It's quite possible we're all burned out on the Grammy Awards and anything that happened at Staples Center or in the same time frame. LA Weekly has a report in its current edition from a writer who was attending the ceremony - or at least viewing it in the press room - for the first time. When I read it, I got a bit defensive and tense, thinking how dare he criticize people who succeed at the grind of reporting news in a timely fashion. 
After looking at it a second time, I decided he was right: These are "lifers" who have attend countless shows and documented who says what and who wins how many and, since it's not the Oscars, it's a bit of a thankless job. It does not matter how many years I attend this ceremony, some things never change - the people hunched over their computers are on daily deadlines and the people who are able to take a breath and look around are employed by weeklies. (And I was trained by Adam Sandler, the master at tuning out the superfluous and turning in a full story just as the show ended). 
It's unfortunate that this year, the talk in the Grammy newsroom concerned layoffs, newspaper bankruptcies and the demands papers are placing on those who cover music, either by assigning them an increased number of non-music stories or by cutting their expenses or work hours. It's dire out there.
The 2009 newsroom is a far cry from the first one I worked in a good dozen years ago. That room was packed with people who knew music and knew what to ask of various artists. The person who received no questions? That would be a TV star who appeared as a presenter and then, for some odd reason, decided to come backstage and see if the music press would want to talk to him or her. Usually there were no takers. One year, when Sheryl Crow spoke about working with "Keith" the groans and looks of disdain that greeted a woman who asked "Keith who" probably kept her from ever returning.

Only in the last few years have we heard "reporters" ask who designed their clothing or inquired about where one might keep their Grammys. LA Weekly's Randall Roberts reports on Jason Reitman referring to the next "120 winners" and what makes that room tick is the presence of reporters who take it upon themselves to make sure that every winner feels respected, people like George Varga out of San Diego, whose encyclopedic knowledge makes him one of the most valuable people every year in the Grammy pressroom. It may be a collection of lifeless lifers, but there may not be a greater collection of people committed to the idea of disseminating information about music and the artists to make it.

One thing should be corrected about the LA Weekly dispatch - the press room is actually inside Staples Center. If he had been there the year Staples  opened, he would know the difference. We were placed in a tent that actually was outside and erected after it had rained. We all had our feet planted in puddles while a heater made sure the front fo the room was 85 degrees while the back came in around 55.

Secondly, and  don't mean to poke fun or boast, he mentioned how he asked Paul McCartney a question. Well, truth be told, anyone can ask a Beatle a question. I took delight in him reporting on what the founder of Dust-to-Digital (pictured at left) had to say. Those responses are generated by questions from people who truly want to know about music far below the radar.  I asked about his label  because I believe in what he does for a living and I hope he has continued success. I had no other motive when asking him about the operations of his label.

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are back in contention for an Oscar nom.
The Music Branch Executive Committee of the Academy reversed its Nov. 10 decision declaring their score for “the Dark Knight” ineligible for the 2008 Academy Awards.
The score was disqualified due to five names being listed as composers on the music cue sheet.
After reviewing information submitted by the affected parties, the committee concluded that two Zimmer and Howard were responsible for the score’s authorship. 
Neither nomination ballots nor lists of eligible scores had been distributed so there is no impact  on the actual voting process.

The annual Spirit of Life gala was bigger and more impressive than ever with music industry heavyweights everywhere anyone looked under the big tent Wednesday. Records were set for attendance — 1,900 — and money raised — $10 million — for the City of Hope’s cancer research, making it one of the largest one-night charity events in California history.
Held at a Santa Monica beach, Doug Morris, chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group,was the man being honored. Universal, of course, owns Motown, which turns 50 next year and will have a series of celebrations and catalog releases and Berry Gordy's musical - Morris is among the producers - is expected to finally be mounted.  It was on the Ahmanson's schedule a couple season back but was not ready to be staged at the time.
Artists currently signed to Universal labels provided the entertainment by covering vintage Motown classics: Erykah Badu tore up Rick James’ “Mary Jane”; Duffy delicately warbled Smokey Robinson’s “I Second That Emotion” and Jamie Cullum frolicked on "Money (That's What I Want),” a Berry Gordy composition that was a hit for Barrett Strong.
Stevie Nicks, who Morris signed as a solo act when he ran Atlantic Records, opened the evening with a story about a late friend who was treated at City of Hope. After performances by 13 Universal acts, Nicks cooed the Supremes hit “Love is Like an Itching in My Heart” before an ensemble delivered an a cappella version of “Sweet Talking Guy,” which Morris wrote in the early 1960s.
Akon and Sheryl Crow were scheduled to sing, too, but illness kept them off the stage.
On hand to enjoy the evening were Apple chairman Steve Jobs, Universal president/COO Zach Horowitz, Motown founder Berry Gordy, David Geffen, CBS president/CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom chairman and  CEO Sumner Redstone, the Jonas Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Lil Jon and Nelly.
The set list:

