23 Today, Gone Tomorrow

Nadia turns 23 today. This awesome pal reaches another milestone of wisdom with more accomplishments under her belt than any other 23-year-old I know.

Parting ways with loved ones always makes for a terrifying experience, especially when the separation is set for an indefinite amount of time, possibly a matter of years. In such a situation, the gravity of bidding farewell to a significant individual whose humour and warmth you've grown so accustomed to over the years can be absolutely shattering.

Tomorrow, such a journey begins for me. Nards will return to Melbourne - this time for an indefinite period - to complete her Honours and start a working life right after. It looks like we won't be seeing much of Ms Jazzy Jazz from here on. And it's heartbreaking.

Before this, we could always count on her semester breaks during her university course for opportunities to meet up with her. But there won't be such breaks for us to count on in the future as she starts working full time.

I'm really going to miss you, Nards dear. Life will be incomplete without your wacky personality and killer humour. Nevertheless, I wish you every happiness in this amazing ride you're going on. Take good care, girl. Loves, loves!

Chasing Pavements Till The August Rush

Most of 2010 will pass with me chasing pavements, I fear, killing time till exhilarating huge milestones in August finally arrive.

It can be overwhelming how reaching a single point in time can initiate multiple changes in one's life. August will mark the end of my national service, exactly one day before the nation's birthday. Concurrently, it will also mark the beginning of my university life - be it in NUS or NTU.

And because renovation work for my new house will conclude only in July, August will also mark the beginning of a new life in a grandly designed new home, which also means dozens of wild housewarming parties! Woohoo!

It's insanely exciting and I can hardly wait. In the mean time, I have my freelance filming and film editing jobs to keep me busy and to bring in additional cash.

There's also Hilary and Joann's wedding video projects and Dannel's delightful 21st birthday to look forward to. All in anticipation of wonderful August!

All for an English Education

For weeks now, I've been going absolutely insane deciding between NUS and NTU. Applications for both universities finally opened at the start of the month and I still have yet to find satisfaction in the decision I've come to.

The irony in this situation lies in the fact that I've been set on going to NUS for 2 years now, and I've been telling people that very confidently whenever they ask. My long-lived passion and interest in reading English (as in language & linguistics, not literature) has drawn me to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, which offers the exact major that I want.

However, just recently, I've been strongly advised by many peers to consider NTU, which according to them has a much better arts education system, even though the arts faculty in NUS has been around longer.

But because NTU only offers English Literature and a course on Linguistics & Multilingual Studies (which I already have a place in, but I have no confidence in doing well in), NUS seems to be the closest option I have to what I really want to study.

It's quite clear NUS offers exactly what I've been looking for. Yet, the negative feedback from peers on the quality of NUS Arts education keeps pulling me back.

I really want to do well in university. First-class honours is the ultimate goal, so I cannot make a mistake in my decision. Since I already have a place in NTU, I'll just apply for NUS to buy me more time. But I've got to decide. Real soon.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards Series

In line with this year's Academy Awards (unofficially known as the Oscars), Ain't No Other Man is proud to present The 82nd Annual Academy Awards Series, a collection of essays focused on this year's celebration of the arts in film.

In Love with Julia Child
An article about the film, Julie & Julia, from Alexandre Desplat's pleasantly beautiful score to Meryl Streep's tour de force performance as Julia Child, the late iconic American television personality who singlehandedly awakened America to the pleasures of cooking. (read more)


A Feature Article on Legendary Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep has spent more than half her life entertaining on the silver screen and won legions of fans worldwide. ADDISON WONG discusses why this film veteran is one of the greatest actors of all time and recounts the road to becoming an ultimate Meryl enthusiast. (read more)


Carey Mulligan: An Echo of Classic Hepburn
For more than 10 months now, Hollywood has been vehemently abuzz over a young British newcomer named Carey Mulligan. In her first lead role in the film, An Education, Mulligan gives a performance that screams not just talent but Oscar! (read more)


The 67th Golden Globe Awards
Major surprises came in small numbers. The Golden Globe Awards this year was less exciting than usual, with many predicted and deserving frontrunners receiving honours. But that's a good thing. Find out who were honoured by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. (read more)


The Hottest Oscar Contenders for 2009
For the first time in decades, the Oscars will have 10 nominees for Best Motion Picture. And for the first time in years, critics can't seem to have a clear idea on who will win. Find out which are the hottest Oscar contenders for 2009. (read more)


82nd Academy Awards Nominations Predictions
The nominations for this year's Oscars will be announced soon. The months leading up to this event has been a wild one, with so many great performances to select from for predictions. ADDISON WONG predicts this year's nominees for major categories. (read more)


82nd Oscar Nominations Announced! **NEW**
The ballots have been submitted and tabulated. On Tuesday, February 2nd, Oscar nominees, Anne Hathaway, and the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year's Academy Awards. (read more)

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Special

The late Michael Jackson (seen with Quincy Jones) with his record 8 Grammy trophies in 1984.

