Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu Wins DGA Award For 'Birdman,' The Film To Beat For Best Picture

February 8, 2015, 9:24 am

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The Oscars don't take place for another two weeks, but it looks like the Best Picture winner may already be decided. On Saturday night, "Birdman" Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu won top honors at the Directors Guild Awards, besting presumed favorite, "Boyhood" director Richard Linklater, for the award. With the Directors Guild of America win, Iñárritu's film has swept the three major guilds, following previous victories at the Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild award ceremonies.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, in the last 19 years, only one film that turned the guild hat trick has failed to go on to win Best Picture: "Apollo 13" at the Academy Awards in 1996. Previous films to win all three guild citations and then Best Picture include "American Beauty," "Chicago," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "No Country for Old Men," "Slumdog Millionaire," "The King's Speech" and "Argo."

But despite all that history, "Birdman" would still have to overcome one other Oscars stat to clinch a win on Feb. 22. The film failed to score a nomination in the Best Editing category, perhaps due to the fact that Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki shot "Birdman" to appear as if it were one continuous take. The last film to win Best Picture without a corresponding nomination in the Best Editing category was 1980's "Ordinary People." Linklater's "Boyhood," the critical favorite that many expected to take home Best Picture, is nominated in the editing category.

"Birdman" is tied with "The Grand Budapest Hotel" for most nominations at this year's Academy Awards with nine total. The comedy, about a washed-up actor (played by Best Actor nominee Michael Keaton) hoping for a second chance at success, would be the third Best Picture winner in four years to focus on some aspect of Hollywood life, following "The Artist" and "Argo."

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Grammy Winners List For 2015 Includes Sam Smith, Pharrell, Beyoncé & More

February 8, 2015, 2:29 pm

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The biggest night in music has arrived in the form of the 57th annual Grammy Awards. The night's biggest winner was Sam Smith, who took home four awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams and Roseanne Cash all won three awards, as did Beck's "Morning Phase," which took Album of the Year honors.

Coming into the night, Smith, Beyoncé and Williams led all artists with six nominations each, including Album of the Year (Williams also produced Album of the Year nominees "Beyoncé" and Ed Sheeran's "X"). Smith, Beyoncé and Williams joined a roster of Grammy performers that includes Kanye West (twice), Rihanna, Paul McCartney, AC/DC, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Sia and Usher.

Before the show started, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem were among artists who grabbed two trophies. Eminem won Best Rap Album for "The Marshall Mathers LP2," beating out Iggy Azalea, and also Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, for "The Monster" (featuring Rihanna). A full list of this year's winners, via the Grammys is listed below.

1. RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)," Sam Smith

2. ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"Morning Phase," Beck

3. SONG OF THE YEAR
"Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)," James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)

4. BEST NEW ARTIST
Sam Smith

5. BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Happy (Live)," Pharrell Williams

6. BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Say Something," A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera

7. BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
"Cheek To Cheek," Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

8. BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
"In The Lonely Hour," Sam Smith

9. BEST DANCE RECORDING
"Rather Be," Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne

10. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
"Syro," Aphex Twin

11. BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Bass & Mandolin," Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer

12. BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
"Lazaretto," Jack White

13. BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
"The Last In Line," Tenacious D

14. BEST ROCK SONG
"Ain't It Fun," Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters (Paramore)

15. BEST ROCK ALBUM
"Morning Phase," Beck

16. BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
"St. Vincent," St. Vincent

17. BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
"Drunk In Love," Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z

18. BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
"Jesus Children," Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner

19. BEST R&B SONG
"Drunk In Love," Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters (Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z)

20. BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
"Girl," Pharrell Williams

21. BEST R&B ALBUM
"Love, Marriage & Divorce," Toni Braxton & Babyface

22. BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
"i," Kendrick Lamar

23. BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"The Monster," Eminem Featuring Rihanna

24. BEST RAP SONG
"i," K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

25. BEST RAP ALBUM
"The Marshall Mathers LP2," Eminem

26. BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Something In The Water," Carrie Underwood

27. BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Gentle On My Mind," The Band Perry

28. BEST COUNTRY SONG
"I'm Not Gonna Miss You," Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)

29. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
"Platinum," Miranda Lambert

30. BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
"Winds Of Samsara," Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman

31. BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
"Fingerprints," Chick Corea, soloist

32. BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
"Beautiful Life," Dianne Reeves

33. BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Trilogy," Chick Corea Trio

34. BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
"Life In The Bubble," Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

35. BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
"The Offense Of The Drum," Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

36. BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG
"No Greater Love," Smokie Norful

37. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG
"Messengers," Lecrae Featuring For King & Country

38. BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
"Help," Erica Campbell

39. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
"Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong," For King & Country

40. BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM
"Shine For All The People," Mike Farris

41. BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
"Tangos," Rubén Blades

42. BEST LATIN ROCK, URBAN OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
"Multiviral," Calle 13

43. BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
"Mano A Mano - Tangos A La Manera De Vicente Fernández," Vicente Fernández

44. BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
"Más + Corazón Profundo," Carlos Vives

45. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
"A Feather's Not A Bird," Rosanne Cash

46. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
"A Feather's Not A Bird," Rosanne Cash

47. BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
"The River & The Thread," Rosanne Cash

48. BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
"The Earls Of Leicester," The Earls Of Leicester

49. BEST BLUES ALBUM
"Step Back," Johnny Winter

50. BEST FOLK ALBUM
"Remedy," Old Crow Medicine Show

51. BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
"The Legacy," Jo-El Sonnier

52. BEST REGGAE ALBUM
"Fly Rasta," Ziggy Marley

53. BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
"Eve," Angelique Kidjo

54. BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM
"I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)," Neela Vaswani

55. BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
"Diary Of A Mad Diva," Joan Rivers

56. BEST COMEDY ALBUM
"Mandatory Fun," "Weird Al" Yankovic

57. BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"

58. BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"Frozen"

59. BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"The Grand Budapest Hotel," Alexandre Desplat, composer

60. BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"Let It Go," Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel) (Track from: "Frozen")

61. BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
"The Book Thief," John Williams, composer (John Williams)

62. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA
"Daft Punk," Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado & Kevin Olusola, arrangers (Pentatonix)

63. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
"New York Tendaberry," Billy Childs, arranger (Billy Childs Featuring Renée Fleming & Yo-Yo Ma)

64. BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
"Lightning Bolt," Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors (Pearl Jam)

65. BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
"The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)," Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)

66. BEST ALBUM NOTES
"Offering: Live At Temple University," Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (John Coltrane)

67. BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
"The Garden Spot Programs, 1950," Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Hank Williams)

68. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
"Morning Phase," Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Beck)

69. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Max Martin

70. BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL
"All Of Me (Tiesto's Birthday Treatment Remix)," Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer (John Legend)

71. BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
"Beyoncé," Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer (Beyoncé)

72. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
"Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem; Symphony No. 4; The Lark Ascending," Michael Bishop, engineer; Michael Bishop, mastering engineer (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)

73. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Judith Sherman

74. BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
"Adams, John: City Noir," David Robertson, conductor (St. Louis Symphony)

75. BEST OPERA RECORDING
"Charpentier: La Descente D'Orphée Aux Enfers," Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)

76. BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
"The Sacred Spirit Of Russia," Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)

77. BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
"In 27 Pieces - The Hilary Hahn Encores," Hilary Hahn & Cory Smythe

78. BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
"Play," Jason Vieaux

79. BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM
"Douce France," Anne Sofie Von Otter; Bengt Forsberg, accompanist (Carl Bagge, Margareta Bengston, Mats Bergström, Per Ekdahl, Bengan Janson, Olle Linder & Antoine Tamestit)

80. BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
"Partch: Plectra & Percussion Dances," Partch; John Schneider, producer

81. BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
"Adams, John Luther: Become Ocean," John Luther Adams, composer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

82. BEST MUSIC VIDEO
"Happy," Pharrell Williams

83. BEST MUSIC FILM
"20 Feet From Stardom," Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill

'Boyhood' Wins Best Picture, Best Director At BAFTA Awards

February 8, 2015, 2:35 pm

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LONDON (AP) — Slow-cooked coming-of-age tale "Boyhood" took the best film and director trophies at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, while Wes Anderson's candy-colored comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" won the biggest haul of prizes, with five.

Both are unusual works by distinctive directors, and there were also multiple trophies for the Stephen Hawking biopic "The Theory of Everything" and the jazz-drumming drama "Whiplash" at an event that proved small, personal films could emerge as winners. Awards-season high-flyer "Birdman" had its wings clipped, taking only a cinematography prize from 10 nominations. And World War II code-breaking drama "The Imitation Game" won nothing despite nine nominations.

