The 52nd annual Grammy Awards air Sunday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and it's sure to be a star-packed night. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Jay-Z lead the nominees, and what we're most looking forward to is some good old-fashioned Grammy wagering.
We love gambling. Some people might even say we're addicted to it. And while we can totally quit whenever we want, the Grammys are perhaps the most excellent betting event of the year. Wagering on them is basically like wagering on which way the wind will blow or what color socks that dude in the cubicle next to you will wear tomorrow: The results are almost completely random, which really spices things up.
Still, there are those out there who are experts at handicapping these sorts of things (they're called oddsmakers), and in the hopes of getting a leg up, we turned to them for some advice. These are their picks for the night's biggest categories — Album, Record and Song of the Year, plus everyone's favorite crapshoot, Best New Artist. We're not gonna lie, we're relying pretty hard on their expertise — we need a new flat-screen TV.
Anyway, from two of the best oddsmakers in the gamble-verse, here are the odds for the 2010 Grammys.
Ladbrokes
"The thing with the Grammys is, it goes through all the markets and is based largely on how the songs are received," said Nick Weinberg, Ladbrokes' chief sports, politics and novelty oddsmaker. "Beyoncé's odds are probably a bit shorter than they should be. Because she's a name, she can release a terrible album, and it would be nominated for an award. ... But Taylor Swift is the selection. All things being equal, she should win it. Quite an impressive record — which is why we made it our favorite."
Album of the Year
» Taylor Swift, Fearless: 11/8
» Beyoncé, I Am ... Sasha Fierce: 5/2
» Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.: 3/1
» Lady Gaga, The Fame: 6/1
» Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: 8/1
Record of the Year
» Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me":13/8
» Beyoncé, "Halo": 9/4
» Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody": 4/1
» Lady Gaga, "Poker Face": 5/1
» Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling": 5/1
Song of the Year
» Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me": 6/4
» Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)": 9/4
» Lady Gaga, "Poker Face": 3/1
» Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody": 5/1
» Maxwell, "Pretty Wings": 10/1
Best New Artist
» MGMT: 7/4
» Keri Hilson: 11/8
» The Ting Tings: 4/1
» Zac Brown Band: 6/1
» Silversun Pickups: 10:1
Bodog
"This Year's Grammy Awards could be a clean sweep in the three main categories as Taylor Swift is the favorite to win Best Album, Record and Song of the Year," Bodog.com sportsbook manager Richard Gardner said. "And Bodog.com's bettors seem to think it may be possible. As of right now, all the early money is on Swift to do just that."
Album of the Year
» Taylor Swift, Fearless: 5/4
» Beyoncé, I Am ... Sasha Fierce: 2/1
» Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.: 9/4
» Lady Gaga, The Fame: 6/1
» Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: 13/2
Record of the Year
» Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me": 5/4
» Beyoncé, "Halo": 3/2
» Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody": 4/1
» Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling": 5/1
» Lady Gaga, "Poker Face": 11/2
Song of the Year
» Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me": 3/2
» Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)": 7/4
» Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody": 5/2
» Lady Gaga, "Poker Face": 9/2
» Maxwell, "Pretty Wings": 15/2
Best New Artist
» MGMT: 6/5
» Keri Hilson: 3/2
» The Ting Tings: 4/1
» Zac Brown Band: 9/2
» Silversun Pickups: 10/1
MTV
Follow Me @Twitter.com/ChasinMoPaperRead more…
Videos After The JumpThe 52 Annual Grammy Awards were held at L.A.'s Staples Center last night (Sunday January 31). It was a night dominated by two beautiful women. Beyonce and Taylor Swift barely had time to sit down between performances and having to get up to accept awards.
Beyonce made history by winning six Grammys, making her the most decorated woman in one night in the 52-year history of the awards show.
Taylor Swift took home four trophies including the biggest one, Record Of The Year for 'Fearless'
Check out the entire winner's list and performances below.
