Saurus’s 2020 Content Round-Up

 Here’s the (best of the) content that got me through 2020: 

*New = released in 2020. Old = released prior to 2020 (but new to me).

1. New TV:

1. Normal People on Hulu: very good acting. Be prepared to weep if you have not yet found your soulmate (lol jk soulmates don’t exist... I’m not bitter at all).

2. Never Have I Ever on Netflix: much laughter, much cry

3. The Babysitters’ Club on Netflix: so wholesome, so much better clothes than I wore as a preteen

2. Old TV: 

1. Anne with an E (S2 & S3) on Netflix: much lighter than the very bleak S1. I ship Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (my childhood literary OTP)!

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu: A police show shouldn’t be allowed to be this funny, romantic, and generally delightful.

3. Psych on Amazon Prime: This is when “stupid” is a compliment because the main detective duo Shawn and Gus are so stupid yet so funny.

3. New music: 

1. Pop albums including: Fine Line by Harry Styles (this came out in Dec 2019 so I'm counting it as 2020); Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa; and Positions by Ariana Grande.

2. The Prelude by Pink Sweat$. Every song on this EP is a banger. I’m especially in love with “17” and “At My Worst” which are both beautiful slow songs.

3. All the hits of TikTok including Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd which is good for running around in my bedroom while flailing my arms and calling it "exercise." Actually most of After Hours by The Weeknd is pretty good.

4. Old music: 

1. Ctrl by SZA. It’s so good ughhh

2. Happiness Begins by the Jonas Brothers. It is JOYFUL, okay

3. I fully became a stan of a bunch of pop stars this year, including Ariana Grande, Alessia Cara, Camila Cabello, and Kehlani. Not sorry.

5. New movies (I only watched 8 movies released in 2020 so there’s not a lot to pick from): 

1. Genuinely great: The Old Guard on Netflix 

2. Charming cast but kinda questionable plot: 

1. Palm Springs on Hulu - funny white people falling in love 

2. The Lovebirds on Netflix - very funny people of color re-falling in love

3. To All The Boys 2 on Netflix - John Ambrose deserved more!! Sorry for the spoiler.

3. Yay for LGBT representation but I was disappointed these weren’t actual rom-coms:

1. The Half of It on Netflix - so high school emo tbh

2. Happiest Season on Hulu - Kristen Stewart should have ended up with Aubrey Plaza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for another spoiler.

6. Old movies: 

1. 80s-90s Julia Roberts: Pretty Woman, Mystic Pizza, Steel Magnolias

2. The one and only Cher: Moonstruck, Mermaids… still need to watch The Witches of Eastwick

3. Legit old Cary Grant movies: His Girl Friday, To Catch A Thief, Charade

(photo source)

Genres of Music I Listen to While Working

Most of the time, I can’t listen to anything when I’m doing any work that requires real concentration, such as reading or studying. Even when I’m doing more mundane things such as responding to an email, I have to turn off music with lyrics, or else I will be hugely distracted. However, there are some cases where instrumental music provides me with the perfect level of background noise, such as making a PowerPoint prettier (am I the only one who obsesses?) or finding citations for an academic paper. In those instances, these are the genres I turn to: 

1. Downtempo/trip hop 

1. The artist: Emancipator

1. The album: I have a very distinct memory of writing my undergraduate honors thesis to Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (2006) in the college music library, which was tucked away and quiet but also close to a cafeteria.

2. Song to start with: The titular song or “When I Go” (some lyrics)

2. The artist: Blue in Green

1. The album: The Break of Dawn (2011). This was actually a discovery on Pandora back when Pandora was a thing… so, early college? 

2. Song to start with: “Voyage” or “Rainy Streets”

2. Electronic music (IDM) (all Pandora discoveries as well!)

1. The artist: The Glitch Mob

1. The album: Drink The Sea (2010)

2. Song to start with: “Fortune Days,” which is a great pump-up song.

2. The artist: Ronald Jenkees

1. The album: Disorganized Fun (2011)

2. Song to start with: The titular song or “Stay Crunchy”

3. Classical guitar

1. The artist: Baden Powell, Brazilian guitarist

1. The album: Three Originals: Tristeza on Guitar / Poema on Guitar / Apaixonado (2014) - Another college discovery. I’m seeing a trend.

