#MORRIS THE NUMBER 1 MAC FAN

[morgan-squeezy]

I DIDNT EXPECT MAC TO BE SO... FREAKY??? (it makes me want mac even MORE)

[what-goesaround-comesaround]

Let's talk about some Irish newsies-

Hey! So I thought it'd be cool to look into the research I've found indicationg that some of the newsies might have Irish ties! (I'm Irish so that might explain my interest) I'm not an expert at all or anything, this is just the research I've collminated while scouring through newsies facts.

Oh course this isn't set in stone, this is just information I've found so if I've got anything wrong, please tell me! I was inspired by this post to do my own research. (A lot of my research has to do with the original movie but stick around for some fun facts about surnames?)

And now, onto Jack Kelly :

^This is David's description of Jack in Newsies : a novel by Jonathan Fast which can be found here on pg 9. Both surnames "Kelly" and "Sullivan" have their roots in Irish history.

^on pg 27 of the same book David describes Jack again as "an Irish boy". I just thought this would be worth noting, seeing how David wants to make it obvious to us, the reader that Jack appears to be Irish or of Irish descent.

"Kelly", originally anglicized from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh" meaning 'descendant of Ceallach', an ancient Irish personal name, originally a byname meaning 'bright-headed' or 'troublesome' (fitting huh?) Source found here.

Fun fact for you livesies fans, the reigning chieftain of Ui Maine (mid Galway, South Roscommon, sometimes referred to as "O'Kelly's Country") O'Ceallaigh (c1351), was a renowned patron of the arts. Source found here.

Another fun fact : Jack means Seán in Irish.

Bet you weren't expecting that. Or maybe you were. Anyway, source is found here. I also remember it being a topic of conversation in 3rd class Irish class. Wonder how Spot and Jack would feel about that.

^On pg 23 of the original 1992 movie script found here Jack describes himself as a "mick" which was a commonly used derogatory term used against those of Irish decent/Irish immigrants at the time. However this line was not included in the movie. Source found here.

Now for "Sullivan". The original Irish for the surname Sullivan is O'Suileabhain, however the actual derivation of the name is debated. There is no doubt that the root word is 'suil' meaning eye, but whether it is to be taken as 'one-eyed' or 'hawk-eyed' is usually left an open question. Sources found here and here.

The surname is associated with the southwestern part of Ireland and was originally found in County Tipperary before the Anglo-Norman invasion. Source found here

Also, in both movie and stage versions Jack tells us his father "taught me not to starve" indicating his father may have taught Jack about the horrors of the Famine/An Drochshaol/The Great Hunger that plagued Irish families for years after. Source is found here.

Okay! On to Spot Conlon :

^This is David's description of Spot Conlon from the same book, pg 51 (okay he may not outright say he's Irish but they really said "throw all the stereotypes at him like red hair". But seriously in the Hard Promises script and the Newsies script he's described the same way. I guess they really invisioned that red hair huh?)

Spot is interesting seeing as he is the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, Brooklyn being an infamously known place for Irish immigrants to live due to the Great Hunger/An Drochshaol (translated meaning "Hard Times") or as it's more commonly known as "the potato famine" between 1845-1852. Source found here. At least 1 million people died from this and another 1 million immigrated, a lot to America (although the exact numbers are disputed.) Around this time New York becoming the busiest port city in the world. There was labor work to be had in Brooklyn, in the manufacturing and loading and unloading of goods to be sent around the country and around the world. Irish immigrants who had been left poor and malnourished by the famine had no other option but to take on this manual labour to earn money. Many took jobs by the ports and settled by the Watershed i.e. near the ports. This could be a reason to why we're first introduced to Spot and his "cronies" at the port in the movie. Source is found here and here.

Supposing Spot was born between 1880-1886 (he's quoted to be 14 in real life in this article however it's stated in the Newsies Novel on pg 51 to "be around Jack's age" and it's stated in original script before Newsies was rewritten to be a musical and was still a drama, "Hard Promises" he's quoted to be 19 on pg 28. So take this with a grain of salt.) the U.S. census, which counted both place of birth and parents’ birth place as well, estimated that one-third of all New Yorkers were of Irish parentage. By 1890 as Brooklyn neighborhoods were expanding east and south, the amount of people with Irish stock is at 196,372. Source found here.

Also how people will usually use the name "Seán" or sometimes "Patrick" for Spot (one of the fandom wiki pages cites it as his real name here but admits to having no proof of it). Both of these are traditional Irish first names, Patrick being popularised by the patron saint of Ireland St. Patrick/Pádraig. Might have heard of it-

Now for his surname.

Conlon is an Irish family name, it being a variation of the anglicised version of Ó Connalláin. The name may be derived from two Irish Gaelic words "Con" (the genitive case of Cú, meaning "hound") and "Lón" meaning lion - thereby implying a person who has the characteristics of a lion born of a hound - strength and speed. Source found here.

Conlon had a Gaelic form of Ó Conallain or Ó Coinghiollan in Connacht however it's Ó Caoindealbhain in Munster and Leinster. Fun fact, Connal or Connall is claimed to be a pet name for a sprout or little sprout. Source found here.

The history regarding the Conlon surname is complicated to say the least- however it can be traced back to County Meath, where the Conlon descendants are from an important sept near Trim, which traces back to Laoghaire, King of Ireland circa 432. O'Coindealbhain was also anglicised 'Quinlivan' in Munster. Source is found here and here.

This post isn't letting me include the video of Jack, David and Boots going to Brooklyn to negotiate with Spot and the Irish traditional music in the background but I'll make a separate post about that.

Now, onto Racetrack Higgins.

I'm going to keep this kind of brief. We know Racetrack is described as "tall, skinny gambling Italian beanpole" in the Hard Promises script on pg 1 and he's described as "an Italian beanpole" on pg 5 of the Newsies Script. However the surname "Higgins" is Irish as far as my research has told me, not Italian.

The real Ed "Racetrack" Higgins lived in Brooklyn and is quoted to be the real leader of the Brooklyn union, and was elected vice-president of the general union after Kid Blink and David Simmons were accused of selling out. Source found here. I haven't been able to find much information about Racetrack Higgin's life after the strike or his family life which could connect him to Ireland however I thought it would be interesting. If anyone is curious about the real Racetrack Higgins this source has been really useful!

'Higgins" is an Irish family name with ancient royal connections. It is an anglicisation of O'hUigin, from the Irish word 'uiginn' meaning Viking. The original holder of the name was a grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Tara, and all of the O'Higgins claim a common descent from him. Ancient records show that several members of the O'Higgins claimed a hereditary right to be file or poet in the courts of the Irish Chiefs and Kings. Source is found here and here.

Because of their loyalty to Gaelic culture and religion, the Higgins suffered under the English Crown in Ireland and had lost all their lands in Sligo and Westmeath by 1654. Some of them remained in Ireland as tenants on their own lands, but many of them migrated to Spain where they achieved high office in the service of the King. Source is found here.

Fun fact, Racetrack has the same surname as the current (9th) President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins!

Lastly, on to Crutchy/ie Morris!

^This is from the 1991 original script of Newsies when it was called Hard Promises and was written to be a drama. Obviously this wasn't the movie that we have today but I thought this would be a cool add on. I couldn't find a lot of information about the real Crutch Morris, whom Crutchy/ie is based on. The surname Morris isn't strictly Irish, it's a popular surname throughout the British Isles however with this piece of information I thought it would make sense to research it anyway.

