THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

l if e st yleM u s i c & M o v i e s

File photo shows Iggy Azalea performs on stage at the42nd annual American Music Awards at Nokia TheatreLA Live in Los Angeles.—AP photos

File photo shows Ariana Grande performs on stage atthe 42nd annual American Music Awards.

File photo shows Pharrell Williams performs onstageduring, “A Very Grammy Christmas”.

File photo shows Sam Smith performs on stage.

And the Grammy nomination goes to...Will the Grammys be “Drunk In Love” with Beyonce

or will they fall for the sad, soulful sound of SamSmith? The Recording Academy will announce

the nominees for the 57th annual GrammyAwardstomorrow, and here’s how we think it will play out.

Sam and SiaSam Smith is a shoo-in for nominations in the top cate-

gories at the Grammys, including album of the year for “Inthe Lonely Hour,” song and record of the year for “Stay WithMe” and best new artist. The British singer, who capturedaudiences with his emotional, Adele-like songs, also couldearn nominations outside of the pop categories. A remixfor “Stay With Me,” featuring Grammy favorite Mary J. Blige,could compete in some R&B categories, while the remix of“I’m Not the Only One” with A$AP Rocky could be a con-tender for best rap/sung collaboration. Smith could also benominated for best dance recording, thanks to his guestappearance on Naughty Boy’s hit, “La La La.”

Sia, too, could be swimming in a sea of nominations,thanks for her skilled songwriting and solo breakthrough.She’s written songs for Beyonce, Katy Perry, Eminem,Maroon 5, Shakira and many others. She also enjoyed herfirst No. 1 album with “1000 Forms of Fear” and launched amassive, worldwide hit with “Chandelier.”

Beyonce and beyondIf Beyonce doesn’t dominate in nominations at the

upcoming Grammys, it will be just as surprising as therelease of her self-titled album last year. The pop queencould finally earn the coveted album of the year since therelease of “Beyonce” was earth-shattering and well-received. One thing’s for sure: Beyonce, who already owns

17 Grammys, will easily sweep the R&B categories.

Ariana and Iggy’s big ‘Problem’While Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea both have a

strong chance of nominations for best new artist, theycould cancel each other when it comes to song and recordof the year. Azalea’s “Fancy” is most likely to be up for thetop honors, but the votes could split between that smashand “Problem.” Also, for awards like best pop duo/groupperformance or best rap/sung collaboration, songs like“Fancy,” “Problem,” “Bang Bang” with Nicki Minaj and Jessie Jor “Black Widow” with Rita Ora could cancel each other out.

Azalea, though, should be a top contender in the rapcategories, and Grande could earn a nomination for bestpop vocal album for “My Everything” - which has launchedfour Top 10 pop hits - as well as nominations in the R&Bcategories, including her current duet with the Weeknd,“Love Me Harder.”

Happily ever afterOh happy day: Though Pharrell’s “Happy” was released

before Grammy eligibility - it originally came out in June2013 as part of “Despicable Me 2” - he submitted a live ver-sion of the song, so he has a chance of earning nomina-tions for record of the year and best pop solo performance.John Legend is in similar shoes: “All of Me,” another No. 1hit, also was released before eligibility, but he could alsoearned a nomination for the ballad’s live rendition. In thepast, live songs have won Grammys: Adele won best popsolo performance for her live version of “Set Fire to theRain” a year after she dominated the Grammys with winsfor album, song and record of the year with “21” and“Rolling In the Deep.”

Hot like fire or cold as ice?“Frozen” may earn a nomination for album of the year

since it is the year’s best-selling album with 3.6 millionunits sold. “Let It Go,” also a multi-platinum success, couldfollow its Oscar win with nominations for record and songof the year, among other awards. Oh, how far Idina Menzelhas come since John Travolta once called her AdeleDazeem.

Poetic justice?Kendrick Lamar, who last year was nominated for seven

awards but went home empty handed, could find redemp-tion next year. His latest single, “i,” will likely compete in cat-egories like best rap song and rap performance.

Respect your eldersBarbra Streisand, whose duets album “Partners”

debuted at No.1 and is one of the year’s top-selling albums,could earn a number of nominations. Tony Bennett, whoreleased a duet album of standards with Lady Gaga, couldalso compete in the pop and jazz categories.

