Pitchfork

Well, this was unexpected. Perhaps coming to terms with the fact that increasingly few people give a shit about the Grammys, the Recording Academy tonight announced its list of nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, and those nominees were...shockingly relevant. (Read the whole list HERE.)

You know who got the most nominations? Lil Wayne! He's up for eight Grammys! That's right, not the Eagles or Bob Dylan or John Legend or U2 or some boring old fart your dad likes. Lil Wayne! Pretty risque move, Grammys. I like it.

While it would be pretty awesome if the Grammy for Album of the Year went to an album with THIS FUCKING COVER, it probably isn't going to happen, as Weezy has some pretty stiff competition in that category: Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (which will probably win) Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman (!), Robert Plant & Alison Krauss's Raising Sand (which will win if Coldplay doesn't), and-- hey why not?--Radiohead's In Rainbows. Yes, Lil Wayne and Radiohead are competing for Album of the Year. Please dear god, let those two pair up for one of those collaborative medley things that the Grammys always do. Please!

But you know what's even crazier? M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" is up for Record of the Year! It totally won't win (it's up against Coldplay, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Leona Lewis, and Adele), but can you imagine if it did? Can you imagine if the entire Grammy telecast ends with M.I.A., Diplo, and Switch up there at the podium? How cool would that be? Also: this is the only Grammy nomination that M.I.A. received. Weird, huh?

All in all, Coldplay are up for seven awards, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, and Kanye are each up for six, Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead, and Jazmine Sullivan (hey, there's a party!) are all up for five, and Adele, Danger Mouse, the Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, George Strait, and T.I. each got four noms. Not bad, right?

As usual, there are some pretty interesting nominations in the genre categories as well. Daft Punk, Robyn, Moby, Kylie Minogue, Cyndi Lauper, and Brazilian Girls are the noms for Best Electronic/Dance Album, Daft Punk, Hot Chip, and Sam Sparro will duke it out with Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna for Best Dance Recording, Death Cab for Cutie is up against Radiohead, Coldplay, Springsteen, and Kings of Leon for Best Rock Song, Beck, Death Cab, Gnarls Barkley, My Morning Jacket, and Radiohead are the Alternative noms, while Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, and T.I. are up for Best Rap Album. Stephen Colbert and David Sedaris are up for Best Spoken Word Album, Flight of the Conchords got a Best Comedy Album nom, and Jonny Greenwood's There Will Be Blood score is up for Best Score Soundtrack Album.

No Age get to fight Metallica for Best Recording Package, while Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails are both nominated for Best Boxed Set or Limited Edition Package. Danger Mouse and Nigel Godrich are up for Producer of the Year, Justice got a Best Remixed Recording nom for their mix of MGMT's "Electric Feel", and Cornelius is up for Best Surround Sound Album. Weezer, Gnarls Barkley, Erykah Badu, and Radiohead are up for Best Short Form Music Video, as is that Jack White and Alicia Keys James Bond song, which is weird, because that video is terrible.

The Grammys air on CBS on February 8, 2009. I can't wait to see what M.I.A. wears!