Females Dominate GRAMMY Nominations
The nominations for music's biggest night have been announced. Massive female names like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift compete for the prestigious GRAMMY Awards. Find out who's been shortlisted for the industry's highest honour. (read more)


Beyoncé for a New GRAMMY Record!
With a leading 10 nominations at this year's awards, Beyoncé has a chance at making music and GRAMMY history and setting a standard for all female artists to follow. She already has 10 trophies sitting on her mantle. How many more can she add to her golden collection this year? (read more)


GRAMMY Awards Pre-Show: Winners So Far
It's minutes before the main show, but most of the awards have been given out already in the pre-telecast. From the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift to Colbie Caillat, Maxwell and Beyoncé, find out who're already winners this year. (read more)


Beyoncé Breaks Golden GRAMMY Record
The envelopes have all been opened and music's biggest event of the year has officially come to an end. Find out who emerged the biggest winners of the industry's highest and most prestigious honour, and the record that Beyoncé broke. (read more)


Addison's 25 Greatest Artists of the Decade
Exactly 10 years after his first GRAMMYs in 2000, Addison looks back at the hundreds of talented artists he's fallen in love with and names the 25 music icons that he will remember the last decade for, in celebration of this year's GRAMMY Awards. (read more)

82nd Oscar Nominations Announced!

Oh, my heart. I'm beaming with excitement! After months of galvanic anticipation, the finalists for this year's Oscar race were finally announced last night!

It's going to be an "inglourious" battle between James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow, who are also ex-husband and wife. Both their films, Avatar and critically acclaimed The Hurt Locker, lead the pack this year with 9 nominations each, including one for the top award, Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Cameron and Bigelow will also compete for the prestigious Best Director Oscar.

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds received 8 nominations, while Jason Reitman's Up in the Air and Lee Daniels' Precious garnered 6 nods a piece. All 3 are in competition with the ex-spouses for Best Director and Best Picture.

It's the first time since 1943 that the Academy has choosen 10 Best Picture nominees, instead of 5. A Serious Man, Pixar's Up, An Education, District 9 and The Blind Side all benefitted from that.

The only major surprise this year came at the expense of Clint Eastwood. The legendary director was shut out from Best Director while Invictus failed to garner a Best Picture nomination, despite 10 slots for the category. The film about Mandela using rugby to address South Africa's racial divide was upstaged by the other rugby film of the season, The Blind Side. This has caused a stir among critics, many of whom thought Invictus was deserving of a nod.

This could mean strong support for The Blind Side's Sandra Bullock, who's nominated for Best Actress alongside Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Helen Mirren and Gabourey Sidibe.

For the complete list of nominees, click here.

25 Greatest Artists of the Decade

Exactly 10 years ago, I watched my first GRAMMY Awards on television. It was the same year I started to appreciate the arts and the celebration of it.

It was the beginning of the coming-of-age decade when I studied and fell in love with so many music genres, from jazz, pop, country, folk, instrumental to rhythm & blues. I fell in love with a whole string of artists, especially singers before my time, like the great Ella Fitzgerald (above).

I don't like the current music scene. As compared to previous decades when music had deep soul and meaning, much of the music we're hearing these days come off trashy. But there were, I have to say, a number of artists who kept the powerful spirit of the yesteryear's music alive in the 2000's.

Here is my list of 25 of such artists - the 25 Greatest Artists of the Decade:

#25 - Alison Krauss

Albums Released:
New Favorite (2001), Lonely Runs Both Ways (2004), Raising Sand (2007)

Hit Singles:

The Lucky One, You Will Be My Ain't True Love, The Scarlet Tide, Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On), Rich Woman, Please Read The Letter

Notable Achievements:
Won 16 GRAMMY Awards in the last decade and 26 overall in her career (most for any female artist in history).

