Grammys 2024: Taylor Swift makes history as women rule the night

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7 months ago

February 5, 2024

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Women dominate this year’s Grammys, with female artists taking home the biggest four awards of the night.

Taylor Swift made history when she won best album for Midnights, becoming the first artist to win the prize for a fourth time, having previously won for Fearless,1989 and Folklore.

The ceremony was the first big music event Swift has attended since falling victim to a deepfake attack on social media late last month, when fake, sexually explicit images of her were shared online.

Accepting the prize, Swift ushered her team around her saying, “Guys I feel so alone” before going on to thank everyone who made the album a success.

She said: “I would love to tell you this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack the code to a bridge that I love, or when I’m shortlisting a music video, or when I’m working with my dancers.

“For me the reward is the work… All I want to do is keep doing this, so thanks so much for giving me the opportunity. Mind blown!”

The award was presented by Canadian superstar Celine Dion, who in 2022 revealed that she was suffering from the rare neurological disorder known as stiff-person syndrome (SPS), forcing her to cancel numerous tour dates.

Clearly emotional to be back on the stage, she told the crowd: “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart”.

Swift also delighted her legion of fans by revealing during the show that she would be releasing a new album on 19 April – The Tortured Poets Department – and sharing a photo of the album’s front cover on social media.

Accepting best pop vocal album, the 34-year-old said she’d be keeping the secret for the last two years.

Record of the year was taken by Miley Cyrus, for her viral summer hit Flowers, who broke her no-Grammy spell with two wins on the night. She said that she hoped her life didn’t change as it was already “beautiful.”

Reeling off a list of people to thank, the 31-year-old star who was wearing a sequined black gown with a high side split joked, “I don’t think I forgot anyone… But I may have forgotten underwear”.

Cyrus also won best pop solo performance for Flowers, which she performed during the ceremony.

Accepting her award from Mariah Carey, she told the audience she’d nearly missed the start of the show due to the rain, going on to tell a story of a little boy who could not catch a butterfly until one landed on his nose, concluding, “this song is my butterfly”.

The award was presented by record producer Mark Ronson, along with his mother-in-law, Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

Song of the year went to Billie Eilish, for her Barbie song What Was I Made For? who appeared to be truly shocked by her own win, telling the audience, “This is the dumbest thing… Damn, I’m shocked,” and concluding her speech, “This is stupid, I’m not supposed to be here”.

The track from the movie which dominated the summer and broke box office records also took home the award for best song written for visual media.

Eilish performed on the night, dressed in black sunglasses and a pink headscarf in homage to the 1965 Barbie Poodle parade doll.

Best new artist went to R&B singer-songwriter Victoria Monet, who kicked off her acceptance speech by thanking “the champagne servers of the night,” going on to dedicate her award to anyone “who has a dream”.

Using the analogy of a growing plant in the “soil” of the music industry, Monet said her “roots had been growing underground for so long, and were finally sprouting over ground”.

SZA – who had the most nominations going into the night – took three awards – including best R&B song for Snooze, giving an emotional and out of breath speech due to the fact she was changing her outfit, during which she gave a shout out to Swift (the star of the night) saying “Hi Taylor… I’m not an attractive crier. Have a good evening.”

Kylie Minogue was honoured with the inaugural best pop dance recording for hit Padam Padam – the Australian star’s second Grammy.

Highlighting the success of the night for female talent, indie supergroup Boygenius took three awards, with bandmember Phoebe Bridgers taking a fourth for her collaboration with SZA Ghost in the Machine.

The celebration of female talent was in stark contrast to a UK MP report released last week, which revealed that women working in the music industry face “endemic” misogyny and discrimination.

Another notable win went to rapper Jay-Z who won the Dr Dre global impact award took his daughter Blue Ivy up onto the stage, as used the opportunity to take a swipe at the Recording Academy.

He drew gasps when he chided the Grammy’s have previously neglected rap stars, before putting the spotlight on his wife, Beyonce, questioning how she’d won the most Grammy’s in history, but never won best album.

He joked, “Sorry, when I get nervous, I tell the truth”.

He finished by urging fellow artists “to keep showing up,” imploring, “Just in life, you’ve got to keep showing up. Just keep showing up.

Held at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, the 66th annual ceremony was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah – his fourth consecutive year fronting the show.

There were a host of performances from living legends, with cultural icon Joni Mitchell making her Grammy debut aged 80.

With an impressive five-decade music career, and after overcoming a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015, she sang her 1966 hit Both Sides Now, sat in a golden armchair and accompanied by singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile on guitar.

Mitchell also took home the prize for best folk album. She previously won the Recording Academy lifetime achievement award in 2002.

Other veteran entertainers to perform included Stevie Wonder who paid tribute to singer Tony Bennet, Billy Joel and Tracy Chapman.

Eurhythmics star Annie Lennox gave an emotional rendition of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U during the In Memoriam section of the show, wearing a black suit and with a glittery black tear running from one eye.

Finishing the song, the 69-year-old singer brought politics to the fore, saying: “Artists for ceasefire, peace in the world,” appearing to refer to the ongoing Gaza-Hamas war.

Later in the show, Recording Academy The CEO Harvey Mason Jr spoke about the power of music to unite, calling out attacks at music venues including the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, the Manchester Arena in England, the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas and most recently the Supernova Music Festival for Love.

As he spoke, a string quartet of musicians of Palestinian, Israeli and Arab origin performed live, with Mason concluding: ” Now is the time for us, for humanity, to play together and to come together with empathy and with love.”