Richard Linklater, who spent 12 years making "Boyhood," was named best director, and Patricia Arquette won the supporting-actress trophy as a struggling mother in the film.

Arquette said Linklater had set out to show "how extraordinary an ordinary life is."

"Boyhood" star Ellar Coltrane, who grew from 6 to 18 onscreen, thanked British voters for rewarding "an exercise of collaboration and vulnerability."

The British awards, known as the BAFTAs, are considered an indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards later this month.

"The Theory of Everything" was named best British film, and won an acapted-screenplay award for Anthony McCarten.

Eddie Redmayne, already an awards-season favorite, won the best-actor prize for his performance as physicist Hawking, who probed the cosmos while his body was wracked by motor neuron disease.

Redmayne said the evening went much better than his last BAFTA appearance, which he spent vomiting backstage with food poisoning when he was supposed to be presenting an award.

"It was one of the worst nights of my life," Redmayne said. "This is one of the best nights of my life."

The actor paid an emotional tribute to Hawking, his ex-wife Jane and their families, "for reminding me of the great strength that comes from the will to live a full and passionate life."

Julianne Moore was named best actress for portraying a professor with Alzheimer's in "Still Alice."

Anderson won the original screenplay trophy for "The Grand Budapest Hotel, which also took prizes for production design, costumes, hair and makeup and Alexandre Desplat's score.

Damien Chazelle's jazz-drumming drama "Whiplash" — a taut psychological showdown that was shot in 19 days — took prizes for sound and editing. The supporting-actor trophy went to the film's J.K. Simmons, a stalwart character actor who is finally receiving major awards recognition.

"The Lego Movie" was named best animated feature, a prize the filmmakers said helped ease the pain of its Oscars snub.

"You are our favorite academy by far," said co-director Phil Lord.

British actor Jack O'Connell, star of "71" and "Unbroken," won the Rising Star award, the only trophy decided by public vote. The others are chosen by several thousand members of the British film academy.

The Oscar-nominated Polish film "Ida" won the award for best film not in the English language.

The awards ceremony is British cinema's glitziest event, and an important stop for Hollywood awards hopefuls. Steve Carell, Michael Keaton, Amy Adams and Reese Witherspoon were among the American actors who walked the red carpet before the ceremony at London's Royal Opera House.

British stars included Kristin Scott Thomas and Rosamund Pike, soccer great David Beckham — and Hawking, who received a huge ovation when he appeared onstage to present the visual effects award to "Interstellar."

British talent has been especially well represented in Hollywood this year, led by multiple awards nominations for "The Theory of Everything" and "The Imitation Game."

BAFTA organizers said that acclaimed civil rights drama "Selma," which stars British actor David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., was overlooked because it arrived in Britain too late for academy members to see it. The film's tally of just two Oscar nominations helped spark a debate about Hollywood's lack of diversity.

"Imitation Game" star Benedict Cumberbatch said the omission of "Selma" was the "one bitter note" of the event.

"I wish David Oyelowo was here with us as well," he said. "I'll be honoring him in my head tonight."

The British academy also overlooked Mike Leigh's artist biopic "Mr. Turner" in the major categories, despite critical praise and a Cannes best-actor prize for star Timothy Spall.

But Leigh was not forgotten. He received a lifetime honor, the British Academy Fellowship, for a body of films blending social realism and sly humor.

The awards are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which hosts a separate ceremony for TV programs.

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Online: http://www.bafta.org/

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Follow Jill Lawless on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Eminem Beat Out Iggy Azalea For Best Rap Album

February 8, 2015, 3:49 pm

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Eminem was awarded Best Rap Album at the Grammys for "The Marshall Mathers LP 2," beating out Iggy Azalea's heavily favored "The New Classic." Eminem also topped Common's "Nobody's Smiling," Childish Gambino's "Because The Internet," Schoolboy Q's "Oxymoron," and Wiz Khalifa's "Blacc Hollywood."

"The Marshall Mathers LP 2" is Eminem's eighth studio album. It received generally positive reviews, Rolling Stone writing, "He's playing his best character: the demon spawn of Trailer Hell, America, hitting middle age with his middle finger up his nose while he cleans off the Kool-Aid his kids spilled on the couch." Eminem also won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his track "The Monster," featuring Rihanna. Eminem's track "Rap God" lost Best Rap Performance to Kendrick Lamar for his latest single "i."

