to the best
song) - recent winners include the Dixie Chicks, Green Day,
U2 (twice) and Norah Jones (twice, though one was awarded
for a duet with Ray Charles). That said, "Rehab" is a close sec-
ond, and given Winehouse's headlines, expect the voting to tilt
towards her.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Echoes, Silence, Patience ft Grace - Foo Fighters
These Days - Vince Gill
River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
Graduation - Kanye West
Back toBlack - Amy Winehouse
Should win: Graduation -Kanye West
Will win: Graduation -Kanye West
What a rag-tag bunch of hopefuls. Finally, though, the man
catches a break. Take it for what it's worth when he complains
on MTV about never winning anything, but Kanye West
deserves this. It's been a few years since anything remotely
related to hip hop took home the award (OutKast in 2003),
and Kanye is much more of a household name now than ever.
He's cementing himself as a stalwart in the mainstream. He
doesn't pull too many punches and has flash without the
over-the-top generalizations of the genre that would turn off
the Academy. The Foo Fighters might give him a run, but if
Kanye doesn't win this year, he has the right to scream bloody
murder about a racist Academy.
SONG OF THE YEAR
"Before He Cheats" - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins (Carrie
Underwood)
"Hey There Delilah" - Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's)
"Like A Star" - Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae)
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse)
"Umbrella" - Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius Nash and
Christopher Stewart (Rihanna ft. Jay-Z)
Should win: "Hey There Delilah" - Tom Higgenson (Plain
White T's)
Will win: "Before He Cheats" - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins
(Carrie Underwood)
An unabashed song of longing, "Hey There Delilah" put
Plain White T's on the map - for better or worse. The track
is comfortably soft and immediately recognizable. Born
from emo tendencies, the track has a heart, something
missing from contemporary radio. Carrie Underwood's
defiant and rambunctious "Before He Cheats," however,
will almost certainly take the category. Its sadistic subject
matter will be overlooked for its catchy chorus and sheer
popularity.
BEST NEW ARTIST
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse
Should win: Feist
Will win: Feist
We're all pretty sick of "1234" by now, but still, Feist's on
a roll. Easily one of the most accessible and vocally pleas-
ing releases of the year, The Reminder was played just about
everywhere during 2007 - local malls, Pottery Barns,
your house party. Winehouse could creep in and snag this
from old Ms. Broken Social Scene. But the legal problems,
overall image and insanity level of Winehouse should kill
any chance she has of winning considering that the last
few winners in the category have been squeaky clean and
overrated. Feist is pretty damn innocent, but it's time the
underrated label in this category disappears. This has Feist
written all over it.
BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Candyman" - Christina Aguilera
"1234" - Feist
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
"Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
Should win: "1234" - Feist
Will win: "1234" - Feist
This year it should really be called the "Lamest/Most
Unoriginal Song Title" category. It could also be one of the
toughest categories to call. Everyone's heard "1234." Feist
should have this on lockdown, but maybe Apple's incessant
advertising killed her. Or maybe it helped her. Again, Wine-
house is a tough pick with her career suicide moves, and "Say
It Right" by Nelly Furtado with the aid of Timbaland had an
understated, sizzling Cyndi Lauper edge. But Christina Agu-
ilera is a classy Academy favorite, winning the award last
year. Fergie doesn't have a chance. She might not even be real.
In the end, the addictive, eclectic and sparkly "1234" probably
gets the nod over the slightly more risque "Rehab" and the
underrated "Say It Right."
BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Everything" - Michael Bubla
"Belief" - John Mayer
"Dance Tonight" - Paul McCartney
"Amazing" - Seal
"What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
Should win: "What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin
Timberlake
Will win: "What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin
Timberlake
Justin Timberlake has a lock on this category. Aside from
his dominance of anything mainstream this year, Timber-
lake stands as the only category nominee that isn't over the
hill or a long shot. McCartney and Seal are both too far past
their respective primes - McCartney's only shot at another
Grammy is a pity you-were-once-part-of-the-Beatles award
(which he'll probably get in another category). And Michael
Buble and John Mayer have both pulled themselves too far
from the mainstream to take this award home to their trophy
shelves.
See GRAMMYS PAGE 4B
the Chicago Classical
Oriental Ensemble
as seven musicians
from countries as far
as Syria and Morocco
perform tomorrow
night. Selections include
music from three
Egyptian composers.
The performance starts
at 8 p.m. and tickets
are $20 to $40.
AT THE LEAGUE
Have you ever thought
you've got what it takes
to be on American Idol?
If so, your first stepping-
stone should be Michigan
Idol. You have the chance
of winning $500, it's free
and Simon Cowell won't
be there. Tryouts begin
at 9 p.m. and run until 11
p.m. tonight in the League
Underground.
A band defined by its crowd
By GABRIEL BAKER micks stick around for more than just a Boerma admits that halftime is an ever-
DailyArts Writer year. Sometimes they become tradition, evolving creature. Each year, he and the
whether you like it or not. other heads of the band look to the stu-
If you haven't already noticed, tradi- Nowhere is the tension between tra- dents, band members, alumni and their
tion infiltrates nearly every aspect of dition and progressive experimenta- families for new musical and thematic
our university. But as much as we like tion more evident than in the Michigan inspiration.
to think all customs were introduced in Marching Band. Balancing the historic "Every halftime show is kind of an
the 1800s by mustachioed, trapshooting "fanfare"repertoire withupdated crowd- attempt to connect with some faction of
old men, tradition is actually something conscious halftime selections is a tricky the audience, because you're not goingto
more tangible and vulnerable to change. feat, especially considering they have to please everybody ever," he said.
It's something in which we play a part. satisfy100,000 plus onlookers and anoth- And it's extremely hard to please fans
Every year, the University finds new er half million alumni in the process. But of all ages when the concept of halftime
ways to bend its conventional values to the strategy is relatively simple: Keep the has changed so dramatically. Nowadays,
keep up with the times. It throws some- pre-game traditional and leave the new when we think "halftime," we casually
thing into the Michigan crowd and sees spectacles for the halftime show. imagine fighter jets soaring over upper-
what sticks. And sometimes these gim- New Michigan band director Scott See BAND PAGE 4B
AT THE ARK
With its all-women-
of-color cast and men
as props, "The Vagina
Monologues" has courted
controversy in recent
years. It visits The Ark
on Sunday without
any of that. But it's still
an important piece of
theater. One show is at
2 p.m. and the other at
7 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Crowd favorites include "Livin' On a Prayer."