Arts & Entertainment
JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar lead diverse 2018 Grammy nominations
Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga also land nominations
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
The 60th Annual Grammys Awards announced its 2018 nominees with rap and R&B artists making their mark on the top four major categories.
Singer Audra Day announced the nominations for the four major categories of record of the year, song of the year, best new artist and album of the year.
JAY-Z leads this year’s nominations with a total of eight nominations including album, song, and record of the year. His album “4:44,” which includes his mother’s coming out, will battle against Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic, “Damn” by Kendrick Lamar,” “Melodrama” by Lorde and “Awaken My Love!” by Childish Gambino.
Kendrick Lamar is close behind with a total of seven nominations for his album “Damn.” Lady Gaga also scored nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance for “Million Reasons” and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Joanne.”
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards will air from Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday Jan. 28 on CBS.
Album of the Year
“Awaken My Love!,” Childish Gambino
“4:44,” JAY-Z
“Damn,” Kendrick Lamar
“Melodrama,” Lorde
“24K Magic,” Bruno Mars
Song of the Year
“Despacito” Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi and Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44” Shawn Carter and Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)
“Issues” Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255” Sir Robert Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Alessia Caracciolo, Khalid Robinson, Drew Taggart, songwriters (Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid)
“That’s What I Like” Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars
Record of the Year
“Redbone,” Childish Gambino
“Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story of O.J.,” JAY-Z
“Humble,” Kendrick Lamar
“24K Magic,” Bruno Mars
Best New Artist
Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Love So Soft,” Kelly Clarkson
“Praying,” Kesha
“Million Reasons,” Lady Gaga
“What About Us,” P!nk
“Shape Of You,” Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Vocal Album
“Kaleidoscope EP,” Coldplay
“Lust For Life,” Lana Del Rey
“Evolve,” Imagine Dragons
“Rainbow,” Kesha
“Joanne,” Lady Gaga
“÷ (Divide),” Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Something Just Like This,” The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
“Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“Thunder,” Imagine Dragons
“Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man
“Stay,” Zedd & Alessia Cara
Traditional Vocal Album
“Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version),” Michael Bublé
“Triplicate,” Bob Dylan
“In Full Swing,” Seth MacFarlane
“Wonderland,” Sarah McLachlan
“Tony Bennett Celebrates 90,” Various Artists
Best Rap Album
“4:44,” JAY-Z
“Damn,” Kendrick Lamar
“Culture,” Migos
“Laila’s Wisdom,” Rapsody
“Flower Boy,” Tyler, the Creator
Best Rap/Sung Performance
“Prblms,” 6lack
“Crew,” Goldlink featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
“Family Feud,” JAY-Z featuring Beyoncé
“Loyalty,” Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna
“Love Galore,” SZA featuring Travis Scott
Best Country Album
“Cosmic Hallelujah,” Kenny Chesney
“Heart Break,” Lady Antebellum
“The Breaker,” Little Big Town
“Life Changes,” Thomas Rhett
“From a Room: Volume 1,” Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“It Ain’t My Fault,” Brothers Osborne
“My Old Man,” Zac Brown Band
“You Look Good,” Lady Antebellum
“Better Man,” Little Big Town
“Drinkin’ Problem,” Midland
Best Country Solo Performance
“Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt
“Losing You,” Alison Krauss
“Tin Man,” Miranda Lambert
“I Could Use a Love Song,” Maren Morris
“Either Way,” Chris Stapleton
Best Rock Album
“Emperor of Sand,” Mastodon
“Hardwired…to Self-Destruct,” Metallica
“The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” Nothing More
“Villains,” Queens of the Stone Age
“A Deeper Understanding,” The War on Drugs
Best Rock Performance
“You Want It Darker,” Leonard Cohen
“The Promise,” Chris Cornell
“Run,” Foo Fighters
“No Good,” Kaleo
“Go to War,” Nothing More
Best R&B Performance
“Get You,” Daniel Caesar featuring Kali Uchis
“Distraction,” Kehlani