Iggy Azalea has received a significant amount of criticism for cultural appropriation over the last few months, beginning with Azealia Banks calling her out for keeping silent after the grand jury's decision not to indict the officer involved in the death of Eric Garner. In a later radio interview with New York radio station Hot 97, Banks also criticized Azalea for a "cultural smudging" in how she appropriated aspects of Nicki Minaj's work.

Shortly after Q-Tip and T.I. entered the conversation, encouraging more discussion than admonishment. (Hackers also threatened to release "various snapshots" from Azalea's alleged sex tape unless she apologized to Banks for their Twitter battle.)

Most recently, rapper-actress Eve and singer Jill Scott called out Azalea for her "blaccent," to which she responded: "I'm myself." Constantly having to defend herself, Azalea has said that her frequent criticism "has 100,000 percent to do with the fact that I have a vagina." However, when GQ asked Azalea what helps her handle the comments, she responded, "Uh, awards season helps."

Eminem's victory follows Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Best Rap Album win, and subsequent sweep of the rap categories, at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Those victories also incited anger across the Internet.

Joan Rivers Won Her First Grammy On Sunday Night

February 8, 2015, 3:56 pm

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Joan Rivers just won her first Grammy award. The late comic took home Best Spoken Word Album during Sunday night's Grammy Awards for the audio version of her 2014 memoir, "Diary of a Mad Diva." Rivers' album defeated James Franco ("Actors Anonymous"), Jimmy Carter ("A Call To Action"), John Waters ("Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America") and Elizabeth Warren ("A Fighting Chance") for the award.

"It's a difficult moment. It's a little bittersweet," Rivers' daughter, Melissa Rivers, told E! red carpet reporter Giuliana Rancic on Sunday. "But it's wonderful how loved she was and how she's getting so much attention now and people are really understanding what she's about."

Rivers was nominated one other time before this year, back in 1984 for Best Comedy Album ("What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?"). The iconic performer died on Sept. 4 of last year.

For a full list of Grammy winners, head here.

Lady Gaga Couldn't Even Handle AC/DC's Grammys Opening

February 8, 2015, 5:20 pm

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AC/DC shook the Grammys stage on Sunday, performing a string of songs which included "Highway to Hell."



Lady Gaga, rock star at heart and Tony Bennett's BFF, could not contain her excitement.



Neither could Jamie Foxx.



The rockers are currently gearing up for a summer tour to promote last year's "Rock or Bust," which debuted at no. 3 on the Billboard 200 in November. The group, a seven-time nominee, was not up for awards this year, as the album was released after the eligibility period ended.

AC/DC had an eventful end to 2014, as the group's long-time drummer, Phil Rudd, was accused of "attempting to procure a murder" in November. The charge was dropped, but in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young said the band had issues with Rudd before the legal trouble.

"When we were recording, it was quite difficult to just get him in the studio," Young said. "When we were in London when we were starting up to do the video shoot and stuff and it was the same then. He didn’t show, you know? That’s something we’ve got to resolve. Phil's got to sort himself out."

Kanye's Two Grammys Performances Are 'Only One' & 'FourFiveSeconds,' With Rihanna & Paul McCartney

February 8, 2015, 5:55 pm

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For the first time in six years, the Grammys fell right in the middle of #YeezySeason. Kanye West performed both "Only One" and "FourFiveSeconds," his collaboration with Rihanna and Sir Paul McCartney, on Sunday night.

"Only One," which West wrote from the perspective of his late mother, Donda, was first.



The Grammys teased that West's first song would be "a never-before-seen solo performance," but that proved sort of untrue. West already performed "Only One" in concert last weekend.

"FourFiveSeconds," which will appear on forthcoming albums by West and Rihanna, was next. West was joined by Rihanna for the track, with McCartney accompanying on guitar (and hand claps).



The Grammys waited until the veritable last minute to announce West's presence. He was added to the star-studded bill on Tuesday morning and immediately became one of the best reasons to watch the show. His last Grammys appearance came in 2009, when he performed "American Boy" with Estelle and "Swagga Like Us" with Jay Z, T.I., Lil Wayne and M.I.A. (he even helped announce the winner in that year's Best New Artist category). Since, West has been outspoken against The Recording Academy, especially after "Yeezus" was snubbed in the top categories at last year's ceremony.

