Arts & Entertainment

JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar lead diverse 2018 Grammy nominations

Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga also land nominations

Published

8 years ago

November 28, 2017

Mariah Cooper

(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)

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Nightlife

In D.C. comedy, be sure to shop local

A thriving patchwork of queer-friendly stages in Washington, Baltimore

Published

8 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Jamie Mack

(Photo courtesy of Jamie Mack)

Most people know stand-up comedy from Netflix specials or late-night sets on Comedy Central. The reality is far different for local working comics like me. A few times a month, I might get paid $50 for a 10-minute set and my photo on a bar flyer to show off to the ladies in my scrapbooking club.

Still, it’s a joy sharing laughs about my well-worn Washington career arc — from conservative reporter to openly trans organic grocery store worker and nightclub comedian. Or, as I like to say onstage, from Fox to foxy.

Stand-up is hard. Offstage, it’s even harder. It took more than a year and nearly 80 open mics to land my first paid set. Since then, I’ve performed in coffee shops, bars, restaurants and even on a city sidewalk. I once performed in the Catskills, which felt like a big deal — even if it was a bigger deal in the 1950s.

As an older trans comic in Washington, I’ve found it nearly impossible to get stage time — or even the courtesy of a returned email — at the big, corporate-owned comedy clubs. Fortunately, there’s a thriving patchwork of queer-friendly producers in Washington and Baltimore creating shows that reflect the diversity of our communities, instead of straight male-dominated lineups that look like the cast of “Ice Road Truckers.”

“There are so many kinds of funny people, but a lot of barriers exist for women and queer people because it’s a very masculine culture,” said Dana Fleitman, who runs the Just Kidding Comedy Collective and is helping produce the Woke Mob Comedy Festival in April, featuring many women and queer comics.

Full disclosure: I’m not performing in the festival. But I am proud to be one of more than 50 women and nonbinary comics Fleitman and her colleagues have helped “train up” through an incubator program she first ran through Grassroots Comedy and now through Just Kidding Comedy Collective.

Another trans comic, Charlie Girard, who splits time between New York and Washington, runs an incubator program called Queers Can’t Take a Joke. He has trained more than 100 comics in Washington.

Girard has one rule: no punching down.

“The best comics speak truth to power,” Girard said. “Making fun of marginalized communities is simple lazy writing based on tired, old stereotypes.”

Ultimately, Girard wants to prepare students not just for queer rooms, but to find their voice and expand into all kinds of spaces.

Comics trained by Girard and Fleitman have gone on to produce or help run shows like Clocked Comedy, Backbone Comedy, the Crackin’ Up open mic and Funny Side Up. Several have found a home on Barracks Row at As You Are — one of my favorite places to perform. In Washington, comic Jenny Cavallero’s show Seltzer is a sober comedy night frequently featuring local queer comics.

In Washington, performer and producer Arzoo Malhotra, who runs Zoo Animal Productions, said it’s a critical moment to support community-based comedy producers, often the first hit by worsening economic conditions.

“We’re losing spaces faster than we’re creating them,” Malhotra said. “We are in the use-it-or-lose-it stage. If there’s a restaurant you like or a performer you want to keep seeing, patronize them now — because they’re going away.”

I’m also grateful for producers in Baltimore, which has a thriving queer comedy scene. Comic Hannah Alden Jeffrey’s monthly “The Really Cool Open Mic,” created for women and trans performers but open to all, regularly draws up to 100 people.

Hannah’s mic and Kenny Rooster’s “Dramedy” open stage have provided safety and opportunity when other stages felt out of reach. Comedians Michael Furr and Jake Leizear also produce shows regularly featuring queer comics.

“We started the REALLY COOL Open Mic because every other mic in town catered toward straight dudes that dominated the Baltimore scene,” Alden Jeffrey said. “Contrary to the lineups of many shows today, people don’t want to see a show of eight guys being bigots. Go figure.”

One of the most important moments for me came when I attended a free showcase at a well-known Adams Morgan club. Like other big venues, it hadn’t responded to emails from a new comic looking for a shot. I sat in the back row thinking maybe these comics were just way funnier than I am.

Then a straight male comedian — with hair even more gorgeous than mine — launched into a long joke comparing eating pizza to performing oral sex on a woman.

At that moment, I walked out feeling better about myself. I remember thinking: nope. I absolutely deserve to be on that stage, too.

Lots of us do.

Jamie Mack is a stand up comedian, speaker and writer. Follow them on Instagram at @jamiemack_blt or email [email protected].

Celebrity News

Liza Minnelli makes surprise appearance at GLAAD Media Awards

Laverne Cox’s fiery speech earned standing ovation

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Matt Minton

Liza Minnelli surprises at the GLAAD Media Awards (Photo courtesy of GLAAD)

Last night’s GLAAD Media Awards had a few pleasant surprises in store.

Throughout the evening, which was hosted by “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett on Thursday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the audience was clued into the fact that a mystery guest would make an appearance. By the end of the night, it was revealed to be none other than “Cabaret” star and queer icon Liza Minnelli, who was in attendance to accept the newly-created Liza Minnelli Storyteller Award.

An emotional Minnelli told the crowd of queer attendees and creatives, “You make me so proud because you’re so strong, and you stand up for what you believe in. You really do, and it’s so nice to be here. I feel like a five-year-old!” Everyone then joined in a happy birthday celebration for Minnelli’s upcoming birthday on March 12, and the release of her upcoming memoir, “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!”

Another moment that got the audience standing and cheering was when “Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox took to the stage to call out how “what is going on right now in the United States of America is not right.”

She said, “Identify, I said this earlier, and I’m going to say it again, what dehumanizing language and images are. Call it out and don’t buy into it! So much of my struggle over the past several years [has been] trying to figure out how to combat this assault on my community, rhetorically. I do not want to have the conversation about my life and my humanity on the oppressor’s terms.”

That message was echoed by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers when accepting the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for their “Las Culturistas” podcast and pledging to donate $10,000 to Equality Kansas after the state revoked transgender people’s driver’s licenses. “We cannot accept this award without condemning the rampant active transphobia from this administration,” Rogers said. “We are also here to let them know in advance that they are fighting a losing battle. When we gather in rooms like this, we are always going to have each other’s backs.”

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Among the big winners last night were “Heated Rivalry” for outstanding new TV series, “The Traitors” for outstanding reality competition program, “Stranger Things” for outstanding drama series, “Palm Royale” (which was just cancelled after two seasons) for outstanding comedy series, “Come See Me in the Good Light” for outstanding documentary, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” for outstanding wide theatrical release film and a tie between “A Nice Indian Boy” and “Plainclothes” for outstanding limited theatrical release film.

Quinta Brunson received the Vanguard Award for her hit TV series “Abbott Elementary,” which features Jacob, an openly queer character played by Chris Perfetti. Brunson said, “Queer people have been a part of my life since birth. I have to shout out my uncle … who was the first example of representation in my life of queer people, who allowed me to be free. There are so many people in the room who changed my life.”

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On the music side, Young Miko won for outstanding music artist, and KATSEYE won for outstanding breakthrough music artist. Demi Lovato even opened the show with a steamy performance of her single “Kiss.”

The GLAAD Media Awards will officially air Saturday, March 21 on Hulu.