"Morris" (Ó Muiris in Irish) was introduced to Ireland by the Normans, along with the variant Firzmaurice (Mac Muiris). A branch of these Morrises moved to Galway in 1485 CE and later became one of the Tribes Of Galway. The name may also have been an abbreviation of Morrissey (Ó Muireasa), a branch of the Uí Fiachrach clan. Sources found here and here.

The ancient Irish name Ó Muirgheasa (variant Ó Muirghis), a personal name thought to derive from muir, meaning "sea" and geas, meaning "taboo" or "prohibition." Source found here.

The Morris family does have an Irish family crest/coat of arms which I'll post at a later date, further cementing themselves in Irish history.

This is most of the information I have regarding the origins of the characters and their surnames however I could go on about the music in Newsies, the family crests, the housing circumstances of poor Irish immigrants in New York at the turn of the 19th century ect.

If you want to learn more about what life was like for Irish immigrants in New York I recommend reading the non-fiction book The Gangs Of New York (or watching the movie. It isn't completely historically accurate but give a decent overview of what was life) or reading this article by the Irish Times.

I've barely scratched the surface of this topic and hope to go into it father in the future!

May I leave you with this gif of the boys doing some Irish (inspired) dancing and David with his twirl combo!

Ps. If the links aren't working for you I'd be happy to provide a list of the resources I’ve used throughout my research on a separate post if needs be.

pps. @maggs-is-a-muppet @annihilatedthenightstalker @newsies-bun @letter-from-the-refuge thanks for the motivation last night 😌

[thecollegefootballguy]

The Real 2020 Season: Week 2

Hello everyone, welcome to Week 2 of The Real 2020 Season! We’re imagining how things would have gone in the 2020 football season if COVID hadn’t ruined everything.

Week 1 featured a few big games amid a sea of tune-up matches without much excitement. Nothing too earth-shattering, but we’ve got some real good matchups this week.

If you want to start from the beginning here is Week 0.

-

The Rankings

Week 2 AP Poll

1. Clemson 1-0 (1-0) 2. Alabama 1-0 (0-0) 3. Ohio State 1-0 (0-0) 4. Georgia 1-0 (0-0) 5. Oklahoma 1-0 (0-0) 6. LSU 1-0 (0-0) 7. Penn State 1-0 (0-0) 8. Florida 1-0 (0-0) 9. Oregon 1-0 (0-0) 10. Notre Dame 1-0 11. Auburn 1-0 (0-0) 12. Texas A&M 1-0 (0-0) 13. Texas 1-0 (0-0) 14. Oklahoma State 1-0 (0-0) 15. Washington 1-0 (0-0) 16. UCF 1-0 (0-0) 17. Minnesota 1-0 (0-0) 18. Utah 1-0 (0-0) 19. Indiana 1-0 (1-0) 20. USC 0-1 (0-0) 21. Cincinnati 1-0 (0-0) 22. Iowa State 1-0 (0-0) 23. Iowa 1-0 (0-0) 24. Tennessee 1-0 (0-0) 25. Michigan 0-1 (0-0)

-

The Narrative

The Big Ten took one on the chin in Week 1 as Michigan fell to Washington and the Wisconsin was upset at home by Indiana. Two of the league’s better programs already have their Playoff hopes on life support after one week. It’s not a good look for the conference. The ACC similarly had a disappointment after North Carolina fell at UCF, leaving Clemson the only team in that conference in the polls.

The SEC and Big 12 didn’t have many marquee games so not much changed for them. Besides USC’s scheduled loss to Alabama in Dallas, the PAC-12 actually had a pretty good week thanks to the Huskies’ win combined with Utah’s victory over BYU. Oregon also didn’t get upset by North Dakota State which should count for something.

UCF’s win over the Tar Heels is another big win for the G5 and the American specifically. The Knights are once again charging for the NY6 spot. I’d say they’re gunning for the Playoff but we know that the committee probably won’t let them in unless something very weird happens.

-

The Games

Week 2 still has a high number of bodybag games, but we’re still going to see some high profile out of conference matchups.

Winning teams are highlighted in bold.

Ohio at Boston College Louisville at #1 Clemson Samford at Florida State Mississippi State at NC State Syracuse at Rutgers Appalachian State at Wake Forest Elon at Duke Gardner-Webb at Georgia Tech Wagner at Miami FL #11 Auburn vs North Carolina (Atlanta, GA) Pittsburgh at Marshall VMI at Virginia #7 Penn State at Virginia Tech Kansas at Baylor #22 Iowa State at #23 Iowa North Dakota at Kansas State #24 Tennessee at #5 Oklahoma Tulsa at #14 Oklahoma State Prairie View A&M at TCU #13 Texas at #6 LSU Alabama State at Texas Tech Eastern Kentucky at West Virginia Western Kentucky at #19 Indiana Northern Illinois at Maryland Ball State at #25 Michigan Michigan State at BYU #3 Ohio State at #9 Oregon Connecticut at Illinois Tennessee Tech at #17 Minnesota Central Michigan at Nebraska Tulane at Northwestern Memphis at Purdue Southern Illinois at Wisconsin Norfolk State at Charlotte FIU at #16 UCF Indiana State at Middle Tennessee Hampton at Old Dominion Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss North Texas at #12 Texas A&M Army at Rice Alabama A&M at UAB UTEP at Nevada Akron at New Mexico State Robert Morris at Bowling Green Saint Francis at Buffalo Kennesaw State at Kent State Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Miami OH Coastal Carolina at Eastern Michigan San Diego State at Toledo Western Michigan at #21 Cincinnati Boise State at Air Force Colorado State at Oregon State New Mexico at #20 USC Southern Utah at Utah State Wyoming at Louisiana Fresno State at Colorado Fordham at Hawaii UC Davis at San Jose State Arizona State at UNLV Cal Poly at California Stanford at Arizona Sacramento State at #15 Washington Houston at Washington State Montana State at #18 Utah Kentucky at #8 Florida East Tennessee State at #4 Georgia Vanderbilt at Missouri East Carolina at South Carolina Georgia State at #2 Alabama Arkansas at #10 Notre Dame Southeast Missouri State at Ole Miss Campbell at Georgia Southern Troy at Massachusetts Howard at Arkansas State North Carolina A&T at Liberty

Now that’s more like it. Week 2 produced some incredible games and huge upsets that shook up the Playoff picture. Three top ten teams fall as #9 Oregon held off #3 Ohio State in Eugene to give the Buckeyes a horrific blow to their Playoff candidacy. Meanwhile, #13 Texas came to Baton Rouge and managed to beat the defending champions. In the biggest upset of them all, #7 Penn State was downed by a Virginia Tech team that was supposedly reeling from a loss to Liberty in Week 1. The rest of the usual suspects did just fine but the top 5 is going to look different.

To further the embarrassment for the Big Ten, #25 Michigan was upset by Ball State of all teams, completely humiliating the 0-2 Wolverines. Perhaps less surprisingly, Nebraska and Purdue were upset by Central Michigan and Memphis respectively. It was a blood-letting of a week that could very well keep the Big Ten out of the Playoff entirely. The only silver lining was #23 Iowa’s close victory over rival #22 Iowa State.

The other ranked vs ranked matchup saw #5 Oklahoma shake off a slow start to beat #24 Tennessee in Norman. The third Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in two weeks saw #11 Auburn beat UNC. If the Tar Heels hadn’t lost to UCF in Week 1 it would have been a ranked vs ranked affair but oh well.