What’s shaking?While Taylor Swift’s “1989” will qualify for nominations

next year, her hit “Shake It Off” could earn nominations forsong and record of the year as well as best pop solo per-formance. If it doesn’t, hopefully she can shake it off.—AP

Bobby Keys, whose swampy saxophone was as key acomponent of the peak-period Rolling Stones asClarence Clemons’ sax was for the E Street Band, has

died at age 70, in Middle Tennessee. Multiple news reportscited cirrhosis as the cause of death. The Slaton, Texas,native, who made his Stones recording debut with “LiveWith Me” on the epochal 1969 album “Let It Bleed,” with histasty reeds providing that track’s primary solo, also playedwith Eric Clapton, John Lennon, George Harrison, JoeCocker, B.B. King and Lynard Skynyrd, among many othersduring a career that lasted more than five decades.

But it was his work with the Stones, particularly on thealbums “Sticky Fingers”-on which his down-and-dirty solosfor “Brown Sugar” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” pro-vided a muscular counterpoint to the twin guitars of KeithRichards and Mick Taylor-and the double LP “Exile on MainStreet,” with Keys’ fingerprints prevalent throughout, thatestablished the Texas native as a key session musician dur-ing the ‘70s and beyond.

He would act as an unofficial member of the group, oneof the players Richards referred to as “supersidemen”-notunlike the keyboardists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart-during the group’s halcyon days of 1969-74, and againbeginning in 1980, continuing to record and tour with thegroup right up until their appearance at Glastonbury in2013, and this past year during the Stones’ 14 On Fire tour,

until health issues sidelined him.“The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their

very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, BobbyKeys...” the band said on Twitter. “Bobby made a uniquemusical contribution to the band since the 1960’s. He willbe greatly missed.” Keith Richards also paid tribute to Keyson the Rolling Stones’ Facebook page. “I have lost thelargest pal in the world and I can’t express the sense of sad-ness I feel although Bobby would tell me to cheer up,” thepost reads. “My condolences to all that knew him and hislove of music.”

Notorious party animalWhile Keys was introduced to the Stones by producer

Jimmy Miller, it was Richards, with whom he shared theexact same birthday (Dec 18, 1943), who became a kind ofsoulmate. Richards recalled in his autobiography “Life” thatthe group hooked up with Keys in 1969 at Elektra studioswhen Keys was recording with Delaney & Bonnie.“Jimmy Miller was working there on ‘Let It Bleed’ and calledBobby in to play a solo on ‘Live With Me.’ The track was justraw, straight-ahead, balls-to-the-wall rock and roll, tailormade for Bobby. A long collaboration was born.”

With trumpeter Jim Price, Keys would form a prominenthorn section with the group. A notorious party animal,Keys would act as an enabler to Richards, with whom hekept pace, and was part of Lennon’s extended “lost week-end” in the mid-’70s. He would end up on the Lennonalbums “Walls and Bridges,” “Some Time in New York City”and “Rock ‘n Roll.” He told Rolling Stone magazine in 2012:“I’ve been smoking pot for over 50 years, and I never let aday go by unless I’m in jail. I am a devout pothead. I havebeen, will be, don’t see a damn thing wrong with it exceptthe cost. Legalize it.”

A prodigy as a teenager, Keys started touring withBobby Vee at age 15, and played briefly with Buddy Holly,but never learned to read music. “I listen subliminally,” hetold Rolling Stone. “I play more rhythmically than I do alot of notes. I pull a lot of the stuff that I play off therhythm tracks - and Keith Richards has been one of themain contributors to my inspirational playing.” Other keyrecordings on which the saxophonist took part wereCocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” Harrison’s “AllThings Must Pass,” Ringo Starr’s “Ringo” and “GoodnightVienna,” Clapton’s “Eric Clapton,” Carly Simon’s “NoSecrets” and “Hotcakes,” and Harry Nilsson’s “NilssonSchmilsson.”—Reuters

In this March 25, 2012 file photo, saxophonist BobbyKeys signs a copy of his autobiography, “Every Night’s aSaturday Night: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Life of Legendary SaxMan Bobby Keys,” for Jo Claire Swayze, right.—AP

Rolling Stones SaxophonistBobby Keys Dies at 70

South Korean music band EXO pose for the photographers during the news conference of 2014 Mnet Asian MusicAwards (MAMA) in Hong Kong yesterday.—AP

John Legend and K-pop starsrock Mnet Asian Music Awards

Thousands of screaming fanswere treated to sexy dance actsand vocal performances, includ-

ing two numbers by American singerJohn Legend, in Hong Kong yesterdayat one of the biggest events on the K-pop calendar. R&B singer Legend-whotopped the US billboards in May-wasawarded the “International FavoriteArtist” award and performed a movingrendition of his hit single “All of Me” atthe Mnet Asian Music Awards(MAMA).

