Tomorrow's Guide, today!
Behold, it’s tomorrow’s issue of the Guide, which takes the temperature of the UK’s DIY scene across art, music, theatre and film. Let us know what you think on the tweets @guideguardian, or start a DIY festival and name it after us, or make some post-digital DIY art, or burn it, or whatever.
More from us on Monday. Have a good weekend, all.
Everything Grammys is kicking off
It’s Grammy announcement day over in the US and they’ve gone the drip-feed route this time, with various famous faces making nominee announcement videos and releasing them throughout the day.
Here’s Alanis Morissette on a tropical beach announcing the nominations for Best New Artist, including Brit lads Bastille and Sam Smith.
Congrats @theGRAMMYs Best New Artist noms @bastilledan @IGGYAZALEA @TheBrandyClark @HAIMtheband @samsmithworld https://t.co/sFBz4aYigk
— Alanis Morissette (@Alanis) December 5, 2014
Here’s Jared Leto in a silly hat announcing all the best rock artists that are not him…
Congrats @theGRAMMYs Best Rock Album noms @TheRyanAdams @beck @theblackkeys @tompetty @u2! https://t.co/RnJZCcMv3D
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) December 5, 2014
You could say Sam Smith was ‘a bit surprised’…
4 Grammy Nominations and I haven't even got out of bed yet - fucking hell http://t.co/zyvWkVlVEr
— SAM SMITH (@samsmithworld) December 5, 2014
Also, what are you doing in bed at 4pm, love?
Here’s the full list of nominees via Billboard.
Best New Artist
Bastille
Iggy Azalea
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith
Record of the Year
Fancy, Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
Chandelier, Sia
Stay With Me (Darkchild Version), Sam Smith
Shake It Off, Taylor Swift
All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor
Best Rock Album
Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams
Morning Phase, Beck
Turn Blue, The Black Keys
Hypnotic Eye, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Songs of Innocence, U2
Best Rock Song
Ain’t It Fun, Paramore
Blue Moon, Beck
Fever, The Black Keys
Gimme Something Good, Ryan Adams
Lazaretto, Jack White
Best Country Album
Riser, Dierks Bentley
The Outsiders, Eric Church
The Way I’m Livin’, Lee Ann Womack
12 Stories, Brandy Clark
Platinum, Miranda Lambert
Best Country Songs
American Kids, Kenny Chesney
Automatic, Miranda Lambert
Give Me Back My Hometown, Eric Church
I’m Not Gonna Miss You, Glen Campbell
Meanwhile Back at Mama’s, Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill
Best Pop Vocal Album
Ghost Stories, Coldplay
Bangerz, Miley Cyrus
My Everything, Ariana Grande
Prism, Katy Perry
x, Ed Sheeran
In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Sail Out, Jhene Aiko
Beyonce, Beyonce
X, Chris Brown
Mali Is, Mali Music
G I R L, Pharrell Williams
Best Pop Solo Performance
All of Me, John Legend
Chandelier, Sia
Stay With Me, Sam Smith
Shake It Off, Taylor Swift
Happy, Pharrell Williams
Best Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley, Fly Rasta
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Back on the Controls
Sean Paul, Full Frequency
Shaggy, Out of Many, One Music
Sly & Robbie & Spicy Chocolate, The Reggae Power
Soja, Amid the Noise and the Haste
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We need to talk about the new Ben Stiller film
Fixies! Dodgy trilbies! Alternative dance classes! Street stalls! Cafes with games in them! Typewriters! Being young is a ultra-clichéd hipsterfest in new 20s v 30s comedy While We’re Young, directed by Noah Baumbach, in which Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts ‘come of age’ by hanging out with the much younger, hipper couple Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried.
Maybe I’m just deeply troubled because this is like seeing myself reflected back, only with someone that looks like Amanda Seyfried. Or maybe it’s because every time I clock someone wearing a tiny trilby I want to stamp on it. (What is this, 2001?). Or maybe it’s because of Ben Stiller’s permatan.
Wait a minute. What creative in their 30s living in Brooklyn (or east London, or any of its global equivalents, for that matter) has a face that looks like they fell into a VAT of St Tropez? No, we’re all artisanal vampires. This film is no reflection of real life. You are not a living, breathing stereotype. You are unique. Off you go to your hip-hop class tonight with a clear conscience, now.
It comes out in spring and I’m going to cry until then.