The G5 had a very good week overall. UCF and Cincinnati continue to roll as the spearhead of the AAC. Marshall beat Pittsburgh at home to announce their candidacy for the NY6 bowl. The MAC is on fire, following up Buffalo’s Week 1 upset over Kansas State, meanwhile Ball State and Central Michigan recorded upsets. Toledo beat San Diego State as well, likely knocking one of the Mountain West’s more consistent programs out of the NY6 race. Appalachian State, the usual torch bearer for the Sun Belt, lost to Wake Forest.

Outside of perhaps two dozen interesting matchups the rest of the games aren’t worth talking about. Week 2 still means that plenty of teams were playing snore inducing tune-up games.

-

The Standings

We’re still mostly in non-conference play so the standings won’t change too much yet, but here they are if you’re curious. Each league is already having a storyline develop.

-

The Big Picture

By far the biggest story of the young 2020 season is the apparent complete collapse of the Big Ten. For over five years, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin dominated the league and each had squads capable of making the Playoff if they weren’t beating up on each other. In just two weeks, all four of these teams have lost a game they were favored to win and it looks like the Playoff chances for the entire league are on life support already. Michigan’s loss to Ball State is extra embarrassing, and starting out 0-2 is not good for Jim Harbaugh’s job prospects.

The other huge event is the home loss of the defending champions. LSU lost a ton of talent from their 2019 team and struggled to keep up with a Texas team that gave them trouble the year before. On the flip-side, it finally looks like the Longhorns might be back. It definitely is one of UT’s best true road wins in a long time. Time will tell if the Big Ten will rebound and if the Horns can capitalize on their victory.

At the G5 level, the MAC is making a big push for the NY6. Long considered one of the weaker G5 conferences, the MAC already has three P5 scalps only two weeks in. Gotta love that MACtion. On the other side, the Mountain West, usually the #2 G5 league, only has one unbeaten team left in Boise State. The Broncos are of course the favorites to win the conference, but it still hurts the league’s image. The American is still the top dog with 4 unbeaten teams led by UCF and Cincinnati.

-

The New Rankings

Week 3 AP Poll

1. Clemson 2-0 (2-0) 2. Alabama 2-0 (0-0) 3. Georgia 2-0 (0-0) 4. Oklahoma 2-0 (0-0) 5. Oregon 2-0 (0-0) 6. Florida 2-0 (1-0) 7. Texas 2-0 (0-0) 8. Notre Dame 2-0 9. Auburn 2-0 (0-0) 10. Texas A&M 2-0 (0-0) 11. Ohio State 1-1 (0-0) 12. Oklahoma State 2-0 (0-0) 13. Washington 2-0 (0-0) 14. LSU 1-1 (0-0) 15. UCF 2-0 (0-0) 16. Minnesota 2-0 (0-0) 17. Utah 2-0 (0-0) 18. Iowa 2-0 (0-0) 19. Indiana 2-0 (1-0) 20. USC 1-1 (0-0) 21. Cincinnati 2-0 (0-0) 22. Penn State 1-1 (0-0) 23. Missouri 2-0 (1-0) 24. Liberty 2-0 25. Memphis 2-0 (0-0)

Polls usually change wildly following such a bloody week. Ohio State is knocked out of the top ten, but only just. Oregon now replaces the Buckeyes as the fifth real Playoff contender outside of the usual suspects. Even with LSU and Tennessee’s losses, the SEC still dominates the polls. Five of the top ten come from the SEC and Missouri jumped into the top 25 to replace the fallen Vols. The Big Ten is completely outside of the top ten which is a staggering sight to see. With Iowa State’s loss to Iowa it looks like the Big 12 is going to be fought over by Oklahoma and Texas, just like the old days, unless Oklahoma State has anything to say about it. The Big 12 has 3 teams in the top 15 so they have a great case to be the #2 conference in the nation following the SEC at this point, though even the PAC-12 can start making noise with Oregon and perhaps even Washington in the mix.

The American is still the only G5 league represented in the polls, but they now have three teams in the top 25 with Memphis joining the party. UCF has even cracked the top 15, this early in the season it might give a bit of hope for G5 fans that they could even make the Playoff if, say, the Big Ten and one more P5 conference can’t fill the slots. Liberty joins the AP poll for the first time ever thanks to their week 1 win over Virginia Tech and the Hokies’ upset of Penn State. How high can the Flames fly?

-

So that’s Week 2 of the Real 2020 season. Things are just heating up, so tune in next time for another exciting installment!

[1dreality]

“I feel sorry for whoever’s sitting behind my dad,” laughed a young girl five minutes before Niall Horan took the Greek Theatre stage in Los Angeles.

There were a lot of dads in attendance on Tuesday night, but perhaps unlike most occasions in which fathers must escort daughters to pinups' gigs, these dads likely shared the enthusiasm for Mr. Horan's songbook. It makes sense, given the earnest American soft-rock songwriting that defined Horan's 2017 No. 1 debut album Flicker, which came along citing influences in The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Those are the daddiest of Dad Rock influences. Can you imagine the delight to all dads, suddenly given the green light to serenade their daughters with “Lyin' Eyes”? He played that well, young Horan.

This was the first of two nights for him and he wasn't shy in reminding the crowd how dreamy it felt -- particularly given he only lives up the road. He mentioned this twice, to deafening shrieks, of course. “It’s really handy 'cause I literally live 20 minutes away,” he said in his dad jeans and his dad short-sleeved shirt and his signature coif. “If you want, we could start some kind of a residency.” They would want that very much. Eleven months ago, Horan was here as a spectator, watching his former One Direction compatriot Harry Styles play for the opening leg of Styles' first solo tour. It was a month before Horan's own album release. Where Styles' record was front-loaded with promotion, the singles soon stopped coming. Horan, however, has played a steadier game. Horan is just steadier all around. The downside is that he doesn't have Styles' riskier swoon factor. Horan's safer approach won him “Slow Hands,” though, and an enormous U.S. radio smash, topping the Pop Songs airplay chart back in October. Had Styles bagged “Slow Hands,” perhaps it would have been game over.

It was show time at the Greek, and the screams for Horan were not as deafening as those for Styles. But it was a loud, unified whistle of stress and elation nonetheless. A blue light filled the stage and Celtic strings rang through the naked humid air as the Irishman sauntered on, a gorgeous red guitar strapped around his cheery frame. Horan has often been considered the “musical one” of his former boy band. He is always behind an instrument, usually a guitar. On Tuesday night, he switched to piano at one point for the non-album track “So Long” to show some variation. For the opener, though, he was all electric, fingering the strings and screwing his face as he belted out single “On the Loose.” That's a song that wears its Mac influence on its sleeve, yet falls more on the side of The Corrs (which is truly no bad thing).

When Horan auditioned on The X Factor eight years ago, Simon Cowell ridiculed fellow judge Louis Walsh for saying “people will like him because he's likable.” Walsh was right: Horan is so likable. Maybe too likable. As likable as an apartment with perfect air conditioning. You can't not like him. Despite his likability, he is not a natural solo star. He’s a player. Onstage, he shone most when pandering to the great chemistry he had with his merry band of English and Irish men, including a violinist and a pianist. You can see that he might be the member of One Direction most ready to get the band back together. His impetus for performing seems tied to the idea of sharing, not owning. Of course, the crowd weren't thinking about that. They knew all the verses and all the choruses and all the guitar solos too, relentlessly jumping up and down in the floor section and heeding to Horan's clap-along instructions.

