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Beyonce and Taylor Swift have made Grammy history, with the nominations for this year’s awards revealed.

Beyonce leads this year’s female-dominated nominations, receiving 11 nods and making her the most nominated artist in the show’s history, with 99 in total.

Her success as the most-nominated artist comes after her country album, Cowboy Carter, was roundly snubbed at this year’s County Music Association Awards.

The43-year-old star’s chart-topping album secured nods for album of the year and best country album, while track Texas Hold ‘Em is up for record of the year and song of the year.

Beyonce picked up her 32nd gong at last year’s ceremony, but despite winning the most awards in a lifetime, she’s yet to win the coveted album of the year award.

With nods across a host of genres, including pop, country, Americana and melodic rap, many will be predicting she’ll surely take the prize next year. If she does, it will make her the first black woman to do so this century.

Meanwhile, Swift’s seventh nod in the album category for her surprise double album The Tortured Poets Department means she overtakes Barbra Streisand, who had formerly tied with the Shake It Off star with six nominations.

Swift won the best album category last year with Midnights.

Following Beyonce in the lead for nominations, Charli XCX – whose trend setting album Brat saw the moniker become word of the year – has seven nods (her first as a solo artist), as does Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone.

The influence of Charli XCX helped make brat a big deal in 2024. Pic: Reuters
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The influence of Charli XCX helped make brat a big deal in 2024. Pic: Reuters

Billie Eilish keeping it real with her trademark laid back look. Pic: AP
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Billie Eilish. Pic: AP

American singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter continues her stellar year with six nods, as do Chappell Roan and Swift, who finishes her record-breaking Eras tour in North America next month.

As well as Charlie XCX getting some Grammy nomination love, British star Raye also received her first nominations for best new artist and songwriter of the year non-classical.

Carpenter and Roan also made it into the prestigious best new artist category.

Sabrina Carpenter during the BBC Radio1 Big Weekend at Stockwood Park, Luton. Picture date: Sunday May 26, 2024.
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Sabrina Carpenter. Pic: PA

Chappell Roan performs during the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Sunday Oct. 6, 2024, at Zilker Metropolitan Park in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
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Chappell Roan. Pic: Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP

While The Beatles – who formed in Liverpool and went on to become the biggest musical act in the world – are up for record of the year with Now And Then.

Nominations were announced by past Grammy winners including Kylie Minogue, Mark Ronson and last year’s best new artist recipient, Victoria Monet.

Kendrick Lamar has replied to Drake's diss track and it's pretty brutal. Pic: AP
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Kendrick Lamar. Pic: AP

Post Malone performs "America the Beautiful" before the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
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Post Malone. Pic: AP

The annual ceremony – which gives out a whopping 94 gongs in total – has four big categories – album, record and song of the year and best new artist.

The Recording Academy have adjusted to those categories this year, reducing the number of potential nominees from 10 to eight.

It’s also updated some of its rules to keep up with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in music and introduced three new categories – best African music performance, best pop dance recording, and best alternative jazz album.

The eligibility period for work ran from 16 September 2023 to 30 August 2024.

Women dominated last year’s awards too, with Swift taking album of the year, Eilish winning song of the year and Miley Cyrus taking home record of the year.

The 67th Grammy Awards take place on Sunday 2 February 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Main category nominees

Album Of The Year
New Blue Sun – Andre 3000
Cowboy Carter- Beyonce
Short N’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
Brat – Charli XCX
Djesse Vol. 4 – Jacob Collier
Hit Me Hard And Soft – Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan
The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor Swift

Record Of The Year
Now And Then – The Beatles
Texas Hold ‘Em – Beyonce
Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter
360 – Charli XCX
Birds Of A Feather – Billie Eilish
Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
Good Luck, Babe! – Chappell Roan
Fortnight – Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Song Of The Year
A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
Birds Of A Feather – Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Die With A Smile – Dernst ‘D’Mile’ Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)
Fortnight – Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone)
Good Luck, Babe! – Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan)
Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Please Please Please – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
Texas Hold ‘Em – Brian Bates, Beyonce, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyonce)

Best New Artist
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims

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Voice behind top Simpsons character quits after 35 years on hit show

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Voice behind top Simpsons character quits after 35 years on hit show

The voice actor behind Milhouse Van Houten – Bart Simpson’s very uncool friend – is stepping away after 35 years on the show.

