Plenty of surprises and dramatic Grammy nominees as Kayne West, Amy Winehouse , Paul McCartney and Timbaland lead the way

By Jeffrey Jolson

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/6/07 — An impressive list of headline-grabbers, including Kanye West and Amy Winehouse, grace the 50^th Annual Grammy Award Nominees list announced Thursday in Hollywood. If these scene-stealers are half as solid musically – and they are – it should be quite a 50^th birthday for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2008.

The 50^th Grammy Award nominees as a whole show a voter regard for daring musical content rather than safe choices like just best-sellers, “American Idol” contestants or older baby-boomer acts as in Grammy years past and other award shows. 

For Complete List of 50^th Annual Grammy Awards Nominees click here.

Yet the voters have to know your name, and newsmakers led the way. Kanye has been known to throw a tantrum when he doesn’t win awards, and he’s up for a leading eight statuettes this time out. Plus his mother died tragically this year after plastic surgery complications.

Winehouse, whose nominated for her anti-rehab hit, “Rehab” along with five other noms, has been in an out of them, getting busted for drugs, cancelling concerts and generally keeping herself on the front pages. She’s the only act with noms in all the Big Four categories: album, record, song and best new artist.

Even Paul McCartney who is up for Grammys this time has been in controversies all year with a messy divorce and other activities. Jay-Z, who always finds a way to make the papers, is also a leading contender, along with the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Paul McCartney, T-Pain and Timbaland.

West and Winehouse were nominated for album of the year for “Graduation” and “Back to Black,” respectively. They battle the Foo Fighters with “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” Vince Gill’s four-disc set “These Days,” — and jazzman Herbie Hancock’s tribute to Joni Mitchell, “River: The Joni Letters.”

The best new artist category is cooler than past years, yet will still draw some disappointment from fans of other breaking acts this year. Winehouse will be competing against Feist, Paramore, Taylor Swift and Ledesi for best new artist.

Other record of the year candidates included Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” the Foo Fighter’s “The Pretender,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and “What Goes Around Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake.

Other song of the year candidates included Corrine Bailey Rae’s sweet-sounding “Like A Star,” Carrie Underwood’s revenge anthem “Before He Cheats,” The Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah” and “Umbrella.”

The Grammy Awards will be handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday Feb. 10 and be broadcast live on CBS-TV and beamed to 90 nations.