2. Song to start with: “Canto de Ossanha” or “Dindi,” both of which remind me of my college music group and make my heart spill over.

2. The artist: Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist

1. I actually don’t have a go-to album or songs for him, but they’re all good.

4. Instrumental film soundtracks 

1. The artist: Jóhann Jóhannsson

1. The album: A friend of mine really likes the Arrival soundtrack but it’s too weird and dissonant for me. My go to is The Theory of Everything (2014), which is very traditional and super pretty. 

2. The artist: Yann Tiersen

1. The album: Amelie (2001). I cannot stress enough how much I adore it. Since the titles are in French and all are instrumental anyway, it’s hard to pick a stand-out song but I promise they’re all beautiful. 

2. Next album: Goodbye Lenin (2003). FYI, we watched this movie in German class in high school and it’s solid. Daniel Brühl is always good.

5. Piano covers of pop music

1. The artist: Maxence Cyrin

1. The album: Novö Piano (2010). I loved this so much I bought the album ages ago on iTunes, I think? Idk how to even access those files any more.

2. Song to start with: “Where Is My Mind” or “D.A.N.C.E.”

2. The artist: Henry Smith

1. This is the first of the list that I discovered a) post-college (just this year, I think) and b) on Spotify rather than Pandora! Wow, folks. Again, I don’t have a go-to album or song but he’s got covers of Beyonce, Adele, Ed Sheeran, etc. You’ll find your thing.

6. Other instrumental music 

1. The artist: Studying Music Group

1. The album: This is another odd Spotify discovery because I don’t know if this is an actual “group” or just a collection of songs put together by Spotify. Anyway, the generically named Study Music (2014) album was my background music when working on my Master’s thesis, I believe.

2. Song to start with: "Heaven on Earth," although I admit a lot of them sound similar.

2. The artist: Lavinia Meijer, harpist

1. The album: Voyage (2015). I love Debussy and Yann Tiersen so her performances of both on this album are just perfect for me.

2. Song to start with: “Clair de Lune” or any of the songs from Amelie.

Update as of 6/18/20: Spotify links have been added to all of the above!

10 Non-Musical Film Soundtracks I Listen to Most

Here I’m listing non-musical film soundtracks I love where the songs stand on their own, separate from the movie. So, the emphasis here is really on a great collection of pop songs that predate the movie, rather than original music. I’m also making the tough decision to exclude soundtracks that are mostly instrumental (e.g., Amelie, Little Miss Sunshine). Disclaimer: the following is what I listen to most; by no means am I saying these are the “best” soundtracks.

1. A Walk to Remember

1. Perfect match of scene & song: "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader. “You’re straddling the state line.. you’re in two places at once.” (clip) 😭

2. Other stand-out songs: "Mother, We Just Can't Get Enough" by New Radicals. Also all the Switchfoot songs tbh.

2. 500 Days of Summer

1. Perfect match: "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates, when Tom (JGL) dances in the street with a flash mob (clip).

2. Other stand-outs: "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap and "Mushaboom" by Feist. I listened to both of these a lot freshman year of college.

3. The Parent Trap (1998)

1. Perfect match: "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles as Hallie (as Annie) bonds with her mother in London, who she's never met before. (clip) 😭

2. Other stand-outs: The movie starts with “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole and ends with “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by his daughter, Natalie Cole. How perfect is that?

4. Booksmart

1. Perfect match: “Slip Away” by Perfume Genius as Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) swims in the pool at the party, finding a bit of joy in her freedom. (clip)

2. Other stand-outs: "Nobody Speak" by DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels and “Cold War” by Cautious Clay which has been stuck in my head all week. 

5. 10 Things I Hate About You

1. Perfect match: "F.N.T." by Semisonic when Patrick (Heath Ledger) and Kat (Julia Stiles) play paintball and kiss for the first time. (clip)

2. Other stand-outs: "Cruel to Be Kind" and "I Want You To Want Me" by Letters to Cleo, also known as Ben Wyatt's favorite band.

6. Garden State

1. Perfect match: "Let Go" by Frou Frou when Zach Braff kisses his love interest (Natalie Portman) at the end. (clip) Barely a spoiler given that it’s a rom-drama.