Mariah Carey with Trey Lorenz, "I'll Be There" Randy Jackson on bass
Michael McDonald, "Living for the City"
Rihanna - looking divine I might add -  "Where Did Our Love Go"
Lionel Richie, accompanying himself on piano, "Easy"
Clique Girlz (a trio of blonde teens) "Stop! In The Name Of Love" 
Erykah Badu - best performance of the night -  "Mary Jane"
Maroon 5, "My Cherie Amour"
Lee Ann Womack, "Love Child"
Luis Fonsi & David Bisbal, "Overjoyed"
Duffy, "I Second That Emotion"
Keyshia Cole, "Ribbon In The Sky"
Jamie Cullum, on electric piano, "Money (That's What I Want)"
Robin Thicke, "Lately"
Stevie Nicks, "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart"

The Academy has changed its tune: Oscar music hopefuls have been given clearance to send out CDs to voting members of the Music Branch.
In a change from last year, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the Music Branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on Jan. 22.
After noms are announced, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy. In both cases, each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer(s) and be identical to the music used in the finished film.
The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer(s). Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration is not permitted.
It is the only significant change from the 2007 awards.
CDs of nominated songs also may be distributed to all voting members, following the same guidelines as for nominated scores. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted.
The Academy made an earlier rule change whereby it will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to Music Branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person.
Neither video excerpts nor sheet music may be sent at any time.

Kevin Smith’s "Zack And Miri Make A Porno" will makes its New York premiere at the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, which begins Oct. 21 in New York.
Fest will include the first ever Cinemini Short Film Contest and a theater partnership with "Spring Awakening." Prizes will be awarded for short narrative and documentary shorts. Producer David Picker will chair the narrative jury;  documentarian Mark Marabella will head the documentary jury. 
Other films on the docket: "Johnny Cash: Live at Folsom Prison"; "American Swing"; "What About Me?"; "AC/DC: No Bull"; and "For My Father." 
CMJ badge holders will be allowed to attend the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening" as part of the fest's first-ever theater partnership.
Screenings will be held at Tribeca Cinemas, Regal Cinemas Union Square and the Cantor Film Center.

Jennie Punter reports from Toronto
Caribou’s “Andorra” won the third annual Polaris Music Prize, Canada’s answer to U.K.’s Mercury Prize.
The award is intended to reward creativity in Canuck music with no consideration given to sales. An 11-member jury chose “Andorra” (Merge) from a list of 10 recordings, drawn up by more than 170 Canuck music scribes, broadcasters and bloggers.
The announcement capped a two-hour, music-filled gala concert in Toronto Monday night , featuring sets from nominees Kathleen Edwards, Black Mountain and Shad.
Caribou, a.k.a. Dan Snaith, hails from small-town Canada but moved to London several years ago to complete a PhD in mathematics.

