Kanye West hates losing at awards shows. The Grammys will give him eight more chances to win. Or not.
The rapper scored eight nominations—more than any other artist—as the field for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards was unveiled Thursday in Los Angeles. (Get the complete list of nominees.)
Amy Winehouse, who was a singer before becoming a tabloid staple for her and her husband's drug troubles, was remembered for her Shirley Bassey pipes, with six nominations, including one for Best New Artist.
Other top multiple nominees were Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Timbaland, the Foo Fighters and T-Pain, with five each.
Chris Daughtry led all American Idol alums—a not insubstantial group—with four nods for his namesake band, Daughtry. (Not one of the nods, oddly enough, was for Best New Artist.) Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia were among the other ex-Idols to nab nods.
West, who previously popped off over perceived slights at the American Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards and, yes, the Grammys, but more recently gained headlines, and sympathy, for his mother's sudden death, was in the game for his 50 Cent-conquering collection, Graduation.
Winehouse earned her nods for her retro soul effort, Back to Black.
West and Winehouse will compete directly against each other in only one category: Album of the Year.
The two will vie for that top honor against three somewhat unusual suspects: jazz great Herbie Hancock, up for his musings on Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters; country star Vince Gill, up for his four-disc epic, These Days; and Foo Fighters, up for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. More-usual suspects Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Timbaland were recognized with nominations elsewhere.
The Record of the Year race, for best single, shapes up like this: the Winehouse anthem "Rehab," the Justin Timberlake jam "What Goes Around Comes Around," the Rihanna and Jay-Z summertime staple "Umbrella," Foo Fighters' "The Pretender" and Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."
Winehouse and "Rehab," along with "Umbrella," show up again in the Song of the Year field. That category, honoring a hit's songwriter, also finds Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," Plain White T's breakthrough ditty "Hey There Delilah," and Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star."
In the Best New Artist category, Winehouse faces fellow soul singer Ledisi, alterna-acts Feist and Paramore, and teen country star Taylor Swift.
Winehouse's name will be heard again in the Best Female Pop Vocal discussion, where her inescapable "Rehab" rant will compete against Christina Aguilera's swinging "Candyman," Feist's signature song turned iTunes jingle "1234," Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" and Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right."
Britney Spears was not snubbed—her Blackout was released in late October, one month after the Grammys' eligibility period closed. She can be nominated, or not, next year. The same goes for the Eagles, late of Long Road Out of Eden.
Timberlake, the star of last winter's Grammy show, is up for Best Male Pop Vocal for "What Goes Around...Comes Around." He'll face crooner Michael Bublé ("Call Me Irresponsible"), bluesy John Mayer ("Belief"), Seal, who recorded "Amazing" minus new duet partner Heidi Klum, and McCartney ("Dance Tonight"), who, like Feist, found that iTunes/iPod commercials are great places to promote music.
West, who, outside of Album of the Year, didn't factor into the other big general categories, resurfaces in rap. His "Stronger" will vie for the Best Rap Solo Grammy against old friend 50 Cent ("I Get Money"), Jay-Z ("Show Me What You Got"), The People ("Common") and T.I. ("Big Things Poppin' [Do It]").
Daughtry, the whole band, not just the person, rocked the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals field with "It's Not Over." The newbie group will go amp to amp against veteran acts Green Day ("Working Class Hero"), Nickelback ("If Everyone Cared"), U2 ("Instant Karma") and the White Stripes ("Icky Thump"). The late John Lennon is the unofficial sixth nominee in this category—Green Day and U2 both earned their nods for contributing Lennon standards to the collection Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
Chris Daughtry's fellow Idol alum Fantasia turns up with a Best Female R&B Vocal nod for "When I See You." Also nominated there: Mary J. Blige ("Just Fine"), Alicia Keys ("No One"), Chrisette Michele ("If I Have My Way") and Jill Scott ("Hate on Me").
Prince finds himself in the Best Male R&B Vocal field for "Future Baby Mama." His competition: Raheem DeVaughn ("Woman"); Musiq Soulchild ("B.U.D.D.Y."), Ne-Yo ("Because of You") and Tank ("Please Don't Go").
Drilling down, here are other nomination highlights from the Grammys' 110—yes, 110—categories:
- Kelly Clarkson's My December was her ignored album. She had better luck with her duet with Reba McEntire, "Because of You," up for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
- Michael Bublé, who has a thing about losing to Tony Bennett, won't lose to Tony Bennett—guaranteed. Bennett only scored one nod, for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for his "Steppin' Out" duet with Christina Aguilera. Bublé is up in two categories, the Bennett-free Best Male Pop Vocal, and the Bennett-free Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Call Me Irresponsible).
- Bublé, however, could lose to Queen Latifah. The Oscar-nominated actress-erstwhile rapper turns up in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for her sweetly sung collection, Trav'lin' Light.
- Joni Mitchell, feted in Hancock's River, stands on her own in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance field for "One Week Last Summer."
- Paul McCartney can make do with a Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy for Memory Almost Full, provided Winehouse, also competing in the category, doesn't sweep.
- With a title like "Aesthetics of Hate," the Machine Head cut has to be a Best Metal Performance contender. (And it is.)
- Bruce Springsteen didn't have to hum a note for one of his Grammy nods. He's up for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for his tip of the cowboy hat to composer Ennio Morricone, "Once Upon a Time in the West."
- There was no Best New Artist nod for Lily Allen. But there was a Best Alternative Music Album nod for the British singer's Alright, Still...
- Carrie Underwood lassoed two nominations, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Before He Cheats") and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("Oh Love," a duet with Brad Paisley).
- Tim McGraw is all over the Grammys. One of Taylor Swift's breakthrough singles was called "Tim McGraw." The man himself is up for four awards, including Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for his "I Need You" duet with wife and family-jewels-minder Faith Hill.
- Hope Animal doesn't trash Staples Center—the Muppets are up for a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children (A Green and Red Christmas).
- Are film awards not enough for Meryl Streep? No. She can add a Grammy to her collection for her storytelling work alongside fellow actor Stanley Tucci on The One and Only Shrek, up for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.
- Looks like the Secret Service is going to have to circle the Grammys on its calendar. Former President Clinton, former President Carter, current presidential candidate Barack Obama and former Canadian Bacon presidential portrayer Alan Alda are all up for Best Spoken Word Album.
- George Lopez lost his sitcom but gained a Grammy nod for America's Mexican, up for Best Comedy Album.
- Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder figures into the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media race for "Guaranteed," one of his contributions to Sean Penn's Into the Wild.
- Harry Connick Jr. picked up composing and arranging nods for "Ash Wednesday," an instrumental track off his ode to New Orleans, Chanson du Vieux Carré.
- Brian Setzer crashes the classical categories with a Best Classical Crossover Album nomination for Wolfgang's Big Night Out.
- Johnny Cash represents for the deceased with a way-posthumous—he died in 2003—Best Short-Form Music Video nod for "God's Gonna Cut You Down."
- R. Kelly's melodramatic "Trapped in the Closet" opus might not win an Oscar, but it could win a Grammy—for Best Long-Form Music Video.
The 50th Annual Grammys are scheduled to be presented Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.
(Originally published Dec. 6, 2007 at 9:46 a.m. PT.)