Chris Brown charged with making criminal threats
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Chris Brown was arrested and charged with making criminal threats on Sunday for an early morning attack on an unidentified woman widely thought to be his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.
Los Angeles police would not confirm the name of the victim, but both Brown and Rihanna missed their performances at Sunday's Grammy Awards, and several media outlets speculated that Rihanna was the unidentified woman.
Brown, 19, was scheduled to perform his love song "Forever" at the music awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, and Rihanna was set to sing her hit single "Disturbia."
Neither Rihanna, who was nominated in three categories, nor Brown, who was nominated twice, walked the red carpet, and they were not in attendance for the awards ceremony. Their representatives could not be reached for comment.
As the show was getting underway, Brown turned himself in for questioning by police. Later, he was booked on a charge of making criminal threats and released on 50,000 bail, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.
Brown was being investigated for alleged domestic violence felony battery, and additional charges could be filed after officials review the case, the LAPD said in its statement.
Rihanna canceled her performance shortly before the Grammys started, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said.
"We have just been informed that Rihanna will not be attending tonight's 51st Annual Grammy Awards. We're sorry she is unable to join us," the academy said. There was no further explanation for her absence.
Soul legend Al Green performed alongside pop star Justin Timberlake in Rihanna's place.
Grammy officials made no mention of Brown's performance but he did not appear on stage as scheduled.
Police said Brown got into an argument with an unidentified woman while sitting in a parked car in the city's Hancock Park neighborhood at around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.
"After stopping his car, Brown and the woman got out and the argument escalated," the police said. "The woman suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker."
Police received a 911 call reporting the disturbance and according to the statement, when officers arrived they found the victim, but Brown had already left the scene.
Brown, who broke onto the Billboard charts at the age of 16 with his hit single "Run It" and sold 2 million copies of his self-titled debut album, also scored a pair of hits on his sophomore effort, "Exclusive," in 2007.
Barbados-born Rihanna also released her debut album in 2005 and had a number one hit single with "SOS" less than a year later. She followed with three more number ones: "Umbrella," "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia."
She won a 2007 Grammy Award for her single "Umbrella," a collaboration with the rapper Jay-Z.
(Additional Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)
51 st Grammy Awards 2009
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 8, 2009. It will be broadcast on CBS in the United States at 8PM EST. Nominations were announced on December 3, 2008. For the sixth year in a row, the ceremony will be held in the Staples Center. The nominations were announced on a special concert airing on CBS on December 3rd, 2008, and were posted on the official website afterwards.[1]
To be eligible for an award a recording must have been commercially released between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. This is for all recordings released in the 2008 recording year. After the nominees are announced on December 4, 2008 final voting ballots will be sent to the academy members. This is when they will vote for one of the nominees to win the award. Each category has five nominees. More than five is the result of a tie in the nominating process. Members are allowed to vote in the General field and up to nine other fields on their final voting ballots. All ballots are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. There are about 7,000 people who vote in the nominating and final voting process. These people are artists, producers, engineers, mixers and mastering engineers. Academy members are to vote based upon quality alone. They are not to be influenced by mass sales or personal friendships. The acceptance of gifts is prohibited and can result in termination of membership.
After the nominations are announced the recipients of all special awards such as lifetime achievement awards will be announced. In addition performers and presenters will be announced. Neil Diamond will be the recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award. Lil Wayne topped the nominations with eight, Coldplay garnered seven , and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each earned six nods. Radiohead, Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Jazmine Sullivan received five, and Jennifer Hudson, Adele, Danger Mouse, The Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, George Strait,Metallica and T.I. each received four nominations.
Confirmed Performers
- Adele
- Chris Brown
- Kenny Chesney
- Four Tops tribute featuring original member of the Four Tops Duke Fakir, Jamie Foxx, and Ne-Yo[2]
- Foo Fighters with Paul McCartney[3]
- Jennifer Hudson
- Jay-Z
- Jonas Brothers
- Kid Rock
- Lil Wayne
- Miley Cyrus & Taylor Swift[4]
- Katy Perry - On the January 30th episode of Chelsea Lately, Katy said she was going to descend from the ceiling during her performance.
- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
- Radiohead
- Rihanna
- T.I.
- Justin Timberlake
- Carrie Underwood
- U2[5]
- Estelle & Kanye West[6]
51 Grammys Facts
1. Throughout GRAMMY history, there have been 18 ties for a single GRAMMY Award.
2. There have been more than 580 performances on the GRAMMY stage since the annual GRAMMY Awards show transitioned to a live telecast in 1971.
3. The Red Carpet for the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast arrivals was 450 feet long.
4. More than 250,000 people have attended the live annual GRAMMY Awards shows since the telecast's inception in 1971.
5. The annual GRAMMY Awards show has been held in eight different venues since the inception of the live telecast in 1971.
