#I FINALLY REMEMBERED TO INCLUDE BRAD AND GENE

[beevean]

I finally unboxed the Sega Genesis Mini I’ve had for a while, and had the chance to try out Sonic the Hedgehog! It turns out there’s also Mega Man: The Wily Wars, which is essentially a compilation remake of Mega Man 1, 2, and 3, so I’ll try that out later, along with Castlevania: Bloodlines.

Also, the Genesis controller is beefier than I anticipated. It’s not bad, though! It’s nice to hold, and pressing the buttons feels nice. The d-pad is also very sensitive, and if I ever get around to playing any of the fighting games, I imagine the round shape will help with fighting games!

So far, Sonic the Hedgehog, along with what I’ve played of Mega Man and the Classicvanias, strikes me as a platformer that requires lots of precision. Except unlike Mega Man and Castlevania, you’re going at super fast speeds, so obstacles can be hard to anticipate if you don’t know the lay of the land. (I can only imagine how much tougher the Game Gear version is, what with the screen crunch I’ve heard about.)

The alternate pathways are really nice, though! It helps vary the gameplay experience, I imagine!

Also, why is Sonic 3 not on there? There’s a plastic Sonic and Knuckles cartridge, but Sonic 3 isn’t even there? That would have been cool. Oh well. That’s what hacking is for.

That's great!

I never held a real Genesis controller, but they look pretty solid lol.

The Classic games are not quite the other platformers of the time, especially not MM and CV. They are more momentum-based, most noticeably Sonic 1, which didn't have things like the Spin Dash yet so you had to earn all of your speed. The games are generally easier to beat, but you're encouraged to experiment with the level design to find shortcuts. But yes, the Genesis games were criticized for centering the camera on Sonic, causing some visibility issues. If you've played Sonic 2 and got to Chemical Plant, you must have experienced Sonic outrunning the camera :P (as for the Game Gear games, yes they can get very bad :') but they're ports of the games for Master System, so very different games! They're simpler and cute)

As for Sonic 3... oh boy. Let me carry you through a fascinating rabbit hole.

It's widely believed that S3&K could not be re-released for the longest time because of its music. Now, it was re-released in the 2000s, I personally played it on Sonic Mega Collection Plus for PS2, but in the 2010s it was no longer included. But let me explain with one example.

This is the theme of Ice Cap Zone in the Genesis version:

In 1997, the game was ported on PC under the name of Sonic & Knuckles Collection. It used MIDI music, but most importantly, some tracks were replaced. These are Ice Cap's themes in the Collection:

Pretty different, huh?

Since 1997, it was believed that the new tunes were hastly composed replacements either because the PCs of the time could not handle the vocal clips of certain tracks, or because, turns out, Michael Jackson and Brad Buxer composed some of the tracks. No, really.

This is Hard Times, composed by The Jetzons, of which Brad Buxer was a member of:

I hear a couple of similarities with Ice Cap :) but yeah, this song became popular in the Sonic fandom... 7 years ago, I'd say? Not too long ago. It pretty much confirmed that some of the tracks in S3 were not composed by people at SEGA, and this is why they lost their copyrights on it.

Another shocking discovery was made in 2019. A beta of Sonic 3 was unearthed, one dated 4 months before the release of the game. It was still very rough, but again, what matters here is that it too had different tracks...

The S&K Collection tracks were the originals??????

So... they composed these tracks... then they hired Michael Jackson and Brad Buxer to replace them... then they covered their involvement? Now, tbf, if you remember what scandals Jackson was involved in 1994 you can understand SEGA's decision to cut contacts with him, but still, what a loop.

(side note, Carnival Night Act 1 Beta is one of my favorite tracks in general lol. The official one can't compare)

During the 2010s, mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2 and CD were made by Christian Whitehead, the man who would eventually become the head of the team that made Sonic Mania. But even though he was more than ready to give the same treatment to 3&K, SEGA never gave the okay... until 2022.

That year, Sonic Origins was released, a compilation that is meant to be the definitive way to play the Classic games. In reality, they're mostly ports of the mobile ports. And guess which tracks they put in the shiny new remaster of S3&K.

Fans were not happy, to say the least.

And this is the story of how Michael Jackson made porting S3&K nearly impossible without resorting to controversial beta themes :'D

[ninjago-text-adventures]

Lloyd: I can't thank you guys enough for helping me with my legal papers.

Gene: It's no problem, it'll be like forging taxes.

Brad: Dude, I thought you took Kai's last name so you wouldn't have to redo the ID paperwork.

Lloyd: You don't understand, this is like the really important stuff that I need to have on file. It's not like a simple name change on a ID card.

Brad: Okay so why do need our help to..?

Lloyd lifts up his arms. Left one is in a brace and right one is in a firm cast.

Brad: Oh right, Windmill incident.

Gene, clicking a pen: Lloyd, just tell me what we need to write down when I ask. Okay?

Lloyd: Okay.

Gene: First name.

Lloyd: Lloyd. L-l-o-y-d.

Gene: Middle name.

Lloyd: ... Jillian Vincent.

Brad: Jillian Vincent?

Lloyd: My mom didn't know which grandparent to name me after. So she chose both.

Gene: Okay.

Gene: Last name.

Lloyd:

Brad: ... Lloyd, Gene asked.

Lloyd: I know.

Gene: Well what is your last name?

Lloyd: My birth name right?

Gene: Lloyd.

Lloyd: Okay! Okay. My last-

Lloyd: My full last name is...

Gene: ...?

Lloyd:

Lloyd: Montgomery Garmadon Smith Julien Brookstone Walker Camara.

Brad: How- who-!?

Lloyd: Uhhhhhh. Mom's, then Dad's, Kai's, Zane, Cole, Jay, and Vinny.

Gene: Who is Vinny???

Lloyd: My new stepdad.

Brad: Your mom remarried?

Lloyd: No, my dad did.

Gene throws the paperwork away and walks from the table.

Lloyd: ... Oh and Yarnwell- Viv and I signed courthouse papers so we're legally married-

Brad: 8 LAST NAMES???

Lloyd: I think I should drop Montgomery-Garmadon since I'm now married though-

Gene's frustrated cries are heard from the kitchen.

[tcm]

The Oscar Effect on Careers By Susan King

Does winning an acting Oscar change the career of the recipient? The answer is yes and also no. Take Brad Pitt, who won Best Supporting Actor last year for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019). He’s a veteran superstar with over three decades in Hollywood. So, the award is more icing on the cake for his career. But that wasn’t the case when he earned his first nomination for Terry Gilliam’s 12 MONKEYS (‘95). Pitt was on a hot streak since gaining attention for his roles in THELMA & LOUISE (‘91), A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (‘92), INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (‘94) and LEGENDS OF THE FALL (‘94), and his first Oscar nominations gave his career an even bigger boost.

Similar to Pitt, many young actors discovered their stock in Hollywood with Oscar gold, but nominations and wins have effected various stars’ careers in different ways. Here’s a look at various Oscar winners and how the award affected their careers.

Martin Landau

The Oscar has changed the career trajectory of many veteran actors. Martin Landau was making such TV movies The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island (’81) that just squandered his talents. But that all changed when he earned his first Oscar nomination for Francis Ford Coppola’s TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM (’88), followed by a second for Woody Allen’s CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS (’89), eventually winning for his poignant performance as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s ED WOOD (’94).

Ironically, Landau told me in a 2010 L.A. Times interview he didn’t think he could play the Dracula star. “It’s a Hungarian morphine addict, alcoholic who has mood swings,” he remembered telling Burton. “That would be hard enough, but it has to be Bela Lugosi! I said I don’t know if I can do this, but let’s do some tests.”

Makeup artist Rick Baker transformed Landau into the elderly frail actor. Burton, he recalled, looked at the tests and thought he was 50% Lugosi. Landau believed he captured the icon in fleeting moments. “I said if I can do it 10% of the time, I can do it 100% of the time. They have to accept me as Lugosi in the first five minutes or we don’t have a film. It was not an impersonation for me. He had to be a human being.”

Melvyn Douglas

Similarly, Melvyn Douglas, who was best known for his comedic roles in the 1930s and ‘40s in such films as NINOTCHKA (’39), had seen his career slow in the 1950s because of his liberal political leanings. But he came back to the forefront in 1960 after winning a Tony Award for Gore Vidal’s THE BEST MAN, and then receiving his first of two supporting actor Oscars for his turn as Paul Newman’s hard-working Texas rancher father in Martin Ritt’s HUD (’63). Seven years later, he received a Best Actor nomination as Gene Hackman’s father in I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (’70), ultimately winning his second Oscar as the president of the United States in Hal Ashby’s BEING THERE (’79).

Luise Rainer

The German stage actress was signed to an MGM contract in the mid-30s. But the free-spirited Rainer, who considered herself an actress and not a movie star, was always at logger heads with studio head Louis B. Mayer. She told me in a 2011 L.A. Times interview, Mayer “couldn’t make me out. You know it was a little bit difficult for him. I wasn’t the type that he was used to. So, the poor man didn’t know what to do with me. For my first film, ESCAPADE [‘35], William Powell said [to him] you got to star that girl…My first film made me a star.”

Rainer won Best Actress as famed performer Anna Held in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (’36) and as a Chinese peasant in THE GOOD EARTH (’37). All but one of her subsequent films didn’t do well at the box office and she left Hollywood. She made one film, HOSTAGES (’43), guest starred on some TV series including a voyage on The Love Boat and had a small part in indie film THE GAMBLER (’97).

Art Carney  

One of the greatest comedic actors, Carney came to fame in the Honeymooners sketches on The Jackie Gleason Show and The Honeymooners series as Ralph Kramden’s (Gleason) best pal, the clueless sewer worker Ed Norton. He won five Emmys for his work with Gleason. Carney also originated the role of neatnik Felix Ungar opposite Walter Matthau’s Oscar Madison in the 1965 Broadway production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple.

Well-known that he had a drinking problem, Carney wasn’t working that much in film or TV in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In fact, he tried to convince Paul Mazursky he wasn’t right for the filmmaker’s heartfelt dramedy HARRY & TONTO (’74) about a curmudgeonly old New Yorker who travels with his cat across country after he loses his apartment. Mazursky told me in a 2011 L.A. Times interview that no one wanted the part. James Cagney, Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant and even Danny Kaye were among those who turned him down. 

He had seen Carney on Broadway in 1957 in a dramatic role in The Rope Dancers.  “Of course, I had seen him in The Honeymooners. He didn’t want to do it,” noted Mazursky. “He said ‘I’m 59 years old and you want this guy to be in his 70s.’ I said, ‘Art, this is the first time I met you and you look like you are in your 70s – you’re balding, you wear a hearing aid and you have a bum leg.’ He told me, ‘You don’t want me, I’m an alcoholic.’ He had one bad night then nothing else. He had been out on a binge and he showed up on location in Chicago in a taxi in the morning loaded. I took him up to his room, put him in the shower and made him a pot of coffee. He was easy to direct.”

Carney won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for his turn, beating out the likes of Jack Nicholson for CHINATOWN and Al Pacino for THE GODFATHER PART II. And he did some of his best work post-Harry including as an aging Los Angeles private detective in the charming THE LATE SHOW (’77) and as a senior who teams up with his buddies (George Burns and Lee Strasberg) to rob a bank in GOING IN STYLE (’79). He earned his sixth Emmy for the TV movie Terrible Joe Moran (’84), which was James Cagney’s last film.  Carney’s final film was the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger disaster LAST ACTION HERO. “I’m outta here” was the last line Carney ever uttered on film.

[gilmoregirlsrevival2016]

Season 1 Gilmore Girls References (Breakdown)

Yay! All the season 1 references have been posted. Before I start posting season 2, I wanted to post this little breakdown for your enjoyment :) It starts with some statistics and then below the cut is a list of all the specific references.

Overall amount of references in season 1: 605

Top 10 Most Common References: NSYNC (5), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (5), Taylor Hanson (6), Leo Tolstoy (7), Lucky Spencer (7), Marcel Proust (7), PJ Harvey (7), The Bangles (8), The Donna Reed Show (8), William Shakespeare (10)

Which episodes had the most references: #1 is That Damn Donna Reed with 55 references. #2 is Christopher Returns with 44 references 

What characters made the most references (Only including characters/actors who were in the opening credits): Lorelai had the most with 237 references, Rory had second most with 118, and Lane had third most with 48.