“High,” Ledisi
“That’s What I Like,” Bruno Mars
“The Weekend,” SZA
Best R&B Urban Contemporary Album
“Free 6lack,” 6lack
“Awaken, My Love!,” Childish Gambino
“American Teen,” Khalid
“Ctrl,” SZA
“Starboy,” the Weeknd
Best Dance Electronic Album
“Migration,” Bonobo
“3-D the Catalogue,” Kraftwerk
“Mura Masa,” Mura Masa
“A Moment Apart,” Odesza
“What Now,” Sylvan Esso
Best Dance Recording
“Bambro Koyo Ganda,” Bonobo featuring Innov Gnawa
“Cola,” Camelphat & Elderbrook
“Andromeda,” Gorillaz featuring Dram
“Tonite,” LCD Soundsystem
“Line of Sight,” Odesza featuring Wynne & Mansionair
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
“Baby Driver,” (Various Artists)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2,” (Various Artists)
“Hidden Figures: The Album,” (Various Artists)
“La La Land,” (Various Artists)
“Moana: The Songs,” (Various Artists)
Best Song Written For Visual Media
“City of Stars,” Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone)
“How Far I’ll Go,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho)
“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker),” Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Zayn & Taylor Swift)
“Never Give Up,” Sia Furler & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia)
“Stand Up for Something,” Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day featuring Common)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
“Arrival,” Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer
“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer, composer
“Game of Thrones: Season 7,” Ramin Djawadi, composer
“Hidden Figures,” Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams & Hans Zimmer, composers
“La La Land,” Justin Hurwitz, composer
Best Music Video
“Up All Night,” (Beck) Canada, video director; Laura Serra Estorch & Oscar Romagosa, video producers
“Makeba” — (Jain) Lionel Hirle & Gregory Ohrel, video directors; Yodelice, video producer
“The Story of O.J.” — (Jay-Z) Shawn Carter & Mark Romanek, video directors; Daniel Midgley, video producer
“Humble.” — (Kendrick Lamar) The Little Homies & Dave Meyers, video directors; Jason Baum, Dave Free, Jamie Rabineau, Nathan K. Scherrer & Anthony Tiffith, video producers
“1-800-273-8255″ — (Logic featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid) Andy Hines, video director; Andrew Lerios, video producer
Best Music Film
“One More Time With Feeling” (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds) Andrew Dominik, video director; Dulcie Kellett & James Wilson, video producers
“Long Strange Trip” (The Grateful Dead) Amir Bar-Lev, video director; Alex Blavatnik, Ken Dornstein, Eric Eisner, Nick Koskoff & Justin Kreutzmann, video producers
“The Defiant Ones” (Various Artists) Allen Hughes, video director; Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood, Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo, Doug Pray & Steven Williams, video producers
“Soundbreaking” (Various Artists) Maro Chermayeff & Jeff Dupre, video directors; Joshua Bennett, Julia Marchesi, Sam Pollard, Sally Rosenthal, Amy Schewel & Warren Zanes, video producers
Best Spoken Word Album
“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,” Neil deGrasse Tyson
“Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen
“Confessions of a Serial Songwriter,” Shelly Peiken
“Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Bernie Sanders),” Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo
“The Princess Diarist,” Carrie Fisher
Best Comedy Album
“The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas,” Dave Chappelle
“Cinco,” Jim Gaffigan
“Jerry Before Seinfeld,” Jerry Seinfeld
“A Speck of Dust,” Sarah Silverman
“What Now?,” Kevin Hart
Best Musical Theater Album
“Come From Away” — Ian Eisendrath, August Eriksmoen, David Hein, David Lai & Irene Sankoff, producers; David Hein & Irene Sankoff, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
“Dear Evan Hansen” — Ben Platt, principal soloist; Alex Lacamoire, Stacey Mindich, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, producers; Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
“Hello, Dolly!” — Bette Midler, principal soloist; Steven Epstein, producer (Jerry Herman, composer & lyricist) (New Broadway Cast Recording)
Theater
Out dancer on Alvin Ailey’s stint at Warner Theatre
10-day production marks kickoff of national tour
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Through Feb. 8
Warner Theatre
513 12th St., N.W.