Meanwhile, in sharp contrast to the glitz and glamour of the night, rapper Killer Mike was led from the ceremony in handcuffs, shortly after winning three gongs.

The 48-year-old activist and performer took home best rap album for his sixth studio album, Michael, while his track Scientists And Engineers featuring Andre 3000, Future And Eryn Allen Kane won best rap song and best rap performance.

A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed a man had been arrested but did not give any further details.

Entertainment

Huw Edwards: Former BBC presenter given suspended sentence over indecent images of children

Published

1 hour ago

September 16, 2024

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Huw Edwards: Former BBC presenter given suspended sentence over indecent images of children

Huw Edwards has been given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years for accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.

The former BBC presenter had pleaded guilty to three counts of “making” indecent images of children.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London heard how Edwards paid up to £1,500 to a paedophile who sent him 41 illegal images between December 2020 and August 2021, seven of which were of the most serious type.

Live updates from court as Huw Edwards is sentenced

Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.

Prosecutor Ian Hope told the court Edwards had been assessed as posing a “medium risk of causing serious harm to children”.

Sentencing him, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring told Edwards his “reputation is now in tatters”.

The disgraced broadcaster was sent the illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.

Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police – receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.

The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with Williams telling Edwards the child was “quite young looking” and that he had more images which were illegal.

The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as category C.

They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images.

During his four decades at the BBC, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams covering historic events including the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 and the coronation of the King in May 2023.

Edwards also announced the late Queen’s death on the BBC in September 2022.

Last week, BBC chairman Samir Shah admitted the 63-year-old had “damaged” the reputation of the corporation.

The BBC is attempting to recover an estimated £200,000 in pay from Edwards, who continued to be paid a salary for around five months after the corporation discovered he had been arrested in November 2023.

Edwards resigned from the BBC in April citing medical advice.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, “making” an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts.

It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic “pop-up” mechanism.

In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation.

Edwards’ barrister Philip Evans KC said his client had not “created” the images “in the traditional sense of the word”.

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Entertainment

Baby Reindeer stars among big winners at Emmys – as Shogun makes history

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7 hours ago

September 16, 2024

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Baby Reindeer stars among big winners at Emmys - as Shogun makes history

Hit British series Baby Reindeer was among the big winners at this year’s Emmy Awards – as Shogun made history and there were also big wins for The Bear and Hacks.

Richard Gadd, who created and starred in the popular but controversial drama Baby Reindeer, collected awards for writing and starring in the limited series category, while co-star Jessica Gunning was named best supporting actress.

Japanese historical drama Shogun became the first non-English language show to be named best drama, and also set a record for the most single-season Emmy wins – taking home four prizes on the night to make it 18 in total, following previous gongs at the creative arts event handed out earlier this month.

The Bear picked up four awards in the comedy categories, including wins for stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas, while Hacks took the overall win for best comedy series.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Debicki also won her first Emmy for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in fictionalised royal drama The Crown.

On stage, Gadd, 35, said it was “stuff of dreams” as he accepted awards for outstanding limited or anthology series, best writing, and lead actor for Baby Reindeer, which is said to be inspired by his real-life experiences.

In pictures: Red carpet style at the Emmys

The show sees his character Donny Dunn stalked by a woman called Martha. After becoming a viral hit earlier this year, the programme made international headlines after a woman claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the story is inaccurate.

In his acceptance speech for the writing award, Gadd said: “Ten years ago, I was down and out. I never ever thought I’d get my life together… then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television.

“I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now to persevere… if you’re struggling, keep going – keep going and I promise you things will be okay.”

Accepting her supporting actress prize, Gunning said she was “incredibly proud” to be part of the show. “Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha,” she said to Gadd. “I will never, ever forget her or you or this.”

This year’s Emmys ceremony, held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, was also a huge success for Shogun. The show launched in February and is based on James Clavell’s best-selling novel, set during the 1600s.

Stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai became the first Japanese actors to win Emmys in the dramatic acting categories.

Sanada, who received a standing ovation, told the audience he was “beyond honoured”, and added: “Shogun taught me that when people work together, we can make miracles. We can create a better future together.”

A tearful Sawai, a first-time nominee, said: “I was crying before my name was announced. I’m a mess today. This to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”

Baby Reindeer and Shogun were not the only shows to receive multiple prizes, with hit series The Bear also a big winner.

In their opening monologue, father-son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy joked that the show, which depicts the stresses of life working in a professional kitchen and stars Jeremy Allen White as a chef running the family business after the death of his brother – would be better off categorised as a drama.

Allen White described himself as “so, so, so lucky” after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.

“This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone,” he said in his acceptance speech.

His co-stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas also picked up the awards for best supporting actor and actress in a comedy.

This is the second Emmys ceremony this year, after the September 2023 event was postponed to January 2024 due to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes.

The Bear was also among the big winners then, along with Succession and Beef.

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Entertainment

Emmys red carpet fashion 2024: All the best looks from the stars and nominees

Published

7 hours ago

September 16, 2024

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Emmys red carpet fashion 2024: All the best looks from the stars and nominees

Nominees and celebrity guests hit the red carpet in style ahead of this year’s Emmy Awards.

British shows The Crown, with 18 nominations, and Baby Reindeer, with 11, were among this year’s biggest contenders, rubbing shoulders with The Bear, Shogun, Only Murders In The Building, and True Detective: Night Country.

This is the second Emmy Awards ceremony of the year, after the 2023 event was delayed to January because of the Hollywood writers’ strike.

Here are some of the looks from the red carpet.