The songs on Flicker fit him like a glove. They're natural and unforced, rendering him the one solo star post-One Direction who makes it look like it's no biggie. “Well good evening, Los Angeles, California -- holy shit!” he said by way of introduction. “You sold this one out for me. You’re absolute legends! Lovely stuff! All right.” Horan shares Styles’ provincial authenticity, seeming remarkably unaffected, considering the roller-coaster ride that must have come with being in one of history’s biggest pop machines. His sense of self remains intact. It may sound schmaltzy at times on the likes of “The Tide” (recalling peers such as James Bay or Shawn Mendes) and “This Town,” but it also sounds like Irish folk rock and childhood nostalgia. It sounds like the music Horan genuinely loves and has always loved.

His oeuvre isn’t very diverse, but it’s consistent and comforting. Vocally, he’s improved his transatlantic croon to a point where he can carry a full band. When he dedicated the first of two covers to his “favorite singer of all time” Bruce Springsteen and strummed out “Dancing in the Dark” onstage alone, it was a sweet moment -- but it was not an interpretation of a classic, rather an appreciation. The second cover was Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down.” Horan plays music because it makes him feel happy. Watching him enjoy it is like stumbling upon an open-mic performance and feeling glad for the singer.

Aware of the need to pull out some showbiz stops too, the evening called upon Texan support act Maren Morris to duet on country-tinged pop song “Seeing Blind.” They had an impromptu giggle onstage together -- evidence that Horan's show isn't compulsively over-rehearsed. Similar to Styles, Horan also brought out One Direction numbers of his own choosing: an acoustic version of “Fools Gold” and a souped-up electric spin on “Drag Me Down.”

For Horan, headlining here was a “bucket list” moment. “Playing under the stars in the hills of Los Angeles,” he said, romantically. “Thanks for making this little Irish fella’s dreams come true.” His is a casual intimacy. When talking up his favorite album track -- the title song -- he said he wrote it fast. “They don’t usually come that quick, not gonna lie,” he laughed. Asking the crowd to stick their phones in their pockets, he appealed for them to “go to that place in your head where this song takes you, and if you need to cry, do it now.” A fan screamed: “YES! I LOVE CRYING!”

Unlike Styles, Horan doesn’t have any preciously topical slogans (i.e., “treat people with kindness”), just this endless pit of inherent niceness. It feels less protected, somehow freer. The crowd needn't be told to be whoever they want to be; they just are, singing their hearts out when Horan cued them. It's during “Drag Me Down” that you realize he’s the One Directioner who’s tied his solo career seamlessly to the group's back catalog. Maybe he was always the truest of them all. Earlier in the show, he talked up his Californian influences. The first concert he went to was The Eagles at the age of 4. He doesn't know for sure, but he said he figured those guys have played here too. (They haven't, but Don Henley and other solo Eagles have.) “That’s why I moved here,” he said, before leaving the stage for that 20-minute journey back to his house.

[computers63]

cell phone repair long island: All the Stats, Facts, and Data You'll Ever Need to Know

Some Known Incorrect Statements About Norton Computer Tune Up - Pc & Mac Tune Up Software

Writer: Daniel W.Millions of people ask HomeGuide for price quotes annually. We track the quotes they get from neighborhood companies, after that we share those rates with you. A computer closing down or providing troubles can indicate lots of things to a home or company owner, however there are plenty of solution technicians prepared to come to you, or look at your computer at their centers.

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A lot of professionals will also charge a call-out fee and/or travel fees if you need them to find to you. Solution Description Cost Total Tune Up & COMPUTER Repair A complete PC Tuneup including infection, adware, and also trojan removal, computer upgrades, and also computer accelerate. $150 Analysis Testing A complete PC diagnostic screening to supply an extensive record of the current wellness of your comptuer as well as estimated life span and also if you need any type of additional services.

$ 30 COMPUTER Hardware Repair If you require to add a new hard disk, RAM, video card, power supply, or extra, it commonly costs $20+ per componet. $20 Software Setup If you are having problem setting up software, the majority of computer repair pros will certainly aid for about $10 per install. $10 Laptop computer Rental Numerous computer repair shops will offer a laptop computer rental service for when your computer is being repair.

4 Simple Techniques For Should You Fix Your Laptop Or Buy A New One? - Sellbroke

$ 50 Mobile Repair When a computer service technician comes to you, there is usually a trip charge. Expect to pay around $30 to $40 for mobile for diagnostics as well as testing. $35 Information Recovery A lot of the time a computer service center can recuperate as well as save any type of shed information including documents and also pictures also if your computer wont turn on.

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$ 100+ Wireless Network Installment A computer repair technition will safely mount your wireless network for usage on all your gadgets. $100+ COMPUTER Tuneup When your computer is running sluggish, most of the moment you simply need diagnostic screening as well as a tune up. $70 Infection Removal When your computer has adware, malware, infection, worm, or trojan, a local professional can eliminate them all without the demand of shedding any of your data (a lot of the moment).

A computer repair shop will certainly also backup as well as recover your documents and photos after installation. $100 The majority of service professionals will certainly come to you, and some of them have an organization location you can drop your computer off at for repair at a reduced fee. Lebowitz IT Services in Chicago, IL $65/hour domestic; $75/hour commercial (no traveling charges or solution upcharges) Apex Computers Modern Technology, Valley Stream, NY $150/service phone call; $95/hour after very first hour Midvein Computer Services, Elyria, OH $50/hour property; $75/hour business You Initially Tech, Long Coastline, CA $70/hour household; $60/hour drop-off A lot of technology repair shops have flat fees for dealing with certain problems as opposed to provide a per hour quote, like Pacific Northwest Computers in Vancouver, WA, who charge $40 - diagnostics/bench charge, $75 - basic computer clean-up/new computer configuration, $50 + $1 per gb information recuperation solutions, as well as $150 laptop screen repair (depends upon display dimension).

Using Total Cost Of Ownership To Determine Optimal Pc ... Fundamentals Explained

HRF COMPUTER Repair in Phoenix Az, AZ, bills a level price of $40 unless parts are required for your computer, as well as they will certainly install them. Others choose to set up https://www.techboysrepair.com/ an ongoing account with individuals, like Compute This Online in Winter Haven, FL, who charges $324/year to maintain and also support a device on a regular monthly basis.

Much a lot of computer repair shops deal with the problem and also refuse to give any kind of added support without an additional settlement. Pacific Northwest Computers offers totally free remote assistance to deal with tiny follow-up concerns or additional work that needs to be completed. Lebowitz IT Providers offers a 30-day guarantee on all his work.

While some computer shops are fantastic at fixing the problem, they aren't so excellent at describing what occurred as well as how to prevent it from duplicating itself in the future. If you're a fan of Do It Yourself repair, check online evaluates to find a person who can convert tech speak into simple English.

Facts About Fix Your Pc Or Tablet - Dell Usa Uncovered

Be extremely familiar with a notice recalling your computer, or a call, stating you need to call a number straightaway because you have a technology problem these are normally frauds, despite their insurance claim to be a large computer provider. There's probably nothing wrong with your computer whatsoever.

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Some include a couple of additionals. Computer Fixes and also Sales by Morry in Walnut Creek, CA, provides a 50% discount rate off the very first hr to elders sixty-five and older. Others agree to function with pupils and low-income earners on a sliding scale basis. Many computer repair shops have years of experience in both doing repair services as well as functioning in the business world.

[auburnfamilynews]

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

SEC football is finally here

Holy crap we did it... We actually did it... We made it to game week!

After whetting the palette with a light three weeks of silly Big 12 and ACC games, the main course is set to arrive this weekend in the form of SEC football. Granted, week 1 in the SEC ain’t exactly great but it signals the end of what has to be one of the worst off-seasons of all time.

You aren’t officially a football blog until you drop some #PowerRankings so today I’ll take a stab at where I think things stand in the SEC before the season kicks off. Barring a shocking upset, I don’t expect this list to change all that much next week but I also wouldn’t be surprised if something unexpected goes down this weekend...