#24 - Dario Marianelli

Albums Released:

Being Considered (2000), Pandaemonium (2001), In This World (2002), I Capture the Castle (2003), The Brothers Grimm (2005), Pride & Prejudice (2005), V for Vendetta (2006), Atonement (2007), The Brave One (2007), The Soloist (2009), Agora (2009)

Notable Achievements:
Won Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for his music composition in Atonement.

#23 - Martina McBride

Albums Released:
Martina (2003), Timeless (2005), Waking Up Laughing (2007), Shine (2009)

Hit Singles:

Blessed, A Broken Wing, Concrete Angel, God's Will, (I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden

Notable Achievements:

Won Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

#22 - Ray Charles

Albums Released:
Genius Loves Company (2004)

Hit Singles:

Here We Go Again (with Norah Jones), You Don't Know Me (with Diana Krall), Sweet Potato Pie (with James Taylor), Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (with Bonnie Raitt), Sinner's Prayer (with B.B. King), Heaven Help Us All (with Gladys Knight), Hey Girl (with Michael McDonald)

Notable Achievements:

Genius Loves Company won 8 GRAMMY Awards in 2005, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

#21 - Justin Timberlake

Albums Released:
Justified (2002), FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

Hit Singles:

Like I Love You, Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, Senorita, SexyBack (with Timbaland), My Love (with T.I.), What Goes Around.../...Comes Around, Summer Love, LoveStoned/I Think She Knows, 4 Minutes (with Madonna and Timbaland), Dead and Gone (with T.I.), Love Sex Magic (with Ciara)

Notable Achievements:

Won 6 GRAMMY Awards and achieved 3 number-one hits as a solo artist in the United States.

#20 - Zhang Hui Mei (A-Mei)

Albums Released:

Journey (2001), Truth (2001), Fever (2002), Brave (2003), Maybe Tomorrow (2004), I Want Happiness (2006), Star (2007)

Hit Singles:
Truth, A Moment (with Jam Hsiao)

Notable Achievements:

Won the Golden Melody Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2003 after 4 consecutive nominations and losses.

#19 - Black Eyed Peas

Albums Released:
Elephunk (2003), Monkey Business (2005), The E.N.D. (2009)

Hit Singles:

Where is the Love? (with Justin Timberlake), Shut Up, Hey Mama, Let's Get It Started, Don't Phunk with My Heart, Don't Lie, My Humps, Pump It, Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling

Notable Achievements:
Won 6 GRAMMY Awards since their breakthrough to fame in 2004.

#18 - Josh Groban

Albums Released:
Josh Groban (2001), Closer (2003), Awake (2006), Noel (2007)

Hit Singles:

To Where You Are, The Prayer (with Charlotte Church), You Raise Me Up, When You Say You Love Me, Awake, February Song

Notable Achievements:
All albums so far went to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Charts.

#17 - Nelly Furtado

Albums Released:
Whoa, Nelly! (2000), Folklore (2003), Loose (2006), Mi Plan (2009)

Hit Singles:

I'm Like a Bird, Turn Off the Lights, Powerless (Say What You Want), Try, Promiscuous (with Timbaland), Maneater, Say It Right, Do It, Broken Strings (with James Morrison)

Notable Achievements:

Won GRAMMY Award for "I'm Like A Bird" and a string of BRIT Awards and Juno Awards.

#16 - Pink

Albums Released:

Can't Take Me Home (2000), Missundaztood (2001), Try This (2003), I'm Not Dead (2006), Funhouse (2008)

Hit Singles:

Most Girls, Get The Party Started, Don't Let Me Get Me, Just Like a Pill, Family Portrait, Trouble, Feel Good Time, Stupid Girls, U + Ur Hand, So What, Sober

Notable Achievements:

A 2-time GRAMMY Award winner and one of the biggest success stories of the decade in music.

#15 - No Doubt

Albums Released:
Return of Saturn (2000), Rock Steady (2001)

Hit Singles:
Simple Kind of Life, Hey Baby, Hella Good, Underneath It All, Running, It's My Life

Notable Achievements:
Won 2 GRAMMY Awards and 5 MTV Video Music Awards.

