Eminem, Lady GaGa, Justin Bieber Among Top Grammy Contenders

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place February 13, 2011 at the Staples¹ Center in Los Angeles. Here'a a look at this year's contenders in the pop, rock, and Rhythm and Blues² races.
Eminem returned to the summit of the pop world in 2010. Fresh from winning his battle with prescription³ drugs, the Michigan rapper issued his comeback album Recovery. Selling 5.8 million copies globally, it was the second-best selling album of the year, trailing only The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga. It also helped Eminem earn 10 Grammy nominations⁴, more than any other current contender. Recovery is up for Album Of The Year; also in the running are The Suburbs by Canadian band Arcade⁵ Fire, Need You Now by country-pop trio Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga's aforementioned set The Fame Monster, and Teenage Dream, from pop singer Katy Perry.
Eminem is also present in the Record Of The Year race, as he and Rihanna contend with "Love The Way You Lie." Opposing it are "Need You Now" from Lady Antebellum, "Empire State of Mind" from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green, and "Nothin' On You" from rapper B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars.
Ranking second among this year's nominees⁶ with seven is Bruno Mars. Born Peter Hernandez, this 25-year-old native of Hawaii was a young boy when he began working as a professional Elvis Presley impersonator. He later crafted several hits for other acts as one-third of the songwriting-production team The Smeezingtons.
Justin Bieber's "My World" CD
While Bruno has enjoyed three number one U.S. singles in the past year, he didn't make it into the ranks of Best New Artist nominees. Leading that list is Justin Bieber, the 16-year-old Canadian phenomenon whose rise to fame began when his mother posted videos of his performances on the Internet. Also in the race for Best New Artist are Canadian rapper-actor Drake, British rock act Florence & The Machine, U.K. folk-rock quartet Mumford & Sons, and U.S. jazz performer Esperanza Spalding.
While the Song Of The Year category honors songwriting, many of the nominees are also performers. They include Ray LaMontagne, who sings his composition "Beg Steal or Borrow." Also competing are Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, for Miranda Lambert's hit "The House That Built Me," Alexander Grant, Holly⁷ Hafferman, and Marshall "Eminem" Mathers for "Love The Way You Lie," Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, and Hillary Scott for Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence, and Bruno Mars for "Forget You."
Lady GaGa's "The Remix" CD
Last year, Lady Gaga released the world's best-selling album with The Fame Monster. She also picked up two Grammy Awards... but found herself ineligible⁸ for Best New Artist. This year, the often provocative⁹ performer is up for six trophies¹⁰, including Best Female Pop Vocal¹¹ Performance, for "Bad Romance."
Opposing Lady Gaga in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category are Sara Bareilles with "King Of Anything," Beyonce with a live rendition of "Halo," Norah Jones with "Chasing Pirates," and Katy Perry with "Teenage Dream."
Named after the gramophone, or early phonograph, the Grammy Awards carry extra significance due to their peer-oriented nature. Voting is confined to members of the National Academy of Recording¹² Arts & Sciences, a U.S. organization encompassing¹³ professionals from all facets¹⁴ of the music industry.
Pop music was front and center on the nation's charts last year, so let's close our look at the 53rd annual Grammy race with Best Pop Vocal Album. Justin Bieber offers My World 2.0, facing off against I Dreamed A Dream by talent show competitor Susan Boyle, The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga, Battle Studies from John Mayer, and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream.

1 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

2 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

3 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

4 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

5 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

6 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

7 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

8 ineligible   

adj.无资格的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.新规定使另外数千人不符合接受法律援助的资格。
• The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.这个国家已被宣布没有资格获得世界银行的贷款。

9 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

10 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

12 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

13 encompassing   

v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• Being too large and all-encompassing is a common defect among state-owned enterprises. 过分追求大而全，是国企的一大通病。 来自互联网
• Our services are: all-encompassing, love justice and high quality. 我们的服务目标是：全方位、真情义、高质量。 来自互联网

14 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》