First reference of the season: Jack Kerouac referenced by Lorelai 

Final reference of the season: Adolf Eichmann referenced by Michel 

  Movies/TV Shows/Episodes/Characters, Commercials, Cartoons/Cartoon Characters, Plays, Documentaries:

9 1/2 Weeks, Alex Stone, Alfalfa, An Affair To Remember, A Streetcar Named Desire, Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman, Avon Commercials, Bambi, Beethoven, Boogie Nights, Cabaret, Casablanca, Charlie's Angels, Charlie Brown cartoons, Christine, Cinderella, Citizen Kane, Daisy Duke, Damien Thorn, Dawson Leery, Donna Stone, Double Indemnity, Double Mint Commercials, Ethel Mertz, Everest, Felix Unger, Fiddler On The Roof, Footloose, Freaky Friday, Fred Mertz, Gaslight, General Hospital, G.I. Jane, Gone With The Wind, Grease, Hamlet, Heathers, Hee Haw, House On Haunted Hill, Ice Castles, I Love Lucy, Iron Chef, Ishtar, Jeff Stone, Joanie Loves Chachi, John Shaft, Lady And The Tramp, Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows, Love Story, Lucky Spencer, Lucy Raises Chickens, Lucy Ricardo, Lucy Van Pelt, Macbeth,  Magnolia, Mary Stone, Mask, Midnight Express, Misery, Norman Bates, Officer Krupke, Oompa Loompas, Old Yeller, Oscar Madison, Out Of Africa, Patton, Pepe Le Pew, Peyton Place, Pink Ladies, Pinky Tuscadero, Ponyboy, Psycho, Queen Of Outer Space, Rapunzel, Richard III, Ricky Ricardo, Rocky Dennis, Romeo And Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, Sandy Olsson, Saved By The Bell, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Schroeder, Sesame Street, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Sex And The City, Sixteen Candles, Sleeping Beauty, Star Trek, Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski, Stretch Cunningham, The Champ, The Comedy Of Errors, The Crucible, The Donna Reed Show, The Duke's Of Hazzard, The Fly, The Great Santini, The Little Match Girl, The Matrix, The Miracle Worker, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Outsiders, The Shining, The Sixth Sense, The View, The Waltons, The Way We Were, The Scarecrow, This Old House, V.I.P., Valley Of The Dolls, Vulcans, Wild Kingdom, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Wheel Of Fortune, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Working Girl, Yogi Bear, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown

Bands, Songs, CDs:

98 Degrees, Air Supply, Apple Venus Volume 2, Backstreet Boys, Bee Gees, Black Sabbath, Blue Man Group, Blur, Bon Jovi, Boston, Bush, Duran Duran, Everlong, Foo Fighters, Fugazi, Grandaddy, Hanson, I'm Too Sexy, Joy Division, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Kraftwerk, Like A Virgin, Livin La Vida Loca, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Man I Feel Like A Woman, Metallica, Money Money, My Ding-A-Ling, NSYNC, On The Good Ship Lollipop, Pink Moon, Queen, Rancid, Sergeant Pepper, Shake Your Bon Bon, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Sister Sledge, Smoke On The Water, Steely Dan, Suppertime, Tambourine Man, The B-52s, The Bangles, The Beatles, The Best Of Blondie, The Cranberries, The Cure, The Offspring, The Sugarplastic, The Wallflowers, The Velvet Underground, Walk Like An Egyptian, XTC, Ya Got Trouble, Young Marble Giants

Books/Book Characters, Comic Books/Comic Book Characters, Comic Strips: 

A Mencken Chrestomathy, A Tale Of Two Cities, Anna Karenina, Belle Watling, Boo Radley, Carrie, David Copperfield, Dick Tracy, Dopey (One of the seven dwarfs) Goofus And Gallant, Great Expectations, Grinch, Hannibal Lecter, Hansel And Gretel, Harry Potter (book as well as character referenced), Huckleberry Finn, Little Dorrit, Madame Bovary, Moby Dick, Mommie Dearest, Moose Mason, Nancy Drew, Out Of Africa, Pinocchio, Swann's Way, The Amityville Horror, The Art Of Fiction, The Bell Jar, The Grapes Of Wrath, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Lost Weekend, The Metamorphosis, The Portable Dorothy Parker, The Unabridged Journals Of Sylvia Plath, The Witch Tree Symbol, There's A Certain Slant Of Light, Tuesdays With Morrie, War And Peace, Wonder Woman

Public Figures:

Adolf Eichmann, Alfred Hitchcock, Angelina Jolie, Anna Nicole Smith, Annie Oakley, Antonio Banderas, Arthur Miller, Artie Shaw, Barbara Hutton, Barbara Stanwyck, Barbra Streisand, Beck, Ben Jonson, Benito Mussolini, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Crudup, Bob Barker, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Catherine The Great, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charles I, Charles Dickens, Charles Manson, Charlie Parker, Charlotte Bronte, Charlton Heston, Charo, Cher, Cheryl Ladd, Chris Penn, Christiane Amanpour, Christopher Marlowe, Chuck Berry, Claudine Longet, Cleopatra, Cokie Roberts, Courtney Love, Dalai Lama, Damon Albarn, Dante Alighieri, David Mamet, Donna Reed, Edith Wharton, Edna O'Brien, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Webber, Elle Macpherson, Elsa Klensch, Elvis, Emeril Lagasse, Emily Dickinson, Emily Post, Eminem, Emma Goldman, Errol Flynn, Fabio, Farrah Fawcett, Fawn Hall, Flo Jo, Francis Bacon, Frank Sinatra, Franz Kafka, Fred MacMurray, Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder, George Clooney, George Sand, George W. Bush, Harry Houdini, Harvey Fierstein, Henny Youngman, Henry David Thoreau, Henry James, Henry VIII, Herman Melville, Homer, Honore De Balzac, Howard Cosell, Hugh Grant, Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Jaclyn Smith, James Dean, Jane Austen, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Tandy, Jim Carey, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hoffa, Joan Of Arc, Joan Rivers, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Joel Grey, John Cage, John Gardner, John Muir, John Paul II, John Webster, Johnny Cash, Johnny Depp, Joseph Merrick AKA Elephant Man, Judy Blume, Judy Garland, Julian Lennon, Justin Timberlake, Karen Blixen AKA Isak Dinesen, Kate Jackson, Kathy Bates, Kevin Bacon, Kreskin, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leo Tolstoy, Leopold and Loeb, Lewis Carroll, Linda McCartney, Liz Phair, Liza Minnelli, Lou Reed, M Night Shyamalan, Macy Gray, Madonna, Marcel Marceau, Marcel Proust, Margot Kidder, Marie Antoinette, Marie Curie, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Twain, Mark Wahlberg, Marlin Perkins, Martha Stewart, Martha Washington, Martin Luther, Mary Kay Letourneau, Maurice Chevalier, Melissa Rivers, Meryl Streep, Michael Crichton, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Miguel De Cervantes, Miss Manners, Mozart, Nancy Kerrigan, Nancy Walker, Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Nico, Oliver North, Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Levant, Pat Benatar, Paul McCartney, Peter III Of Russia, Peter Frampton, Philip Glass, PJ Harvey, Prince, Queen Elizabeth I, Regis, Richard Simmons, Rick James, Ricky Martin, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Robert Smith, Robin Leach, Rosie O'Donnell, Ru Paul, Ruth Gordon, Samuel Barber, Sarah Duchess Of York, Sean Lennon, Sean Penn, Shania Twain, Shelley Hack, Sigmund Freud, Squeaky Fromme, Stephen King, Steven Tyler, Susan Faludi, Susanna Hoffs, Tanya Roberts, Taylor Hanson, Theodore Kaczynski AKA The Unabomber, The Kennedy Family, Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo Marx AKA The Marx Brothers, Venus and Serena Williams (The reference was "The Williams Sisters"),Thelonious Monk, Tiger Woods, Tito Puente, Tom Waits, Tony Randall, Tonya Harding, Vaclav Havel, Vanna White, Vivien Leigh, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare, William Shatner, Yoko Ono, Zsa Zsa Gabor

Misc:

Camelot, Chernobyl Disaster, Cone Of Silence, Hindenburg Disaster, Iran-Contra Affair, Paul Bunyan, The Menendez Murders, Tribbles, Vulcan Death Grip, Whoville, Winchester Mystery House

[theseaeaglelives]

Round 18

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Round 18 

Manly Sea Eagles 36

Defeated   

Parramatta Eels   24

A sunny Sunday afternoon, a packed Brookie up against the old enemy, the despised Eels and a victory. The only missing ingredient of a perfect afternoon being the absence of the dulcet tones of Rex “the Moose” Mossop calling the action.   

There were however some ominous signs for Manly though when it was reported that Brad Parker had been recalled into the team as a late replacement for an injured Cade Cust.   

Notwithstanding the inclusion of Parker, Manly opened the scoring after 5 minutes when improving winger Rueben Garrick crossed in the corner. Garrick then duly converted his own try. Young Garrick is but another example of a player improving in season 2019 as compared to last year, with the Sea Eagle still somewhat dumfounded as to the reason for this repeated and strange phenomenon. . The Sea Eagle vows to get to the bottom of this and seek a rational explanation.

The Eels then hit back with two tries of their own, the first as a result of a Horhay Torfua howler. Young Horhay has the turning circle and mobility of a Mk1 Abrams tank and the sooner he is moved into the forwards the better for all concerned.

Defence then took a back seat for the remainder of the half, particularly from the Eels and Manly ran in four tries including a screamer from Tommy Turbo. Even the much-maligned Brad Parker managed to cross for a try as Manly held a 26-12 lead at the break.   

The second half was less than inspiring with plenty of mistakes from both teams. Manly took their foot off the accelerator but made less mistakes than the Eels running in a further two tries with Rueben Garrick chalking up his first career hat-trick.   

Two late tries to the Eels added some respectability however the final 36-24 scoreline did not justify the commanding nature of the Manly victory.

What a hapless mob the Eels are, and it was interesting to note the prevalence of Manly discards (David Gower, Shaun Lane, Clint Gutherson, Coach Brad Arthur etc.) within their ranks, indeed further proof positive that no-one goes better when they leave the nest.

The win not only consolidates Manly within the top 8, but provides some hope for even better things to come as they now knock on the door of the top 4. Next week against the filthy wrestling, cheating rorters from Melbourne will provide a more accurate gauge on where Manly sit in season 2019.   

More Embarrassment for the NRL- Mark Coyne   

Since the off-season from hell the NRL has done a fair job in improving player behaviour however, the latest in a long stream of embarrassments comes directly from head office.   Proving that you can take the man out of the NRL, but you can never take the NRL out of the man, former Dragon and now NRL Commissioner, Mark Coyne has found himself in hot water and on the wrong side of the Singaporean legal system.

It has been reported in the press that Mr Coyne has unleashed an expletive laden tirade along the lines of "you are a f---ing stupid idiot", a "f---ing dickhead" and a "cock", "f---ing cock" and "f---ing dog", he also threatened to "sue you through your f---ing arse" and adding "if some f---ing stupid c--- sues me, I don’t f---ing care. Especially you". And then finally "you are f---ing crazy", "you must be f---ing embarrassed" and "you must be so f---ing proud of yourself"   

Such a tirade could have been excused and even justified had it taken place at an NRL Board meeting (and merely represented a rehash of the minutes of said meeting), or perhaps having been directed at incumbent NRL Chairman, Peter Beattie (given his many public statements in the past have only but confirmed his mastery of embarrassment).   

However poor old Mr Coyne made the fatal mistake of directing it towards a police officer in Singapore. Whilst the Australian judicial system seems to tolerate verbal and physical abuse directed towards the constabulary, such is not the case in Singapore and Mr Coyne was duly arrested, his passport confiscated and then detained in Singapore for seven weeks. 

The Sea Eagle can report that Mr Coyne got off lightly and was very fortunate not to have been sentenced to the traditional Singaporean punishment for such an indiscretion. 