2. Other stand-out: Ok, Zach Braff did not single-handedly make The Shins famous, but he kind of helped. I am one of the many who fell for “New Slang” after seeing this movie.

7. Shrek series (1, 2, 3)

1. Perfect match: If you didn’t sing along word for word to “All Star” by Smash Mouth at the start of the first movie, you are lying. (clip)

2. Another perfect match: Same with “Accidentally in Love” by The Counting Crows at the start of the second movie. (clip)

3. Other stand-outs: The third movie was not great but featured my favorite songs of the series: "Best Days" by Matt White and "Other Ways" by Trevor Hall.

8. Angus, Thongs, & Perfect Snogging

1. Explain yourself: I know you’re judging me already but hold up. "Girls and Boys in Love" by The Rumble Strips plays as Georgia (Georgia Groome) and her friends stalk the new boys in town who are already their crushes. It is a fun time.

2. Other stand-outs: "She's So Lovely" by Scouting For Girls and "Toothpaste Kisses" by The Maccabees.

9. What’s Your Number

1. Explain yourself: This otherwise forgettable rom-com that I watched years ago secretly has a great soundtrack. It's got good party songs ("Jungle Flames" by The DNC) as well as quieter love songs ("Wicked Way" by Benjamin Taylor). 

2. Other stand-out: "Chit Chat" by Hannah Georgas which I recently found out has less than 750K streams on Spotify.

10. The Graduate

1. Explain yourself: It’s Simon and Garfunkel. Need I say more? 

2. Stand-out songs: “The Sound of Silence,” "Mrs. Robinson," and "April Come She Will”.

I screwed up, this should have made the list: Charlie's Angels (2019); Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Honorable mentions: Birds of Prey; Black Panther; Call Me By Your Name; Dirty Dancing; Fifty Shades of Grey (sigh); Juno; Love, Simon, Step Up; The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2013 Grammys Predictions

The 2013 Grammys are taking place live in Los Angeles this Sunday, February 10th! The following predictions are entirely speculative based on my personal biases and vague name recognition for some of the artists… But I’m totally sure I’m right.

(Warning:  You thought Dactyl's Golden Globes post was long? You ain't seen nothing yet.) 

General Field

Record Of The Year 
Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

This is a toughie, which is evident in the fact that this category has an unusual six nominees. I think Gotye deserves it for his signature song, a very well-performed piece that the radios couldn’t stop playing this year. Its percussive feel and cool use of xylophone give it a unique sound, while the blending of the two lead voices make relatable lyrics even more poignant. Still, each of these contenders is strong enough to possibly win. 

Album Of The Year 

El Camino - The Black Keys
Some Nights - Fun.
Babel - Mumford & Sons
Channel Orange - Frank Ocean
Blunderbuss - Jack White

Babel seems like the safe choice, although I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Channel Orange swooped in (lots of buzz) or El Camino (remember back in 2011 when Arcade Fire’s Suburbs won and everyone was like, “Who is Arcade Fire??!”)

Song Of The Year 

The A Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

It took me the longest time to understand this category is different from Record of the Year because it awards the songwriters, not the performers. While the actual song of the year has got to be Carly Rae Jepsen’s ridiculously catchy “Call Me Maybe,” we all know it doesn’t stand a chance of winning. Right now I’m leaning towards Fun for its big, showy power ballad.  

Best New Artist 

Photo Credit

Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Nominees and winners of Best New Artist seem a little random at times (no Ed Sheeran?) but with six nominations each, either Frank Ocean or Fun would be the obvious choice here. I’ll say Frank Ocean for his genre-bending musical style. 

Pop Field
 
Best Pop Solo Performance 
Set Fire To The Rain [live] - Adele
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
Wide Awake - Katy Perry
Where Have You Been - Rihanna

In another year, it surely would’ve been Kelly Clarkson, but Adele is Adele. 

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance 
Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine
We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Sexy And I Know It - Lmfao
Payphone - Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa

Hmm. I'll say Fun for a very fun, pop-py song. (Can I just point out the fact that Gotye’s album, Making Mirrors, is nominated strangely in the Alternative Music category…? o.O) 

Best Pop Vocal Album 
Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
Ceremonials - Florence & the Machine
Some Nights - Fun.
Overexposed - Maroon 5
The Truth About Love - Pink

Logically, you would think it would go to Some Nights, as it’s the only one nominated for Album of the Year, but the Grammys are hardly logical, are they? Against my better judgment I’ll pick Stronger instead, as Kelly Clarkson has been killing it in pop lately.  

