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Internet Reacts to Grammy Leaks, Nominations, and Potential Snubs

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  • Grammy nominations were released this morning, with Lizzo leading the count at eight.
  • The news comes a day after the nomination counts were believed to have been leaked on the Grammy’s website.
  • There were many questions surrounding song eligibility, seeing as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” was nominated several times, despite first being released in 2017.
  • There was also debate around potential snubs, like BTS, who did not get any nominations.

Nomination Counts Leak

Lizzo led Wednesday’s Grammy nominations as many had expected thanks to a suspected nomination count leak that happened a day before the official list was announced.

Lizzo earned eight nods, while Billie Eilish and Lil Naz X picked up six. Ariana Grande followed close behind with five. These numbers confirmed fan theories that the Grammys accidentally released nomination counts since they matched up with the information that appeared online Tuesday.

The Grammys website has pages for nominated artists. On those pages, you can see how many wins and nominations each artist has. As of yesterday, Grande had been nominated for six Grammy awards. For a period of time, however, fans saw that number increase to 11. Similar instances occurred for Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and more. Many fans assumed that these totals reflected nominations that tat the time, had not been announced. 

The updated number accounts did not stay up throughout all of Tuesday. The numbers were eventually edited to show their correct totals. On Wednesday, after nominations were announced, the updated counts went live again.

Eligibility Questions

The leaks were not the only controversy surrounding the nominations. With Lizzo’s strong lead came questions about her eligibility for certain categories. Her eight nominations include Best New Artist, Album of the Year for Cuz I Love You (Deluxe), as well as Record and Song of the Year for “Truth Hurts.”

There are a number of reasons why Lizzo’s 2017 hit was eligible this year. When it comes to Song of the Year, the Grammys says a song can be considered “if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year.” Since “Truth Hurts” didn’t climb the charts until this summer, it meets that criteria. 

It also meets standards because it had never been submitted for a Grammy in the past, and even though its first release was in 2017, it also appeared on the deluxe version of Lizzo’s 2019 album Cuz I Love You.

Many also had similar questions about Lady Gaga and the A Star is Born Soundtrack. The album, along with songs on it, received three nominations this year. It’s biggest song, “Shallow,” already earned itself two wins at last year’s ceremony, raising more questions about eligibility.

The answer is pretty straight-forward. The Shallow was released as a single for the film early enough to compete last year. The full album, however, was released later and only made the cut for the 2020 window. 

BTS and Taylor Swift Snubs

A lot of discussion on the nominations also centered around artists who were believed to have been snubbed from nominations. Many BTS fans were upset the band did not get any recognition from the Recording Academy. 

Their 2019 album Map of the Soul: Persona sold over four million copies and became the best-selling album in South Korean history. Many fans think this merits attention from the Grammys.

This is not the first time BTS fans have been upset by the way American award shows treat K-Pop music. Earlier this year, the MTV Video Music Awards nominated them in a controversial new Best K-Pop category instead of just nominating them in the major slots. 

Fans are not the only ones pointing out that BTS has had a crazy year in terms of commercial success just for it to not translate into Grammy nominations. Rolling Stone published a piece saying that the Grammys “failure to acknowledge K-pop at awards shows stands in stark contrast to the music industry’s day-to-day reality.”

Their report also noted that over the past year, major American labels have all worked to add a K-Pop act to their slate. Elias Leight, the author of the piece, said that this goes further than just BTS. He said that it shows the Grammys has a blindspot when it comes to acknowledging the market for international music. 

“The problem extends beyond BTS: American listeners are ranging more widely than ever before, increasingly enthralled by singers from South Korea, but also by artists from Nigeria, Colombia, and Spain,” he wrote. “But the Grammys, as per usual, lag behind.”

Another snub getting a lot of online attention is Taylor Swift’s seventh album, Lover, not getting nominated for Album or Record of the year. This is Swift’s second album in a row to not be nominated here, marking what some see as a lull for her and the Grammys. 

This lull came as a surprise to critics, though. Many expected Lover to be a rebound for her and thought she would get nominated in all the major categories. Swift did earn herself three nominations, but that still is not the comeback that some expected and that fans were hoping for. 

Swift’s biggest nomination for Lover is for Song of the Year. She is the only solo songwriter nominated in that category this year. Also at stake for Swift is one of her major records. When she won Album of the Year for Fearless, she was just 20 years old, becoming the youngest person to win the award. 17-year-old Billie Eilish is nominated this year, and would take the crown if she won.o

Women and the Grammys

Another element many are keeping an eye on is something that has long been a contentious point for the Grammys: Its inclusion of women, or lack thereof. 

In 2018 the Recording Academy got a lot of flack when only one woman won a televised award. That same year, Lorde was the only woman nominated for Album of the Year, but was also the only artist from that category not asked to perform during the show.

This year will be the first ceremony under the Recording Academy’s first female president, Deborah Dugan. Many are wondering if this will impact the show at all. 

As far as nominations are concerned, it appears good for women. Five out of the eight Album of the Year nominations belong to women.  Many of the most-nominated artists are also female, which could translate into more female wins and performances come show night.  

See what others are saying: (Rolling Stone) (Variety) (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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