12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Thursday, November 26, 2020

ere is a list of nominees in the major categories for the 63rd Hannual Grammy Awards, In this file photo singer Beyonce Knowles per- In this file photo Singer Taylor Swift accepts the In this file photo Roddy Ricch performs at SUM- In this file photo British singer-songwriter Dua which will be handed out on January forms onstage during the 2011 MTV Video award for the Album of the Year onstage during MERSFEST 2019 at The Novo by Microsoft in Los Lipa poses as she arrives for the amfAR 26th 31, 2021. Beyonce leads the pack Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los the 58th Annual Grammy music Awards in Los Angeles, California. Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala at the Hotel du with nine nominations, followed by Angeles, California. — AFP photos Angeles. Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, southern France. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and rapper Roddy Ricch, all with six, organizers announced Tuesday.

Album of the Year Jhene Aiko, “Chilombo” Black Pumas, “Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)” Coldplay, “Everyday Life” Jacob Collier, “Djesse Vol. 3” he short lists for the 63nd annual rated on bangers with Cardi B, Lady it’s not unlike the Academy to reward the Twists Haim, “Women In Music Pt. III” Grammy awards that celebrate Gaga and Dua Lipa-was surprisingly left timeworn and technique-driven. A little British anthemic pop-rock band Dua Lipa, “Future Nostalgia” Tmusic’s best feature an eclectic mix out of the Best New Artist race. Gaga less than a month after his chaotic presi- Coldplay-whose songs are perennial Post Malone, “Hollywood’s of pop powerhouses, feisty chart-toppers was relegated to the pop categories as dential bid ended, Kanye West notched favorites of television show soundtracks Bleeding” and little-known underdogs. And, as usu- was Harry Styles, whose trippy pop a 2021 Grammy nomination-but it had and political campaigns-scored a surprise Taylor Swift, “Folklore” al, there was a laundry list of eyebrow- album “Fine Line” and its provocative nothing to do with rap. No, the artist who Album of the Year nomination for its eighth raising snubs and a bunch of straight up track “Watermelon Sugar” garnered posi- shook hip-hop with his 2004 album “The studio work, “Everyday Life.” And the still Record of the Year, recognizing oddball nods. Here’s a look at the kookier tive reviews. College Dropout” is up for Best relatively obscure act Black Pumas are overall performance on a song nominations and head-scratchers in this After dropping a widely praised album Contemporary Christian Music Album, in back, after the Texan psychedelic soul Beyonce, “Black Parade” year’s Grammy race: after a 14-year hiatus and a name recognition of his ode to evangelism duo last year snagged a surprise nomina- Black Pumas, “Colors” change, The Chicks were also ignored, “Jesus Is King.” The late 2019 album tion for Best New Artist. This year, they DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, Snubs as was Bob Dylan, who this year paints a portrait of the artist as a saved bested chart-toppers including Lady The Recording Academy notably released his first collection of original man, coming in a year that saw West tour Gaga, The Weeknd and Styles along with “Rockstar” sidelined Canadian R&B singer The music in nearly a decade. Fiona Apple- with his impromptu “Sunday Service” critical darling Apple to snag Record and Doja Cat, “Say So” Weeknd, an artist with three Grammys to whose classic “Criminal” won her Best performances, a church-esque concert Album of the Year nods. The 2021 field Billie Eilish, “Everything I Wanted” his name. His Day Glo-nostalgia hit New Artist in 1997 — scored three nomi- series featuring gospel choirs. features a number of posthumous nomina- Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now” “Blinding Lights” achieved global suc- nations in the rock and alternative cate- The spoken word category that regu- tions, including two for the revered Post Malone, “Circles” cess, and the artist born Abel Tesfaye is gories but was mysteriously dropped larly features unexpected Grammy con- American songwriter John Prine, who died Megan Thee Stallion featuring set to headline the high-octane Super from the top fields. The famously reclu- tenders-both Michelle and Barack of coronavirus complications in April. Beyonce, “Savage” Bowl halftime show early next year. But sive songwriter released her fifth studio Obama are past winners-this year Leonard Cohen, who died in 2016, despite being widely tipped as a possi- album “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” in the includes journalists Rachel Maddow and received a Best Folk Album nomination for Song of the Year, ble 2021 frontrunner, The Weeknd didn’t pandemic’s early days-a career-defining Ronan Farrow. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Thanks for the Dance,” a collection of raw recognizing songwriting receive a single nomination. It was work many critics called a “master- bassist Flea is also nominated for his vocals the Canadian legend’s son finished Beyonce, Denisia Andrews, Stephen another year, another letdown for K-pop, piece.” memoir, as is Meryl Streep for her read- for him. And Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, an international phenomenon the ing of the children’s book “Charlotte’s Smoke-who was shot dead in the Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim Academy has been glacial to accept. Quirks Web,” and Ken Jennings, star of Hollywood Hills in February 2020 — The sensation BTS is up for a single Though most of the rap categories “Jeopardy,” for reading the memoir writ- received one nomination for Best Rap “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie award in the pop categories, meaning it featured of-the-moment stars, Best Rap ten by the beloved game show’s late Performance for “Dior.” The late artist will “Caso” Tice, “Black Parade” was shut out of the general field even Album was decidedly throwback, with host Alex Trebek. “Eurovision” got an compete in that category with another rap- Roddy Ricch and Samuel Gloade, though its English-language hit older artists Nas, Freddie Gibbs, Jay unlikely shoutout this time around, as the per who died young: Nipsey Hussle, who “The Box” “Dynamite” was considered a strong Electronica, D Smoke and Royce Da 5’9” soundtrack for a comedy film about the won two posthumous awards last year, is Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner, contender for Record or Song of the commanding the field. The move kitschy contest was nominated for Best up for “Deep Reverence,” which he col- “Cardigan” Year. And the South Korean girl group seemed surprising for a genre brimming Compilation Soundtrack For Visual laborated on with Big Sean. — AFP Post Malone, Louis Bell, Adam Blackpink-which in recent years collabo- with young, streaming-friendly talent-but Media. Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk and Billy Walsh, “Circles” “When they have their armor, they actual- Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Ian ly go from almost always losing the bat- Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa and Emily Leaf-cutter ant tles to almost always winning.” Warren, “Don’t Start Now” The authors found that the benefits of Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, a biomineralised exoskeleton go beyond “Everything I Wanted” first insect found giving the workers an edge in ant wars. H.E.R., Dernst Emile II and Tiara Their studies suggest it also helps protect Thomas, “I Can’t Breathe” them against infection from the disease- Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, “If The with biomineral causing fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, which might otherwise spread quickly World Was Ending” through their dense colonies. body armor Best New Artist Rare as sea urchin teeth Ingrid Andress Ants are believed to have started fun- Phoebe Bridgers well-known leaf-cutting ant grows gus subsistence farming about 60 million Chika its own body armor using biomin- years ago in South America. Some 20 Noah Cyrus Aerals, a protective power previous- million years ago the practice became D Smoke In this file photo Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (right), and his wife Meghan, Duchess of ly unknown in the insect world, scientists more “industrialized”, with the emergence Doja Cat have discovered in research published Sussex, pose for a photo with their newborn baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St of leaf-cutting ant species like Kaytranada Tuesday showing this makes the ants George’s Hall at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London. — AFP Acromyrmex echinatior and Atta Megan Thee Stallion almost unbeatable in battle. Biomineral cephalotes living in large, complex armor is seen in the natural world in crus- colonies and harvesting fresh vegetation Best Music Video taceans like lobsters as well as in other that they use to grow their fungus. marine animals-sea urchin spines contain Acromyrmex echinatior colonies can be Beyonce, “Brown Skin Girl” calcium carbonate for example-but it has formed with hundreds of thousands of Future featuring Drake, “Life Is not previously been found in insects. large and small worker ants. “The large Good” Researchers stumbled across the dis- ones do the cutting and carrying of Anderson .Paak, “Lockdown” covery while investigating the relationship leaves, as well as engaging in wars and Harry Styles, “Adore You” eghan Markle has revealed she fourth season of Netflix’s hugely popular between the fungus-growing ant species battles with other ants,” said Currie. “The Woodkid, “Goliath” suffered a miscarriage in July this “The Crown”, also reportedly suffered a Acromyrmex echinatior and antibiotic- small ones do the gardening.” Myear, writing in the New York miscarriage in 1983 at Balmoral. Harry producing bacteria that helps them pro- Atta colonies are bigger, composed of Best Rap Album Times yesterday of the deep grief and and Markle shocked the British establish- tect their crops. They noticed that the perhaps millions of ants, with up to seven D Smoke, “Black Habits” loss she endured with her husband ment when they announced they were larger worker ants, known as majors, different sizes of workers, including sol- Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex, retiring from royal life. have a “whitish, granular coating” over diers for “defense and ant wars”, Currie who married the British prince in 2018, Their withdrawal