“I come from a small town in Ohioand I always dreamed that I would beable to make music for a living,” the35-year-old nine-time Grammy win-ner told cheering fans. “But I neverdreamed that it would take me somany places and I’m so happy that I

have fans in Asia who really love mymusic,” Legend said at the city’spacked World-Expo Arena. Legend,who also performed his hit “GreenLight”, shared the stage with HongKong star Eason Chan as well as K-popsongstress Ailee, girl band SISTAR andboy group EXO, among others.

An electric performance by all-female act Girl’s Day and singer Aileekicked off the awards ceremony,which saw EXO taking the gong forbest male group and SISTAR namedbest female group. “I sang a lot ofsongs this year, and I want to thank allthe people who helped me to feelthat singing was fun,” singer IU, whowas attending MAMA for the firsttime, told fans as she received thebest female artist award. Big Bang’s

Taeyang won the best male artist title. American singing legend Stevie

Wonder raised the roof at last year’sMAMA event, also held in the south-ern Chinese city. The awards show isin its sixth year. K-pop has madeinroads into the international musicmarket particularly with the globalsuccess of Psy’s “Gangnam Style”. Thesong’s music video-that features thenow-famous horse-riding dance-exceeded the maximum number ofviews on YouTube Wednesday, at over2 billion, prompting the site toupgrade its system. As well as music,Korean cinema and television dramashave also been increasing in populari-ty around Asia, a phenomenon knownas “Hallyu”, or the Korean culturalwave.—AFP

CMT honored a diverse group of country musicians reflect-ing the wide range of styles the genre has embraced, fromcountry rocker Jason Aldean, guitar slinger Keith Urban

and fiery singer Miranda Lambert, and then capped it all with aspecial tribute to country legend Merle Haggard. The “CMT Artistsof the Year” show, which aired live from Nashville, Tennessee, onTuesday evening, bounced between country’s present, futureand past with nods to influences from rock n’ roll, hip hop,rhythm and blues and the Bakersfield Sound.

Aldean, who is one of country’s biggest touring artists,teamed up with Chris Cornell, of the rock bands Soundgardenand Audioslave, to open the show with a blast of arena rock gui-tars. “When we heard he was going to be here, I started trying tofigure out a way to get him on stage with us,” Aldean said ofCornell. Lambert, who made history this year as the most deco-rated female country artist at the CMA Awards last month, fol-lowed with a soulful performance of “Holding On To You,” fromher album, “Platinum.” Urban meanwhile took to the stage withan all-female backing band to perform James Brown’s “It’s a Man’sMan’s Man’s World,” while rapper Wiz Khalifa lauded his partybrothers, Florida Georgia Line, as “two guys that are hitting ithard.” “We look up to him a lot,” said Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler

Hubbard about the rapper. “He’s got a lot of great music andwe’ve hung out with him a couple of times.” Haggard, whowatched it all from the audience, was given the first Artist of aLifetime award for his own innovations in modern country musicwhen he helped create the twangy electrified California countrysound half a century ago.

Eric Church, along with country singer Ashley Monroe andmusician T Bone Burnett, performed Haggard’s “Workin’ ManBlues,” and actor Billy Bob Thornton compared Haggard to writerslike John Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams. “He’s truly a story-teller,” Thornton said. “And that’s something that has been lost.”The songwriter who penned tunes about drifters, convicts andblue collar workers, including “Okie From Muskogee” and “MamaTried,” was succinct upon accepting the award. “Anything I’d saywould fall short of the mark, so thank you very much and Godbless you,” Haggard said. Reigning CMA entertainer of the yearLuke Bryan was also scheduled to receive one of the night’s hon-ors, but a death in his family forced him to cancel his appearance.The country group Lady Antebellum and songwriter ChrisStapleton dedicated a performance of Bryan’s acoustic ballad.“Tonight, if you’re watching back home, Luke, this one’s for youand your family,” said Lady A singer Charles Kelley.—AP

CMT honors country’s top acts, past and present

Miranda Lambert, left, and Ashley Monroe on stage.Keith Urban accepts the CMT Artist of the Year Award.