The 2008 Grammys: Some Predictions

Some time ago, faithful reader KG took me to task for not having written anything about the Grammys, set to air tonite at 8PM Eastern. I got busy with some other stuff over the winter, but I did want to throw out a few predictions for the record, and I'm getting in just under the line...

Meta prediction: Amy Winehouse will sweep. History will be made.

Amy Winehouse is nominated for six Grammys tonite, including for all four of "The Big Four". No female artist has ever won more than 5 Grammys on a single nite, although that's happened 4 times in the last 6 years. And only once has someone swept "The Big Four" categories, and it's been 27 years since that happened.

I'm predicting that Grammy wants to make a statement tonite in support of the artistry of Amy Winehouse, like they made a statement last year in support of the free speech rights of the Dixie Chicks. I'm predicting Amy will sweep tonite. That means there will be "upsets", and some pretty big ones, too.

[nominee info courtesy grammy.com -- Ed.]

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

* Irreplaceable
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles, S. Smith & Stargate, producers; Jim Caruana, Jason Goldstein & Geoff Rice, engineers/mixers
Track from: B'Day
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia/Music World Productions]

* The Pretender
Foo Fighters
Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* Umbrella
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
Kuk Harrell, Terius "The Dream" Nash & C. "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Kuk Harrell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam]

* What Goes Around…Comes Around
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, engineers/mixers
[Jive/Zomba]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse
Mark Ronson, producer; Tom Elmhirst, Vaughan Merrick, Dom Morley, Mark Ronson & Gabriel Roth, engineers/mixers
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records]

Will win: "Rehab", Amy Winehouse
Should win: "Umbrella", Rihanna feat. Jay-Z

Seriously, "Umbrella" was the biggest record of the year. We all know that. But "Crazy" was the biggest record of 2006, and it lost to "Not Ready To Make Nice". I'm just sayin'...

2) Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters
Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers; Brian Gardner, mastering engineer
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* These Days
Vince Gill
John Anderson, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall & The Del McCoury Band, featured artists; Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank, producers; Neal Cappellino & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer
[MCA Nashville]

* River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock
Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza & Tina Turner, featured artists; Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, producers; Helik Hadar, engineer/mixer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer
[Verve]

* Graduation
Kanye West
Dwele, Lil Wayne, Mos Def & T-Pain, featured artists; Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Mike Dean, Eric Hudson, Brian "Allday" Miller, Nottz, Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Gee Roberson, Toomp & Kanye West, producers; Craig Bauer, Bruce Buechner, Andrew Dawson, Mike Dean, Anthony Kilhoffer, Greg Koller, Manny Marroquin, Nottz Raw, Tony Rey, Seiji Sekine, Paul Sheehy & D. Sloan, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

* Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Mark Ronson & Salaam Remi, producers; Tom Elmhirst, Vaughan Merrick, Dom Morley, Gary Noble, Derek Pacuk, Matt Paul, Mark Ronson, Gabriel Roth & Franklin Socorro, engineers/mixers; Stuart Hawkes, mastering engineer
[Universal Republic Records]

Will win: Back To Black, Amy Winehouse

I think Amy's a lock here, but if you're looking for a possible "upset", I'd go with Kanye West's Graduation.

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.)

* Before He Cheats
Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville; Publishers: Big Loud Shirt Industries, Mighty Underdog Music/Sony/ATV Cross Keys]

* Hey There Delilah
Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's)
Track from: Every Second Counts
[Hollywood Records/Fearless Records; Publisher: So Happy Publishing]

* Like A Star
Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae
[Capitol Records; Publisher: Global Talent Publishing]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records; Publisher: EMI Music Publishing]

* Umbrella
Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart,
songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam; Publisher: Peer Music]

Will win: "Rehab", Amy Winehouse
Should win: "Umbrella", Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart

Don't make me repeat myself...

4) Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

* Feist

* Ledisi

* Paramore

* Taylor Swift

* Amy Winehouse

Will win: Amy Winehouse

I think Amy's a lock here, but if you're looking for a possible "upset", I'd go with Feist.

5) Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Candyman
Christina Aguilera
[RCA Records]

* 1234
Feist
Track from: The Reminder
[Cherry Tree / Interscope Records]

* Big Girls Don't Cry
Fergie
Track from: The Dutchess
[A&M Records]

* Say It Right
Nelly Furtado
Track from: Loose
[Geffen]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records]

Will win: Amy Winehouse

I think Amy's a lock here, but if you're looking for a possible "upset", I'd go with Feist or Xtina as a dark horse.

6) Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Everything
Michael Bublé
Track from: Call Me Irresponsible
[143 Records/Reprise]

* Belief
John Mayer
Track from: The Village Sessions
[Columbia/Aware]

* Dance Tonight
Paul McCartney
Track from: Memory Almost Full
[MPL/Hear Music]

* Amazing
Seal
[Warner Bros.]

* What Goes Around...Comes Around
Justin Timberlake
[Jive]

Will win: I have no clue, honestly. For my prediction, I think I'll guess Michael Buble.

7) Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* (You Want To) Make A Memory
Bon Jovi
Track from: Lost Highway
[Island/Mercury]

* Home
Daughtry
[RCA Records/19 Recordings]

* Makes Me Wonder
Maroon 5
Track from: It Won't Be Soon Before Long
[Octone/A&M Records]

* Hey There Delilah
Plain White T's
Track from: Every Second Counts
[Hollywood Records]

* Window In The Skies
U2
Track from: U218 - Singles
[Interscope Records]

Will win: I think Daughtry is the favorite here in a tough category. For a possible upset, I'd look at Maroon 5, who famously got the Best New Artist nod over Kanye West 3 years ago. Grammy might like the chance to say, "Hey, see that wasn't THAT bad a call!"

8) Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Steppin' Out
Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
Track from: Duets: An American Classic
[Columbia]

* Beautiful Liar
Beyoncé & Shakira
Track from: B'Day (Deluxe Edition)
[Columbia/Sony Urban]

* Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
[Rounder Records]

* The Sweet Escape
Gwen Stefani & Akon
Track from: The Sweet Escape
[Interscope Records]

* Give It To Me
Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
Track from: Timbaland Presents: Shock Value
[Mosley/Blackground/Interscope Records]

Will win: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)", Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

This is another extremely competitive category. Picking a winner here is hard. I'm going with Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, for a couple of reasons. This was a collaboration that didn't sound so good in theory but produced one of the year's best and most acclaimed albums. Also, Alison Krauss has more Grammys than any female artist in history, so they obviously like her. A good pick also would be Tony Bennett & Xtina (two more Grammy favorites).

9) Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Lost Highway
Bon Jovi
[Island/Mercury]

* The Reminder
Feist
[Cherry Tree/Interscope Records]

* It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Maroon 5
[Octone/A&M Records]

* Memory Almost Full
Paul McCartney
[MPL/Hear Music]

* Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
[Universal Republic Records]

Will win: Back To Black, Amy Winehouse

I think Amy's a lock here. A good pick for an upset is Feist or Paul McCartney

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

* Do It Again
The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers
Track from: We Are The Night
[Astralwerks]

* D.A.N.C.E.
Justice
Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, producers; Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, mixers
Track from: †
[Downtown/Vice/Ed Banger]

* Love Today
Mika
Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika & Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer
Track from: Life In Cartoon Motion
[Casablanca/Universal Republic Records]

* Don't Stop The Music
Rihanna
Stargate, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam]

* LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive/Zomba]

Will win: "D.A.N.C.E.", Justice

"D.A.N.C.E." is the one song from this genre that people who don't listen to "dance" music knew this year. But I'll give Rihanna close to even odds for an upset. "Don't Stop The Music" was big in clubs over the summer but fizzled then at radio. It's being pushed now again, and it has recently exploded on radio. A lot of that boost came after the ballots were filled out, but she may have converted enough voters at the end for the upset.

11) Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* We Are The Night
The Chemical Brothers
[Astralwerks]

* †
Justice
[Downtown/Vice/Ed Banger]

* Sound Of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
[Capitol Records/DFA]

* We Are Pilots
Shiny Toy Guns
[Universal Motown]

* Elements Of Life
Tiësto
[Ultra Records]

Will win: Sound Of Silver, LCD Soundsystem

Sound Of Silver was not just a good record, it was on every pop critic's "Best Of '07" list, taking more than a few 3d-or-highers.

12) Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

* Daughtry
Daughtry
[RCA Records]

* Revival
John Fogerty
[Fantasy]

* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* Magic
Bruce Springsteen
[Columbia]

* Sky Blue Sky
Wilco
[Nonesuch Records]

Will win: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Foo Fighters

The Foos pretty much have to win this one. This was the only "Rock" album that made the cut for AOTY.

13) Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Alright, Still...
Lily Allen
[Capitol Records]

* Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
[Merge Records]

* Volta
Bjork
[Elektra/Atlantic]

* Wincing The Night Away
The Shins
[Sub Pop]

* Icky Thump
The White Stripes
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]

Will win: Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
Should win: Alright, Still, Lily Allen

This is the category that always infuriates me, because this is where Grammy dumps all the albums that they can't figure out where else to put them. Lily Allen, Arcade Fire and the White Stripes should not be in the same category.

But, there they are. So my pick is based on the fact that Neon Bible was the most critically-acclaimed album of the spring, and although its stock fell by the end of the year -- it really is overrated folks, it's okay to say that -- I think it will hold on FTW. I don't think I would call Lily Allen a "good" pick if you're looking for an upset, because I think she'll still be behind the White Stripes. But I want Lily Allen to win, so that's why I picked her.

14) Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Beautiful Flower
India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
[Universal Republic Records; Publishers: Gold & Iron Music Publishing, WB Music Corp.]

* Hate That I Love You
Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo)
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings; Publishers: EMI April Music, Sony/ATV Tunes]

* No One
Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)
[J Records/MBK Entertainment; Publishers: Lellow Productions/EMI April Music, Book Of Daniel Music/EMI Music Publishing, D. Harry Productions]

* Teachme
Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)
Track from: Luvanmusiq
[Atlantic; Publishers: Nivrac Tyke/Universal Publishing, Latif Music/Universal Publishing, Tetra Grammaton/Universal Music Publishing, Melodic Piano Productions, HC 1030 Publishing]

* When I See U
Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)
Track from: Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records; Publishers: Breakthrough Creations/EMI April Music, S.M.Y. Publishing/Sony/ATV Tunes, Break North Music/Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Wayne Writers/Sony/ATV Tunes, J. Sewell Publishing, Golden The Super Kid Music]

Will win: I have no idea
Should win: "Hate That I Love You"

At first glance, this looks like a way for Grammy to compensate for snubbing "Umbrella". But Rihanna didn't get a songwriting credit on either song, so she's not "up" for a Grammy here or for "Umbrella"-the-song. So, I have no idea what that means.

15) Best Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* The People
Common
Track from: Finding Forever
[Geffen]

* I Get Money
50 Cent
Track from: Curtis
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records]

* Show Me What You Got
Jay-Z
Track from: Kingdom Come
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

* Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

* Stronger
Kanye West
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

Will win: "Stronger", Kanye West

I think Kanye's a lock here.

16) Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Southside
Common Featuring Kanye West
Track from: Finding Forever
[Geffen]

* Make It Rain
Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne
Track from: Me, Myself & I
[Terror Squad Entertainment]

* Party Like A Rockstar
Shop Boyz
Track from: Rockstar Mentality
[OnDeck/Universal Republic Records]

* Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)
UGK Featuring OutKast
[Jive]

* Better Than I've Ever Been
Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One
[Nike]

Will win: "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)", UGK feat. Outkast

Kanye squaring off against himself is not good for his chances. Also, the death of UGK's Pimp C in December was somewhat shocking to the biz. I'm sure they got lots of sympathy votes for that.

17) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* I Wanna Love You
Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg
Track from: Konvicted
[SRC/Universal Motown]

* Kiss, Kiss
Chris Brown & T-Pain
[Jive]

* Let It Go
Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
Track from: Just Like You
[Confidential Records/Geffen]

* Umbrella
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Good Life
Kanye West Featuring T-Pain
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella]

Will win: SERIOUSLY???

Okay, so you're Grammy. And you want to give 6 awards to Amy Winehouse. But the hardest part of that is you have to snub "Umbrella" for ROTY and SOTY. What to do?

Oh, look -- here's a category where we can get awards to Rihanna & Jay-Z without foiling our master plan!!!

Rihanna & Jay-Z FTW!

18) Best Rap Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ayo Technology
Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake,
songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
Track from: Curtis
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records; Publishers: 50 Cent Music Publishing/Virginia Beach Music/Danjahandz Music/WB Music Corp./Tenman Tunes]

* Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.)
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic; Publishers: Crown Club Publishing/Warner Chappell Music, Fresh Is The Word]

* Can't Tell Me Nothing
Aldrin Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West)
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978]

* Crank That (Soulja Boy)
Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)
[Collipark/Interscope Records; Publisher: Element 9 Recordings]

* Good Life
Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters)(Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: Yellow Brick Road Music/Eiseman Music/EMI Blackwood Music/Please Gimme My Publishing/Careers BMG Music Publishing, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing]

Will win: I have no idea.
Should win: "Can't Tell Me Nothing", Aldrin Davis & Kanye West

Here's the second time Kanye is nominated against himself, meaning that he can only take home 6 awards tonite, unless there's some "tie" shenanigans going on. I like "Can't Tell Me Nothing" better than the also-good "Good Life", so I cast my vote there. As for the other nominees, "Ayo Technology" is an awful song, even though it's got some big names attached to it. And I can't see Grammy giving the nod to a teenage one-hit-MySpace-wonder, so "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" should be outta luck. Maybe T.I. would have a chance at an upset over Kanye if it weren't for those pesky weapons charges that threaten to put him away for a long time.