Compounding this indiscretion, Mr Coyne then thought it would be acceptable to withhold informing the NRL of his misdemeanour, allegedly suggesting something about an ear infection which prevented him from returning from Singapore. Mr Coyne also pulled out that old and well used NRL chestnut, claiming that he was too intoxicated to remember the incident and that his behaviour was completely out of character (aren’t they all!!).  

It has since been reported in various outlets that Mr Coyne is a “good bloke and irreplaceable on the NRL Commission”. Be that as it may, and the Sea Eagle does not doubt it for one moment, with the power of an NRL independent Commissioner comes great responsibility. The first is not to embarrass oneself or the code (Mr Peter Beattie not knowing who the Sharks were is but one example of this), and the second it would seem, is not to go on drunken tirades in foreign lands and abuse the local police. Such things never end well.

The Sea Eagle notes that it has also been reported that Israel Folau is a “good bloke” but the NRL won’t allow him within a bull’s roar of participating in the greatest game of all.   

 As far as the Sea Eagle is concerned and bearing in mind that Clubs are required to immediately self-report any incident involving players/officials, in the interest of consistency (particularly given the Dylan Walker banning despite being found ultimately NOT GUILTY), the NRL, must enact its no-fault policy and Mr Coyne should be sacked from the Commission.

In the words of the great man President Trump, Mark Coyne “You’re Fired”.  

The Sea Eagle’s only other comment on this unmitigated debacle, is to urge those that actually control the independent commission of the NRL, to resist the temptation (largely from the News Limited and Fairfax media) to appoint someone on the commission who has a so called rugby league background. 

Everybody knows that sooner or later anyone with a significant rugby league background is more  likely than not going to have some sort of unsavoury incident surface. This is due basically to the rugby league  DNA factor .   Regrettably only those who are regular participants in rugby league seem to fully understand and appreciate how to control and limit  the impacts of this DNA chromosome mismatch, but as everybody knows, despite the best efforts all concerned, sooner or later the rugby league gene will kick in, and create embarrassment for all and sundry.  

It can't be stopped, it can only be managed.   This is not a criticism , as no other code on the planet seems to have this ability to recover from such significant embarrassment on a regular basis. But to put it as simply as one can, it is the reason why rugby league  is the greatest game of all and not the game they play in heaven (rugby union ). 

Trent Barrett

The Sun Herald reported that on Saturday 19 July 2019, Trent Barrett’s coaching tenure at Manly officially came to an end. The same publication also reported said Mr. Barrett has somehow managed to land a gig as part of the All Blacks support crew. The Sea Eagle is not in a position to verify the accuracy of this allegation but if it is true you can expect that the All Blacks will not win the 2019 World Cup.  

Moreover, if indeed it is true, the mind boggles at who actually thought this was a good thing to do in New Zealand rugby. For a nation who on any objective basis is by far and away the best managed and performing rugby union outfit on the planet, it beggars belief that they thought they even need to go anywhere near the former Shark/Dragon playing, DFI infected, ex-Manly coach. A quick review of his coaching record and the fact that he's never won a premiership as a player or as a coach only confirms the folly of such a decision (if indeed it has been made).  

Erskineville Toxic Waste Real Estate Developments   

We have all read about the recent debacle that is new home unit construction in Sydney and Melbourne but in particular in the area starting from South of the Harbour Bridge heading towards Botany and Mascot.

The latest in this sad and sorry saga is a revelation that a block of units in Erskineville will not be approved by the Council as fit for human habitation, because it has not complied with environmental rules. That is to say it was built on a toxic waste dump much in the same way that the Sydney Olympic Stadium was built on a toxic waste dump in Homebush.   

Seemingly it is not acceptable for a few 100 people to live in a block of units on a toxic waste dump in Erskineville but it is perfectly reasonable to put 80,000 people on a regular basis into a stadium in Homebush with possibly even more alarming environmental issues underneath it.   

The poor old punters who have bought these units off the plan can rightly feel that they have been Piss&d on from a great height.   Given the developer is an entity known as Golden Rain Development Pty Limited (apparently a Chinese backed real estate development firm), the Sea Eagle can confirm that the Director of Controversy is currently looking into whether or not a new name would be more appropriate. 

Something in the order of Golden Shower Development Pty Limited. But at this stage that is mere conjecture.

THE SEA EAGLE

[xtruss]

U.S. Politics | Reuters Investigates

Why Republican Voters Say There’s ‘No Way in Hell’ Trump Lost

— By Brad Brooks, Nathan Layne, Tim Reid | Reuters | November 20, 2020

SUNDOWN, Texas (Reuters) — Brett Fryar is a middle-class Republican. A 50-year-old chiropractor in this west Texas town, he owns a small business. He has two undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree, in organic chemistry. He attends Southcrest Baptist Church in nearby Lubbock.

The U.S. Capitol building is visible as thousands of people participate in rallies in support of U.S. President Trump in Washington, U.S., November 14, 2020. Reuters/Leah Millis/File Photo

Fryar didn’t much like Donald Trump at first, during the U.S. president’s 2016 campaign. He voted for Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries.

Now, Fryar says he would go to war for Trump. He has joined the newly formed South Plains Patriots, a group of a few hundred members that includes a “reactionary” force of about three dozen - including Fryar and his son, Caleb - who conduct firearms training.

Nothing will convince Fryar and many others here in Sundown - including the town’s mayor, another Patriots member - that Democrat Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 presidential election fairly. They believe Trump’s stream of election-fraud allegations and say they’re preparing for the possibility of a “civil war” with the American political left.

“If President Trump comes out and says: ‘Guys, I have irrefutable proof of fraud, the courts won’t listen, and I’m now calling on Americans to take up arms,’ we would go,” said Fryar, wearing a button-down shirt, pressed slacks and a paisley tie during a recent interview at his office.

The unshakable trust in Trump in this town of about 1,400 residents reflects a national phenomenon among many Republicans, despite the absence of evidence in a barrage of post-election lawsuits by the president and his allies. About half of Republicans polled by Reuters/Ipsos said Trump “rightfully won” the election but had it stolen from him in systemic fraud favoring Biden, according to a survey conducted between Nov. 13 and 17. Just 29% of Republicans said Biden rightfully won. Other polls since the election have reported that an even higher proportion - up to 80% - of Republicans trust Trump’s baseless fraud narrative.

Trump’s legal onslaught has so far flopped, with judges quickly dismissing many cases and his lawyers dropping or withdrawing from others. None of the cases contain allegations - much less evidence - that are likely to invalidate enough votes to overturn the election, election experts say.

And yet the election-theft claims are proving politically potent. All but a handful of Republican lawmakers have backed Trump’s fraud claims or stayed silent, effectively freezing the transition of power as the president refuses to concede. Trump has succeeded in sowing further public distrust in the media, which typically calls elections, and undermined citizens’ faith in the state and local election officials who underpin American democracy.

In Reuters interviews with 50 Trump voters, all said they believed the election was rigged or in some way illegitimate. Of those, 20 said they would consider accepting Biden as their president, but only in light of proof that the election was conducted fairly. Most repeated debunked conspiracy theories espoused by Trump, Republican officials and conservative media claiming that millions of votes were dishonestly switched to Biden in key states by biased poll workers and hacked voting machines.

Many voters interviewed by Reuters said they formed their opinions by watching emergent right-wing media outlets such as Newsmax and One American News Network that have amplified Trump’s fraud claims. Some have boycotted Fox News out of anger that the network called Biden the election winner and that some of its news anchors - in contrast to its opinion show stars - have been skeptical of Trump’s fraud allegations.

“I just sent Fox News an email,” Fryar said, telling the network: “You’re the only news I’ve watched for the last six years, but I will not watch you anymore.”

The widespread rejection of the election result among Republicans reflects a new and dangerous dynamic in American politics: the normalization of false and increasingly extreme conspiracy theories among tens of millions of mainstream voters, according to government scholars, analysts and some lawmakers on both sides of the political divide. The trend has deeply troubling long-term implications for American political and civic institutions, said Paul Light, a veteran political scientist at New York University (NYU).

“This is dystopian,” Light said. “America could fracture.”

Adam Kinzinger, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is among the few party members to publicly recognize Biden’s victory. He called his Republican colleagues’ reluctance to reject Trump’s conspiracies a failure of political courage that threatens to undermine American democracy for years. If citizens lose faith in election integrity, that could lead to “really bad things,” including violence and social unrest, he said in an interview.

David Gergen - an adviser to four previous U.S. presidents, two Democrats and two Republicans - said Trump is trying to “kneecap” the Biden administration before it takes power, noting this is the first time a sitting American president has tried to overthrow an election result.

It may not be the last time. Many Republicans see attacks on election integrity as a winning issue for future campaigns - including the next presidential race, according to one Republican operative close to the Trump campaign. The party, the person said, is setting up a push for “far more stringent oversight on voting procedures in 2024,” when the party’s nominee will likely be Trump or his anointed successor.

Brett Fryar poses outside of his office in Sundown, Texas, U.S., November 12, 2020. Reuters/Brad Brooks

Other Republicans urged patience and faith in the government. Charlie Black, a veteran Republican strategist, does not believe Republican lawmakers will continue backing Trump’s fraud claims after Biden is inaugurated. They will need White House cooperation on basic government functions, such as appropriations and defense bills, he said.

“People will come to see we still have a functioning government,” Black said, and Republicans will become “resigned to Biden, and see it’s not the end of the world.”

The Biden campaign declined to comment for this story. Boris Epshteyn, a strategic advisor to the Trump campaign, said: “The President and his campaign are confident that when every legal vote is counted, and every illegal vote is not, it will be determined that President Trump has won re-election to a second term.”

‘THERE’S JUST NO WAY’

Media outlets declared Biden the election winner on Nov. 7. As calls were finalized in battleground states, Biden’s lead in the Electoral College that decides the presidency widened to 306 to 232. (For a graphic explaining the electoral college, see: tmsnrt.rs/38VTUvK )

Many Republican voters scoff at those results, convinced Trump was cheated. Raymond Fontaine, a hardware store owner in Oakville, Connecticut, said Biden’s vote total - the highest of any presidential candidate in history - makes no sense because the 78-year-old Democrat made relatively few campaign appearances and seemed to be in mental decline.

“You are going to tell me 77 million Americans voted for him? There is just no way,” said Fontaine, 50.

The latest popular vote total for Biden has grown to about 79 million, compared to some 73 million for Trump.

Like many Trump supporters interviewed by Reuters, Fontaine was deeply suspicious of computerized voting machines. Trump and his allies have alleged, without producing evidence, a grand conspiracy to manipulate votes through the software used in many battleground states.

In Grant County, West Virginia - a mountainous region where more than 88% of voters backed the president - trust in Trump runs deep. Janet Hedrick, co-owner of the Smoke Hole Caverns log cabin resort in the small town of Cabins, said she would never accept Biden as a legitimate president.

“There’s millions and millions of Trump votes that were just thrown out,” said Hedrick, 70, a retired teacher and librarian. “That computer was throwing them out.”

At the Sunset Restaurant in Moorefield, West Virginia - a diner featuring omelettes, hotcakes and waitresses who remember your order - a mention of the election sparked a spirited discussion at one table. Gene See, a retired highway construction inspector, and Bob Hyson, a semi-retired insurance sales manager, said Trump had been cheated, that Biden had dementia and that Democrats planned all along to quickly replace Biden with his more liberal running mate for vice president, Kamala Harris.

“I think if they ever get to the bottom of it, they will find massive fraud,” said another of the diners, Larry Kessel, a 67-year-old farmer.

Kessel’s wife, Jane, patted him on the arm, trying to calm him, as he grew agitated while railing against anti-Trump media bias.

Trump’s rage against the media has lately included rants against Fox News. He has pushed his supporters towards more right-wing outlets such as Newsmax and One America News Network, which have championed the president’s fraud claims.

Rory Wells, 51, a New Jersey lawyer who attended a pro-Trump “stop the steal” election protest in Trenton last week, said he now watches Newsmax because Fox isn’t sufficiently conservative.

“I like that I get to hear from Rudy Giuliani and others who are not immediately discounted as being crazy,” he said of Trump’s lead election lawyer.

Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said the network’s viewership has exploded since the election, with nearly 3 million viewers nightly via cable television and streaming video devices.

Ruddy said Newsmax isn’t saying that Biden stole the election - but they’re also not calling him the winner given that Trump has valid legal claims. “The same media who said Biden would win in a landslide now want to not have recounts,” he said in a phone interview.

Charles Herring, president of One America News Network, said in a statement that his network has seen three weeks of record ratings, as “frustrated Fox News viewers” have tuned in.

‘NO WAY IN HELL’

Some Trump supporters said they would accept Biden as the winner if that is the final, official result. Janel Henritz, 36, echoed some others in saying that she believed the election included fraud, but perhaps not enough to change the outcome. Henritz, who works alongside her mother Janet Hedrick at their log cabin resort in West Virginia, said she would accept the outcome if Biden remains the winner after recounts and court challenges.

“Then he won fair and square,” she said.

In Sundown, Texas, Mayor Jonathan Strickland said there’s “no way in hell” Biden won fairly. The only way he’ll believe it, he said, is if Trump himself says so.

“Trump is the only one we’ve been able to trust for the last four years,” said Strickland, an oilfield production engineer. “As far as the civil war goes, I don’t think it’s off the table.”

If it comes to a fight, Caleb Fryar is ready. But the 26-year-old son of Brett Fryar, the chiropractor, said he hoped Trump’s fraud allegations would instead spark a massive mobilization of Republican voters in future elections.

Asked whether Trump might be duping his followers, he said it’s hard to fathom.

“If I’m being manipulated by Trump ... then he is the greatest con man that ever lived in America,” Caleb Fryar said. “I think he’s the greatest patriot that ever lived.”

(This story corrects to delete reference in first paragraph to Brett Fryar teaching Sunday school and bible studies at Southcrest Baptist Church. He taught those classes at another church.)

— Reporting by Brad Brooks in Texas, Nathan Layne in West Virginia and Tim Reid in California; editing by Brian Thevenot

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Recording Academy Announces Nominees For The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Special Grammy Moments. Courtesy of the  Recording Academy®.

      SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (NOV. 20, 2019)—Recording Academy® President/CEO President/CEO Deborah Dugan alongside Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees and renowned record producer Harvey Mason Jr., as well as GRAMMY Awards® host Alicia Keys and past two-time Grammy® nominee Bebe Rexha, today revealed nominees for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in select categories. This year's nominees reflect a melting pot of artistic innovation that defined the year in music, showcasing the unparalleled craftsmanship of established artists and the industry-shifting impact of rising music creators. Leading nominees Lizzo (8), Billie Eilish (6) and Lil Nas X (6) not only topped the charts but ignited a cultural conversation around their genre-bending hits. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers and engineers.

          "I am in complete awe of the inspiring nominees who have poured their hearts and souls into their craft, and in turn, have provided fans worldwide a year of music that changed us, stirred our emotions and inspired us to do more," said Dugan. "Today's announcement reflects a new era for the Recording Academy—an army of engaged members that welcomes diversity, embraces creativity and champions young musicians on the rise. It's shaping up to be a year of firsts, and I can promise that the 62nd GRAMMY Awards will pack the same punch as this year's nominees. I am proud to march forward alongside our members and nominated artists."

      GRAMMY® winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard earns her fourth nomination for her worship anthem, “This Is A Move (Live),” in the Best Gospel Performance/Song Category. The single, released earlier this year, was co-written by Cobbs Leonard, along with Brandon Lake, Tony Brown and Nate Moore.

      Emerging gospel soul singer Gene Moore also earns his first GRAMMY® nod for his sophomore album, Tunnel Vision, which was released in August of this year. The project’s lead single, “Won’t Be Moved,” (co-written by BJ the Chicago Kid and Cedric “Ced” Smith) continues to climb the radio charts, with Moore recently wrapping his participation on two legs of India.Arie’s Worthy Tour and labelmate Brian Courtney Wilson’s Just B(e) Tour.

    Breakout New Orleans-based band Tank and The Bangas are nominated for “Best New Artist.” Of the nomination the band says, “This moment is for every open mic, garage band and underground movement that ever took place. We’re reminded by this nomination that anything is possible. Tank and The Bangas are possible.”

  Queen of country-soul Yola received four nominations including Best New Artist and three nominations in the Roots category including Best American Roots Song, Best American Roots Performance (for “Faraway Look”) and Best Americana Album for her debut Dan Auerbach-produced album, Walk Through Fire. Auerbach also received a nomination for for Producer Of The Year for his work on albums including Walk Through Fire.

     Yola stated, “To be nominated for four awards in the 10th month of my debut year is beyond a dream come true. Thank you to my incredible team and everyone who has supported and believed in me along the way. Great to see such incredible talent nominated alongside me.”       

      This year's nominees were selected from more than 20,000 submissions across 84 categories, and reflect the wide range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music (Oct. 1, 2018–Aug. 31, 2019). The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 9, 2019–Jan. 3, 2020. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, live from Los Angeles' STAPLES Center and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET/5:00–8:30 p.m. PT.

                                                                                                                           # # #

   COMPLETE LIST OF 2020 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

General Field

1. Record Of The Year Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

HEY, MA Bon Iver BJ Burton, Brad Cook, Chris Messina & Justin Vernon, producers; BJ Burton, Zach Hansen & Chris Messina, engineers/mixers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer

BAD GUY Billie Eilish Finneas O'Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers/mixers; John Greenham, mastering engineer

7 RINGS Ariana Grande Charles Anderson, Tommy Brown, Michael Foster & Victoria Monet, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Billy Hickey & Brendan Morawski, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

HARD PLACE H.E.R. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, producer; Joseph Hurtado, Jaycen Joshua, Derek Keota & Miki Tsutsumi, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

TALK Khalid Disclosure & Denis Kosiak, producers; Ingmar Carlson, Jon Castelli, Josh Deguzman, John Kercy, Denis Kosiak, Guy Lawrence & Michael Romero, engineers/mixers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer

OLD TOWN ROAD Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus Andrew "VoxGod" Bolooki & YoungKio, producers; Andrew "VoxGod" Bolooki & Cinco, engineers/mixers; Eric Lagg, mastering engineer

TRUTH HURTS Lizzo Ricky Reed & Tele, producers; Chris Galland, Manny Marroquin & Ethan Shumaker, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

SUNFLOWER Post Malone & Swae Lee Louis Bell & Carter Lang, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers

2. Album Of The Year Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with at least 33% playing time of the album, if other than Artist.

I,I Bon Iver Brad Cook, Chris Messina & Justin Vernon, producers; Zach Hansen & Chris Messina, engineers/mixers; BJ Burton, Brad Cook & Justin Vernon, songwriters; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer

NORMAN F***ING ROCKWELL! Lana Del Rey Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, producers; Jack Antonoff & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Billie Eilish Finneas O'Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers/mixers; Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters; John Greenham, mastering engineer

THANK U, NEXT Ariana Grande Tommy Brown, Ilya, Max Martin & Victoria Monet, producers; Serban Ghenea & Brendan Morawski, engineers/mixers; Tommy Brown, Ariana Grande, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Victoria Monet, Tayla Parx & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

I USED TO KNOW HER H.E.R. David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris, H.E.R., Walter Jones & Jeff Robinson, producers; Miki Tsutsumi, engineer/mixer; Sam Ashworth, Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris & H.E.R., songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

7 Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill, songwriter; Eric Lagg, mastering engineer

CUZ I LOVE YOU (DELUXE) Lizzo Ricky Reed, producer; Manny Marroquin & Ethan Shumaker, engineers/mixers; Eric Frederic & Melissa Jefferson, songwriters; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

FATHER OF THE BRIDE Vampire Weekend Ezra Koenig & Ariel Rechtshaid, producers; John DeBold, Chris Kasych, Takemasa Kosaka, Ariel Rechtshaid & Hiroya Takayama, engineers/mixers; Ezra Koenig, songwriter; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer

3. Song Of The Year A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

ALWAYS REMEMBER US THIS WAY Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

BAD GUY Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

BRING MY FLOWERS NOW Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)

HARD PLACE Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.)

LOVER Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)

NORMAN F***ING ROCKWELL Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)

SOMEONE YOU LOVED Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi)

TRUTH HURTS Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo)

4. Best New Artist An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility year release/s achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

BLACK PUMAS

BILLIE EILISH

LIL NAS X

LIZZO

MAGGIE ROGERS

ROSALÍA

TANK AND THE BANGAS

YOLA

Pop

5. Best Pop Solo Performance For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

SPIRIT Beyoncé

BAD GUY Billie Eilish

7 RINGS Ariana Grande

TRUTH HURTS Lizzo

YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN Taylor Swift

6. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

BOYFRIEND Ariana Grande & Social House

SUCKER Jonas Brothers

OLD TOWN ROAD Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

SUNFLOWER Post Malone & Swae Lee

SEÑORITA Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello

7. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.

SÌ Andrea Bocelli

LOVE (DELUXE EDITION) Michael Bublé

LOOK NOW Elvis Costello & The Imposters

A LEGENDARY CHRISTMAS John Legend

WALLS Barbra Streisand

8. Best Pop Vocal Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal pop recordings.

THE LION KING: THE GIFT Beyoncé

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Billie Eilish

THANK U, NEXT Ariana Grande

NO.6 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT Ed Sheeran

LOVER Taylor Swift

Dance/Electronic Music

9. Best Dance Recording For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

LINKED Bonobo Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer

GOT TO KEEP ON The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers, producers; Steve Dub Jones & Tom Rowlands, mixers

PIECE OF YOUR HEART Meduza Featuring Goodboys Simone Giani, Luca De Gregorio & Mattia Vitale, producers; Simone Giani, Luca De Gregorio & Mattia Vitale, mixers

UNDERWATER RÜFÜS DU SOL Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer

MIDNIGHT HOUR Skrillex & Boys Noize Featuring Ty Dolla $ign Boys Noize & Skrillex, producers; Skrillex, mixer

10. Best Dance/Electronic Album For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.

LP5 Apparat

NO GEOGRAPHY The Chemical Brothers

HI THIS IS FLUME (MIXTAPE) Flume

SOLACE RÜFÜS DU SOL

WEATHER Tycho

Contemporary Instrumental Music

11. Best Contemporary Instrumental Album For albums containing approximately 51% or more playing time of instrumental material. For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings.

ANCESTRAL RECALL Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

STAR PEOPLE NATION Theo Croker

BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! Mark Guiliana

ELEVATE Lettuce

METTAVOLUTION Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rock

12. Best Rock Performance For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative rock recordings.

PRETTY WASTE Bones UK

THIS LAND Gary Clark Jr.

HISTORY REPEATS Brittany Howard

WOMAN Karen O & Danger Mouse

TOO BAD Rival Sons

13. Best Metal Performance For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative metal recordings.

ASTOROLUS - THE GREAT OCTOPUS Candlemass Featuring Tony Iommi

HUMANICIDE Death Angel

BOW DOWN I Prevail

UNLEASHED Killswitch Engage

7EMPEST Tool

14. Best Rock Song A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

FEAR INOCULUM Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones & Maynard James Keenan, songwriters (Tool)

GIVE YOURSELF A TRY George Daniel, Adam Hann, Matthew Healy & Ross MacDonald, songwriters (The 1975)

HARMONY HALL Ezra Koenig, songwriter (Vampire Weekend)

HISTORY REPEATS Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)

THIS LAND Gary Clark Jr., songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.)