MTV's Video Music Awards turned 25 Sunday night and celebrated with a ho-hum ceremony that only served to drive home the enormous gulf in modern pop music when it comes to depth of material and star power.
Once again, Rihanna displayed a presence far superior to her peers though it's doubtful anyone over the age of 30 is paying attention; Christina Aguilera demonstrated attributes that clearly place her as the strongest overall performer with Disney in her teen credentials; and Lil Wayne, an inexplicable powerhouse, let his drawers droop and a bakcing track roll and his corner of marketplace went wild. Go figure. Meanwhile, Kanye West, backed by an army of drummers, operates on a plane that others just do not visit.
There were a host of bombs and question marks elsewhere, starting with host Russell Brand, whose "humor"  or even "style" never clicked. Whew! Talk about "not ready." The man made jokes about being big in the U.K. but that did not conceal his mediocre material and horrid delivery.
Elsewhere: Kid Rock continues to be the model of non-originality as he sang over the chords  of "Werewolves of London" and "Sweet Home Alabama" and the room responded by sitting on its collective hands; and the Jonas Brothers need to hear the clock ticking as their magnetism feels like it will expire by the end of 2009. They delivered a truly uneventful performance.
Held on the Paramount Studios backlot, show was a bit of corporate synergy intended to allow the acts to connect with Hollywood history that mostly did not pan out. Pink made the most out of it, moving between a tenement street  and a stage,  intentionally losing a significant piece of clothing along the way; her performance, like Aguilera's, had a power and conviction most of these acts seem incapable of  conveying.
Trophy-wise it served as a Britney Spears lifetime achievement tribute but poor Ms. Spears appears fit for the cameras but not prepared to speak - she delivered the same speech twice and gave the superficial "this is for the fans" dedication on her third visit to the podium.
Much as awkward actors and casts of shows and movies that few have heard of talked about historically significant videos and acts, 25th edition was a reminder of how this show is a shadow of its former self. The crowd seemed nonplussed by the bulk of the activities. An improvement, as a telecast, over last year's mess from Las Vegas, but MTV execs may be scrambling come Monday to mention anything as unpolished as the first hour of this year's VMAs. Perhaps it's just another indication of the channel's lack of interest in music of videos, choosing to peddle celebrity at all cost, even when the cost is a reputation.

Michael and Marlon, Randy and Tito, Jackie and Jermaine -  the Jacksons -  could have something of a reunion next month: The R&B act will be named BMI Icons at the organization’s eighth annual Urban Awards ceremony.
Ceremony, to be held Sept. 4 at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills,  will also include presentations of awards for the most-performed urban songs of the past year in the BMI repertoire.
The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters and artists who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” The Jacksons will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute during the ceremony.
BMI president & CEO Del Bryant will share hosting duties with Catherine Brewton, VP, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta.

The June results for gold and platinum records handed out by the RIAA and it's a good month for little fun facts and figures.

THE KIDS
Ashley Tisdale, who plays Sharpay Evans in Disney’s two "High School Musical" films,scored her first gold records for the album "Headstrong" and the single "He Said, She Said." Metro Station, a band no one over the age of 16 has heard, got one for their single "Shake It."
Ray J dialed up his his first gold mastertone certification for "Sexy Can I."
THE SONGS THAT REFUSE TO DIE
Shakira's "Hips Don’t Lie" went double platinum.
Evanescence’s "Fallen" is now 7X platinum
THE CROWDED SHELVES OF VETERANS
Madonna got her 44th career gold certification (for "Hard Candy"). Neil Diamond took home his 40th gold for "Home Before Dark."

Two songs from the Flight of the Conchords are up for Emmy consideration, "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)" and "Inner City Pressure." But they have a tough battle ahead as Sarah Silverman's Internet hit "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" is a contender in the category, too, and devious-minded voters may prefer watching a presenter work their way around a vulgarity, not to mention a reunion of the freshly split Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel.
"Beautiful Girl" has the classic lines suggesting she could be a high-class prostitute or a part-time model;  in "Inner City," they observe: "When you're unemployed, there's no vacation/No one cares, no one sympathizes/You just stay home and play synthesizers.
The other nominees are "I ain't got no Rhythm" from "Disney Phineas and Ferb" and the MADtv tune "Sad Fitty Cent."
Other nominees from the pop and rock world include the rapper Everlast, James Taylor and Eric Clapton, whose "Crossroads Guitar Festival" is in a category by itself. The show can actually lose to no one as the the Emmy voters still have to give a thumbs up to giving the program a trophy.
Other Emmy nominations include,
The themes: Tree Adams' "Canterbury's Law," Carl Hill Williams, Michael Walker and Michael Culross Jr.'s "Phineas and Ferb," Jeff Lippencott and Mark T. Williams' "Kid Nation," Russ Landau's "Pirate Master" and Eric "Everlast" Schrody's "Saving Grace."
Series score: Ronald Neal Jones ("Family Guy"); John Ehrlich and Jason Derlatka ("House"), Joey Newman (Little People, Big World), Michael Giacchino ("Lost"), Alf Clausen ("The Simpsons").
Score for a miniseries, movie or special: Alex Wurman ("Bernard and Doris"),
Jeff Beal ("The Company"), Rob Lane ("John Adams"), Laura Karpman ("Masters of Science Fiction: Jerry was a Man"), Lennie Niehaus ("Mitch Albom's For One Day"), Martin Phipps ("Sense & Sensibility").
"James Taylor: One Man Band (Great Performances)" is up for Variety, Music or Comedy Special.
"Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago" (Great Performances) is up for Special Class Program - Not Exclusively made for Television Variety, Music, Comedy Event Programs.