Pamela Hayden, who also voiced Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey and Malibu Stacy, will sign off from The Simpsons on 24 November in a Treehouse of Horror episode.

“It’s been an honour and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty, and groundbreaking show,” the 70-year-old said in a statement.

Pamela Hayden. File pic: AP
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Pamela Hayden. File pic: AP

Show creator Matt Groening said: “Pamela gave us tons of laughs with Milhouse, the hapless kid with the biggest nose in Springfield.

“She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her.”

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Milhouse first appeared in a Butterfinger commercial in 1989 and was named after former US president Richard Milhous Nixon.

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Groening said he adopted it “because that was the most unfortunate name a kid could have”.

The nearsighted character was often the butt of most jokes and bullied mercilessly by Nelson.

In one episode, Bart got Milhouse placed on the America’s Most Wanted list.

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Tulisa Contostavlos: ‘My life fell apart’ after fake sheikh set up drugs bust

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Tulisa Contostavlos: 'My life fell apart' after fake sheikh set up drugs bust

Tulisa Contostavlos has opened up about the moment she says her life “fell apart” after being “set up by a British newspaper” and charged with supplying drugs.

The N-Dubz star has been speaking about her experiences in 2013 on the reality show, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!

The charges against the singer were later dismissed after prosecution witness “fake sheikh” journalist Mazher Mahmood was found to have tampered with evidence during her 2014 trial.

“2013 was the year I was set up by a British newspaper, for concern in the selling of class A drugs,” she told fellow campmate Oti Mabuse.

“The guy’s name was Mahmood and basically, I was approached by a big movie company and they sent me a tweet or a DM from their official account to audition me for a movie role… I’d dabbled in acting, so this opportunity for me was huge.”

Contostavlos, 36, said the role was offering £3.5m and she was flown out for meetings with producers in Las Vegas but told former Strictly Come Dancing star Mabuse “it was a lie”.

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She claimed the team behind the movie encouraged her to take on a real-life role of a “bad girl from London who was constantly up to naughtiness, rolling with gangs, up to all kinds of naughty stuff”.

Contostavlos said “they had me dangling on the end of a string”, claiming every time she met with the team they would tell her “we need some drugs”.

“After months and months, eventually they got a number and it was of someone that wasn’t even a drug dealer, it was an aspiring movie producer and I wanted to make a hook up as well for that person, but I didn’t know anyone that could do that,” she said.

“The long story short is they ended up ordering £800 worth of cocaine from the number that I had given them.

“Then before I knew it, I was being arrested in the concern of the selling of Class A drugs and I was facing four years in prison.”

Contostavlos revealed she lost “all my endorsements” over the incident and “my life fell apart”, she said.

“When it came to the trial, I’d had a conversation with one of their drivers, I was being recorded but I didn’t know, I was saying how anti-drugs I am, so they were very aware of my feelings towards drugs.”

Contostavlos said the driver initially gave a statement confirming she was anti-drugs, however she claimed that as the trial loomed the journalist forced him to change his statement.

In 2016, Mahmood was jailed for 15 months after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice relating to his actions in Tulisa Contostavlos’s court case.

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Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson among mourners as funeral takes place

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Liam Payne's One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson among mourners as funeral takes place

Friends and family of Liam Payne, including his One Direction bandmates, have gathered to say goodbye at his funeral.

Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were among the family and friends attending the private ceremony.

Simon Cowell, who put the band together on The X Factor, Payne‘s girlfriend Kate Cassidy, and former partner Cheryl were also there.

The 31-year-old died after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 October.

Fans from around the world have held their own vigils over the past few weeks, and tributes have been left today in his hometown, Wolverhampton.