15. Best Rock Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new rock, hard rock or metal recordings.

AMO Bring Me The Horizon

SOCIAL CUES Cage The Elephant

IN THE END The Cranberries

TRAUMA I Prevail

FERAL ROOTS Rival Sons

Alternative

16. Best Alternative Music Album Vocal or Instrumental.

U.F.O.F. Big Thief

ASSUME FORM James Blake

I,I Bon Iver

FATHER OF THE BRIDE Vampire Weekend

ANIMA Thom Yorke

R&B

17. Best R&B Performance For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

LOVE AGAIN Daniel Caesar & Brandy

COULD'VE BEEN H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller

EXACTLY HOW I FEEL Lizzo Featuring Gucci Mane

ROLL SOME MO Lucky Daye

COME HOME Anderson .Paak Featuring André 3000

18. Best Traditional R&B Performance For new vocal or instrumental traditional R&B recordings.

TIME TODAY BJ The Chicago Kid

STEADY LOVE India.Arie

JEROME Lizzo

REAL GAMES Lucky Daye

BUILT FOR LOVE PJ Morton Featuring Jazmine Sullivan

19. Best R&B Song A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

COULD'VE BEEN Dernst Emile II, David “Swagg R’Celious” Harris, H.E.R. & Hue “Soundzfire” Strother, songwriters (H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller)

LOOK AT ME NOW Emily King & Jeremy Most, songwriters (Emily King)

NO GUIDANCE Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Lewis, Noah Shebib & Teddy Walton, songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Drake)

ROLL SOME MO David Brown, Dernst Emile II & Peter Lee Johnson, songwriters (Lucky Daye)

SAY SO PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton Featuring JoJo)

20. Best Urban Contemporary Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded contemporary vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

APOLLO XXI Steve Lacy

CUZ I LOVE YOU (DELUXE) Lizzo

OVERLOAD Georgia Anne Muldrow

SATURN NAO

BEING HUMAN IN PUBLIC Jessie Reyez

21. Best R&B Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new R&B recordings.

1123 BJ The Chicago Kid

PAINTED Lucky Daye

ELLA MAI Ella Mai

PAUL PJ Morton

VENTURA Anderson .Paak

Rap

22. Best Rap Performance For a Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

MIDDLE CHILD J. Cole

SUGE DaBaby

DOWN BAD Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy

RACKS IN THE MIDDLE Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy

CLOUT Offset Featuring Cardi B

23. Best Rap/Sung Performance For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

HIGHER DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend

DRIP TOO HARD Lil Baby & Gunna

PANINI Lil Nas X

BALLIN Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch

THE LONDON Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott

24. Best Rap Song A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

BAD IDEA Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)

GOLD ROSES Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)

A LOT Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole)

RACKS IN THE MIDDLE Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)

SUGE DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)

25. Best Rap Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new rap recordings.

REVENGE OF THE DREAMERS III Dreamville

CHAMPIONSHIPS Meek Mill

I AM > I WAS 21 Savage

IGOR Tyler, The Creator

THE LOST BOY YBN Cordae

Country

26. Best Country Solo Performance For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.

ALL YOUR’N Tyler Childers

GIRL GOIN' NOWHERE Ashley McBryde

RIDE ME BACK HOME Willie Nelson

GOD'S COUNTRY Blake Shelton

BRING MY FLOWERS NOW Tanya Tucker

27. Best Country Duo/Group Performance For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.

BRAND NEW MAN Brooks & Dunn With Luke Combs

I DON'T REMEMBER ME (BEFORE YOU) Brothers Osborne

SPEECHLESS Dan + Shay

THE DAUGHTERS Little Big Town

COMMON Maren Morris Featuring Brandi Carlile

28. Best Country Song A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

BRING MY FLOWERS NOW Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)

GIRL GOIN' NOWHERE Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde)

IT ALL COMES OUT IN THE WASH Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

SOME OF IT Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, songwriters (Eric Church)

SPEECHLESS Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan + Shay)

29. Best Country Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new country recordings.

DESPERATE MAN Eric Church

STRONGER THAN THE TRUTH Reba McEntire

INTERSTATE GOSPEL Pistol Annies

CENTER POINT ROAD Thomas Rhett

WHILE I'M LIVIN' Tanya Tucker

New Age

30. Best New Age Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental new age recordings.

FAIRY DREAMS David Arkenstone

HOMAGE TO KINDNESS David Darling

WINGS Peter Kater

VERVE Sebastian Plano

DEVA Deva Premal

Jazz

31. Best Improvised Jazz Solo For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.

ELSEWHERE Melissa Aldana, soloist

SOZINHO Randy Brecker, soloist

TOMORROW IS THE QUESTION Julian Lage, soloist

THE WINDUP Branford Marsalis, soloist

SIGHTSEEING Christian McBride, soloist

32. Best Jazz Vocal Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

THIRSTY GHOST Sara Gazarek

LOVE & LIBERATION Jazzmeia Horn

ALONE TOGETHER Catherine Russell

12 LITTLE SPELLS Esperanza Spalding

SCREENPLAY The Tierney Sutton Band

33. Best Jazz Instrumental Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

IN THE KEY OF THE UNIVERSE Joey DeFrancesco

THE SECRET BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE SOUL Branford Marsalis Quartet

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE'S NEW JAWN Christian McBride

FINDING GABRIEL Brad Mehldau

COME WHAT MAY Joshua Redman Quartet

34. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.

TRIPLE HELIX Anat Cohen Tentet

DANCER IN NOWHERE Miho Hazama

HIDING OUT Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra

THE OMNI-AMERICAN BOOK CLUB Brian Lynch Big Band

ONE DAY WONDER Terraza Big Band

35. Best Latin Jazz Album For vocal or instrumental albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

ANTIDOTE Chick Corea & The Spanish Heart Band

SORTE!: MUSIC BY JOHN FINBURY Thalma de Freitas With Vitor Gonçalves, John Patitucci, Chico Pinheiro, Rogerio Boccato & Duduka Da Fonseca

UNA NOCHE CON RUBÉN BLADES Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis & Rubén Blades

CARIB David Sánchez

SONERO: THE MUSIC OF ISMAEL RIVERA Miguel Zenón

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

36. Best Gospel Performance/Song This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

LOVE THEORY Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter

TALKIN' 'BOUT JESUS Gloria Gaynor Featuring Yolanda Adams; Bryan Fowler, Gloria Gaynor & Chris Stevens, songwriters

SEE THE LIGHT Travis Greene Featuring Jekalyn Carr

SPEAK THE NAME Koryn Hawthorne Featuring Natalie Grant

THIS IS A MOVE (LIVE) Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Tony Brown, Brandon Lake, Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Nate Moore, songwriters

37. Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian pop, Christian rap/hip-hop, or Christian rock single or track.

ONLY JESUS Casting Crowns; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms & Matthew West, songwriters

GOD ONLY KNOWS for KING & COUNTRY & Dolly Parton; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone & Tedd Tjornhom, songwriters

HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET Danny Gokey; Danny Gokey, Ethan Hulse & Colby Wedgeworth, songwriters

GOD'S NOT DONE WITH YOU (SINGLE VERSION) Tauren Wells

RESCUE STORY Zach Williams; Ethan Hulse, Andrew Ripp, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

38. Best Gospel Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

LONG LIVE LOVE Kirk Franklin

GOSHEN Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri -City Singers

TUNNEL VISION Gene Moore

SETTLE HERE William Murphy

SOMETHING'S HAPPENING! A CHRISTMAS ALBUM CeCe Winans

39. Best Contemporary Christian Music Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, or rock recordings.

I KNOW A GHOST Crowder

BURN THE SHIPS for KING & COUNTRY

HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET Danny Gokey

THE ELEMENTS TobyMac

HOLY ROAR Chris Tomlin

40. Best Roots Gospel Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

DEEPER ROOTS: WHERE THE BLUEGRASS GROWS Steven Curtis Chapman

TESTIMONY Gloria Gaynor

DEEPER OCEANS Joseph Habedank

HIS NAME IS JESUS Tim Menzies

GONNA SING, GONNA SHOUT (Various Artists) Jerry Salley, Producer

Latin

41. Best Latin Pop Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new Latin pop recordings.

VIDA Luis Fonsi

11:11 Maluma

MONTANER Ricardo Montaner

#ELDISCO Alejandro Sanz

FANTASIA Sebastian Yatra

42. Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new Latin rock, urban or alternative recordings.

X 100PRE Bad Bunny

OASIS J Balvin & Bad Bunny

INDESTRUCTIBLE Flor De Toloache

ALMADURA iLe

EL MAL QUERER ROSALÍA

43. Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new regional Mexican (banda, norteño, corridos, gruperos, mariachi, ranchera and Tejano) recordings.

CAMINANDO Joss Favela

PERCEPCIÓN Intocable

POCO A POCO La Energia Norteña

20 ANIVERSARIO Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea

DE AYER PARA SIEMPRE Mariachi Los Camperos

44. Best Tropical Latin Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new tropical Latin recordings.

OPUS Marc Anthony

TIEMPO AL TIEMPO Luis Enrique + C4 Trio

CANDELA Vicente García

LITERAL Juan Luis Guerra 4.40

A JOURNEY THROUGH CUBAN MUSIC Aymée Nuviola

American Roots Music

45. Best American Roots Performance For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

SAINT HONESTY Sara Bareilles

FATHER MOUNTAIN Calexico And Iron & Wine

I'M ON MY WAY Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi

CALL MY NAME I'm With Her

FARAWAY LOOK Yola

46. Best American Roots Song A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

BLACK MYSELF Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)

CALL MY NAME Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I'm With Her)

CROSSING TO JERUSALEM Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)

FARAWAY LOOK Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin, songwriters (Yola)

I DON'T WANNA RIDE THE RAILS NO MORE Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)

47. Best Americana Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

YEARS TO BURN Calexico And Iron & Wine

WHO ARE YOU NOW Madison Cunningham

OKLAHOMA Keb' Mo'

TALES OF AMERICA J.S. Ondara

WALK THROUGH FIRE Yola

48. Best Bluegrass Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

TALL FIDDLER Michael Cleveland

LIVE IN PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

TOIL, TEARS & TROUBLE The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

ROYAL TRAVELLER Missy Raines

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

49. Best Traditional Blues Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

KINGFISH Christone "Kingfish" Ingram

TALL, DARK & HANDSOME Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men

SITTING ON TOP OF THE BLUES Bobby Rush

BABY, PLEASE COME HOME Jimmie Vaughan

SPECTACULAR CLASS Jontavious Willis

50. Best Contemporary Blues Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

THIS LAND Gary Clark Jr.

VENOM & FAITH Larkin Poe

BRIGHTER DAYS Robert Randolph & The Family Band

SOMEBODY SAVE ME Sugaray Rayford

KEEP ON Southern Avenue

51. Best Folk Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

MY FINEST WORK YET Andrew Bird

REARRANGE MY HEART Che Apalache

PATTY GRIFFIN Patty Griffin

EVENING MACHINES Gregory Alan Isakov

FRONT PORCH Joy Williams

52. Best Regional Roots Music Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental regional roots music recordings.

KALAWAI’ANUI Amy Hānaiali’i

WHEN IT'S COLD - CREE ROUND DANCE SONGS Northern Cree

GOOD TIME Ranky Tanky

RECORDED LIVE AT THE 2019 NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL Rebirth Brass Band

HAWAIIAN LULLABY (Various Artists) Imua Garza & Kimié Miner, producers

Reggae

53. Best Reggae Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new reggae recordings.

RAPTURE Koffee

AS I AM Julian Marley

THE FINAL BATTLE: SLY & ROBBIE VS. ROOTS RADICS Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics

MASS MANIPULATION Steel Pulse

MORE WORK TO BE DONE Third World

World Music

54. Best World Music Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental World Music recordings.

GECE Altin Gün

WHAT HEAT Bokanté & Metropole Orkest Conducted By Jules Buckley

AFRICAN GIANT Burna Boy

FANM D'AYITI Nathalie Joachim With Spektral Quartet

CELIA Angelique Kidjo

Children's

55. Best Children's Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new musical or spoken word recordings that are created and intended specifically for children.

AGELESS SONGS FOR THE CHILD ARCHETYPE Jon Samson

FLYING HIGH! Caspar Babypants

I LOVE RAINY DAYS Daniel Tashian

THE LOVE Alphabet Rockers

WINTERLAND The Okee Dokee Brothers

Spoken Word

56. Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK (Various Artists) Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt, producers

BECOMING Michelle Obama

I.V. CATATONIA: 20 YEARS AS A TWO-TIME CANCER SURVIVOR Eric Alexandrakis

MR. KNOW-IT-ALL John Waters

SEKOU ANDREWS & THE STRING THEORY Sekou Andrews & The String Theory

Comedy

57. Best Comedy Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings.

QUALITY TIME Jim Gaffigan

RELATABLE Ellen DeGeneres

RIGHT NOW Aziz Ansari

SON OF PATRICIA Trevor Noah

STICKS & STONES Dave Chappelle

Musical Theater

58. Best Musical Theater Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principle vocalist(s) and the album producer(s) of 51% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of a new score are eligible for an Award if they have written and/or composed a new score which comprises 51% or more playing time of the album.