Jason and the Scorchers will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Performance Award at the annual Americana Honors and Awards show Sept. 18 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Original Jason and the Scorchers members Jason Ringenberg, Warner Hodges, Jeff Johnson and Perry Baggs will be on hand to accept the honor and perform together for the first time in more than a decade.
Immediately after the awards ceremony, Ringenberg and Hodges will front a band performing a set of Scorchers’ originals at a venue to be announced.
Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and featuring a band led by Buddy Miller, the Honors & Awards ceremony will also toast winners in six member-voted categories: Album, Artist, Instrumentalist, New and Emerging Artist, Song and Duo/Group of the Year. The AMA will also recognize John Hiatt with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting.
Slated for Sept. 17 through Sept. 20, the ninth annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center. Each evening brings stacked Americana showcases to key venues throughout Nashville.

Variety's Rich Nieciecki attended the Jane's Addiction reunion Wednesday, which came at the conclusion of the inaugural NME Awards USA. He filed this report.
The largest gathering of British accents in L.A. outside of Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica queued up to the open bar before the presentations and the kudofest’s organizers were presumably hoping for a loose, rock ’n’ roll version of the Golden Globes. But what transpired at best wavered between a foul-mouthed C-list Friars’ roast and a high school prom/talent show (albeit one with killer music).
Whether it was host/Aussie comedian Jim Jeffries trading expletive-filled putdowns with presenter Kelly Osbourne or the terse “thanks” offered up by Lemonheads’ Evan Dando upon receiving his arbitrarily chosen Classic LP award for 1992’s “It’s A Shame About Ray,” the stage patter left a lot to be desired. Amid all the nonsense, however, some sincerity did occasionally poke through: Mick Jones, formerly of the Clash and B.A.D., seemed genuinely honored to be given the Inspiration award and rocked out on two songs with his current outfit, Carbon/Silicon; and Dando delivered two fine acoustic perfs from “Shame About Ray,” the title track and “My Drug Buddy.”
But clearly most in attendance, if they were paying any attention at all, eagerly anticipated the finale, when Jane’s Addiction was bestowed the Godlike Genius Award for Services to Music. the band proved they were deserving of such hyperbole with a four-song blast (“Stop,” “Mountain Song,” “Ocean Size” and “Jane Says”).
A particularly buff Eric Avery, who has resisted overtures of reuniting for years, locked his bass in step with the tribal drumming of Stephen Perkins, while guitarist Dave Navarro, in all his metal-glam glory, wailed away and spastic singer Perry Farrell strutted the stage in all black (and a full horse’s tail) — a muscular and sinewy musical unit once again. Too bad only a few hundred people witnessed it in person; it was streamed live on MySpace.
Show mercifully finished under two hours. The list of winners, as if it matters, after the jump.

The NME Awards are coming to the U.S.
NME will present the awards April 23 at the El Rey in Los Angeles. Categories voted on by visitors to nme.com include best band, album, track and live band. Other categories, including the famous Godlike Genius Award, are chosen by NME’s editorial team.
First round of voting starts today on NME.COM. This will result in a shortlist, which will then be voted on starting March 24. 
The U.S. NME Awards are a joint venture between the Brit music magazine NME and promoter Goldenvoice. Show will feature live performances as well.
The NME Awards is also sponsoring a tour headlined by  Kate Nash that runs April 15,in Atlanta, through May 13 in San Francisco.

The Blues Hall of Fame, which appears to have a far greater grasp on the reality of deserving performers and achievements than their Rock and Roll counterparts, will induct this year Jimmy McCracklin and Hubert Sumlin, as well as late artists Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Peetie Wheatstraw, Jimmy Witherspoon, and the Mississippi Sheiks.
John Hammond and Paul Oliver will go in as non-performers.
Recordings selected for induction are “Back-Water Blues” by Bessie Smith; “Double Trouble” by Otis Rush; and “My Babe” by Little Walter. Albums to be honored: "Piney Woods Blues" by Big Joe Williams; "Members Only" by Bobby Bland; "Rocks the House" by Etta James; "Freddy King Sings" by Freddy King; and "I'm Jimmy Reed" by Jimmy Reed.
In addition, the play "Seven Guitars" by August Wilson, and the book, "Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf" by James Segrest & Mark Hoffman, were selected for HoF honors.
Induction ceremony will be held at May 7 in Tunica, Miss., the night before the 2008 Blues Music Awards.