#1.) Alabama

SP+: 1 | FPI: 2 | FEI: 1

Boooooooooo.... Yes I know, I am a bad barner. But I like to at least feign the ability to approach things with an unbiased mind and as lame as it might be until someone takes the Tide down this fall, they’ll be the consensus favorite. Sure Tua and company are gone but plenty of offensive weapons return and that young defense is a year older with All-American linebacker Dylan Moses back to manage things in the middle. The biggest question facing the Tide is whether or not Mac Jones will be the guy or if hotshot 5-star signee Bryce Young is ready to take the reigns. A depleted Mizzou team is unlikely to provide much of a test but I’ll be interested to see how these QBs look.

Next Game: @ Missouri

#2.) Georgia

SP+: 4 | FPI: 5 | FEI: 6

I know there are those that would disagree with me having UGA over UF right now but until Dan Mullen can actually beat Kirby Smart, I favor the Dawgs. Yes, UGA has plenty of questions on offense with a brand new OC, likely a redshirt freshman QB, a retooled offensive line, no D’Andre Swift and questions at wide receiver but this defense is still stupid good. They will likely lose a game they shouldn’t due to a special teams score or an offensive turnover but they are also going to beat quite a few teams by just suffocating their offenses. I suspect this questionable Dawg offense will look just fine against a very bad Arkansas squad.

Next Game: @ Arkansas

#3.) Florida

SP+: 5 | FPI: 11 | FEI: 12

Is this the year? The Gators have been impressive under Mullen with two straight 10+ win seasons and two NY6 Bowl victories but “struggles” on the recruiting trail and no SEC East titles have UF fans craving more. This feels like the year for Mullen to get over the hump but the Gators lost some firepower off that front 7 and along with some important offensive weapons. Mullen has also struggled to do much offensively against Smart’s D in the past. We’ll see if they can finally get over the hump in 2020 but they better watch out week 1. Lane Kiffin has some dudes on the offensive side of the ball and it wouldn’t shock me if he put up some yards on this Gator defense. Just not sure the Rebels can stop anyone.

Next Game: @ Ole Miss

#4.) LSU

SP+: 13 | FPI: 7 | FEI: 4

I am sure #4 feels disrespectful to some LSU fans considering they are the defending champs but I suspect it will end up being too high. The Tigers have recruited at a high level so there’s plenty of talent still on this roster but losing both coordinators, a plethora of off the field personnel and 10+ starters including a Heisman winner, two 1,000 yard receivers, a 1st rd running back, 4 OL starters and multiple early NFL defensive draft picks is not easily replaceable. There will be a step back. How far back? Not sure yet but I will be shocked if this team only loses 2 games this fall. The Pirate sails into town week 1 but I doubt they have the firepower to threaten LSU out the gate.

Next Game: vs Mississippi State

#5.) Auburn

SP+: 11 | FPI: 9 | FEI: 7

While SP+ and FPI both like AU more than LSU, I am applying the same logic I did with UGA/UF. Until Gus proves he can beat Ed Orgeron, I am going to have a hard time putting AU over the Bayou Bengals. The Tigers return plenty of skill players and arguably the best LB corps in the country but must rebuild both lines of scrimmage and break in new starters in the secondary. Per usual, AU is one of the bigger boom/bust teams in the SEC this fall and they don’t get a walk in the park this weekend. UK is a veteran, physical team hungry to earn some respect and start the season with a statement victory.

Next Game: vs Kentucky

#6.) Texas A&M

SP+: 10 | FPI: 14 | FEI: 17

The honeymoon period is over for Jimbo Fisher. He could hide behind recruiting deficiencies of the previous regime and a brutal schedule but now it’s time for the $75 million man to show the big payday was worth it. The Aggies are one of the sexier picks this off-season to challenge Alabama but I am skeptical. I think they will be very good on defense but Kellen Mond hasn’t proven he can win the big games and I don’t think they are loaded with elite skill athletes. They won’t be tested week 1 though against a really bad Vanderbilt team.

Next Game: vs Vanderbilt

#7.) Tennessee

SP+: 19 | FPI: 36 | FEI: 39

I don’t really know what to think about this Tennessee team and neither do the computers. Just look at the differences between SP+, FPI & FEI. The Vols have recruited well under Jeremy Pruitt and rallied together after an awful start in 2019. This weekend is an interesting first test against a Gamecock team that was not very good last fall.

Next Game: @ South Carolina

#8.) Kentucky

SP+: 22 | FPI: 24 | FEI:41

At this point, you know what you are going to get from Kentucky. They are going to attempt to punch you in the mouth on both sides of the ball and physically beat you up for four quarters. It won’t be pretty all the time but it won’t be a cakewalk either. The Cats return plenty from a team that found a way to win 8 games without a QB last season. Now with Terry Wilson back behind one of the best OLs in the SEC don’t be surprised if Kentucky takes down someone list above. Quite a few folks think it could happen this weekend in Jordan-Hare...

Next Game: @ Auburn

#9.) Ole Miss

SP+: 38 | FPI: 31 | FEI: 32

The Lane Train has returned to the SEC and he inherits some fun toys on the offensive side of the ball. John Rhys Plumlee, Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner and Elijah Moore are legitimate playmakers who have a chance to put up some big numbers under Kiffin. However, I am not sure if the Rebels will be able to stop anyone this fall which means that they should be apart of some fun shootouts. Week 1 vs Florida is an interesting matchup where I could see the Rebels piling up some yards on the ground but struggling to keep the Gators out of the endzone.

Next Game: vs Florida

#10.) Missouri

SP+: 44 | FPI: 46 | FEI: 38

Gonna be honest, I don’t know much about this Missouri team. I know former Gus Malzahn analyst Eliah Drinkwitz is the head coach. I know that Nick Bolton is a beast. I know they are down a bunch of players due to covid so they are likely to get killed this weekend. But who knows? Maybe they’ll make make the Tide sweat a bit and give us all something to giggle about over the weekend.

Next Game: vs Alabama

#11.) South Carolina

SP+: 36 | FPI: 39 | FEI: 48

It turns out if you have trouble winning at Florida you might also have trouble winning at South Carolina. If not for the strangest of all upsets last fall over UGA, I am not sure if Coach Boom still has a job this fall. But now with the pandemic strangling athletic department budgets chances are good he’s got at least 2 more in Columbia. He’s brought in Mike Bobo to fix his always broke offense and Bobo in turn brought his former QB Collin Hill to run the offense. I am very interested in this week 1 matchup because I don’t really know how good or not good these two teams might be this season.

Next Game: vs Tennessee

#12.) Mississippi State

SP+: 48 | FPI: 57 | FEI: 26

Two years ago, Mississippi State looked to have made one of the sneakier hires of the off-season plucking away Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorehead. Turns out his northeastern ways did not vibe well with the cowbells of Starkville so he’s gone to the northwest and in his stead stands the Pirate. Mike Leach is finally in the SEC and at Mississippi State of all places. He brought at transfer QB in KJ Costello that should make what I expected to be a REALLY bad offense slightly better but despite what our colleagues might think, this is a rebuild season for the Bulldogs.

Next Game: @ LSU

#13.) Arkansas

SP+: 75 | FPI: 50 | FEI: 82

Chad Morris escaped before being roasted on an open pit by Hog fans and in his place is a Razorback of a man in Sam Pittman. Pittman is a well regarded offensive line coach who is now making the jump to head coach. He made some impressive coordinator hires in Kendal Briles (yuck) and Barry Odom. But talent is the big problem in Fayetteville even with the addition of Feleipe Franks so chances are good a single win should be considered a success for Pittman this fall.