#14 - Corrinne May

Albums Released:

Fly Away (2001), Safe in a Crazy World (2005), The Gift (2006), Beautiful Seed (2007)

Hit Singles:

Fly Away, Something About You, Fall to Fly, If You Didn't Love Me, Mr. Beasley, Everything in its Time, Little Superhero Girl, Save Me, Angel in Disguise, If I Kissed You, The Birthday Song, Love Song for #1, On the Side of Me

Notable Achievements:

Named COMPASS Young Composer of the Year in 2007 and won Best Contemporary Album award at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards in 2003.

#13 - Thomas Newman

Albums Released:

American Beauty (2000), Six Feet Under (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Angels in America (2003), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Jarhead (2005), Little Children (2006), WALL-E (2008), Revolutionary Road (2008), Brothers (2009)

Notable Achievements:
10-time Academy Award nominee and winner of 1 Emmy Award and 5 GRAMMY Awards.

#12 - Philip Glass

Albums Released:

The Hours (2002), The Illusionist (2006), A Broken Sole (2006), Notes on a Scandal (2006), No Reservations (2007), Cassandra's Dream (2007), Deferred (2007), Kremen (2007), Little Things (2007), Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007)

Notable Achievements:
3-time Academy Award nominee.

#11 - Rachel Portman

Albums Released:

The Cider House Rules (2000), Chocolat (2000), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), The Human Stain (2003), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Oliver Twist (2005), Infamous (2006), The Lake House (2006), The Duchess (2008), Grey Gardens (2009)

Notable Achievements:

Won Academy Award and nominated for 3 in total. The most recognised female composer in the film industry.

#10 - Alexandre Desplat

Albums Released:

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Birth (2004), Casanova (2005), Syriana (2005), The Queen (2006), The Painted Veil (2006), Lust, Caution (2007), The Golden Compass (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Coco avant Chanel (2009), Julie & Julia (2009)

Notable Achievements:

2-time Academy Award nominee, winner of Golden Globe Award for The Painted Veil.

#9 - Norah Jones

Albums Released:

Come Away with Me (2002), Feels Like Home (2004), Not Too Late (2007), The Fall (2009)

Hit Singles:

Don't Know Why, Come Away with Me, Feels Like Home, Here We Go Again (with Ray Charles), Thinking About You

Notable Achievements:

Won 9 GRAMMY Awards since her debut album was released in 2002. With her first album, she became one of the 6 female artists in GRAMMY history to hit the record of 5 wins in one night.

#8 - Destiny's Child

Albums Released:

The Writing's on the Wall (1999/2000), Survivor (2001), Destiny Fulfilled (2004)

Hit Singles:

Say My Name, Jumpin' Jumpin', Independent Women Part I, Survivor, Bootylicious, Emotion, Loose My Breath, Soldier (with T.I. & Lil' Wayne), Girl, Cater 2 U

Notable Achievements:

Won 3 GRAMMY Awards as a Trio. In 2005, they officially earned the title of "World's Best-Selling Female Group of All Time".

#7 - John Mayer

Albums Released:

Room for Squares (2001), Heavier Things (2003), Continuum (2006), Battle Studies (2009)

Hit Singles:

Your Body is a Wonderland, Why Georgia, Daughters, Waiting on the World to Change, Gravity, Say, Who Says

Notable Achievements:

Won a whopping 7 GRAMMY Awards. Earned the status as one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the business.

#6 - Coldplay

Albums Released:

Parachutes (2000), A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), X&Y (2005), Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)

Hit Singles:

Yellow, Trouble, The Scientist, In My Place, Clocks, Speed of Sound, Violet Hill, Viva la Vida, Lost!, Lovers in Japan, Life in Technicolor II

Notable Achievements:

Won 7 GRAMMY Awards in 20 previous nominations over the last decade and is one of the most renowned bands in the world.

#5 - Jason Mraz

Albums Released:

Live at Java Joe's (2001), Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002), Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004), Mr. A-Z (2005), We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008), Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live from Earth (2009)

Hit Singles:

The Remedy (I Won't Worry), You and I Both, Wordplay, Geek in the Pink, Life is Wonderful, Mr. Curiosity, Unfold, I'm Yours, Make It Mine, Butterfly, Lucky, Live High, A Beautiful Mess, Love for a Child

Notable Achievements:

"I'm Yours" spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and holds the record for the most weeks a single has spent on the charts. Constantly performing in sold-out concerts worldwide.