After a decade of various Oscar revisions that have increased the transparency of the selection process, the music committee is starting to look like the ultimate insiders’ club.
This year saw music branch members taking in songs in two screening sessions, one in L.A. and one in New York, to decide not only what should be included, but whether it should be three, four or five nominees based on the numerical scores given by each attendee.
Out of 59 tunes deemed eligible, three nominations went to Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz — precisely the number of tunes that were submitted and precisely the number of songs in "Enchanted" that were eligible.
Disney stalwart Menken and Broadway master Schwartz are certainly in the premier league of their craft, but there’s a persistence in Oscar’s music wing that the old way was the best way — songwriter, arranger, orchestrator, singer — as opposed to the more modern and inventive use of songs in films such as “Into the Wild” and “Walk Hard.” The longtime club members seem too insistent on wanting to honor one of their own.

The Shortlist Music Prize has whittled down its list to 10 finalists: Arcade Fire, Burial, Feist, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Spoon,  Stars, Wilco and Working for a Nuclear Free City. Arcade Fire, Wilco and M.I.A. are receiving their second noms; the rest are first-timers.
But wait, you say. Didn't Working for a Nuclear Free City come out in October 2006? Yes it did. Actually, you probably said 'who?', did a Google search and, possibly, noticed there are only 57,663 albums selling more copies on Amazon right now.
Winner of the seventh annual prize which will be announced in February.
Five people nominated 54 albums, which were then reduced to 10.

Beyond the Alan Menken three-way against a track from "Once" and "we're not sure just yet who wrote it" song from "August Rush," there are plenty of music-related Oscar noms.
Chief among them is Cate Blanchett's arresting portrayal of Bob Dylan - even though her character is not named Bob Dylan - in "I'm Not There."
Elsewhere we have:
ACTOR: Johnny Depp singing in "Sweeney Todd"
ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard portraying the French singer Edith Piaf; Ellen Page's character being the pregnant member of a band in "Juno."
SCORE: Dario Marianelli ("Atonement"); Alberto Iglesias ("Kite Runner"); James Newton Howard (Michael Clayton"); Michael Giacchino ("Ratatouille"); Marco Beltrami ("3:10 to Yuma")
ANIMATED SHORT: "I Met the Walrus" is based on Josh Raskin's meeting with John Lennon when the filmmaker was 14. David Bryant of Godspeed You! Black Emperor supplied music for "Madame Tutli-Putli." At the world premiere in London of "Peter and the Wolf" in September 2006, the Philharmonia Orchestra performed the Prokofiev classic.
LIVE ACTION SHORT: Dan Jones, who scored "The Tonto Woman," has produced orchestral arrangements for Alpha and Jarvis Cocker. Now if we could just confirm that the Allan Muller whose music graces "Tanghi Argentini" is indeed the Belgian singer-composer who recorded "Can't Stop Now," we'll be all set.

Josh Groban's Christmas album "Noel" was the highest certified album of 2007, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, which hands out Gold and Platinum awards based on albums sold and downloads sold.
The Eagles'"Long Road out of Eden" was right behind him with 3 million. "Eden" is the Eagles’ 11th multi-Platinum album; they are fifth on the list of highest-selling artists in the history of RIAA’s Gold & Platinum program.
Double Platinum certifications went to "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus"; Carrie Underwood’s "Carnival Ride"; Kanye West’s "Graduation"; and Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight."
The most popular digital single of 2007 was Rihanna's "Umbrella," which sold more than 2 million downloads. 
The RIAA awarded a total of 276 albums, 106 digital single and 165 Master Ringtones in 2007. Complete lists of all album, single, mastertone and video awards can also be accessed at www.riaa.com.