Next Game: vs Georgia

#14.) Vanderbilt

SP+: 110 | FPI: 75 | FEI: 93

After tasting success under James Franklin, Vanderbilt has return to its roots under Derek Mason as the worst team in the conference. Early in Mason’s tenure, Vandy was at least salty on defense. Now the Dores are bad on both sides of the ball and likely to add gasoline to the Aggie hype train this weekend.

Next Game: @ Texas A&M

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/21/21444132/sec-power-rankings-week-1

[junker-town]

NCAA tournament bracket projection 5 days from Selection Sunday

Gonzaga held off San Francisco in Monday’s first WCC semifinal to end the possibility of the conference earning four NCAA Tournament bids. | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

East Tennessee State and Gonzaga both took care of business, while Saint Mary’s almost assuredly locked up a bid.

While fans of bubble teams shared some anxious moments, particularly late in the WCC tournament’s first semifinal, they didn’t hear any loud pops as Monday night’s action unfolded.

First, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers did what the Northern Iowa Panthers could not do over the weekend — they took their fate out of the Selection Committee’s hands. The Bucs earned their first NCAA tournament trip since 2017 by handling the defending-champion Wofford Terriers in the Southern Conference tournament final, 72-58. By adding the tourney title to their regular-season crown, Steve Forbes’ club earned a bump up to seed line No. 10 from an 11 in Monday morning’s bracket.

ETSU was the only team to officially collect its March Madness ticket Monday evening, but the two WCC semifinals in Las Vegas also affected the bubble picture. In the first game of the night, the San Francisco Dons had a real chance to knock off the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs — a result that would have kept the dream of a four-bid WCC alive for another night. And while Todd Golden’s squad played the Zags close for the second time this season, it didn’t have enough in the end, falling 81-77.

So three bids it will be for the West Coast, and the outcome of the second semifinal all but assured that total, as the Saint Mary’s Gaels topped the BYU Cougars, 51-50, thanks to a Jordan Ford jumper in the final seconds. That result both boosted the Gaels’ NET ranking into the top 30 and improved their record in Quadrant 1 games to 3-4, with all of those wins being against teams safely in the field.

After today’s full bracket and rundown, I’ll take a look at what’s to come on Tuesday, a night that will see five teams officially take their places in the field of 68.

Arrows indicate seed line movement, which is relative to Monday’s bracket. Asterisks (*) indicate new entries. Teams in all caps (except for those that go by their initials) have clinched auto bids (six so far).

1. South Region (Houston)

Omaha, Nebraska (Fri./Sun.)

1. Kansas (Big 12) vs. 16. Robert Morris (NEC)/NC Central (MEAC) 8. Saint Mary’s vs. 9. USC

Sacramento, California (Fri./Sun.)

5. Ohio State vs. 12. LIBERTY (ASUN) 4. Oregon (Pac-12) vs. 13. New Mexico State (WAC)

Albany, New York (Thu./Sat.)

6. Michigan vs. 11. UTAH STATE (MW) 3. Maryland vs. 14. Colgate (Patriot)

Tampa, Florida (Thu./Sat.)

7. LSU vs. 10. Marquette 2. Florida State (ACC) vs. 15. North Dakota State (Summit)

2. West Region (Los Angeles)

Spokane, Washington (Thu./Sat.)

1. Gonzaga (WCC) vs. 16. Siena (MAAC)/Prairie View A&M (SWAC) 8. Arizona vs. 9. Florida

Spokane (Thu./Sat.)

5. Auburn vs. 12. Stephen F. Austin (Southland) 4. Wisconsin (Big Ten) vs. 13. BELMONT (OVC)

Greensboro, North Carolina (Fri./Sun.)

6. Iowa vs. ↓11. Texas Tech 3. Duke vs. 14. BRADLEY (MVC)

St. Louis, Missouri (Thu./Sat.)

7. Illinois vs. 10. Oklahoma 2. Creighton (Big East) vs. 15. UC Irvine (Big West)

3. Midwest Region (Indianapolis)

St. Louis (Thu./Sat.)

1. Baylor vs. 16. Little Rock (Sun Belt) 8. Houston vs. 9. Arizona State

Tampa (Thu./Sat.)

5. BYU vs. 12. Yale (Ivy) 4. Seton Hall vs. 13. Akron (MAC)

Greensboro (Fri./Sun.)

6. Virginia vs. 11. Stanford/Xavier 3. Michigan State vs. 14. North Texas (C-USA)

Cleveland (Fri./Sun.)

7. West Virginia vs. 10. Rutgers 2. Dayton (A 10) vs. *15. Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

4. East Region (New York)

Sacramento (Fri./Sun.)

1. San Diego State vs. 16. WINTHROP (Big South) 8. Colorado vs. 9. Indiana

Omaha (Fri./Sun.)

5. Butler vs. 12. Cincinnati (American) 4. Louisville vs. 13. Vermont (Amer. East)

Albany (Thu./Sat.)

6. Penn State vs. 11. Richmond/Texas 3. Villanova vs. 14. Hofstra (CAA)

Cleveland, Ohio (Fri./Sun.)

7. Providence vs. ↑10. EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon) 2. Kentucky (SEC) vs. 15. Eastern Washington (Big Sky)

Rundown

Bids by conference: 10 Big Ten, 7 Big East, 6 Big 12, 5 Pac-12, 4 ACC, 4 SEC, 3 WCC, 2 AAC, 2 A 10, 2 MW, 22 one-bid conferences

Last four byes: Oklahoma, Rutgers, Marquette, Texas Tech Last four in: Stanford, Xavier, Richmond, Texas First four out: UCLA, Wichita State, NC State, Northern Iowa Next four out: Mississippi State, UConn, Saint Louis, Tulsa

Lowest-ranked NET at-large: Texas (69) Highest-ranked NET exclusion: Purdue (33, 16-15 overall)

New today (1/68): Northern Kentucky Leaving today: Wright State

While the first power-conference tournament of the season, the ACC tournament, tips off in Greensboro this afternoon, neither one of that event’s first-round contests will have any bracket impact. However, Tuesday night’s slate will see the number of automatic bid holders jump from six to 11.

Three spots are up for grabs in the 7 p.m. ET time slot.

In the Horizon League, the Northern Kentucky Norse will look for their second NCAA bid in a row and second in three years. The Horizon’s No. 2 seed will face the No. 4, as the UIC Flames routed the top-seeded Wright State Raiders in Monday’s first semifinal. The Flames last danced in 2004. That game is on ESPN.

On ESPN, the Northeast Conference’s two Pittsburgh-area schools the Robert Morris Colonials and St. Francis Red Flash meet on the Colonials’ home floor. The two best tournament-eligible teams in the NEC (sorry, Merrimack) split their regular-season meetings, with each home team victorious. Robert Morris last reached the field in 2015, while St. Francis hasn’t qualified since 1991.

CBSSN has the CAA tournament championship, which is a rematch of last season’s. The top-seeded Hofstra Pride, looking for its first bid since Jay Wright coached them to 2001’s America East title, will look to avenge 2019’s title defeat to the Northeastern Huskies.

While there are two title games at 9 p.m. ET, only one features a pair of team’s playing for their tournament lives.

That’s on ESPN2, where the defending champion and top-seeded North Dakota State Bison meet in-state rival North Dakota Fighting Hawks. They last made the field in 2017, as a Big Sky member.