Dance / Electronica Field 

Best Dance Recording 
Levels - Avicii
Let's Go - Calvin Harris Featuring Ne-Yo
Bangarang - Skrillex Featuring Sirah
Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin
I Can't Live Without You - Al Walser

I’ve only ever heard "Levels" by Avicii but I’ve heard that Skrillex is good and quite popular. Maybe I should actually do a little research and listen to all these songs? …Nahhhh.

Best Dance/Electronica Album 
Wonderland - Steve Aoki
Don't Think - The Chemical Brothers
Album Title Goes Here - Deadmau5
Fire & Ice - Kaskade
Bangarang - Skrillex

Again, Skrillex seems quite big, so I’ll say that it’ll win for the second year running. I don’t really know though. 

Traditional Pop Field

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album 
Christmas - Michael Bublé
A Holiday Carole - Carole King
Kisses On The Bottom - Paul McCartney

Michael Buble! He’s won in this category thrice already (with 6 nominations total) so I think he’ll go for a fourth win. 

Rock Field

Best Rock Performance 
Hold On - Alabama Shakes
Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
Charlie Brown - Coldplay
I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen

Again, "Lonely Boy" is the only song that’s up for Record of the Year, so I think The Black Keys are the logical choice here. If not, it’ll be Mumford & Sons swooping in with their most popular single yet.

Best Rock Song 
Freedom At 21 - Jack White, songwriter (Jack White)
I Will Wait - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall & Marcus Mumford, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
Lonely Boy - Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton & Patrick Carney, songwriters (The Black Keys)
Madness - Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

The Black Keys, with the same reasoning as above, more or less.

Best Rock Album 
El Camino - The Black Keys
Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay
The 2nd Law - Muse
Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen
Blunderbuss - Jack White

So Babel is an Americana album but the songs on it are rock? That makes perfect sense. Good job, Grammys. At least that means I can pick El Camino with a clear conscience. 

Alternative Field

Best Alternative Music Album 
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - Fiona Apple
Biophilia - Björk
Making Mirrors - Gotye
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. - M83
Bad As Me - Tom Waits

Considering the diversity of these artists, this category makes so little sense. I think that’s the running theme of this awards show. Anyway... Gotye for Making Mirrors! I wouldn’t be displeased with a M83 win either. 

R&B Field

Best R&B Performance 
Thank You - Estelle
Gonna Be Alright (f.t.b.) - Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Ledisi
I Want You - Luke James
Adorn - Miguel
Climax - Usher

"Adorn" is getting a bit of hype and as it’s a rather nice song, I have no problem endorsing it for President. Or predicting it to win this Grammy category, whatever it is I’m doing right now.

Best Traditional R&B Performance 
Lately - Anita Baker
Love On Top - Beyoncé
Wrong Side Of A Love Song - Melanie Fiona
Real Good Hands - Gregory Porter
If Only You Knew - Swv

I haven’t heard any of these but I see Beyoncé’s name, which is like a beacon of light to all. I’ll pick Blue Ivy’s mom!

Best R&B Song 
Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
Beautiful Surprise - Tamia Hill, Claude Kelly & Salaam Remi, songwriters (Tamia)
Heart Attack - Benjamin Levin, Rico Love & Tremaine Neverson, songwriters (Trey Songz)
Pray For Me - Antonio Dixon, Kenny Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton & Patrick "jque" Smith, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)
Refill - Darhyl "DJ" Camper, Elle Varner & Andrew "Pop" Wansel, songwriters (Elle Varner)

"Adorn" by Miguel again!

Best Urban Contemporary Album 
Fortune - Chris Brown
Kaleidoscope Dream - Miguel
Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean for Channel Orange, EASY! Next!

Best R&B Album 
Black Radio - Robert Glasper Experiment
Back To Love - Anthony Hamilton
Write Me Back - R. Kelly
Beautiful Surprise - Tamia
Open Invitation - Tyrese

Derp. Um… Well, R. Kelly is one of the most successful R&B artists ever, so that’s got to be worth something, right?