The Nightlife Awards, which bills itself as the only "all-performance award show in the world," will hand over prizes to a few of my favorites on Jan. 28 at Town Hall in New York.
John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey will take home the outstanding cabaret duo or group in a major engagement; Hank Jones will be named top jazz soloist; Anat Cohen and the Anzic Orchestra are the outstanding jazz combo; and Flight of the Conchords get the comic duo or group trophy.
Performers will include Pizzarelli & Molaskey, Carol Sloane, Allan Harris, Barb Jungr, Modern Man, Christine Pedi and Natalie Douglas.
Flying in from Kansas City, Mo., to sing is Marilyn Maye, who holds the record for the most appearances by a singer on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," 76 appearances.
Full list of winners, after the jump.

The Recording Academy has selected eight artists, two executives, a tech wizard and a tape recording manufacturer to receive the honorary Grammys at February's ceremony.
Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to  composer Burt Bacharach, the Band, bandleader Cab Calloway, singer Doris Day, violinist Itzhak Perlman, the late drummer Max Roach and bluegrass banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs.
Clarence  Avant, who ran Sussex Records and then Motown, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, and Memphis producer Willie Mitchell will be honored with the Academy's  Trustees Award.
AMPEX Corp. and the late recording expert John Eargle will receive the Technical Grammy Award.
A special ceremony will be held  Feb. 9, the day before the 50th annual Grammy Awards  telecast.

The Oscars might be inviting some cool kids - Marshall Crenshaw, Eddie Vedder, Sondre Lerche and Adam Schlesinger - to their party for song trophies.
Fifty-nine songs are being considered for the 80th Academy Awards,among them three Vedder tunes for "Into the Wild," Schlesinger's centerpiece from "Music and Lyrics" and three from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”
Only one film has four contenders - “August Rush” - while Lerche's tunes in "Dan in Real Life," “56 Drops of Blood,” Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's "Enchanted" and “Good Luck Chuck” (songs by the Flaming Lips, Dandy Warhols and Aidan Hawken) joined “Into the Wild” and "Dewey Cox" with three competitors.
The music-centric pic "Once" has two of the songs from the Frames' Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (“Falling Slowly” and “If You Want Me”) up for consideration.
Naturally, the new tune composed for "Hairspray," “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go),” is in the mix as is “China Doll,” the tune John Sayles and Mason Darling wrote for  “Honeydripper.”
"Walk Hard's" three contenders are "Beautiful Ride” by Dan Bern and Mike Viola; “Walk Hard” by Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan; and “Let’s Duet” by Charlie Wadhams and Benji Hughes.
Other pop and rock musicians being considered: Aimee Mann, John Legend, John Mayer, Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Roger Waters, Rob Thomas, Rufus Wainwright and the Eels.
On Jan. 15, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in both Beverly Hills and New York City.  Following the screenings, members will vote to determine which three, four or five songs become nominees in the category.       
The list of original songs is after the jump:

Lyle Lovett will receive the Americana Music Association's inaugural Trailblazer Award and perform at the org's 2007 Honors and Awards show on Nov. 1 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will also sponsor a keynote interview with Lovett on Nov. 2, during the Americana org's annual conference.
Trailblazer Award was established to recognize musical pioneers who have created timeless musical capsules of individualistic style and purpose. Warren Zanes, education adviser to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, will moderate the discussion with Lovett.
The eighth annual Americana Festival and Conference runs Oct.31 through Nov.3. Artists scheduled to perform include Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Todd Snider and others. The AMA President's award will be given to the late Townes Van Zandt, who coincidentally was a major influence in Lovett.

The Eagles will make their first ever awards show appearance on Nov. 7 - on the 41st annual CMA Awards show, which ABC will broadcast. Band's first single, "How Long," from its forthcoming album has been climbing the country music radio airplay charts.
Don Henley appeared on the CMA kudoscast in 1993, singing a duet with Trisha Yearwood.

The unspectacular Video Music Awards drove the point that so much of modern music is disposable.
Highlighting songs with the shelf life of bread crumbs, Britney Spears' ill-prepared, lip-synch performance provided the perfect distraction. While Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and Foo Fighters will have long careers and make some of pop's most memorable  songs, there's little sense that these will be remembered as classics a decade from now.  Good as Kanye was, there's only one "Jesus Walks"; Timberlake  could get away with remaking "Sexy Back" for his next four albums and fans would probably not notice.
Meanwhile...
While West's performance was one of the better ones on the show, he says he will not appear on the network again. Ever. 
Roger Friedman says Britney Spears' horrid performance kills off hopes for significant sales of her Nov. 13 release - and he blames her manager.
Mark Caro come up with advice for other pop tartlets who see the VMAs as a comeback arena.
Time magazine's blogger had a good take on the deterioration of MTV.
Like an episode of "Cops," one scraggly tattooed longhair dude is charged with beating on another scraggly tattooed longhair. Rather than fighting over some crack addict, this gal was pretty.