"I’m 36 years old and I have 21 Grammys," West said during a concert in 2013. "That’s the most Grammys of any 36-year-old. Out of all of those 21 Grammys, I’ve never won a Grammy against a white artist. ... So when the Grammys nominations come out, and 'Yeezus' is the top one or two album on every single list, but only gets two nominations from the Grammys, what are they trying to say? Do they think that I wouldn’t notice? Do they think that, someway, that I don’t have the power to completely diminish all of their credibility at this moment?"

Continued West: "But no, no. Only positive energy, only positive vibes. But when you see me talking about what people are doing when I say 'marginalized,' when I say 'boxed in,' when I say 'hold back,' when I say 'people are afraid of the truth,' that’s one example right in front of you. And people come to me and they congratulate me on those two nominations. Fuck those nominations."

Sam Smith & Mary J. Blige Perform 'Stay With Me' At The Grammys

February 8, 2015, 7:39 pm

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Sam Smith performed his hit song "Stay With Me" at the Grammys on Sunday, joined by Mary J. Blige for an expectedly emotional and gorgeous performance. Smith released their collaboration back in June of 2014, helping to propel the track to its current fame.



Blige recently sang her praises of Smith to USA Today: "Some people just have a beautiful spirit, and you can feel their spirit and see their heart. Sam is not afraid to be honest. I love that about him. Not only is his voice amazing, you get raw emotion and whatever he's dealing with coming through that song."

"Stay With Me," comes off of Smith's debut album, "In The Lonely Hour." Smith is the only artist to receive nominations in the four major categories: Album of the Year (for "In The Lonely Hour"), Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Record of the Year (both for "Stay With Me"). Smith has already won Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for "In the Lonely Hour," and is still awaiting the results of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

It was recently revealed that Sam Smith would credit and pay royalties to Tom Petty for "Stay With Me," due to the song's similarities to Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Smith's camp labeled the similarities as a "complete coincidence," and Petty seems to agree, labeling it a "musical accident" himself.

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Kanye West Pokes Fun At His Taylor Swift VMA Moment With Beck's Grammys Win

February 8, 2015, 7:53 pm

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Kanye West was having a ball Sunday night, what with two incredible Grammy performances behind him. So when Beck won the award for Album of the Year, beating Kanye's friend, Beyoncé, who was nominated for her album "Beyoncé," Kanye reacted like only he knows how:



Of course, this time around Kanye was only joking. You know, unlike that moment at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech after she beat Beyoncé.

Prankster Kanye is the best Kanye.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's reaction to Kanye pretending to steal the mic again

A video posted by Claudia Oshry (@girlwithnojob) on Feb 8, 2015 at 8:12pm PST

Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' Wins Song Of The Year At The Grammys

February 8, 2015, 7:57 pm

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Sam Smith won the coveted Song of the Year award at the Grammys on Sunday. "I'm having a really good night," Smith said, after collecting his third award of the 2015 Grammys, following Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for "In the Lonely Hour."

The nominees included Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass," Sia's "Chandelier," Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" and Hozier's "Take Me to Church."

Last month, "Stay With Me" came under fire when it was revealed that Sam Smith would pay royalties to Tom Petty for the song, due to its similarities to Petty's classic hit, "I Won't Back Down." Smith's camp called it a "complete coincidence," and Petty seemed to hold no hard feelings toward the singer.

Smith also performed at the Grammys with Mary J. Blige. It was great.

Photographer Preserves 'Dying Breed' In Brooklyn Community

February 9, 2015, 7:07 am

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For 15 years, photographer Russell Frederick captured the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, as the community, and its people, transformed around him. From new street lights and train renovations to displaced street vendors and rumors of rent increases, Frederick worked to preserve an image of the neighborhood he once knew nearly two decades ago.

Here's How Japan Marketed Its Sprawling Red-Light District Hundreds Of Years Ago

February 9, 2015, 7:44 am

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It was a stroke of marketing genius on the part of the madams and pimps of Japan's 17th century red light district to call their digs the Floating World. Ukiyo in Japanese, the phrase came to signify not only a locale distinct from the rest of Edo, the city known today as Tokyo, but a singular state of mind. Entering the Ukiyo -- technical name: Shin Yoshiwara, meaning "New Lucky Field" (the old Yoshiwara fell to the Great Fire of Mereiki) -- became synonymous with a certain kind of sensual transcendence.



