Arts & Entertainment
Grammy noms 2016: Swift, Lamar come out on top
Winners to be announced in Feb.
Grammy nominations for the 58th annual Grammy awards were released today.
Kendrick Lamar received 11 nominations, the most of any artist, including Album of the Year, “To Pimp a Butterfly” and Song of the Year, “Alright.”
Taylor Swift followed with seven nominations for her smash-hit album “1989.” Swift’s “Blank Space” was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Swift and Lamar also nabbed a joint-nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their collaboration on “Bad Blood.” The Weeknd tied with Swift for seven nominations for his album “Beauty Behind the Madness.”
R&B/hip-hop group the Internet, fronted by lesbian lead singer Syd Tha Kyd, also received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album for its latest release “Ego Death.”
The 2016 Grammys will air on Feb. 15. For a complete list of nominees, visit grammy.com.Ā
Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor
Record of the Year
“Really Love,” DāAngelo & The Vanguard
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheehan
“Canāt Feel My Face,” The Weeknd
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
āAlright,ā Kendrick Lamar
āBlank Space,ā Taylor Swift
āGirl Crush,ā Little Big Town
āSee You Again,ā Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
āThinking Out Loud,ā Ed Sheeran
Album of the Year
“Sound & Color,” Alabama Shakes
“To Pimp A Butterfly,” Kendrick Lamar
“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
“1989,” Taylor Swift
“Beauty Behind The Madness,” The Weeknd
Best Pop Solo Performance
āHeartbeat Song,ā Kelly Clarkson
āLove Me Like You Do,ā Ellie Goulding
āThinking Out Loud,ā Ed Sheeran
āBlank Space,ā Taylor Swift
āCanāt Feel My Face,ā The Weeknd
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
āShip To Wreck,ā Florence + The Machine
āSugar,ā Maroon 5
āUptown Funk,ā Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
āBad Blood,ā Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
āSee You Again,ā Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
Best Pop Vocal Album
“Piece By Piece,” Kelly Clarkson
“How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,” Florence + The Machine
“Uptown Special,” Mark Ronson
“1989,” Taylor Swift
“Before This World,” James Taylor
Best Rock Performance
“We’re All We Need,” Above & Beyond Featuring ZoĆ« Johnston
“Go,” The Chemical Brothers
“Never Catch Me,” Flying Lotus Featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Runaway (U & I),” Galantis
“Where Are Ć Now,” Skrillex And Diplo With Justin Bieber
Best R&B Performance
āIf I Donāt Have You,ā Tamar Braxton
āRise Up,ā Andra Day
āBreathing Underwater,ā Hiatus Kaiyote
āPlanes,ā Jeremih Featuring J. Cole
āEarned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey),ā The Weeknd
Best Rap Performance
āApparently,ā J. Cole
āBack To Back,ā Drake
āTrap Queen,ā Fetty Was
āAlright,ā Kendrick Lamar
āTruffle Butter,ā Nicki Minaj featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
āAll Day,ā Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney
Best Country Album
“Montebello,” Sam Hunt
“Pain Killer,” Little Big Town
“The Blade,” Ashley Monroe
“Pageant Material,” Kacey Musgraves
“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL and Rainbow Families sponsored Gay Day at the Zoo on Sunday at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Smithsonian marked International Family Equality Day with special exhibits and an event space.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering Gay Day at the Zoo for @WashBlade . Here at @NationalZooDC pic.twitter.com/LqgGNOOAiM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) May 5, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Taste of Point
Annual fundraiser held for LGBTQ youth scholarship, mentorship organization
The Point Foundation held its annual Taste of Point fundraiser at Room & Board on May 2.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
Miss Kitty tackles classical mythology in āMetamorphosesā
Folger production seen through the lens of the African diaspora
āMetamorphosesā
May 7-June 16
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Miss Kittyās words are thoughtful and measured, occasionally punctuated by flamboyant flourishes and uplifting proclamations. Her tried and tested tagline is ālive in fierce not fear.āĀ
She describes herself as āAMAB (assigned male at birth), nonbinary, genderqueer, transfemmeā as well as āchanteuse, noble blacktress, and dancer.ā
Currently, Miss Kitty is testing her talents in Mary Zimmermanās āMetamorphosesā at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill.