The Klaxons won the Nationwide Mercury Prize for best British or Irish album at a ceremony in London on Monday night.
The East London trio's debut album, ``Myths of the Near Future,'' was released in January in the U.K. Now in its 15th year, the Mercury Prize is worth 20,000 pounds ($40,250) and generally gives a significant sales boost to albums on the prize's shortlist. Geffen released the album in the U.S. in March.
The Klaxons start a 14-city North American tour in Boston on Sept. 23.
Amy Winehouse sang "Love is a Losing Game" at the ceremony, her first performance since finishign a stay in rehab. Among this year's nominees were Winehouse and last year's winners the Arctic Monkeys plus Dizzee Rascal, the View, Bat For Lashes and Jamie T. The ceremony took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
The band spoke with NME after their win.

The news has been out there for a week and it has even confounded some scribes. The vinyl edition of Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" will be released Sept. 25, one week ahead of the CD and the digital edition.
Where many retailers and fans complain that vinyl editions follow the release of a CD, by moving up the Springsteen album, the release date falls within the eligibility window for the 50th annual Grammy Awards.
Imagine, though, if Columbia stumbles into something here. Vinyl continues to grow in popularity despite the consistently high prices.Imagine a world, though, that would allow a fan to purchase a vinyl record for about $15 and a for a couple bucks more, provide them access to the digital edition of the album.
The Springsteen faithful who still own vinyl copies of "Born to Run," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River" might well want both, but have no interest in shelling out 20 to 30 bucks for the benefit of sound quality and portability. Might there be some sort of new-fangled business model hiding in there, especially for indie rockers with vinyl-loving fans? Makes more sense than previous vinyl-computer links.

Individual chapters of the Recording Academy have set their lists of honorees to receive 2007 Recording Academy Honors.
Memphis chapter will honor Booker T. & The MG's, Willie Mitchell and Irma Thomas. The Special Legacy Presentation wil be given to Knox Phillips. Gala takes place Sept. 7 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Performing will be Donald Bryant and Ann Peebles, Joey DeFrancesco,  Aaron Neville,  John Prine,  Kenny Wayne Shepherd,  Angie Stone and Kirk Whalum.
New York will fete Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys,  Donnie McClurkin and the creators of "West Side Story" — Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Stephen Sondheim.Event will be held Sept. 26 at Cipriani Wall Street.
Chicago will honor Cheap Trick, Kanye West and Metro/Smart Bar owner Joe Shanahan. Producer Robin McBride (Bird Productions) will be acknowledged with a Special Legacy Presentation. Event will be held Oct. 11 at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk.

BMI will fete Peter Gabriel at the performing rights organization's London Awards being handed out Oct. 16 at the Londons Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane. The London Awards honor U.K. and European songwriters whose works are among the most-played on radio and TV in the U.S.

Columbia Records has chosen to pit Bruce Springsteen against the return of Matchbox Twenty, Annie Lennox and Faith Hill's catalog rather than go up against the commercial juggernauts Rascal Flatts, James Blunt and the Foo Fighters.
But by choosing an Oct. 2 release date rather than Sept. 25, the first Springsteen and the E Street Band album in five years lands outside this year''s Grammy eligibility period. Even unheard, the album, with the rather dull title of "Magic," would be a prime contender for rock and general awards.
But I figure the Springsteen camp isn't about to let that happen.

This year's Grammy Awards have a new major contender: will.i.am.
The first solo album from the Black Eyed Peas mastermind, "Songs About Girls," will be released  Sept. 25. That release date, as we have noted, is the last Tuesday before the cut-off for Grammy eligibility.
The first single, “I Got It From My Mama,” is being released  to Top 40 and Rhythm Crossover radio  this week. 
Will described the album to Rolling Stone as “Boy meets girl.  Boy gets girl.  Boy goes to strip club.  Boy gets caught cheating.  Girl leaves.  Boy and girl somehow get back together.”
The album has only one special guest: Snoop Dogg, who is featured on “Donque.”
Will explains: “I didn’t want to come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m a producer and here are all my friends.’I wanted to be my own man and do my own thing and really try out some ideas that have been bubbling in my head.”