The marketing of this illusion is the subject of a clever new exhibit at the Asian American Museum in San Francisco. Aptly titled "Seduction," the lavish show brings together more than 50 works from the collection of John C. Weber, a New Yorker who has spent the better part of the last 20 years amassing one of the foremost Western collections of Japanese art. The works, which include kimonos, fans, and scrolls, make a double edged statement. For all their cherry-blossomed, old world romance, their existence speaks to the hard-edged winners' mentality of Edo period citizens.



At the centerpiece of the exhibit is a hand scroll by the 17th century woodblock master Hishikawa Moronobu (who was also a legendary exponent of floating-world imagery). The title is clinical enough: "A visit to the Yoshiwara, late 1680s." But there is much to unpack in this nearly 58-foot scroll. Dotted in almost pastoral vignettes, it paints a rosy picture of the Ukiyo in its heyday. Men slice into great slabs of fish, women carry buckets of laundry -- the suggestion of intimacy is everywhere, but nothing is explicit.





Life would hardly have been quiet in the Ukiyo. One account cited in the exhibit catalogue recorded at least 987 women living inside the quarters in the mid-1600s. A century later, the number hovered around 3,000. Women of the Floating World lived to serve men. Some worked out of hole-in-the-wall brothels, serving any old visitor willing to pay. Others were closer to courtesans, admitting only the wealthiest businessmen into tea-rooms, where assignations took place on schedule.



All of the works in "Seduction" were commissions, carried out by artists doubling as advertisers. They range from legendary (the exhibit includes a work by the maestro of waves, Katsushika Hokusai), to unknowns, to artists who made their name specifically by way of Ukiyo, like Hishikawa Moronobu. All were engaged in what the "Seduction" catalogue succinctly terms "one of the great early successes of branding," casting what was essentially a 20-acre brothel in an ethereal light. It's a coup any ad exec today might be proud of. De Wallen brand managers, you listening?



For more on "Seduction," opening Feb. 20, visit the Asian Art Museum website.

This Is Forensic Sculpture, A Combination Of Art And Science That Aims To Solve Cold Cases

February 9, 2015, 7:48 am

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Each student at the Forensic Sculpture Workshop at the New York Academy of Art (NYAA) begins with a skull. More specifically, each begins with a plaster replica of a real human skull made by a medical examiner, a facsimile of an unidentified crime victim in New York City.

From this foundation, the students sculpt a face, using a block of clay and whatever information they can glean from the ongoing investigations -- such as age, height, gender and race. They also included grimmer details, such as the locations of bullet holes or crushed bones.

The resulting sculptures, lifelike in their realistic portrayals, capture the likenesses of unknown citizens who faced cruel and untimely deaths from a variety of gruesome circumstances, in the hopes that someone walking by the university windows will see a face and recognize it.



"They lost their identity," Joe Mullins, a forensic imaging specialist told The New York Times. "We’re going to give it back to them."

"The idea for a Continuing Education forensic sculpture workshop has been on the table for many years," Academy's Director of Continuing Education John Volk explained to The Huffington Post in an email. "It wasn't until a colleague introduced me to Joe Mullins -- a National Center for Missing & Exploited Children forensic imaging specialist -- who has a relationship with the Medical Examiner's office, that the idea was finally able to come to fruition.

"Our partnership is the perfect marriage of art and science. Having students use art and their extensive knowledge of anatomy for a bigger purpose and real world application to help the community at large was an opportunity worth waiting for and one we hope to replicate for years to come."



For the duration of the workshop, the forensic sculptors are not working to create the most beautiful works of art possible, but the most accurate likeness of a once living, breathing human. In that sense, the mission is more like a police sketch than an artistic sculpture.

The hope is that, when the completed sculptures are displayed in the university windows, someone who knew one of the victims -- maybe a relative, neighbor or an old friend -- will recognize the likeness, thus restoring an identity to what are now only skeletons. Images of the sculptures will also be added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database and shared with the New York City Police Department.



The forensic sculpture method normally comes into play once traditional methods like DNA testing and fingerprinting are not available. For many of the skeletal and decayed bodies that remain unidentified victims, this is the final hope.

"To be part of something as profound as using art to potentially trigger new leads in cold cases, to provide some relief or answers some longstanding questions for the families of victims left behind, is extraordinary," Volk continued. "It's our hope that as many people stop in to the Academy to see the reconstructions and help spread the word about them. A success story is well within the range of possibility here and how incredible would that be?"




h/t Hyperallergic

These Bewitching Photos Of Rainbow Swamps Reveal The Magic Lurking In Mire

February 9, 2015, 7:52 am

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Photographer Jessica Hines built a house on a swamp in southeast Georgia, not far from Savannah. Her reasoning was simple: "It is home to a large number of animal species and seeing the natural world everyday from my windows makes me happy," she explained to The Huffington Post. It's not hard to see why.