Rap Field

Best Rap Performance 
Hyfr (Hell Ya ... Right) - Drake Featuring Lil' Wayne
... In Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West
Daughters - Nas
Mercy - Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
I Do - Young Jeezy featuring Jay-z & André 3000

"… In Paris." But props to Kanye for using the term “ass quake” on his song "Mercy." It’s just, it’s just so… ugh. Kanye gets me.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration 
Wild Ones - Flo Rida Featuring Sia
No Church In The Wild - Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream
Tonight (Best You Ever Had) - John Legend featuring Ludacris
Cherry Wine - Nas Featuring Amy Winehouse
Talk That Talk - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

I do like the song "Wild Ones a lot" but I see that "No Church in the Wild" has three big names headlining it. Then again, Amy Winehouse is featured on "Cherry Wine", and you know she rolls! Gah. And John Legend is awesome and there’s Jay-Z again for "Talk That Talk"! Ugh. Let’s just go with "No Church in the Wild," because it was featured in the trailer for The Great Gatsby and I hear it’s “genius” or whatever. 

Best Rap Song 
Daughters - Nas
Lotus Flower Bomb - Wale Featuring Miguel
Mercy - Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
The Motto - Drake Featuring Lil' Wayne
... In Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West
Young, Wild & Free - Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars

(I deleted the songwriter info because it was just way too long. Who knew rap involved such a collaborative process.) "…In Paris." I was about to comment, why isn’t Jay-Z and Kanye's Watch the Throne album nominated for Best Rap Album, in the next category? Then I did a little research and found out that it was nominated, last year. Whoops.  

Best Rap Album 
Take Care - Drake
Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1 - Lupe Fiasco
Life Is Good - Nas
Undun - The Roots
God Forgives, I Don't - Rick Ross
Based On A T.r.u. Story - 2 Chainz

As a person who is clearly a huge expert on rap, I will say that I enjoyed Drake’s album Take Care and am surprised that it didn’t get into any of the General Categories. As a person who is lying about being a huge expert on rap, I will say that I have not actually listened to any of the other albums; however, Take Care has received quite a few accolades this past year so I chose the right album to listen to, I think.

Country Field

Best Country Duo/Group Performance 
Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band
Pontoon - Little Big Town
Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars
On The Outskirts Of Town - The Time Jumpers
I Just Come Here For The Music - Don Williams Featuring Alison Krauss

Because it’s T-Swift, I’ll pick her and The Civil Wars (also known as that band that broke up due to "internal discord and irreconcilable differences.” Hahaha! The irony! Ha! Ha! It kills me!), even though the song doesn’t sound very country.

Jazz Field

Best Improvised Jazz Solo 
Cross Roads - Ravi Coltrane, soloist
Hot House - Gary Burton & Chick Corea, soloists
Alice In Wonderland - Chick Corea, soloist
J. Mac - Kenny Garrett, soloist
Ode - Brad Mehldau, soloist

I’m thinking it’ll either be Chick Corea, solo, or Chick Corea and Gary Burton. I hope the duo wins for Hot House, mostly because I heard them play live a few months ago—I’m just awesome and cultured like that! Also, for the sake of Kenny Garrett, let it be known that he is not the same person as Kenny G (Kenneth Gorelick). 

Best Jazz Instrumental Album 
Further Explorations - Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez & Paul Motian
Hot House - Chick Corea & Gary Burton
Seeds From The Underground - Kenny Garrett
Blue Moon - Ahmad Jamal
Unity Band - Pat Metheny Unity Band

Hot House again!! Because see above!

American Roots

Best Americana Album 
The Carpenter - The Avett Brothers
From The Ground Up - John Fullbright
The Lumineers - The Lumineers
Babel - Mumford & Sons
Slipstream - Bonnie Raitt

Mumford & Sons for Babel, even though their big single “I Will Wait” is nominated as a Rock song. (Yeah, okay, Grammys.) Snaps for the Lumineers and hitting it big (-ish) with their debut album though, which was the most listened to album on Spotify for several weeks in October (so Wikipedia tells me). 