ESPN, meanwhile, has the WCC final between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. I suppose the Gaels could be left out with a loss, but that seems highly unlikely given the shape of this season’s bubble. So, really the Bulldogs are playing for a No. 1 seed and the Gaels to get out of an 8 vs. 9 game.

Wednesday’s bracket should be the last with relatively minor updates until Selection Sunday afternoon arrives. In the meantime, you can check out my TV viewing guides and full conference tournament coverage over at Blogging the Bracket and and listen to my bracketology interviews on the College Basketball Coast to Coast podcast.

[morgan-squeezy]

oh god i need to twist their cables so frickin bad its not even funny

[garnernews]

The Story of Our Storyteller: Garner's Tim Stevens Inducted into North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Garner News Features

 BY MARGARET DAMGHANI

Tim Stevens vividly remembers the December night over 30 years ago when Garner became a ghost town. There were only 12,000 residents of Garner at the time, yet 10,000 people traveled from this area to Charlotte to cheer Garner High’s football team on for Championship game. When a media team came to Garner that night to interview local residents, none could be found. Signs on the front of businesses said they were closed.

There are too many highlights of his five-decades long career in sports writing to mention, but he relates the story of the 1987 Championship Win by Garner High with a mix of fondness and pride that seems to portray his way of thinking about his work.    

“It had almost nothing to do with football. It was really about community.”

A life-long Garner resident, Stevens is one of twelve people to be honored later this year with induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, paying tribute to his 48-year career as a high school sports writer and editor for the Raleigh Times and later the News and Observer. During that time, he tirelessly covered all types of high school sports and anything else that he was moved to write about; the socioeconomics of high school athletics, concussions, transgender athletes, and more.

“I’m a storyteller. I tell stories in plays. I tell stories in sports. I’m not much of a sports fan at all. I’m a people fan.”

It’s clear he enjoyed the time he spent as a sportswriter, however, though not for the fame and fortune many associate with the highly publicized arena of college and professional athletics, or even the many other honors he’s received along the way. It’s the values that sports instill in young people that draw him to it; accountability, consequences and a sense of community. It’s because sports and high school work together to make better people.

“It doesn’t affect my life who wins the Super Bowl. But what is taught in high school does. I came to the realization high school is more important than anything,” Stevens said. “I got to write about all these diverse things. I got to write about society through the lens of young people. I got to write nice things about kids that may not have nice things being said to them.”

He is honored, of course, to be recognized in the Hall of Fame for his body of work, which includes other accomplishments like co-authoring the first North Carolina High School Records Book, along with some of the giants he grew up watching.

“I’m in there with people I grew up dreaming about, I can truthfully say I’m the most unathletic person in the NC Hall of Fame.”

Garner’s history and future are both important to Stevens. His family has been in the area for 200 years, he says, and long-time Garner residents may remember his mother Evelyn Stevens as an editor of the weekly Garner News that ended in 2013, and his father as Town Council member James R. Stevens. His son, one of three children, teaches and coaches at Garner Magnet High School.

Retired from the News and Observer in 2015, Stevens spends his time on his work at Aversboro Road Baptist Church and enriching the lives of Garner residents through his plays focusing on Garner’s history, such as the one he wrote about that 1987 win. He has written plays on the civil war, WWII, integration, and the Vietnam War, all focusing on Garner’s specific people and contributions.

The Wall that Heals will on display at Garner’s Lake Benson Park from April 16 to April 19, 2020.

He brings entertainment to the area with projects like the long-running Broadway Voices series. Most recently, he set his sights on successfully bringing to Garner the Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.

Stevens has also been inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the Garner High Hall of Fame, and the Broughton High Hall of Fame. He was honored in 2015 with the annual James R. Stevens Service to Garner Award, an award named after his late father.

“They’re all different but they all mean as much to you,” Stevens said, of the many recognitions he has collected over the years.

NCSHOF 2020 Inductees

A brief biography of each 2020 inductee follows; deceased inductees being inducted posthumously are indicated by an asterisk:

Debbie Antonelli – Entering her 30th season as a full-time broadcaster for ESPN, Antonelli is one of the best-known female college and professional women’s basketball television analysts in America today. An Emmy Award winner and Gracie Award winner for broadcasting, she is also known for her on-air commentary for men’s basketball and in 2017, Antonelli became the first woman in 22 years to be a color analyst during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues – After a standout career at Wake Forest, the 5-foot-3 Bogues defied the odds and played 14 years in the NBA. He remains the shortest player in NBA history. A first-team All-ACC selection as a senior, he led the ACC in both assists and steals in 1985, 1986 and 1987 and was the 12th overall selection in the 1987 NBA Draft. Bogues currently ranks 23rd in NBA history with 6,726 career assists and 20th in assists per game (7.6).  

Mack Brown – After recently completing his 11th season as head football coach at the University of North Carolina, Brown has compiled a record of 244-123-1 (.664) in his tenure as a head coach at the FBS level. His 244 career victories rank 10th on the all-time list and are the most among active coaches. A two-time national coach of the Year (2005 & 2008), Brown is 13-8 in post-season bowl games with his 2005 Texas team winning the national championship with a 41-38 win over USC.  

Dennis Craddock* – One of the most successful coaches in Atlantic Coast Conference history, Craddock coached the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams at the University of North Carolina for 27 years, winning 45 conference championships, more than any coach in any sport in the history of the league. He was named ACC Coach of the Year 31 times and 25 of his athletes won 38 NCAA titles while 19 of his stars competed in the Olympics winning five gold and two bronze medals.  

Dr. Charles Kernodle – The 102-year-old Kernodle has been the Burlington Williams High School football team doctor more than 60 years. He has lived in Burlington since 1949 and has missed only a few home or away games during that time. The football field at Williams High was named in his honor on his 90th birthday in 2007. In addition to his duties at Williams, he also helped with the football and basketball teams at Elon University.

Mac Morris – A member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame and the co-executive director of the North Carolina Coaches Association, Morris served as the head basketball coach at Greensboro’s Page High School for 25 years and compiled a 456-151 (.751) record, that included state 4-A titles in 1979, 1983 and 1990. Both his 1983 and his 1990 teams were undefeated at 26-0 and 31-0, respectively. The 1983 team ranked second nationally by USA Today and he was named the AP Coach of the Year.  

Trot Nixon - A two-sport star at New Hanover High in Wilmington, Nixon became a standout baseball player with the Boston Red Sox. As a high school senior, he was named the North Carolina player of the year in both football and baseball and was named Baseball America’s national player of the year. A right fielder, Nixon hit .274 in a 12-year major league career with 137 home runs and 555 RBIs. In 42 post-season games, Nixon hit .283 with six home runs and 25 RBIs.

Julius Peppers – One of the most celebrated players in pro football history, Peppers finished his 17-year career with 724 tackles, including 159.5 sacks – the fourth-best mark in NFL history. His 266 games played are a record for a defensive lineman and his 13 blocked kicks are the second most ever in the NFL, as are his 51 forced fumbles. At the University of North Carolina, he led the nation in sacks in 2000 with 15. A unanimous All-America in 2001, he also won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player and the Lombardi Award as the best collegiate lineman.  

Bobby Purcell - The Executive Director of the Wolfpack Club.  Purcell has served in a number of capacities since joining the N.C. State athletics department staff in 1981.  He served as an assistant football coach and recruiting coordinator under Monte Kiffin, Tom Reed, and Dick Sheridan.  At the Wolfpack Club he has overseen the construction of the Murphy Football Center and Vaughn Towers as well as the funding of nearly 300 student-athlete scholarships annually.