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Late lunchtime video mashup funtimes
Whenever people say that new music isn’t exciting as it used to be, I think ruinous thoughts, flash back to the thumbing scene in Game of Thrones, and then have to have a cup of tea and a sit and listen to some power-ambient. Anyway, here are some videos that make making new noises in 2014-but-nearly-2015 seem Massively And Terribly Exciting Indeed.
Elusive new artist Clarence Clarity appears to have a bit of a burn-book situation going on with Justin Timberlake in this squelch of an R&B song and its ‘interesting’ concept video. It sounds like a JT cover that’s been left in a bath for three hours, which you might assume was a comment on how his music isn’t very good. Or it could just be the weirdest fan video ever.
Warp’s latest signing Future Brown – essentially a supergroup consisting of four producers who are far cooler than everyone ever and have a weird penchant for choir pads – have a new tune out, which I’m going to hereby christen cathedral-hop and try to make it take off in the same way of grindie, grunge and nu-rave.
A delightful disco stomp from DIY pop star Ronika, complete with lolzy 70s chat show video. All you need is a sofa and a glitter-fringe curtain, right?
Hatsune Miku: do or die?
The most striking trend to knock western pop culture sideways since Pharrell’s hat, Japan’s Hatsune Miku is the world’s first virtual idol and crowd-sourced pop star and everyone is going batsh*t about her. Any fan, anywhere, with any amount of skill, can have a bash at writing her songs, she does collaborations across the entire genre spectrum, and her live show is a visual spectacle of hologram meets live musicians (the irony!).
I went to experience a show she appeared in with two experimental electronic producers at the 2014 Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo and interview her creators, Crypton Future Media, to see whether she has the pixel power to become more than just a sixteen-year-old hologram with a super-high voice. Is she the future of music? Or the end? YOU DECIDE!
Actually, some of our loyal commenters have decided already. They remain, as ever, divided.
Terminator: we've found some reactions
Late last night, on the deepest, darkest internet, Arnie rose from the screen with a weird metal arm in the hotly anticipated/long-awaited/fans-chomping-at-bit-like-rabid-horses/you get it trailer for Terminator: Genisys (um, guys, that’s not how you spe––never mind).
Watch it up there ^^^ and join the 3 million (THREE MILLION) who have pressed play since yesterday. Or, if you are one of those people who still likes to read words, click HERE and read our former Guide comrade Lanre Bakare’s in-depth guide to what’s going on.
Here’s the bit where we do one of those TERMINATOR: FANS REACT! things where we cover all angles, thus alleviating the need for me to make any observations at all. Thanks guys.
Faces!
My second favourite bit in the #TerminatorGenisys trailer is when this guy sticks Play-Doh on his face. pic.twitter.com/tI01qFMndd
— Glen Laker (@glenlaker) December 5, 2014
Spoilers!
Man, I'm so excited for the twist end of #TerminatorGenisys when a robot sacrifices itself for mankind and the future is what we make of it.
— David C Bell (@MovieHooligan) December 5, 2014
Feminism!
There are more different Schwarzeneggers in this trailer than women #TerminatorGenisys https://t.co/Tsls1Cc2Ir
— Doing things. Stuff. (@lasersushi) December 5, 2014
Phil Collins!
#TerminatorGenisys the only thing missing in that trailer was PHIL COLLINS :)
— GTAV AGAIN PS4 :) (@Chuckforevver) December 5, 2014
Nailed it, dude
Terminator: Khaleesys #TerminatorGenisys
— Arjun Kumar (@sirarjun) December 5, 2014
A WTF moment this morning
Sometimes you wake up and it’s like, oh, blah, the BRITs Critics Choice Award, or, blah, Just Look At Taylor Swift’s Latest Facial Movement, or, blah, I’ve been sick in a bin. But every now and again you log on and pop culture is just there, picking its nose, being all unexpectedly weird…
…such as the news that Usher went to Art Basel in Miami and reportedly charged his phone inside one of the installations, which just happened to be woman’s lady parts. Apparently this is all a comment on how technology dependent we all are and no one raised an eyebrow at all, obv.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way we can all move on with our lives.
TBF lots of other bizarre stuff has being going on at Art Basel this year. Miley Cyrus is going to be the next Jeff Koons or whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio has been buying everything. You can catch up with all of the ACTUAL news* over on the Guardian US blog.
(*gossip)
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