This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Now that it's official - striking Hollywood writers won't picket the Grammy Awards Sunday - we can get down to the business of picking who will and who should win the coveted awards.
This will be the 50th edition of the Grammys, and of all my predictions, you can be sure of one thing: Television viewers will be reminded more than 50 times that this is the Golden Grammys. (Let's hope for a tear-inducing montage that includes Soy Bomb.)
Scheduled performers include Fergie, John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Aretha Franklin, Foo Fighters with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Feist, Beyoncé (yet again), Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Alicia Keys, and John Fogerty with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. The Time will reunite with Rihanna; Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban will perform for the first time together; and the highlight should be the casts of "The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil" and "Across the Universe" in a special Beatles segment.
The Beatles and Little Richard? Someone should tell the Grammy people it's 2008.
Record of the Year
Nominees: "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé; "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters; "Umbrella" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z; "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake; and "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. This award is given to producers, recording engineers and mixers.
Who will win: Amy and Kanye got the most nominations this year, and because Kanye isn't nominated for this one, she'll take it.
Who should win: "Rehab" was the best song on one of the best albums of the year. The producer, Mark Ronson, is one of the most creative guys around. Watch out, Timbaland.
Album of the Year
Nominees: "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" by the Foo Fighters; "These Days" by Vince Gill; "River: The Joni Letters" by Herbie Hancock; "Graduation" by Kanye West; and "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse.
Who will win: Kanye has been nominated before and hasn't won, and hasn't been humble about it. This is his year, especially with the sympathy votes because of his mother's passing.
Who should win: "These Days" is one of the most impressive country sets ever, with four albums encompassing four styles. But Kanye deserves it. If he doesn't, expect him to pull an Ol' Dirty Bastard and charge the stage.
Song of the Year
Nominees: "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood; "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's; "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae; "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse; and "Umbrella" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z. This award is given to the songwriter.
Who will win: Carrie Underwood is a juggernaut who can't be stopped. Too many voters are turned off by Winehouse's tabloid exploits of the past year. It's just too bad Underwood didn't write the dang thing.
Who should win: Winehouse should take it, just because the song mirrors her car crash of a year. It's as infectious as the greatest Motown songs of the late 1960s, and who doesn't love to sing, "Didn't get a lot in class, but I know it don't come in a shot glass"?
Best New Artist
Nominees: Feist, Ledisi, Paramore, Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse.
Who will win: Most voters have no idea who Paramore and Ledisi are, and might only know Feist from the ubiquitous iPod commercial. Swift might pull an upset over Winehouse, because who doesn't love a cute-but-not-skanky 18-year-old blonde who writes her own songs?
Who should win: Swift is impressive and is reaching crossover success, but her songs still are reminiscent of an 18-year-old writing love letters in class. Winehouse made an album that was a fresh spin on an old sound, so she should walk to the stage. If she's not dead by then.
Best Rock Song
Nominees: "Come On" by Lucinda Williams; "Icky Thump" by the White Stripes; "It's Not Over" by Chris Daughtry; "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters; and "Radio Nowhere" by Bruce Springsteen.
Who will win: Daughtry is the easy choice for voters who haven't heard any of the other songs on the radio. He didn't win "American Idol," but he'll win this one.
Who should win: While Springsteen's album "Magic" was a disappointing retread, "Radio Nowhere" was a blistering opening salvo, even if it did sound a little like Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny." Voters will feel sorry for Bruce, shockingly left out of the Best Album nominations. He's never, ever, won Best Album. Talk about ending up like a dog that's been beat too much.
Best Hard Rock Performance
Nominees: "Sweet Sacrifice" by Evanescence; "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters; "I Don't Wanna Stop" by Ozzy Osbourne; "Sick, Sick, Sick" by Queens of the Stone Age; and "The Pot" by Tool.
Who will win: Foo Fighters. Most Grammy voters have never heard a Tool song and think Queens of the Stone Age are a girl group.
Who should win: Tool, because of the throbbing bass and because singer Maynard James Keenan has the best voice in hard rock. And, if Tool is rewarded, maybe Keenan will stop doing side projects like the terrible Puscifer. Also, Ozzy Osbourne should stop, really. I mean it.
Best Rap Song
Nominees: "Ayo Technology" by 50 Cent with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland; "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" by T.I.; "Can't Tell Me Nothing" by Kanye West; "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy; and "Good Life" by Kanye West with T-Pain.
Who will win: West for "Good Life," because of the sheer number of other nominations, but voters might feel he's been honored too much. Soulja Boy is the dark horse who could pull an upset.
Who should win: The "Good Life" collaboration of West and T-Pain sounds natural, while the 50 Cent mess is forced.
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Nominees: "Simple Love" by Alison Krauss; "Famous in a Small Town" by Miranda Lambert; "Nothin' Better to Do" by LeAnn Rimes; "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood; and "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love" by Trisha Yearwood.
Who will win: Underwood. Can. Not. Be. Stopped.
Who should win: This is the toughest race in the entire Grammys to call, because the award is given to the best singer, and all are incredible singers. Krauss is the best singer, but while she could sing the download instructions for Windows Vista and make it sound good, this isn't her year. Rimes gave a career-revitalizing performance, but Yearwood's title song blows off the roof. Give it to Mrs. Garth Brooks.
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
Nominees: "Days Aren't Long Enough" by Steve Earle and Allison Moorer; "Because of You" by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson; "I Need You" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; "Lost Highway" by Willie Nelson and Ray Price; and "Oh Love" by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
Who will win: Price and Nelson will win the sentimental vote.
Who should win: Another tough category, especially because husband-and-wife team Steve Earle and Allison Moorer show that chemistry can actually be one of the most interesting classes you can take in high school. But Nelson and Price perform a duet that reaffirms their legendary status.
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
Nominees: "The Calling" by Mary Chapin-Carpenter; "My Name Is Buddy" by Ry Cooder; "Washington Square Serenade" by Steve Earle; "Children Running Through" by Patty Griffin; and "Orphans" by Tom Waits.
Who will win: Unfortunately, Chapin-Carpenter will be rewarded for a weak effort.
Who should win: "Washington Square Serenade" and "Orphans" are neck-and-neck, but Waits' box set is an awesome experience. Waits' "Rains on Me" is just one of the gems on this generous 54-song wealth of riches.
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* DAVID BURGER can be reached at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.