6. The annual GRAMMY Awards show has been telecast from three cities: Los Angeles, New York and Nashville.
7. The annual GRAMMY Awards show was held in Nashville in 1973, the only year the telecast took place in Nashville.
8. Held at the Hollywood Palladium, the 13th Annual GRAMMY Awards show in 1971 was the first live telecast.
9. The first GRAMMY Awards event was the GRAMMY Awards dinner ceremony, hosted by comedian Mort Sahl, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on May 4, 1959.
10. Andy Williams hosted the most GRAMMY telecasts, from the 13th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1971 through the 19th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1977, totaling seven consecutive shows.
11. More than 450 microphones were used in the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, compared with only two microphones used in the inaugural GRAMMY Awards dinner ceremony.
12. The actual GRAMMY Award itself weighs approximately six pounds.
13. Over time, the post-telecast GRAMMY Celebration™ has grown to be an event hosting more than 6,000 guests.
14. The actual GRAMMY Award itself stands nine inches tall and is made of GRAMMIUM, a special customized metal alloy.
15. The GRAMMY audience has grown from 500 attendees at the inaugural GRAMMY Awards dinner ceremony to a current live audience of more than 13,000 at the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.
16. In a national contest to name the award in April 1959, Jay Danna of New Orleans was the winner by suggesting the name "GRAMMY." Although several others proposed the same name, Danna's submission was the first to be received in the mail. For her winning contest entry, she received 25 LPs as a thank-you gift from The Recording Academy®.
17. The number of GRAMMY Awards categories has increased from 28 for the inaugural GRAMMY Awards dinner ceremony in 1959, to 108 categories for the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2007.
18. The GRAMMY Award statuette reached new heights in 1991 with a 30 percent size increase.
19. The GRAMMY Awards categories span more than 25 different musical genres, and qualified voting members of The Recording Academy determine the GRAMMY Awards recipients.
20. When the annual GRAMMY Awards show moved to Nashville for one year in 1973, CBS purchased the rights to air the telecast. Since that year, CBS has continuously broadcast the annual GRAMMY Awards show.
21. During the 1959 GRAMMY Awards dinner ceremony, the 28 existing categories yielded a total of 149 nominated recordings. Over time, this number has grown to 540 nominated recordings in the 108 categories of the most recent 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
22. With 11 total performances each, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder have performed the most times of any artist on the annual GRAMMY Awards telecasts.
23. Composer Meredith Willson was the recipient of the first GRAMMY Award ever presented, for "The Music Man," in the category of Best Original Cast Album (Broadway Or TV).
24. Christopher Cross is the only artist to sweep all top four GRAMMY Awards categories: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist.
25. The GRAMMY Awards category with the longest title in GRAMMY history is: Best Performance By An Orchestra Or Instrumentalist With Orchestra — Primarily Not Jazz Or For Dancing. This title existed in the 1960s.
26. Elvis Presley won GRAMMY Awards, but only in the sacred/inspirational categories.
27. George Burns holds the record as the oldest male GRAMMY Award recipient, winning at 95 years old.
28. Elizabeth Cotten holds the record as the oldest female GRAMMY Award recipient, winning at 90 years old.
29. LeAnn Rimes holds the record as the youngest GRAMMY Award recipient, winning at 14 years old.
30. Artists Bob Dylan and Jakob Dylan are the only father and son to be presented with a GRAMMY Award in the same year, for separate recordings.
31. Two U.S. presidents have received GRAMMY Awards: Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
32. With 31 GRAMMY Awards, Sir Georg Solti is the male artist with the most GRAMMY wins.
33. With 20 GRAMMY Awards, Alison Krauss is the female artist with the most GRAMMY wins.
34. With eight GRAMMY Awards, U2 is the group with the most GRAMMY wins.
35. Both Michael Jackson and the group Santana are the artists receiving the most GRAMMY Awards in a single year.
36. Though other sports figures have been nominated, Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the only one to win a GRAMMY Award.
37. The all-time record for the most GRAMMY Awards given out for one GRAMMY category is 50: for Album Of The Year in 1978, awarded to various professionals who worked on the soundtrack album project for Saturday Night Fever.
38. Itzhak Perlman is the only artist in GRAMMY history to tie with himself, receiving two GRAMMY Awards in one category: Best Classical Performance — Instrumental Soloist Or Soloists (With Orchestra), at the 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.
39. At the 7th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the Beatles were the first rock group to receive a Best New Artist GRAMMY Award.
40. Out of the 46 Best New Artist GRAMMY Award recipients, 24 have gone on to win additional GRAMMY Awards during their careers.
41. In GRAMMY history, Bob Newhart is the only comedian to receive a GRAMMY Award in the Best New Artist category (in 1960).