in March came after the surface of their bodies, according to “Alfredo” said. The Acromyrmex echinatior armor is Jay Electronica, “A Written had the couple’s first child, Archie, the reports Markle was deeply unhappy with co-author Cameron Currie, professor of made from a high-magnesium calcite, Testimony” following year. In the piece in the Times, life inside the royal family and fed up with Bacteriology at the University of researchers found. Nas, “King’s Disease” the 39-year-old wrote that she had just media intrusion. The couple, who live Wisconsin-Madison. He said Hongjie Li, This is a rarer form of biomineralisation changed her son’s diaper when she felt with their young son in California, signed the lead author of the report published in where the increased hardness from the Royce Da 5’9”, “The Allegory” a sharp cramp and fell to the ground. “I an exclusive production deal with Netflix Nature Communications, “became fasci- magnesium is thought to help them grind knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, for an undisclosed fee earlier this year. nated with the crystals” and discovered it up limestone. Given that the armor has Best Rock Album that I was losing my second,” she wrote. was a biomineral layer that develops as only just been found on a relatively well- Fontaines DC, “A Hero’s Death” Writing of the “unbearable grief” of mis- ‘Are you OK?’ the ants mature, increasing the hardness studied ant species, the researchers said Michael Kiwanuka, “Kiwanuka” carrying a child, Markle said it was a Markle wrote that in July she realized- of their exoskeleton and covering nearly this type of biomineral protection could Grace Potter, “Daylight” conversation that remained “taboo, rid- as she was comforted by Harry in hospi- the entire body. be more widespread in the insect world. Sturgill Simpson, “Sound & Fury” dled with (unwarranted) shame, and per- tal following the miscarriage-that “the While researchers do not know for cer- But Currie said this was likely to be the The Strokes, “The New Abnormal” petuating a cycle of solitary mourning.” only way to begin to heal is to first ask, tain why the ants have this unusual calcite biominerals found more common- Touching on the coronavirus, the ‘Are you OK?’” Between ten and 15 per- armor, Currie told AFP they suspect it has ly in marine animals like lobsters, rather Black Lives Matter movement, and the cent of known pregnancies end in mis- a lot to do with the soldier ants of another Best Pop Vocal Album than the high-magnesium calcite of the Justin Bieber, “Changes” recent turbulent presidential election, the carriage, according to the US mother species of fungus-growing ants, Atta ants’ armor and sea urchin teeth. “These Lady Gaga, “Chromatica” Duchess of Sussex nevertheless offered and childcare non-profit March of Dimes. cephalotes. The two species will often ants are pretty special in many regards,” a message of hope. “For the first time, in “Some have bravely shared their stories; Dua Lipa, “Future Nostalgia” engage in territorial “ant wars”, which the he added. — AFP a long time, as human beings, we are they have opened the door, knowing that researchers simulated in lab-based bat- Harry Styles, “Fine Line” really seeing one another.” Markle- when one person speaks truth, it gives tles. “When the Acro majors are without Taylor Swift, “Folklore” whose mother is black-also wrote of the license for all of us to do the same,” their armor the Atta soldiers quickly cut death of Breonna Taylor, as well as the Markle said. Her opinion piece comes them into pieces, literally,” Currie said. Best Alternative Music Album killing of George Floyd, an unarmed after model and author Chrissy Teigen Fiona Apple, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” African American killed in police cus- spoke candidly this year about a stillbirth Beck, “Hyperspace” tody. “Loss and pain have plagued every that she and her husband, the singer one of us in 2020, in moments both John Legend, suffered. Phoebe Bridgers, “Punisher” fraught and debilitating.” Teigen published intimate pictures of Brittany Howard, “Jaime” the tragic moments after the infant, who Tame Impala, “The Slow Rush” Withdrawal from public they named Jack, died. The unvarnished Markle’s highly personal piece comes post attracted praise and criticism in Best Global Music Album as she and her husband wage an equal measure, but Teigen was unrepen- Antibalas, “Fu Chronicles” increasingly public war with some media tant about her decision. “I lived it, I Burna Boy, “Twice as Tall” outlets over their right to privacy. But it chose to do it, and more than anything, Bebel Gilberto, “Agora” carries with it the shadow of a previous these photos aren’t for anyone but the Anoushka Shankar, “Love Letters” royal bride-Harry’s mother, Diana, people who have lived this or are curious Tinariwen, “Amadjar”— AFP Princess of Wales. Pressure from enough to wonder what something like tabloids has dogged the British prince this is like,” she wrote. —AFP throughout his life, and he blames them This handout picture shows an Acromyrmex echinatior worker (right) extending her for the death of his mother. Diana, whose mandibles over an Atta cephalotes soldier (left), the largest worker caste within the leaf-cut- treatment by the royals is shown in the ter ant colonies. — AFP