There is, however, something uniquely enchanting about Hines' habitat. Every January and February during sunny days, a film of rainbow light stretches across the swamp's surface. The colors result from plant oils and pollen forming a monomolecular film that reflects and refracts a spectrum of light. Hines compares it to the colors seen on a soap bubble. When Hines noticed this natural phenomenon, she purchased a pair of chest-high waders to photograph the colors at ground level, at their most intense.



"Later in the spring when the color faded to silver, I continued photographing because I had become fascinated by the way light and shadows move across the water and how quickly it all changes," Hines explained. "I love the meditative experience, the quiet, noticing small details –- tiny green water plants emerging in the spring, the green returning to the trees, mushrooms and fungi on floating logs, evidence of beavers and other animals. I continue to photograph the water year round to experience and record the seasons."

Hines' series, titled "Spirit Stories," began in 2011 and is ongoing -- she recently purchased an underwater camera. As the title suggests, the captured images are not only homages to nature's beauty but also to the supernatural powers hovering just below the surface. "When I spend time alone in the middle of the swamp, I 'tune in' to the place, becoming more acutely aware of my surroundings than I would be when not photographing. I think of the process as a kind of meditation."



The hypnotic images, like crystal balls splayed atop a marshy expanse, toy with photography's capacity to capture what is "real" versus what the eye perceives. Moreover, they point at the magical details sprinkled throughout the world we occupy, and the precious beauty all around us. "In this time of mass extinction, of grotesque abuse of the land all over this planet, I photograph a hidden dimension or 'spirit' of this natural world –- one that begs to be paid attention to, to be saved."

"I hope that viewers develop a sense of awe at the natural world," Hines concluded. "I hope to reveal a magical, and mostly hidden beauty that inspires viewers –- and in a perfect world, would inspire them to save it."

Beck & Annie Lennox Blew Up On Spotify Thanks To The Grammys

February 9, 2015, 8:37 am

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No one was probably more surprised by Beck's Album of the Year win at the Grammys than Beck himself. He beat out heavy favorites Beyoncé and Sam Smith, faced the wrath of Kanye and even thought Beyoncé herself would win. There's no arguing that "Morning Phase" was easily one of 2014's best offerings, but not everyone is familiar with Beck, despite this being his 10th proper studio album. And while many decided to pitch their disorientation into the void of Twitter, asking the age-old awards question, "Who the f--k is [insert name]?" some parties decided to take a proactive approach: listening to his music on Spotify.

According to Spotify's data, in the hour before the Grammy Awards (7-8 p.m. ET) and the hour after (12-1 a.m. ET), Beck's overall streams increased by 388 percent. "Morning Phase" saw a boost of 524 percent, its tracks -- like "Blackbird Chain," "Country Down," "Cycle," "Phase," "Say Goodbye," "Unforgiven" and "Wave" -- receiving individual bumps more than tenfold. "Heart Is a Drum," the track Beck performed that evening alongside Chris Martin of Coldplay, increased in streams by 697 percent.

Annie Lennox also saw a huge bump in traffic after joining Hozier on stage to help perform a mashup of "Take Me To Church" and a cover of "I Put A Spell On You." Her overall streams went up by 147 percent, and "I Put a Spell On You" received a 211 percent uptick.

Sam Smith, who won just about every other award on Sunday, including the other three big trophies (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist), saw a 22 percent overall increase in traffic, which is significant consider his already huge numbers on the streaming service.

Watch Beck and Chris Martin's performance at the Grammys:

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A Painting a Day

February 9, 2015, 9:22 am

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On Kawara, the subject of a vast and elegant retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, was born in Japan and lived very, very quietly in Manhattan for fifty years until his death, last June, at the age of eighty-one—or, rather, the age of twenty-nine thousand seven hundred and seventy-one days, by the form of reckoning that he preferred. Starting in 1966, he created nearly three thousand acrylic paintings, which feature only the dates on which they were made: the month, day, and year meticulously inscribed in white on layered grounds of red, blue, or dark gray. The “Date Paintings” are all rendered in the same sans serif-style, without the aid of stencils, and are horizontally oriented. They come in eight sizes: the smallest measure eight by ten inches, the largest sixty-one by eighty-nine inches. If Kawara couldn’t finish a day’s painting by midnight, he destroyed it. It was hard work. He missed on many occasions, but managed a marathon stretch of three straight months in 1970.