Album of the Year - Taylor Swift, Fearless
Record of the Year – Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
New Artist – Zac Brown Band
Song of the Year – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), written by Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart
Female Pop Vocal Performance – Halo, Beyonce
Male Pop Vocal Performance - Make it Mine, Jason Mraz
Pop Performance, Duo Or Group – I Gotta Feeling, The Black Eyed Peas
Pop Collaboration – Lucky, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Pop Instrumental Performance – Throw Down Your Heart, Bela Fleck
Pop Instrumental Album – Potato Hole, Booker T. Jones
Pop Vocal Album – The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas
Dance Recording - Poker Face, Lady Gaga
Electronic/Dance Album – The Fame, Lady Gaga
Traditional Pop Vocal Album – Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden, Michael Bublé
Solo Rock Vocal Performance – Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen
Rock Performance, Duo or Group With Vocals – Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
Hard Rock Performance - War Machine, AC/DC
Metal Performance – Dissident Aggressor, Judas Priest
Rock Instrumental Performance – A Day in the Life, Jeff Beck
Rock Song – Use Somebody, written by Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill and Nathan Followill
Rock Album – 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day
Alternative Music Album - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
Female R&B Vocal Performance – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Beyoncé
Male R&B Vocal Performance - Pretty Wings, Maxwell
R&B Performance, Duo Or Group With Vocals - Blame It, Jamie Foxx and T-Pain
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - At Last, Beyonce
Urban/Alternative Performance - Pearls, India.Arie and Dobet Gnahore
R&B Song – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), written by Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart
R&B Album – BLACKsummers’ Night, Maxwell
Contemporary R&B Album – I Am … Sasha Fierce, Beyonce
Rap Solo Performance -D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune), Jay-Z
Rap Song – Run This Town, written by Jeff Bhasker, Shawn Carter, Robyn Fenty, Kanye West, Ernest Wilson and Athanasios Alatas
Rap Album – Relapse, Eminem
Female Country Vocal Performance - White Horse, Taylor Swift
Male Country Vocal Performance - Sweet Thing, Keith Urban
Country Performance, Duo Or Group With Vocals - I Run to You, Lady Antebellum
Country Song - White Horse, Liz Rose and Taylor Swift
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Up
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media -Jai Ho, written by Gulzar, A. R. Rahman and Tanvi Shah, from “Slumdog Millionaire”
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972), Gary Burden, Jenice Heo and Neil Young
Short-Form Music Video - Boom Boom Pow, the Black Eyed Peas
Long-Form Music Video - The Beatles Love — All Together Now
Grammy Awards Red Carpet RecapRead more…
BET celebrated the achievements of Whitney Houston, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Queen Latifah at the 3rd Annual BET Honors taped at Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday (Jan. 16). Among the evening’s highlights…
• Jennifer Hudson sang the praises of her idol Whitney Houston with her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” as Houston looked on.
• Jazmine Sullivan performed soul-stirring interpretations of “Unforgettable” and “Rock Steady” for Queen Latifah.
• Stevie Wonder and Trey Songz raised eyebrows by dueting on Trey’s raunchy single “I Invented Sex,” and hit a more somber note with their tribute to the late Teddy Pendergrass on “Wake Up Everybody” with special guest India.Arie.
• Mary J. Blige showed appreciation to the man who helped launch her career, Diddy, by singing a medley of her hits including “Love No Limit,” “I Love You,” and “Be Happy.”
• Maxwell closed the show with “Fistful of Tears” and “Bad Habits” from his Grammy-nominated album BLACKsummers’night.
The 2010 Bet Honors Show Airs February 1st at 9pm Eastern
Article & Pics From : Rap-Up
Whitney, Keith Black, Queen Latifah, Diddy, and Ruth Simmons
HotSusan Boyle
Boyle, a worldwide YouTube phenomenon, brought a whole new concept to modern celebrity: dowdy chic. With her unglamorous appearance contradicting her rapturous voice, Boyle reminded us of the power of inner beauty, and in the process managed to, at least for a while, outsell every shapely young thing on the planet. Boyle's debut racked up the biggest opening sales figure of the year: over 700,000 units, most of them on (gasp!) physical CD.
Maxwell
After nearly a decade in hiding, the Brooklyn-born R&B singer made the kind of point-perfect comeback that instantly compensated for all the time away. His album "BLACKsummers'night" went platinum, earning some of the most enraptured reviews of the year, bagging no fewer than six Grammy nominations in their wake.
Kings of Leon
They're the first new rock band to break through in far too long. In '09, this brash Nashville foursome enjoyed iTunes' most downloaded album, "Only by the Night." The band also racked up a slew of Grammy nominations for their song "Use Somebody," ensuring they'll become only hotter in 2010.
Taylor Swift
Not only did this Nashville star (who just turned 20) have the top-selling album of '09 (with a tally topping 4 million copies), she became a combination saint/victim when Kanye West tried to ruin her moment of triumph at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. To certify her resurrection, two months later, at the American Music Awards, Swift even beat the sanctified Michael Jackson for the top prize: Artist of the Year.
NotU2
They may have enjoyed the year's most attended tour. But U2's latest CD, "No Line on the Horizon," bombed with fans and became the worst-selling disk of their career.
J.Lo
Yes, she fell on her world-famous rump on the American Music Awards, but she quickly bounced back (literally, it seems) to survive one of pop's goofier, and most blabbed about, public gaffes.
Kanye West
Already a famously bad sport, Kanye crossed the line to genuine jerk-face in the fall when he grabbed the limelight from Taylor Swift during her MTV acceptance speech and insisted that Beyoncé's clip should have won instead. After that, even the impeccably measured President Obama hauled off and called Kanye a "jackass."
Whitney Houston
While the troubled singer's comeback CD has sold strongly (800,000 copies and counting), her interview on Oprah left a bad taste in the mouth, and her intended comeback appearance on "Good Morning America" live from Central Park! found her in scratchy and damaged voice, barely able to croak through four short numbers.
Chris Brown
The young R&B stud achieved genuine pariah status this year by perpetrating the ultimate no-no viciously beating his girlfriend Rihanna after a pre-Grammy party. Brown spent the rest of the year apologizing, but the damage had been done.
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