World Music Field

Best World Music Album 
Folila - Amadou & Mariam
On A Gentle Island Breeze - Daniel Ho
Jabulani - Hugh Masekela
Traveller - Anoushka Shankar
The Living Room Sessions Part 1 - Ravi Shankar 

I don’t know much about world music other than basic name recognition but I recognize three of them! Hugh Masekela is a trumpeter, Ravi Shankar is a sitar player (and the father of Norah Jones, fun fact), and his daughter Anoushka is too. I’ll go with the recently deceased Ravi Shankar (may he RIP) because he is some sort of maestro-icon-legend, whose music inspired George freaking Harrison to immerse himself in Indian music and introduce it to the Western world! What a legacy!  

Spoken Word Field 

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling) 
American Grown (Michelle Obama) - (Various Artists) Scott Creswell & Dan Zitt, producers
Back To Work: Why We Need Smart Government For A Strong Economy - Bill Clinton
Drift: The Unmooring Of American Military - Rachel Maddow
Seriously... I'm Kidding - Ellen Degeneres
Society's Child: My Autobiography - Janis Ian

Lately, this award has gone to well-liked celebrities or presidential-affiliated people. Since our awesome FLOTUS’s book is not performed by her, I guess Bill Clinton stands a stronger chance to win, which would give him his second Spoken Word Grammy. 

Comedy Field

Best Comedy Album 
Blow Your Pants Off - Jimmy Fallon
Cho Dependent (live In Concert) - Margaret Cho
In God We Rust - Lewis Black
Kathy Griffin: Seaman 1st Class - Kathy Griffin
Mr. Universe - Jim Gaffigan
Rize Of The Fenix - Tenacious D

Although I’ve never heard of Lewis Black, he’ll probably since he’s already won this category twice, and the Comedy Field winners appear to be actually consistent over time. (cough *Cosby Cosby Cosby Cosby Cosby Cosby Cosby*)  

Musical Theater Field

Musical Theater Album 
Follies
The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get
Once: A New Musical

Apparently Once swept the board at the 2012 Tony Awards, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t win here. I imagine its stiffest competition should be Porgy and Bess or Newsies, but I’m not as into Broadway as Dactyl is.

Music For Visual Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media 
The Descendants - (Various Artists)
Marley- (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Midnight In Paris- (Various Artists)
The Muppets- (Various Artists)
Rock Of Ages- (Various Artists)

Haha, these soundtracks all fill very specific niches. I’ve only seen Midnight in Paris but I think Marley might take it. Bob Marley was a legend after all and he never won a single Grammy, save for his posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Maybe the great and arbitrary people of the Recording Academy will rectify this now. Probably not, though. 

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media 
The Adventures Of Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn - John Williams, Composer
The Artist - Ludovic Bource, Composer
The Dark Knight Rises - Hans Zimmer, Composer
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Composers
Hugo - Howard Shore, Composer
Journey - Austin Wintory, Composer

The Artist won at the Oscars and the BAFTAS in equivalent categories, so let’s go with that. 

Best Song Written For Visual Media 
Abraham's Daughter (from The Hunger Games) - T Bone Burnett, Win Butler & Régine Chassagne, Songwriters (Arcade Fire)
Learn Me Right (from Brave) - Mumford & Sons, Songwriters (Birdy & Mumford & Sons)
Let Me Be Your Star (from Smash) - Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Songwriters (Katharine McPhee & Megan Hilty)
Man Or Muppet (from The Muppets) Bret McKenzie, Songwriter (Jason Segel & Walter)
Safe & Sound (from The Hunger Games) - T Bone Burnett, Taylor Swift, John Paul White & Joy Williams, Songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars)

Is it too soon for Skyfall? Must be. In that case, it’s probably down to Taylor Swift vs. the Oscar-winning Man Or Muppet. I’m thinking T-Swift.

FINITO! I’ve skipped a few categories within several of these fields and some fields altogether (e.g. New Age, Latin, Reggae, the boring production ones, etc.) I probably could’ve done the music video field if I bothered to sit down and watch them all (or read what everyone else is saying), but I’m tired. And if you think you’re going to find Gospel or Album Notes predictions here, you’re barkin' up the wrong tree, pal. Feel free to give me a thrashing in the comments or argue it out for your favorite nominated artist, song, or album!