Michael Gambon Retires From Theater Acting Due To Memory Loss

February 9, 2015, 9:37 am

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"Harry Potter" star Michael Gambon has announced he's retiring from theater acting now that he's struggling to remember his lines.

"It's a horrible thing to admit, but I can't do it. It breaks my heart. It's when the script's in front of me and it takes forever to learn. It's frightening," the 74-year-old, who played Albus Dumbledore in six of the "Harry Potter" films, told the Sunday Times Magazine.

Gambon told the magazine he realized he could no longer continue acting in front of a live audience about six months ago while auditioning for a West End play, and found that he needed to use an ear piece so he could be fed his lines.

"There was a girl in the wings and I had a plug in my ear so she could read me the lines. After about an hour I thought, 'This can't work,'" he explained. "You can't be in theatre, free on the stage, shouting and screaming and running around, with someone reading you your lines.'"

The condition has plagued the actor before. According to the BBC, Gambon suffered panic attacks in 2009 after forgetting his lines during play rehearsals at the National Theater.

Gambon was so worried about losing his memory that he consulted two doctors to test for Alzheimer’s disease, but as he told the Daily Mail last April, his memory loss is a result of aging rather than the disease.

"It’s a real worry but there’s not much I can do about it," he told the the U.K. paper.

And while Gambon has retired from the stage, he has yet to say goodbye to Hollywood. The actor will next be seen in the BBC adaptation of J.K. Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy" and in a movie remake of the classic sitcom "Dad's Army."

Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Sculptures Head To Auction For $3 Million

February 9, 2015, 9:48 am

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LONDON (AP) — A group of golden animal heads by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei representing the signs of the zodiac is up for sale in London.

"Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads" is predicted to fetch between 2 million and 3 million pounds (from $3 million to $4.6 million) at the Phillips auction house on Thursday. The gold-plated heads were inspired by a set of 12 on a fountain at Beijing's Old Summer Palace, which was destroyed by French and British troops in 1860.

Only seven of the fountain's heads survive, and Ai has said his goal was to make the set complete again. His version of the heads went on display Monday.

A larger version of Ai's zodiac sculpture is touring the world. Chinese authorities will not let the dissident artist leave the country.

The Rise Of This Erotic Garden Will Come Hard And Fast, Breast Assured (NSFW)

February 9, 2015, 9:59 am

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It's the Garden of Hedon!

Katai Kamminga erected what is quite possibly the first erotic garden (and teahouse!) in Southeast Asia, blurring the oh-so-thin line between sex organs and stamen. The Erotic Garden and Teahouse in Mae Rim, Thailand features suggestive vegetable sculptures, landscaped breasts and all the phalluses your eyes can handle.

"Everything is erotic!" Katai told Chiang Mai News during a walkthrough of the sculpture park. "[Even the] onion can be sexy -- maybe for some people ... Mmmm, sexy plums."

Katai reportedly got hot and bothered about erotica when she was given a book about erotic art around the world. It was new to her, and she wanted the edgy art on display in her home country. Check it out:







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Artist Claims Hanging Penis Sculptures Are Clouds

February 9, 2015, 10:24 am

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Residents of Auckland, New Zealand are suspicious of claims that these newly-installed aluminum mesh sculptures at a train station in New Lynn are meant to resemble clouds:



"Oh my God, it's a cock and balls," Phil Wellman, of Blockhouse Bay, told the New Zealand Herald.

Joy Dale, of Mt Roskill, gave the Herald some thoughts as well. “What the hell is that?” she asked. “It’s certainly not a cloud. It looks like a penis.”

The piece, “Transit Cloud," was commissioned by the Auckland Council and is made up of four phallic-looking aluminum shapes suspended in the air. Sculptor Gregor Kegar, artist Sarah Hughes, and architect David Popadich collaborated on the project, according to the Mirror. It cost 200,000 Australian dollars (roughly $156,280).

Kegar says it wasn’t meant to be phallic and that people will like it more after it’s lit up with neon lights.

To be fair, though, there’s no reason to believe the artistic team did not design these shapes after a cloud. They were probably based on this cloud.



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