Former One Direction band member Louis Tomlinson arrives for the funeral service of One Direction singer Liam Payne at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Picture date: Wednesday November 20, 2024. PA Photo. The singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, at the age of 31. See PA story FUNERAL Payne. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
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Louis Tomlinson is also attending the ceremony. Pic: PA

Damian Hurley (right) and Kate Cassidy (centre) arrive for the funeral service of One Direction singer Liam Payne at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Picture date: Wednesday November 20, 2024. PA Photo. The singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, at the age of 31. See PA story FUNERAL Payne. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
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Damian Hurley (right) arrived with Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy (centre). Pic: PA

Payne’s dark blue coffin, topped with white roses, arrived for the service on a horse-drawn carriage, bearing flowers reading “son” and “daddy” – for his son, Bear, with Cheryl.

Her Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were also among those at the service, along with TV and radio presenters including James Corden, Marvin and Rochelle Humes, Scott Mills, and Adrian Chiles, and former professional footballer Robbie Keane.

US influencer Cassidy, who returned home from Argentina two days before his death, arrived with Damian Hurley, son of Elizabeth Hurley.

As Payne’s mother and father, Geoff and Karen, arrived at the church in the Home Counties, standing next to the carriage, silence fell among mourners outside.

A few locals and fans also gathered nearby, but in the main largely stayed away from the private ceremony.

Zayn Malik arrives to attend the funeral of former One Direction singer Liam Payne at St. Mary's Church in Amersham, near London, Britain, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Zayn Malik. Pic: Reuters

Former One Direction band member Niall Horan (centre) arrives for the funeral service of One Direction singer Liam Payne at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Picture date: Wednesday November 20, 2024. PA Photo. The singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, at the age of 31. See PA story FUNERAL Payne. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
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Niall Horan. Pic: PA

Payne rose to worldwide fame alongside Styles, Tomlinson, Malik and Horan on The X Factor in 2010, when they were put together to form One Direction. They went on to become one of the most successful UK pop groups of all time.

After the band announced their hiatus, the singer launched his solo career, releasing his debut album LP1 in December 2019.

His solo hits included Strip That Down, Bedroom Floor and For You, a collaboration with singer Rita Ora – who paid tribute to Payne as she hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards in Manchester.

Prosecutors in Argentina have launched an investigation into Payne’s death and announced earlier this month that three people had been charged in connection with the incident.

File photo dated 19/02/14 of (left to right) Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Nial Horan from One Direction with their Awards in the press room at the 2014 Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.. Liam Payne has died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to local officials. He was 31. Issue date: Wednesday October 16, 2024.
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One Direction in 2014: Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Nial Horan. Pic: PA

One Direction tributes

Payne’s One Direction bandmates all publicly paid tribute following his death.

“His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” said Styles in his statement. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.

“He was warm, supportive and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”

Tomlinson said he had “lost a brother” and offered to be an uncle to Payne’s son, Bear, if he “ever needs me”.

Read more:
One Direction made dreams a reality – but fame wasn’t easy
He had the X Factor – but less support than artists today

A horse-drawn carriage carrying the coffin of Liam Payne arrives for the funeral service.
Pic: PA
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A horse-drawn carriage carried Payne’s coffin. Pic: PA

Floral tributes to singer Liam Payne at a memorial in West Park in his hometown of Wolverhampton. The funeral of the One Direction star will be held today in the Home Counties. Picture date: Wednesday November 20, 2024. PA Photo. The singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, at the age of 31. See PA story FUNERAL Payne. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire
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Flowers have also been left in West Park in his hometown of Wolverhampton. Pic: PA

Horan, who had been touring in South America and saw Payne at his show in the weeks before his death, said: “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”

Malik said Payne had supported him “through some of the most difficult times” of his life, and said he always had a “positive outlook and reassuring smile”.

Cowell also paid tribute, saying he was “devastated” and “heartbroken”.

He continued: “I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans.”

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