At 90 minutes, āMetamorphoses,ā is made up of interwoven vignettes from classical mythology including the tales of Midas and his daughter, Alcyone and Ceyx, and Eros and Psyche.
āItās all stories that relate to the human condition: the follies, the happiness, the love, the loss,ā Miss Kitty explains. āAnd a thorough knowledge of mythology isnāt a requirement for enjoyment.ā
The language is contemporary and with its 11-person ensemble cast ā comprised exclusively of Black or indigenous people of color ā theyāre adding their own spin to its present-day feel, she adds.
In Zimmermanās famously staged premiere production, the actors performed in and around a pool of water. At Folger, director Psalmayene 24 has ditched actual aquatics; instead, he suggests the element by introducing Water Nymph, a new character constructed around Miss Kitty.
Water Nymph doesnāt speak, but sheās very visible from the opening number and throughout the play on stage and popping up in unexpected places around the venue.
āItās a lot of dancing; I havenāt danced the way Tony Thomas is choreographing me in a very long time. At 40, can she still make theater with just my body as her instrument?
The name āMiss Kittyā was born over a decade ago.
Miss Kitty recalls, āShe was still presenting as male and going by her dead name. Someone commented that with the wig she was wearing for a part, she looked like Eartha Kitt whom she deeply admires.ā
Her penchant for illeism (referring to oneself in third person) isnāt without good reason. She explains, āItās to reiterate that however she might look, sheās always there; and if you misgender, she will let you know.ā
Initially, the moniker was a drag persona at Capital Pride or the occasional fabulous cabaret performance at a nightclub.
But as time passed, she realized that Miss Kitty was something she couldnāt take off. She had always been a part of her.
āSheās helped me to grow and flourish; sheās given me the strength that I never would have had before. Iām so proud of myself for realizing that before it was too late.ā
Bringing Miss Kitty into her theatrical career presented some concerns. Would theater folks be open to the new her, especially those sheād worked with before?
Not always, but sheās found new companies whoāve welcomed Miss Kitty with open arms including Avant Bard, Spooky Action Theater, and now Folger.
Last fall, Miss Kitty appeared in Spooky Actionās Agreste (Drylands), a stunning queer story penned by gay Brazilian playwright Newton Moreno.
After being invited to audition and reading the script, Miss Kitty was determined to be a part of the production.
A work dealing with love and being trans, and transphobia, and how people can turn on a dime once they learn the truth about someone, resonated deeply with the actor.
āThe play speaks to the idea that if people just let people be who they are and love who they want to love weād all be a lot happier,ā she says.
For her sublime efforts, Miss Kitty nabbed a Helen Hayes Award nomination in the Outstanding Lead Performer category (winner to be determined on Monday, May 20 during a ceremony at The Anthem).
Itās her first time nominated and first time attending. Sheās thrilled.
Miss Kitty grew up in Oxen Hill, Md., and now lives near Washington Harbor. Her entry into performance was through music followed by high school plays. She graduated from Catholic University with a degree in music/concentration in musical theater, and from there dove directly into showbiz.
Looking back, Miss Kitty says, ābeing a person of color AND queer can be a double whammy of difficulty. You have to live in light and do the things youāre afraid to do. Thatās the game changer.ā
Presenting āMetamorphosesā through the lens of the African diaspora (the cast also includes Jon Hudson Odom and Billie Krishawn, among others) helps us to realize that every story can be universal, especially for marginalized people ā South Asian, Native American, or fully queer perspectives, she says.
āHaving an all-Black ensemble opens all new worlds for everyone.ā