AIN'T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS Saint Aubyn, Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope & Ephraim Sykes, principal soloists; Scott M. Riesett, producer (Original Broadway Cast)

HADESTOWN Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada & Patrick Page, principal soloists; Mara Isaacs, David Lai, Anaïs Mitchell & Todd Sickafoose, producers (Anaïs Mitchell, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL Danny Burstein, Tam Mutu, Sahr Ngaujah, Karen Olivo & Aaron Tveit, principal soloists; Justin Levine, Baz Luhrmann, Matt Stine & Alex Timbers, producers (Original Broadway Cast)

THE MUSIC OF HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD - IN FOUR CONTEMPORARY SUITES Imogen Heap, producer; Imogen Heap, composer (Imogen Heap)

OKLAHOMA! Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ali Stroker, Mary Testa & Patrick Vaill, principal soloists; Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2019 Broadway Cast)

Music for Visual Media

59. Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media Award to the artist(s) and/or ‘in studio' producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. In the absence of both, award to the one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable. Award also goes to appropriately credited music supervisor(s).

THE LION KING: THE SONGS (Various Artists)

QUENTIN TARANTINO'S ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (Various Artists)

ROCKETMAN Taron Egerton

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Various Artists)

A STAR IS BORN Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

60. Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series, video games or other visual media.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME Alan Silvestri, composer

CHERNOBYL Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer

GAME OF THRONES: SEASON 8 Ramin Djawadi, composer

THE LION KING Hans Zimmer, composer

MARY POPPINS RETURNS Marc Shaiman, composer

61. Best Song Written For Visual Media A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television, video games or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

THE BALLAD OF THE LONESOME COWBOY Randy Newman, songwriter (Chris Stapleton) Track from: Toy Story 4

GIRL IN THE MOVIES Dolly Parton & Linda Perry, songwriters (Dolly Parton) Track from: Dumplin'

I'LL NEVER LOVE AGAIN (FILM VERSION) Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Aaron Raitiere, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper) Track from: A Star Is Born

SPIRIT Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Beyoncé) Track from: The Lion King

SUSPIRIUM Thom Yorke, songwriter (Thom Yorke) Track from: Suspiria

Composing/Arranging

62. Best Instrumental Composition A Composer's Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.

BEGIN AGAIN Fred Hersch, composer (Fred Hersch & The WDR Big Band Conducted By Vince Mendoza)

CRUCIBLE FOR CRISIS Brian Lynch, composer (Brian Lynch Big Band)

LOVE, A BEAUTIFUL FORCE Vince Mendoza, composer (Vince Mendoza, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts & Temple University Studio Orchestra)

STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE SYMPHONIC SUITE John Williams, composer (John Williams)

WALKIN' FUNNY Christian McBride, composer (Christian McBride)

63. Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

BLUE SKIES Kris Bowers, arranger (Kris Bowers)

HEDWIG'S THEME John Williams, arranger (Anne-Sophie Mutter & John Williams)

LA NOVENA Emilio Solla, arranger (Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra)

LOVE, A BEAUTIFUL FORCE Vince Mendoza, arranger (Vince Mendoza, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts & Temple University Studio Orchestra)

MOON RIVER Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

64. Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

ALL NIGHT LONG Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Jules Buckley, Take 6 & Metropole Orkest)

JOLENE Geoff Keezer, arranger (Sara Gazarek)

MARRY ME A LITTLE Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo, arrangers (Cyrille Aimée)

OVER THE RAINBOW Vince Mendoza, arranger (Trisha Yearwood)

12 LITTLE SPELLS (THORACIC SPINE) Esperanza Spalding, arranger (Esperanza Spalding)

Package

65. Best Recording Package

ANÓNIMAS & RESILIENTES Luisa María Arango, Carlos Dussan, Manuel García-Orozco & Juliana Jaramillo-Buenaventura, art directors (Voces Del Bullerengue)

CHRIS CORNELL Barry Ament, Jeff Ament, Jeff Fura & Joe Spix, art directors (Chris Cornell)

HOLD THAT TIGER Andrew Wong & Fongming Yang, art directors (The Muddy Basin Ramblers)

I,I Aaron Anderson & Eric Timothy Carlson, art directors (Bon Iver)

INTELLEXUAL Irwan Awalludin, art director (Intellexual)

66. Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

ANIMA Stanley Donwood & Tchocky, art directors (Thom Yorke)

GOLD IN BRASS AGE Amanda Chiu, Mark Farrow & David Gray, art directors (David Gray)

1963: NEW DIRECTIONS Josh Cheuse, art director (John Coltrane)

THE RADIO RECORDINGS 1939-1945 Marek Polewski, art director (Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker)

WOODSTOCK: BACK TO THE GARDEN - THE DEFINITIVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)

Notes

67. Best Album Notes

THE COMPLETE CUBAN JAM SESSIONS Judy Cantor-Navas, album notes writer (Various Artists)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MALACO Robert Marovich, album notes writer (Various Artists)

PEDAL STEEL + FOUR CORNERS Brendan Greaves, album notes writer (Terry Allen And The Panhandle Mystery Band)

PETE SEEGER: THE SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS COLLECTION) Jeff Place, album notes writer (Pete Seeger)

STAX '68: A MEMPHIS STORY Steve Greenberg, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Historical

68. Best Historical Album

THE GIRL FROM CHICKASAW COUNTY - THE COMPLETE CAPITOL MASTERS Andrew Batt & Kris Maher, compilation producers; Simon Gibson, mastering engineer (Bobbie Gentry)

THE GREAT COMEBACK: HOROWITZ AT CARNEGIE HALL Robert Russ, compilation producer; Andreas K. Meyer & Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)

KANKYO ONGAKU: JAPANESE AMBIENT, ENVIRONMENTAL & NEW AGE MUSIC 1980-1990 Spencer Doran, Yosuke Kitazawa, Douglas Mcgowan & Matt Sullivan, compilation producers; John Baldwin, mastering engineer (Various Artists)

PETE SEEGER: THE SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS COLLECTION Jeff Place & Robert Santelli, compilation producers; Pete Reiniger, mastering engineer (Pete Seeger)

WOODSTOCK: BACK TO THE GARDEN - THE DEFINITIVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE Brian Kehew, Steve Woolard & Andy Zax, compilation producers; Dave Schultz, mastering engineer (Various Artists)

Production, Non-Classical

69. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical An Engineer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

ALL THESE THINGS Tchad Blake, Adam Greenspan & Rodney Shearer, engineers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Thomas Dybdahl)

ELLA MAI Chris "Shaggy" Ascher, Jaycen Joshua & David Pizzimenti, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Ella Mai)

RUN HOME SLOW Paul Butler & Sam Teskey, engineers; Joe Carra, mastering engineer (The Teskey Brothers)

SCENERY Tom Elmhirst, Ben Kane & Jeremy Most, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Emily King)

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers; John Greenham, mastering engineer (Billie Eilish)

70. Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical A Producer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

JACK ANTONOFF

• Arizona Baby (Kevin Abstract) (A) • Lover (Taylor Swift) (A) • Norman F***ing Rockwell! (Lana Del Rey) (A) • Red Hearse (Red Hearse) (A)​

DAN AUERBACH

• The Angels In Heaven Done Signed My Name (Leo Bud Welch) (A) • "Let's Rock" (The Black Keys) (A) • Mockingbird (The Gibson Brothers) (A) • Myth Of A Man (Night Beats) (A) • Southern Gentleman (Dee White) (A) • Walk Through Fire (Yola) (A)

JOHN HILL

• Heat Of The Summer (Young The Giant) (T) • Hundred (Khalid) (T) • No Drug Like Me (Carly Rae Jepsen) (T) • Outta My Head (Khalid With John Mayer) (T) • Social Cues (Cage The Elephant) (A) • Superposition (Young The Giant) (T) • Too Much (Carly Rae Jepsen) (T) • Vertigo (Khalid) (T) • Zero (From "Ralph Breaks The Internet") (Imagine Dragons) (T)

FINNEAS

• When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Billie Eilish) (A)

RICKY REED

• Almost Free (Fidlar) (A) • Burning (Maggie Rogers) (T) • Confidence (X Ambassadors Featuring K.Flay) (T) • Juice (Lizzo) (T) • Kingdom Of One (Maren Morris) (T) • Power Is Power (SZA Featuring The Weekend & Travis Scott) (T) • Tempo (Lizzo Featuring Missy Elliott) (T) • Truth Hurts (Lizzo) (T) • The Wrong Man (Ross Golan) (A)

71. Best Remixed Recording A Remixer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.

I RISE (TRACY YOUNG'S PRIDE INTRO RADIO REMIX) Tracy Young, remixer (Madonna)

MOTHER'S DAUGHTER (WUKI REMIX) Wuki, remixer (Miley Cyrus)

THE ONE (HIGH CONTRAST REMIX) Lincoln Barrett, remixer (Jorja Smith)

SWIM (FORD. REMIX) Luc Bradford, remixer (Mild Minds)

WORK IT (SOULWAX REMIX) David Gerard C Dewaele & Stephen Antoine C Dewaele, remixers (Marie Davidson)

Production, Immersive Audio

72. Best Immersive Audio Album For vocal or instrumental albums in any genre. Must be commercially released on DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, SACD, Blu-Ray, or burned download-only/streaming-only copies and must provide a new immersive mix of four or more channels. Award to the immersive mix engineer, immersive producer (if any) and immersive mastering engineer (if any).

CHAIN TRIPPING Luke Argilla, immersive audio engineer; Jurgen Scharpf, immersive audio mastering engineer; Jona Bechtolt, Claire L. Evans & Rob Kieswetter, immersive audio producers (Yacht)

KVERNDOKK: SYMPHONIC DANCES Jim Anderson, immersive audio engineer; Robert C. Ludwig, immersive audio mastering engineer; Ulrike Schwarz, immersive audio producer (Ken-David Masur & Stavanger Symphony Orchestra)

LUX Morten Lindberg, immersive audio engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive audio mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive audio producer (Anita Brevik, Trondheimsolistene & Nidarosdomens Jentekor)

THE ORCHESTRAL ORGAN Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio engineer; Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio mastering engineer; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, immersive audio producers (Jan Kraybill)

THE SAVIOR Bob Clearmountain, immersive audio engineer; Bob Ludwig, immersive audio mastering engineer; Michael Marquart & Dave Way, immersive audio producers (A Bad Think)

Production, Classical

73. Best Engineered Album, Classical An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

AEQUA - ANNA THORVALDSDÓTTIR Daniel Shores, engineer; Daniel Shores, mastering engineer (International Contemporary Ensemble)

BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO. 9 Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

RACHMANINOFF - HERMITAGE PIANO TRIO Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers; Keith O. Johnson, mastering engineer (Hermitage Piano Trio)

RILEY: SUN RINGS Leslie Ann Jones, engineer; Robert C. Ludwig, mastering engineer (Kronos Quartet)

WOLFE: FIRE IN MY MOUTH Bob Hanlon & Lawrence Rock, engineers; Ian Good & Lawrence Rock, mastering engineers (Jaap Van Zweden, Francisco J. Núñez, Donald Nally, The Crossing, Young People's Chorus Of NY City & New York Philharmonic)

74. Producer Of The Year, Classical A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

BLANTON ALSPAUGH

• Artifacts - The Music Of Michael McGlynn (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale) • Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Fantaisie Sur La Tempête De Shakespeare (Andrew Davis & Toronto Symphony Orchestra) • Copland: Billy The Kid; Grohg (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra) • Duruflé: Complete Choral Works (Robert Simpson & Houston Chamber Choir) • Glass: Symphony No. 5 (Julian Wachner, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Youth Chorus, Downtown Voices & Novus NY) • Sander: The Divine Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom (Peter Jermihov & PaTRAM Institute Singers) • Smith, K.: Canticle (Craig Hella Johnson & Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble) • Visions Take Flight (Mei-Ann Chen & ROCO)