42. The 10th Annual GRAMMY Awards and the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards are the two times when there was a tie in more than one category.
43. Over the years, the number of show crew personnel who produce and execute each annual GRAMMY Awards telecast has grown to more than 1,500.
44. The only artists to win the Album Of The Year GRAMMY Award two years in a row are Frank Sinatra (in 1965 and 1966) and Stevie Wonder (in 1973 and 1974).
45. With 12 GRAMMY Awards nominations each, Michael Jackson (in 1983) and Babyface (in 1996) share the record for receiving the most nominations in one year.
46. Bobby Darin, Christopher Cross, Sheryl Crow and Norah Jones are the only artists who have won both Record of the Year and Best New Artist GRAMMY Awards in the same year.
47. The 25th Annual GRAMMY Awards show included 26 live performances, the most of any GRAMMY telecast.
48. In 1988, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were the first artists to win a GRAMMY Award in the newly added rap category of Best Rap Performance, for their recording of “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”
49. Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is the only winner in the Best Disco Recording category, which existed only in 1979.
50. The first GRAMMY Award for Record Of The Year went to Domenico Modugno for his 1958 recording of "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volaré)."
51. The new GRAMMY Museum opened in downtown Los Angeles on December 6th, 2008.
Lil Wayne Leades Grammy Nominations!
Album of the Year - Tha Carter III
Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group - "Mr. Carter" featuring Jay-Z
Best Rap Solo Performance - "A Milli"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - "Got Money" featuring T-Pain
Best Rap Song - "Lollipop"
Best Rap Album - Tha Carter III
The Superstar Rapper Also Received 2 Nominations As A Featured Artist
Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group - "Swagga Like Us"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - "Swagga Like Us"
New York, NY - Cash Money/Universal Motown superstar Lil Wayne is Grammy's man of the year, drawing a total of eight nominations - more than any other artist -- for his blockbuster multi-platinum album Tha Carter III, and for his featured performance on "Swagga Like Us" by T.I. featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. The nominations itself are unbelievable, I'm going to continue doing what I've been doing, but I'm going to do it better, say Lil Wayne.
Tha Carter III is nominated in the prestigious Album of the Year category as well as for Best Rap Album, and all of its first four smash singles drew individual recognition: "Lollipop" featuring Static Major is nominated for Best Rap Song; "Got Money" featuring T-Pain for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration; "A Milli" for Best Solo Rap Performance; and "Mr. Carter," featuring Jay-Z for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These are the New Orleans native's first Grammy nominations for his own album. For his collaborations on other projects, "Swagga Like Us" is nominated in the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap Song. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and broadcast on CBS.
"We've worked with Lil Wayne since he was a teenager, signing him as part of the legendary hip-hop group the Hot Boys with Juvenile, B.G. and Turk. We have had the pleasure to see him grow and mature, both artistically and personally, into a multi-platinum superstar. The success of Tha Carter III was the result of Wayne's tireless work ethic and incredible creative ability, and on behalf of his New Orleans hometown, and my brother, Birdman, we are honored to salute him as the artist with the most nominations at this year's Grammy Awards," says Cash Money Co-CEO Ronald 'Slim' Williams on Lil Wayne's Grammy Nominations.
"What is so rewarding about Wayne's Grammy nominations is that they are not merely a reflection of commercial success, but of real artistry, achievement, and influence. He delivered a brilliant, original album that defines the state-of-the-art in hip-hop, and it was not only embraced by his fans but by his peers in the industry. Receiving an amazing eight nominations is a wonderful recognition and validation of his creative accomplishments. All of us at Universal Motown congratulate Lil Wayne and his team at Cash Money Records for this landmark career moment," states Universal Motown Records President Sylvia Rhone.
Tha Carter III sold over 1 million units in its debut week and is the best-selling album release of 2008, having sold well over 2.7 million copies domestically since its release in June. Lil Wayne was the first artist since 2005 to sell 1 million albums in the first week of release. The album held the No. 1 position on the Billboard's Top 200 for three weeks and "Lollipop" topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for five weeks. In August, Lil Wayne set a record for charting 13 tracks as a lead or featured artist on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart simultaneously, including the No. 1s "Lollipop" and "A Milli."
The music awards season has already acknowledged the amazing banner year of Lil Wayne. He won the artist-voted MTV Europe Music Awards Artist's Choice Award, and won seven BET Hip-Hop Awards out of twelve nominations in October. Lil Wayne was also received three American Music Award nominations and one People's Choice Award nomination, and has won MTV's Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video, as well as BET's Viewer's Choice Award.
In a victory lap that extends into the New Year, Lil Wayne headlines the all-star "I Am Music" tour, kicking off Dec. 14 in Miami, FL and wrapping Jan. 19 in Worcester, MA. He'll be sharing the stage with T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson, making a January stop in his hometown of New Orleans.