On a monthly basis, the RIAA likes to tout the number of singles, albums and ringtones that have hit gold and platinum status. Songs like “Buy U A Drank,” which has shipped – a term that gets mighty vague in the digital age – 2 million copies.
But beyond the awards given to Justin Timberlake, Rascal Flatts and T-Pain, there are those mastertones from the catalogs being rewarded with plaques on the wall. June’s oldies that kept phones and cash registers rigning were:
Platinum: "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi  Lauper.
The Gold winners are: AC/DC's  “Thunderstruck,” “Highway To Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hell's Bells”;Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”; Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme”; Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and the instrumental version – sorry Dave Bickler - of Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger.”

Former Mercury Prize winners Arctic Monkeys and Dizzee Rascal have made a return to the Mercury Prize Shortlist, a collection of a dozen albums competing to be named the U.K.'s best.
Along with recent discs from those two acts, Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" is considered a front-runner for the prize. Rascal was nominated for "Maths + English"; Arctic Monkeys are up for "Favourite Worst Nightmare."
The list is largely bands that have yet to make any sort of mark in the U.S. Nominees are Bat for Lashes' "Fur and Gold" ; Fionn Regan's "The End of History" ; New Young Pony Club's "Fantastic Playroom" ; Klaxons' "Myths of the Near Future" ; the Young Knives' "Voices of Animals and Men"; Maps' "We Can Create"; the View's "Hats Off to the Buskers" ; Jamie T's "Panic Prevention"; and Basquiat Strings' "Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford."
The winner will be announced Sept. 4.
Now in its 15th year, the Mercury Prize has become a significant prize for U.K. acts, helping boost sales at home and abroad.

Sept. 25 will be the last Tuesday before the cutoff date for Grammy eligibility this year and the  stockpiling of releases on that day has begun.
Island Records confirmed today that PJ Harvey's “White Chalk” will be released Sept. 25, right on the heels of an announcement from RCA regarding the Foo Fighters' latest.
Also booked  for release that day is Rascal Flatts' "Still Feels Good," a Queen Latifah jazz album  "Trav'lin' Light,"  Raul Midón's "A World Within A World" and  Bettye Lavette's "The Scene Of The Crime."
Stay tuned for more, especially for the release of singles around that time. Lately, artists who have a song in rotation on radio during the voting period (chiefly, December) have reaped benefits come awards time.
Harvey's “White Chalk” is her first release since 2004's "Uh Huh Her."

Feeling the McCartney Mania brought on in anticipation of tonight's show at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, it seemed like the right time to splurge on soemthing from Paul's past. Figuring a spin on eBay would generate some inetresting tidbits, I never thought I'd find this - a pop performances by a duo or group Grammy for "Band on the Run," arguably McCartney's finest solo album.

Listing figures the Grammy Award will fetch between $50,000 and $75,000 six days from now when the auction ends. Trophy was originally given to Denny Laine, the former Moody Blues front man who became guitarist-bassist-singer for Wings. he is spending the summer singing "Go Now" in Hippiefest, sharing the bill with balding longhairs the Turtles, Felix Cavaliere and the Zombies.

Mary J. Blige walked away with several honors Monday at the 20th annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards, held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Blige shared the title of songwriter of the year with Johntá Austin and Jermaine "JD" Dupri.  Austin was honored for "Be Without You," "Don't Forget About Us" and "Yo (Excuse Me Miss);" Blige for "Be Without You," "Enough Cryin" and "Touch It (Remix)," and Dupri for "Don't Forget About Us," "Grillz" and "Pullin' Me Back."  This is Dupri's sixth time being named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year and his third consecutive win.
"Be Without You" also earned Austin and Blige this year's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song award.
Blige also received the ASCAP Voice of Music Award.

The Avett Brothers, Lucinda Williams and Patty Griffin are all up for three Americana Music Awards.

A proposed set list: "Us and Them," "What Shall We Do Now" and, of course, "Have a Cigar."

Roger Waters will perform at the VH1 Save the Music Foundation's 10th anniversary gala honoring Bill and Hillary Clinton. Event, at which Mariah Carey, NAMM and org founder John Sykes will be honored, too, will be held Sept. 20 at Gotham's Lincoln Center. Jon Bon Jovi and John Mayer will also perform but they don't have song titles that work as double entendres.

The Clintons are being honored for supporting music education efforts over the last 10 years and for appearances in conjunction with the organization.