Tickets start at $75
ailey.org
The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is coming to Washington’s Warner Theatre, and one of its principal veterans couldn’t be more pleased. Out dancer Renaldo Maurice is eager to be a part of the company’s 10-day stint, the kickoff of a national tour that extends through early May.
“I love the respectful D.C. crowd and they love us,” says Maurice, a member of esteemed modern dance company for 15 years. The traveling tour is made of two programs and different casting with Ailey’s masterwork “Revelations” in both programs.
Recently, we caught up with Maurice via phone. He called from one of the quiet rooms in his New York City gym where he’s getting his body ready for the long Ailey tour.
Based in North Newark, N.J., where he recently bought a house, Maurice looks forward to being on the road: “I enjoy the rigorous performance schedule, classes, shows, gym, and travel. It’s all part of carving out a lane for myself and my future and what that looks like.”
Raised by a single mother of three in Gary, Ind., Maurice, 33, first saw Alvin Ailey as a young kid in the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago, the same venue where he’s performed with the company as a professional dancer.
He credits his mother with his success: “She’s a real dance mom. I would not be the man or artist I am today if it weren’t for the grooming and discipline of my mom. Support and encouragement. It’s impacted my artistry and my adulthood.”
Maurice is also part of the New York Ballroom scene, an African-American and Latin underground LGBTQ+ subculture where ball attendees “walk” in a variety of categories (like “realness,” “fashion,” and “sex siren”) for big prizes. He’s known as the Legendary Overall Father of the Haus of Alpha Omega.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Like many gay men of his era, Ailey lived a largely closeted public life before his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989.
RENALDO MAURICE Not unusual for a Black gay man born during the Depression in Rogers, Texas, who’s striving to break out in the industry to be a creative. You want to be respected and heard. Black man, and Black man who dances, and you may be same-sex gender loving too. It was a lot, especially at that time.
BLADE: Ailey has been described as intellectual, humble, and graceful. He possessed strength. He knew who he was and what stories he wanted to tell.
MAURICE: Definitely, he wanted to concentrate on sharing and telling stories. What kept him going was his art. Ailey wanted dancers to live their lives and express that experience on stage. That way people in the audience could connect with them. It’s incredibly powerful that you can touch people by moving your body.
That’s partly what’s so special about “Revelations,” his longest running ballet and a fan favorite that’s part of the upcoming tour. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1960, it’s a modern dance work that honors African-American cultural heritage through themes of grief, joy, and faith.
BLADE: Is “Revelation” a meaningful piece for you?
MAURICE: It’s my favorite piece. I saw it as a kid and now perform it as a professional dance artist. I’ve grown into the role since I was 20 years old.
BLADE: How can a dancer in a prestigious company also be a ballroom house father?
MAURICE: I’ve made it work. I learned how to navigate and separate. I’m a principal dancer with Ailey. And I take that seriously. But I’m also a house father and I take that seriously as well.
I’m about positivity, unity, and hard work. In ballroom you compete and if you’re not good, you can get chopped. You got to work on your craft and come back harder. It’s the same with dance.
BLADE: Any message for queer audiences?
MAURICE: I know my queer brothers and sisters love to leave with something good. If you come to any Ailey performance you’ll be touched, your spirit will be uplifted. There’s laughter, thoughtful and tender moments. And it’s all delivered by artists who are passionate about what they do.
BLADE: Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of your life. Thoughts on that?
MAURICE: I’m a believer in it takes a village. Hard work and discipline. I take it seriously and I love what I do. Ailey has provided me with a lot: world travel, a livelihood, and working with talented people here and internationally. Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of my life from boyhood to now. It’s been great.
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
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