#4 - Alicia Keys

Albums Released:

Songs in A Minor (2001), The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), Unplugged (2005), As I Am (2007), The Element of Freedom (2009)

Hit Singles:

Fallin', A Woman's Worth, How Come You Don't Call Me, You Don't Know My Name, If I Ain't Got You, Karma, My Boo (with Usher), Unbreakable, No One, Like You'll Never See Me Again, Superwoman, Doesn't Mean Anything, Empire State of Mind (with Jay-Z)

Notable Achievements:

Winner of 12 GRAMMY Awards. A slew of number-one hits and albums. With her first album, she became one of the 6 female artists in GRAMMY history to hit the record of 5 wins in one night.

#3 - Beyoncé

Albums Released:
Dangerously in Love (2003), B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008)

Hit Singles:

Crazy in Love (with Jay-Z), Baby Boy (with Sean Paul), Me, Myself and I, Naughty Girl, '03 Bonnie & Clyde (with Jay-Z), Work It Out, Check on It, Déjà Vu (with Jay-Z), Ring The Alarm, Irreplaceable, Beautiful Liar (with Shakira), Get Me Bodied, Listen, At Last, If I Were A Boy, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), Halo, Ego (with Kanye West), Sweet Dreams

Notable Achievements:

Winner of 10 GRAMMY Awards since her debut solo album in 2003. Female artist that spent the most weeks on the Billboard charts in the decade. With her first solo album, she became one of the 6 female artists in GRAMMY history to hit the record of 5 wins in one night. One-half of the richest celebrity couple in the world.

#2 - Christina Aguilera

Albums Released:

Christina Aguilera (1999/2000), Mi Reflejo (2000), Stripped (2002), Back to Basics (2006)

Hit Singles:

Genie in a Bottle, What a Girl Wants, I Turn to You, Come On Over Baby (All I Want is You), Lady Marmalade (with Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink), Nobody Wants to Be Lonely (with Ricky Martin), Dirrty, Beautiful, Fighter, The Voice Within, A Song For You (with Herbie Hancock), Ain't No Other Man, Candyman, Hurt, Slow Down Baby, Save Me From Myself, Keeps Gettin' Better

Notable Achievements:

Winner of 4 GRAMMY Awards and 1 Latin GRAMMY Award. Listed #1 on COVE Magazine's Top 100 Greatest Vocalists in Music and #5 in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices of all Time. Nailed many genres of music in the last 10 years, from Pop, Rock, Classics, Rhythm & Blues to Dance/Electronic. The Madonna of the decade with her creative reinventions and exploration of vocal styles.

#1 - U2

Albums Released:

All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), No Line on the Horizon (2009)

Hit Singles:

Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Elevation, Walk On, Electrical Storm, The Hands That Built America, Vertigo, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, City of Blinding Lights, The Saints Are Coming (with Green Day), Get on Your Boots, I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight.

Notable Achievements:

Historical 15 GRAMMY Awards in 4 years (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006) and 22 trophies overall. All That You Can't Leave Behind was hands down the best album of the decade, with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb close behind. A whole string of phenomenal records and brilliant songwriting.

Beyoncé Breaks Golden GRAMMY Record

It was an entire morning's worth of leaping off the couch and off my feet, waving my hands frantically and screaming my lungs out.

Beyoncé and her Historical Night
The GRAMMY Awards went exactly as I had hoped, with Beyoncé walking away the biggest winner of the night with 6 trophies (precisely as I predicted). With that, a new record has been set for the Most GRAMMYs won by a female artist in one night.

"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" picked up Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. Beyoncé also won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Halo", Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "At Last" and Best Contemporary R&B Album for "I Am... Sasha Fierce".

I'm so thrilled for Beyoncé. I was crossing my fingers so tightly that she would break the record, so I'm glad that she did it. She is now a 16-time GRAMMY Award winner.

Mesmerising Moments for Mraz
Jason Mraz won both awards that he was nominated for! He's now an official GRAMMY Award winner. What a joy!

Mraz picked up Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Make It Mine" and Best Pop Vocal Collaboration for "Lucky" with Colbie Caillat. It's so sweet that the 2 close friends won their first GRAMMYs together on the same night.

The Best GRAMMY Results in Years
I have to say, I'm extremely pleased with this year's GRAMMY results. Well, except for Taylor Swift nabbing Album of the Year, but journalists worldwide are already expressing anger on my behalf and attacking her horrid first GRAMMY performance, which was flat and out of tune.