19) Best Rap Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Finding Forever
Common
[Geffen]

* Kingdom Come
Jay-Z
[Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Recordings]

* Hip Hop Is Dead
Nas
[Def Jam/Columbia/The Jones Experience]

* T.I. vs T.I.P.
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

* Graduation
Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

Will win: Graduation, Kanye West

Here's another chance for Grammy to hand out a "consolation" prize for its "award-up Amy and screw everyone else" plan.

And also, how often do you see five rap albums on a list of nominations and the weakest comes from Jay-Z???

20) Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Simple Love
Alison Krauss
Track from: A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection
[Rounder]

* Famous In A Small Town
Miranda Lambert
Track from: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
[Columbia Nashville]

* Nothin' Better To Do
LeAnn Rimes
[Curb Records]

* Before He Cheats
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]

* Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
Trisha Yearwood
[Big Machine Records]

Will win: "Before He Cheats", Carrie Underwood
Should win: "Famous In A Small Town", Miranda Lambert

Back in December, "Before He Cheats" moved into 3d place on Billboard's most-weeks-on-the-Hot-100-all-time list. This is incredibly difficult to accomplish, but it also means that it was on the radio for over a year. It's the one song that every voter in this category will have heard about 10,000 times. And it's certainly not bad.

I gave Miranda Lambert my "should win" vote because I like her and I want her to win. Plus, this is actually her "biggest" radio hit to date, which I was surprised to learn today.

21) Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)

* Across The Universe
(Various Artists)
T Bone Burnett, Elliot Goldenthal & Teese Gohl, producers
[Interscope Records]

* Dreamgirls
(Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson & Anika Noni Rose)
Harvey Mason, Jr., Randy Spendlove, Matt Sullivan & Damon Thomas, producers
[Music World Music/Sony Urban Music/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax]

* Hairspray
(Various Artists)
Marc Shaiman, producer
[New Line Records]

* Love
(The Beatles)
George Martin & Giles Martin, producers
[Apple Records/Capitol Records]

* Once
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Glen Hansard, producer
[Canvasback/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax]

Will win: I have no idea

Good luck handicapping this one! I'll throw my vote out there for Across The Universe.

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

* Howard Benson
• Daughtry (Daughtry) (A)
• Devils & Angels (Mêlée) (A)
• Direction (The Starting Line) (A)
• Five Score And Seven Years Ago (Relient K) (A)
• Stay Inside (Sound The Alarm) (A)


* Joe Chiccarelli
• Mercy (Burden Brothers) (A)
• The Narcotic Story (Oxbow) (A)
• Nightmoves (Kurt Elling) (A)
• Wincing The Night Away (The Shins) (A)


* Mike Elizondo
• It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Maroon 5) (A)
• Under The Blacklight (Rilo Kiley) (A)


* Mark Ronson
• Back To Black (Amy Winehouse) (T)
• Littlest Things (Lily Allen) (T)
• Rehab (Amy Winehouse) (T)
• Version (Mark Ronson) (A)
• You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse) (T)


* Timbaland
• Come Around (M.I.A. Featuring Timbaland) (T)
• Give It To Me (Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake) (T)
• Make Me Better (Fabolous Featuring Ne-Yo) (S)
• Timbaland Presents: Shock Value (Timbaland) (A)
• The Way I Are (Timbaland Featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.) (S)

Will win: Mark Ronson

This category -- way down at #93 on Grammy's official list -- is actually a Leading Indicator tonite for my "Grammy wants to award-up Amy" theory. If Mark Ronson wins this award, look for a big nite for Amy Winehouse. If Timbaland or possibly Howard Benson win this award, look for big nites for Kanye West and Rihanna.

* * * * *

I probably won't be "liveblogging" this year's telecast -- or maybe I'll change my mind, who knows??? Anyway, Idolator's Maura Johnston will be liveblogging, so if you're looking for that kind of thing, I suggest you head over there -- you might even see me there, too!!!