JAMES GINSBURG

• Project W - Works By Diverse Women Composers (Mei-Ann Chen & Chicago Sinfonietta) • Silenced Voices (Black Oak Ensemble) • 20th Century Harpsichord Concertos (Jory Vinikour, Scott Speck & Chicago Philharmonic) • Twentieth Century Oboe Sonatas (Alex Klein & Phillip Bush) • Winged Creatures & Other Works For Flute, Clarinet, And Orchestra (Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Allen Tinkham & Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra)

MARINA A. LEDIN, VICTOR LEDIN

• Bates: Children Of Adam; Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem (Steven Smith, Erin R. Freeman, Richmond Symphony & Chorus) • The Orchestral Organ (Jan Kraybill) • The Poetry Of Places (Nadia Shpachenko) • Rachmaninoff - Hermitage Piano Trio (Hermitage Piano Trio)

MORTEN LINDBERG

• Himmelborgen (Elisabeth Holte, Kåre Nordstoga & Uranienborg Vokalensemble) • Kleiberg: Do You Believe In Heather? (Various Artists) • Ljos (Fauna Vokalkvintett) • LUX (Anita Brevik, Trondheimsolistene & Nidarosdomens Jentekor) • Trachea (Tone Bianca Sparre Dahl & Schola Cantorum) • Veneliti (Håkon Daniel Nystedt & Oslo Kammerkor)

DIRK SOBOTKA

• Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Classical

75. Best Orchestral Performance Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO. 9 Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

COPLAND: BILLY THE KID; GROHG Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

NORMAN: SUSTAIN Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

TRANSATLANTIC Louis Langrée, conductor (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)

WEINBERG: SYMPHONIES NOS. 2 & 21 Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, conductor (City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Kremerata Baltica)

76. Best Opera Recording Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.

BENJAMIN: LESSONS IN LOVE & VIOLENCE George Benjamin, conductor; Stéphane Degout, Barbara Hannigan, Peter Hoare & Gyula Orendt; James Whitbourn, producer (Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House)

BERG: WOZZECK Marc Albrecht, conductor; Christopher Maltman & Eva-Maria Westbroek; François Roussillon, producer (Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra; Chorus Of Dutch National Opera)

CHARPENTIER: LES ARTS FLORISSANTS; LES PLAISIRS DE VERSAILLES Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Jesse Blumberg, Teresa Wakim & Virginia Warnken; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)

PICKER: FANTASTIC MR. FOX Gil Rose, conductor; John Brancy, Andrew Craig Brown, Gabriel Preisser, Krista River & Edwin Vega; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Boston Children's Chorus)

WAGNER: LOHENGRIN Christian Thielemann, conductor; Piotr Beczała, Anja Harteros, Tomasz Konieczny, Waltraud Meier & Georg Zeppenfeld; Eckhard Glauche, producer (Festspielorchester Bayreuth; Festspielchor Bayreuth)

77. Best Choral Performance Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

BOYLE: VOYAGES Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

DURUFLÉ: COMPLETE CHORAL WORKS Robert Simpson, conductor (Ken Cowan; Houston Chamber Choir)

THE HOPE OF LOVING Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)

SANDER: THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM Peter Jermihov, conductor (Evan Bravos, Vadim Gan, Kevin Keys, Glenn Miller & Daniel Shirley; PaTRAM Institute Singers)

SMITH, K.: THE ARC IN THE SKY Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

78. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

CERRONE: THE PIECES THAT FALL TO EARTH Christopher Rountree & Wild Up

FREEDOM & FAITH PUBLIQuartet

PERPETULUM Third Coast Percussion

RACHMANINOFF - HERMITAGE PIANO TRIO Hermitage Piano Trio

SHAW: ORANGE Attacca Quartet

79. Best Classical Instrumental Solo Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

THE BERLIN RECITAL Yuja Wang

HIGDON: HARP CONCERTO Yolanda Kondonassis; Ward Stare, conductor (The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)

MARSALIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO; FIDDLE DANCE SUITE Nicola Benedetti; Cristian Măcelaru, conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra)

THE ORCHESTRAL ORGAN Jan Kraybill

TORKE: SKY, CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN Tessa Lark; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)

80. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with 51% or more playing time of new material.

THE EDGE OF SILENCE - WORKS FOR VOICE BY GYÖRGY KURTÁG Susan Narucki (Donald Berman, Curtis Macomber, Kathryn Schulmeister & Nicholas Tolle)

HIMMELSMUSIK Philippe Jaroussky & Céline Scheen; Christina Pluhar, conductor; L’Arpeggiata, ensemble (Jesús Rodil & Dingle Yandell)

SCHUMANN: LIEDERKREIS OP. 24, KERNER-LIEDER OP. 35 Matthias Goerne; Leif Ove Andsnes, accompanist

SONGPLAY Joyce DiDonato; Chuck Israels, Jimmy Madison, Charlie Porter & Craig Terry, accompanists (Steve Barnett & Lautaro Greco)

A TE, O CARA Stephen Costello; Constantine Orbelian, conductor (Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra)

81. Best Classical Compendium Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 51% playing time of the album, if other than the artist.

AMERICAN ORIGINALS 1918 John Morris Russell, conductor; Elaine Martone, producer

LESHNOFF: SYMPHONY NO. 4 'HEICHALOS'; GUITAR CONCERTO; STARBURST Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

MELTZER: SONGS AND STRUCTURES Paul Appleby & Natalia Katyukova; Silas Brown & Harold Meltzer, producers

THE POETRY OF PLACES Nadia Shpachenko; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, producers

SAARIAHO: TRUE FIRE; TRANS; CIEL D'HIVER Hannu Lintu, conductor; Laura Heikinheimo, producer

82. Best Contemporary Classical Composition A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

BERMEL: MIGRATION SERIES FOR JAZZ ENSEMBLE & ORCHESTRA Derek Bermel, composer (Derek Bermel, Ted Nash, David Alan Miller, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra & Albany Symphony Orchestra)

HIGDON: HARP CONCERTO Jennifer Higdon, composer (Yolanda Kondonassis, Ward Stare & The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)

MARSALIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR Wynton Marsalis, composer (Nicola Benedetti, Cristian Măcelaru & Philadelphia Orchestra)

NORMAN: SUSTAIN Andrew Norman, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

SHAW: ORANGE Caroline Shaw, composer (Attacca Quartet)

WOLFE: FIRE IN MY MOUTH Julia Wolfe, composer (Jaap Van Zweden, Francisco J. Núñez, Donald Nally, The Crossing, Young People's Chorus Of NY City & New York Philharmonic)

Music Video/Film

83. Best Music Video Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

WE'VE GOT TO TRY The Chemical Brothers Ellie Fry, video director; Ninian Doff, video producer

THIS LAND Gary Clark Jr. Savanah Leaf, video director; Alicia Martinez, video producer

CELLOPHANE FKA twigs Andrew Thomas Huang, video director; Alex Chamberlain, video producer

OLD TOWN ROAD (OFFICIAL MOVIE) Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus Calmatic, video director; Candice Dragonas, Melissa Larsen & Saul Levitz, video producers

GLAD HE'S GONE Tove Lo Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Natan Schottenfels, video producer

84. Best Music Film For concert/performance films or music documentaries. Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

HOMECOMING Beyoncé Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Ed Burke, video directors; Dora Melissa Vargas, video producer

REMEMBER MY NAME David Crosby A.J. Eaton, video director; Cameron Crowe, Michele Farinola & Greg Mariotti, video producers

BIRTH OF THE COOL (Miles Davis) Stanley Nelson, video director; Nicole London, video producer

SHANGRI-LA (Various Artists) Morgan Neville, video director; Emma Baiada, video producer

ANIMA Thom Yorke Paul Thomas Anderson, video director; Paul Thomas Anderson, Erica Frauman & Sara Murphy, video producers

[adamwatchesmovies]

2017/10/01 - Adam Watches Movies’ Top 20

Before we dig in, I wanted to clarify a couple of things. This is my “Favorite Movies” list, not necessarily the ones I think are the best, but the ones I enjoy or cherish the most. There are so many to choose from that I expect this list to change significantly between now and the next time. My only rule was that I needed to have seen the film more than once. If there’s a title that you expect to see here, it’s likely because I’ve only viewed it that one time… or maybe I still haven’t watched it!

20. Seven Samurai (1954)

A recent addition to this list, I watched The Seven Samurai in order to get prepared for the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. I was blown away and wound up seeing it twice in a row. It may seem impulsive to include it, but it really made an impact on me.

19. 12 Angry Men (1957)

A lot of the pictures on this list could be categorized in the sci-fi, fantasy, or musical category. You will notice that a number of them also share a certain trait with 12 Angry Men in that they’re boiled down to their essence. There’s no fat to trim in this film. You don’t even find out a whole lot about the case the jurors are debating because you don’t need to. It’s all about that immediacy of what’s going on right there and then.

18. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

I vividly remember the first time I saw Singin’ in the Rain. A friend of mine invited me to see it with her in the theatre. I haven’t stopped thinking about Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds since. Like my #16 pick, it’s pure jubilation on-screen.

17. Beauty and the Beast (1946)

Similarly to the next film on my list, this version of the fairytale perfectly brings child-like wonder to life. I love the sets, the costumes, the black-and-white cinematography, the fact that it isn’t ashamed of being what it is. It never smirks or winks at the camera. Beauty and the Beast doesn’t need to; it enchants you from the very first frame. There are many other versions of this tale out there, but don’t overlook this one.

16. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

I literally just re-watched this musical last night. I’ve seen it many times and it never loses its charm. Everyone reading has probably seen this film, but have you REALLY seen it? I’m not talking about bits and pieces on TV with commercial breaks or fleeting glimpses between laundry being folded. To me, The Wizard of Oz isn’t just a movie, it’s a feeling that’s been captured and immortalized on film.

15. RoboCop (1987)

Dark, violent, funny and deceptively smart, this is much more than a story about a cyborg shooting criminals. The sequels weren’t kind to RoboCop and while the remake was ok, it isn’t on the same level as the original. It’s got great villains, many quotable lines, an iconic look and feel… so many of its scenes are permanently imprinted on my brain that this was an easy pick.

14. The Terminator (1984)

I remember the first time I watched The Terminator. I snuck downstairs while everyone else was asleep so that no one would know that I was viewing an R-Rated movie. That was the beginning. Over the years, I’ve flip-flopped between this first chapter in the series and its sequel. In fact, Terminator 2 was “my favorite movie” for a long time. Today, I’m giving my love to the one who started it all.

13. King Kong (1933)

One of my favorite things about this film is that it’s bigger than anyone working on it could’ve imagined. There’s a reason why we’re still talking about this movie today. I love the visuals, the storyline, and that ending; it’s unforgettable.

12. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965)

This could’ve been any number of Godzilla films. I could’ve put anything from the 1954 original to last year’s Shin Godzilla in this spot, but Monster Zero is the one I’m most nostalgic for, the giant monster film I used to watch the most as a kid. There are so many lines from this one that I know by heart and wish I could quote… but how often do you get to slip “The Monster is Zero” in a conversation?

11. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The most recent film on this list and one of the greatest action films ever made. It’s also beautiful and features surprisingly well-developed characters. This movie goes for it, all the way. There’re no superficial aspects. It’s just blazing action all the way through. I saw it what… Five times in the theatre? and it just keeps getting better.

10. The Iron Giant (1999)

Another childhood favorite of mine, I had the pleasure of watching the Signature Edition on the big screen with some friends when it was re-released in 2015 and it reignited something in me. I’m also fairly certain that I saw this one in its original theatrical run in 1999. It’s got so much heart and so many laughs. I fall in love with every detail of this Brad Bird film every time I watch it.

9. Batman (1989)

Tim Burton’s Batman is not a faithful adaptation of the comic book character. The Joker’s origin is different, Batman’s methods of fighting crime are not consistent with what’s been printed on the page for decades now, the characters’ dynamics have been vastly altered… but there’s something about it that captures the spirit of the character nonetheless. It all builds towards that final, epic shot with Danny Elfman’s music in the background that tells you what this character is all about. You watch this movie and it brings you back to when it was first released. You understand why it was such a big deal. You don’t get that feeling from any run-of-the-mill movie.

8. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

My #2 movie is another horror film, and I love it for its historical value. It’s higher on my list, but it doesn’t frighten me like this low-budget chiller does. When I pop The Blair Witch Project into my player, I’m immediately filled with a sentiment of dread. I don’t want to put my back to the window, I don’t want to go to bed afterward. It’s a film like none other because it doesn’t even feel like a film, it’s real footage of something horrible that happened. It doesn’t matter that I know that isn’t the case, that I know how it ends. The impact never diminishes.

7. Ben-Hur (1959)

1957’s 3:10 to Yuma was in this spot until the last second when I remembered Ben-Hur. How could I forget the betrayal, the galleys, the chariot race, the delicate balance of themes, the tale of vengeance? This list was hard to make and I’m sorry 3:10. You’re great, I love you very much but when a film lasts 212 minutes and never feels long, it absolutely must be placed on the list.

6. X2: X-Men United (2003)

This is how you do a sequel right. I could’ve put several of the X-Men films on this list, but this is the one I’ve seen the most times. I love the way it builds upon what we’ve seen before and raises the stakes. 

5. Star Wars (1977)

Surprisingly, I don’t really have nostalgia for Star Wars. I saw the originals as a kid a couple of times and of course saw the prequels when they were released, but my love for it comes from an adult viewpoint. The way this first chapter takes familiar story elements and makes them feel fresh again, the characters, the iconic moments, the things it brought to cinema as a whole is what made me go back to it over and over. Over the years, It’s brought me back to that time that didn’t actually happen but feels like it does, that moment where I first saw the colorful aliens and laser battles and was blown away.

4. Fantasia (1940)

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Fantasia. As a kid, I loved the Rite of Spring segment. As an adult, it’s the combination of music and visuals that gets me. This would be a great first movie to show to your children. I think it would spark their imagination in the way few films would.

3. The Little Mermaid (1989)

My favorite Disney animated film, at least today. This could’ve easily been Snow White and the Seven Dwarves or Beauty and the Beast on a different day. I remember the moment I truly fell in love with this one. It was in high school and suddenly, something clicked. As soon as I got home, I scoured the shelves for our VHS copy and watched it. My family couldn’t understand why I suddenly needed to view this animated musical, but I sat there and drank it all in. The colors, the details, the character designs, the songs, they all work so well together. Ariel and I both have a passion for collecting and a ferocious curiosity. Maybe that has something to do with why I relate to her so much.

2. Halloween (1978)

When I think I get tired of this film, I find something new to like about it. Like in 12 Angry Men, I love the simplicity of the story. You’re home, alone. There’s a man with a mask and a knife. He’s trying to get you. That’s all you need for a horror story. Even the killer isn’t fancy, it’s just a white face, but if you saw that mask starring at you through the window late at night, you’d wet yourself.

1. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

I’ve mentioned my love for the Universal Monsters before. I could’ve put some of the other films on this list; Dracula and its Spanish Counterpart, The Invisible Man or The Creature from the Black Lagoon but I don’t like any of them as much as I do Frankenstein. Since this one squeaks past it by just a hair, it’s only fitting that it takes the #1 spot. Will it stay there the next time I make this list? I can’t say for sure, but I’m excited to find out.

[outsidethe18blog]

Matt Lanahan Presents: Everything You Need To Know About US Soccer Right At This Moment.

If you haven’t learned by now, Matt Lanahan and sad soccer experiences go hand in hand. To name a couple that you may or may not have heard about, there was my handball that lost us the State Cup for my club team, the 4-0 loss in the High School State Finals, Portsmouth falling into a black pit of monetary despair, and Newcastle getting relegated. But nothing hurts more than the USMNT failing to qualify for the World Cup. You might have heard my mini-rant on the podcast, during which I was mostly sad. Still, three days later, my mind is still a whirlwind of emotions. I am embarrassed, I am angry, and in a weird fucked up sense I am a little bit happy (I’ll explain). If you are tired of hearing takes on why the USMNT did not qualify, stop reading here. If not, continue on, and get my opinion on what went wrong these past few years for US Soccer.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Goalkeepers A good goalkeeper is like a wife: it usually works best if you don’t have multiple. The consistent change between Brad Guzan and Tim Howard is detrimental to the chemistry of the team. The relationship between the goalkeeper and the two center backs is especially important. Consistently changing that dynamic was a major downfall for this USMNT squad, and it showed. A number of weak goals resulted from back center back and goalkeeper play. Additionally, the decision to NOT bring a young goalkeeper to qualifying hurts the future of the team. I would hope that Howard, Guzan, or Rimando are not in the next qualifying stage. So, why the team rostered Rimando, and not a guy like Ethan Horvath or Bill Hamid puzzles me. Again, the nearsightedness of USMNT is very apparent.

Center Back partnership Throughout qualifying, the center back pairing has given me nightmares. No matter who was playing, seeing a player run at the two CBs made me more nervous than getting an organic chemistry test back. Between Geoff Cameron, Matt Beslar, John Brooks, and Omar Gonzalez, no pairing has ever been set in stone. Because of this, it felt like there wasn’t a leader on the back line. Germany had Boateng/Howedes, Spain had Ramos/Pique, Italy had Canavarro/Materazzi. Obviously, these are world class players that the USMNT can’t expect to replicate. But, the USMNT is missing at least one rock-solid center back who wins crunching tackles and is the emotional leader of the team.

Center Midfield Plain and simple, just not good enough. The USMNT was consistently outmatched in the midfield by lesser opponents, unless we added an extra player to the midfield and sacrificed attacking or defending options. Thankfully the Michael Bradley era has ended. To me, he will be remembered as a shitty attacking midfielder who couldn’t create, and an even shittier defensive midfielder who couldn’t tackle. Sadly, we lacked any better options in these two positions. Players like Nagbe or Pulisic showed glimmers of quality when placed in the middle. However, as outside midfielders, they consistently struggled to find the game, or to create through the midfield. We have yet to find a midfield pairing that can be dynamic going forward and effective defensively.

Forwards Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore were poor throughout much of qualifying. The interplay between the two was almost non-existent. Neither forward could produce meaningful chances on their own, and both missed a lot of chances that should have been finished. Good teams have a “go-to” guy. Someone who is always dangerous with the ball. Someone who has the clutch gene and scores big goals.  The USMNT did not have that guy.

Chemistry The most frustrating thing to watch during the games was the USMNT’s apparent lack of chemistry. On the field, this was apparent—errant passes and miscommunications were Almost every single game, the question remained: who will be starting? By the last game in qualifying, the lineup should be set in stone. The partnership between the two center backs (whoever started) consistently made me nervous. We had a new goalkeeper every other game. There never seemed to be a connection between the two center mids. The partnership between Altidore and Wood just seemed “off.” But most importantly, the players lacked passion. After a goal conceded, there were never a center back screaming at a teammate. After a goal scored, the celebration was typically lackluster. After Pulisic got hacked for the 32nd time, nobody got in the ref’s face or put in a hard tackle on the opposing player.

This team was a group of individuals. It was a hodgepodge of the “best” skilled, most athletic players. Players on the USMNT come from all over. Some players are foreign born, although most were born here. The players come from the MLS, Liga MX, Bundasliga, Premier League, and Championship (England). And in that diversity, we struggle to create an identity. We aren’t an England, that spreads the ball wide with wing backs flying forward; We aren’t Greece that sits back and then counters; We aren’t Spain, that dominates possession with small passes; We aren’t Chile, that defends furiously with a high press. We need to create an identity for ourselves.

Coaching Klinsmann was the man we needed to coach the USMNT. He set realistic goals and made important changes to the youth system (see my other articles). Under Klinsmann, the USMNT was improving. We were more dynamic going forward, we defended as a unit, and we disciplined as a team. Klinsmann brought on younger players to ensure that future teams would be set up for success. He allowed players like John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood, and Sacha Kljestan to experience the atmosphere of the World Cup and World Cup Qualifying.

Bruce Arena is not the man for the job. It is clear that his intention was to win games at any cost, and the quality of US Soccer was severely diminished during his reign. Players consistently thumped long-balls down the field instead of possessing. Most importantly, our defensive shape as a team was abysmal and we were exposed by a number of less skilled teams. Arena has a subpar coaching history. After failing to qualify for Russia 2018, I hope the USSF will choose to replace someone with achievable goals and ambitious training tactics.

Expectations When Klinsmann became the USMNT head coach, he created realistic, progressive goals. He sat in front of the media and did something that few newly hired coaches would do at that point. He told the truth—the USMNT is just not that good. At the 2014 World Cup, his goal was to advance out of the group stage. Critics lambasted this as “weak” or “unpatriotic.” But why should the USMNT have any higher expectations? We have never been further than the quarterfinals in a World Cup. Klinsmann long-term goals did not resonate with the media or the general population, and because of that, he was consistently on the hot seat. Losses to quality teams like Colombia and Argentina only seemed to fuel that fire. Our expectations were just too high.

The win-now culture is pervasive in across many sports. It is understandable. But it comes at a dire cost. Think of any professional sports team that refuses to “rebuild.” Those teams that are too nearsighted to plan for the long term end up in the “twilight zone” where they justttt miss the playoffs every year. Unfortunately, this is the mindset of the US Soccer Federation, the media, the general fan that watches soccer every four years, and most die-hard fans that pay attention more closely. We as a nation continue to say, “We will be good at soccer in 20 years,” and then do little to make that happen (this is not to say that the expectation of qualifying for the World Cup is unrealistic FYI).

WHAT TO DO NOW

Clean House Unfortunately, the USMNT was not set up for future success. The roster moves indicate that this team was in a “win now” mentality. Here is a list of players who will be over 30 by 2022: Agudelo, Altidore, Beasley (he might be dead), Bedoya, Bradley, Beslar, Cameron, Dempsey, Feilhaber, Gonzalez, Guzan, Howard, Kljestan, McCarthy, Nagbe, Orozco, Ream, Rimando, Villafana, Wondolowski, Zusi. Not saying that anyone over 30 shouldn’t be on the team, but age does become an important factor. Other than Nagbe and a couple other in-form veterans, pretty much all of these players should not put on a US jersey again in a competitive match. Therefore, a YUGE chunk of the current team will be gone for good. Cleaning house means getting rid of Bruce Arenas too. There are a couple names that get thrown around, but I like Peter Vermes, current coach of Sporting KC. He is a guy that knows the US Soccer System, but most importantly, he creates teams with an identity.

Exposing young players to the USMNT The large void in the USMNT will need to be filled. The sooner that young guys can gain exposure to the international game, the better. The United States has a promising U17 and U20 team, and a number of other young players that haven’t gotten a call yet. Prospects like Julian Green, Matt Miazga, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Gedion Zelalem, Joshua Perez, Emerson Hyndman, Eric Palmer-Brown, and Lydnon Gooch are all under 23 and playing in Europe. Homegrown talent like Will Trapp, Dom Dwyer, Cyle Larin, and Sebastian Lletget have the potential to join a talented US roster. These players need to be tapped to the national team ASAP and begin training with each other. I cannot stress enough that Friendly matches should be used as a showcase for NEW players instead of a farewell tour for old players.

Assessing the Academy System Many of the new players who should be entering in contention for the USMNT will have gone through the Academy system in the United States. These next 4-8 years will be a litmus test for our system. Currently, it seems to be proving to be effective. Most of the players listed above were trained in the Academy system, including the ones who now play in Europe. MLS player Diego Fagundez, who was trained in the US system, has been pulled to the Uruguay U20 national team a number of times. The USSF must continue to monitor the success of US National teams and make changes to the structure of the Academy system if necessary.

The US Academy must develop a system. Think of the New England Patriots. Belichick and the coaching staff do an excellent job of picking players to fit their system. This allows players that might not be successful in other scenarios to thrive. While they might not be the most talented team on paper, the Patriots have consistently found ways to win. Other good teams had success using a systems approach. The Miracle on Ice team won the Olympics after Herb Brooks picked players that fit his style of play. The Oakland Athletics’ were competitive after Billy Bean acquired “unorthodox” players that meshed as a group. Chelsea FC and Antonio Conte’s methodology meant a great player like Diego Costa wasn’t needed anymore. Until the USSF and US Academy create a system and choose players based off of the quality to fit that system, the USMNT will not be successful.