Kings of Leon took home the big Record of the Year award for "Use Somebody". They were one of the biggest winners of the night, as were Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Jay-Z.

Green Day, Rihanna, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Michael Bublé, Bruce Springsteen, Maxwell and India Arie also took home well-deserved GRAMMYs.

Performances that Truly Celebrate Music
Awards aside, I very much enjoyed a number of the performances at the event this year, especially the tribute to Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" by Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson. The performance and the presentation of the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Jackson's children after that were extremely moving.

Green Day's performance with the cast of the upcoming musical, American Idiot, was sensational, and so was Mary J. Blige's duet with Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga's opening performance with Elton John and the Black Eyed Peas' explosive number.

But it was Pink's acrobatic performance of "Glitter in the Air" that really wowed me as she performed fiercely daring moves while suspended in the air. It may have been a slow ballad, but the number was out of this world.

GRAMMY Awards Pre-Show: Winners So Far

It's 8am on Monday morning. We're one hour away from the GRAMMY Awards main show and I've just finished watching the live streamed pre-telecast on the GRAMMY website. Of the 100 plus categories that they have at the awards, they give out most of them in the pre-telecast.

FANTASTIC NEWS! 5 of the 10 categories Beyoncé's nominated for have been presented and she's won 4 trophies already! I'm so bloody excited! She has 5 more categories to be presented at the main show. I think she has a HUGE chance of winning 6 tonight and breaking the record I was hoping she would (read more about it here)!

EVEN MORE FANTASTIC NEWS! Jason Mraz won in both the categories he was nominated for! He is now a 2-time GRAMMY Award winner! I was crossing my fingers for just one, but he won two. It's awesome man! Wooweeeee!!!

PRE-TELECAST GRAMMY COUNT
Beyoncé - 4 wins (5 more categories for main show)
Black Eyed Peas - 3 wins (2 more categories)
Taylor Swift - 2 wins (5 more categories)
Lady Gaga - 2 wins (3 more categories)
Kings of Leon - 2 wins (2 more categories)
Jason Mraz - 2 wins
Maxwell - 2 wins
Eminem - 2 wins
Michael Bublé - 1 win
Jay-Z - 1 win
Colbie Caillat - 1 win

My mom heard me screaming in front of my computer whenever Beyoncé and Jason Mraz's names were announced. Congratulations to the both of them! And good luck to Beyoncé for her remaining categories!

Beyoncé for a New GRAMMY Record!

Two More days to the GRAMMY Awards! Move over Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon and Black Eyed Peas. On Monday morning, the only contender I'll be rooting for is Beyoncé (and the very deserving Jason Mraz)!

With a leading 10 nominations, Beyoncé has a high chance of making music history this year. Winning 6 trophies would set a new record for "the most GRAMMYs won in 1 night by a female solo artist".

The current record is 5 trophies and it's been achieved previously by Beyoncé herself, as well as Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Alison Krauss and Norah Jones.

If Beyoncé wins 5 again, she would be the only artist to meet the 5-trophies record twice, and if she wins 6, the GRAMMYs would then have a new record.

But record or no record, I've a strong feeling Sasha Fierce will dominate this year's celebration of music come Monday morning (Sunday evening in Los Angeles). And she would truly deserve it. I'm crossing my fingers for Beyoncé!

Aguilera Returns to the Pop Throne

Earlier this evening, I stumbled upon a video on youtube that featured a performance by the extraordinary Christina Aguilera during the Hope for Haiti Now charity telethon. (Check it out here)

My all-time favourite artist sang a new ballad titled "Lift Me Up" from her upcoming 4th studio release, Bionic, an album which I've been eagerly awaiting for 4 years. It was such a beautiful song and performance, and Christina's voice is as stunningly powerful and pure as ever. She's finally working those amazing vocals and pipes of hers again and I'm so thrilled about that!

For the past few years, the queen of my music world took time to build a family and enjoy the sweetness of motherhood. Happy as I've been for her, the fact remains that my world of entertainment is absolutely mundane without her presence. I've missed her so, so much! But now she's finally back with a new record, scheduled to be released in April (4 years after the release of Back to Basics).

On top of that, she's currently starring in her first film role opposite Cher in a musical called, Burlesque. After so many years of expressing interest in acting, she finally found the right role and is living her dream. What an exhilarating new endeavour! The film will be released at the end of the year.

2010 is going to be all about my beloved Christina Aguilera! I can hardly wait!