Judy Rose - The former Director of Athletics for 28 years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Rose became the third female to serve as the athletic director of an NCAA Division I program when she accepted the position in 1990. In 1999-2000, she became the first female to serve on the prestigious NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. Chief among her accomplishments with the university was the overall growth of the 49ers athletics department, culminating with the unveiling of the school’s football program in 2013.

Tim Stevens - One of six North Carolinians in the National High School Hall of Fame, Stevens built a national reputation for his reporting of high school athletics. He covered high school sports for The Raleigh Times and The Raleigh News & Observer for 48 years, winning numerous national awards. Named as one of the top 10 sports reporters in the country by the AP Sports Editors, Stevens is a member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame and its media award is named in his honor.

Donnell Woolford – A three-sport star at Fayetteville’s Douglas Byrd High School, Woolford graduated from Clemson University, where he earned All-ACC and All-American honors twice. A first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1989 and a Pro Bowl honoree in 1993, Woolford started every game from 1989-1996 and ranks third in Bears history with 32 career interceptions. A Graduate Assistant Coach at Clemson in 2016, he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

https://www.thegarnernews.com/garner-news-features/tim-stevens-inducted-into-north-carolina-sports-hall-of-fame

[thereviewsarein]

The highly anticipated self-titled debut album from new country supergroup The Highwomen is here, and we’re here for it!

Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Amanda Shires have joined forces and voices to create a 12-track album that we’ve been excited about since its announcement. And when we heard Redesigning Women, we started to count the days until the full album was available.

The record is a whole lot of things. As covered widely, the entire project came together in a search for female representation in country music. That alone is something worth keying in on and fighting for. But there’s a lot more to this album than that statement. From top to bottom this thing is packed with fantastic songwriting, magnificent harmonies, and powerful performances that take every expectation we had for The Highwomen and blows them out of the water.

Starting with Highwomen at the top of the album, there’s a depth and willingness in the tracklist to tell hard stories in a way that country music does best. It’s slow and it’s upbeat too. It’s fun and it’s deep and full of feelings. It’s balanced and complete.

Note: The group has also recorded and released a wonderful rendition of the Fleetwood Mac classic, The Chain for The Kitchen movie soundtrack. We wish it was included on the album, but we’re really just happy that it exists.

For years we’ve been writing and talking about the lack of women being played on country radio or being booked at country music festivals. We watched as women like Maren Morris finally get to #1 on the charts with  and are celebrated for breaking through, and wondered aloud why we can’t just celebrate her for releasing great music instead of her success being a novelty. We aren’t alone in thinking or saying those things. But still we look around and see women getting fewer spins than men, fewer chances to play big stages, and while they may earn critical acclaim and build dedicated fanbases, they are all well aware of the steeper hill they have to climb to get to the top. The Highwomen should challenge all of that very quickly.

Related: Why Maren Morris Hitting Number One Matters, And Why It Shouldn’t

Redesigning Women should rise up the charts when it hits radio. Heaven Is A Honky Tonk could do the same. And if stations (especially in the Bible Belt) can gather the strength to stand up to homophobic pushback, If She Ever Leaves Me could be a hit too.

That’s a big if though. And if you’re asking what’s likely to happen with If She Ever Leaves Me, the safe money (based on history) is on little to no radio play, hateful remarks and attacks online, and threats from fundamentalist groups to boycott whatever they think will protect their homophobic views. And all of that should make people fucking angry. I hope I’m wrong.

BUT, more importantly, and most importantly, If She Ever Leaves Me is the representation that the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t get in mainstream country music. It is a song about a lesbian relationship and it matters. There’s love coming in already on Twitter for the song from those who are hearing their story or feeling represented. We hope that continues and drowns out whatever negativity pops up.

In social media posts celebrating and sharing the release of the album, the band says…

“We are The Highwomen. We hope these stories find you when you need them most.”

Track by track, The Highwomen is a big win. Depending on your mood at any given time there are songs that are going to work for you. And if you just love great female voices singing quality country music, you can hit play on track one and listen to the full 42-minute album.

It’s difficult not to let the significance and weight of this album as a statement overshadow the quality of the songs. You shouldn’t look at this as an album that four women put together just to ruffle some feathers and further their cause. We hope it does that, but we also hope that listeners allow Old Soul and My Only Child and Cocktail And A Song and My Name Can’t Be Mama and Don’t Call Me to sit with them and earn their way onto playlists with repeat listens in mind. We hope the songwriting and singing resonate purely based on a love of country music.

Sometimes, expectations for art can hurt its reception when it arrives. Words like supergroup can do that. Stories in the New York Times and Rolling Stone can do that. Fans and industry members talking to each other about how excited they are can do that. But sometimes, like this one, the weight of the expectations is shrugged off and the art shines as intended.

The bottom line is this: The Highwomen have released a full album of really good country songs that are important because of both their quality and what they represent.

We recommend that you listen to the whole thing now, and then start picking which songs belong on which of your playlists for easy access anytime.

The Highwomen Tracklist

1. Highwomen 2. Redesigning Women 3. Loose Change 4. Crowded Table 5. My Name Can’t Be Mama 6. If She Ever Leaves Me 7. Old Soul 8. Don’t Call Me 9. My Only Child 10. Heaven Is A Honky Tonk 11. Cocktail And A Song 12. Wheels Of Laredo



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The Highwomen Album Review The highly anticipated self-titled debut album from new country supergroup The Highwomen is here, and we're here for it!

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RECORDING ACADEMY™ ANNOUNCES 61ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® NOMINEES

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Musical Guest Cardi B Performs a Medley in Studio 8H on Saturday, April 7, 2018 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC) 

       CARDI B, BRANDI CARLILE, DRAKE, H.E.R., POST MALONE, JANELLE MONÁE, KACEY MUSGRAVES, AND BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM, MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY (VARIOUS ARTISTS) VIE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR

       By Naomi Richard

      The Recording Academy™ welcomes this year's class of GRAMMY® nominees and for the first time, celebrates eight nominees in each of the General Field categories: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. This year’s nominees were selected from more than 21,000 submissions across 84 categories, and reflect the wide range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music (Oct. 1, 2017–Sept. 30, 2018). As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY Awards® are voted on by the Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

      "Reflection, reevaluation, and implementation have been the driving forces at the Recording Academy over the past year," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "From convening our Task Force On Diversity & Inclusion and launching our new community-driven membership model, to increasing the number of nominees in the General Field, and to playing a leadership role in the successful passage of the landmark Music Modernization Act, the Recording Academy has reaffirmed its commitment to music creators across all facets of our industry. And, it’s our awards process that has taken a front seat during this evolutionary period to ensure the GRAMMY Awards reflect the ever-changing needs of the creative community. We are proud of this year's nominations results and congratulate all of the talented and deserving nominees."

        THE VOICE -- "Live Top 11" - Pictured: Janelle Monáe -- (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

        "Every year the Recording Academy voting membership has the biggest responsibility within our entire GRAMMY Awards process due to the fact they vote to determine who among their peers are the nominees," said Bill Freimuth, Chief Awards Officer of the Recording Academy. "Once again, their votes have produced an impressive list of nominees across multiple genres, promising music fans a spectacular show filled with stellar performances and unique GRAMMY moments."

       The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 13, 2018–Jan 9, 2019. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, live from Los Angeles' STAPLES Center and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET/5:00–8:30 p.m. PT.

      The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields and 84 categories. For a complete nominations list, visit www.grammy.com.

       Record Of The Year: "I Like It" — Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "The Joke" — Brandi Carlile "This Is America" — Childish Gambino "God's Plan" — Drake "Shallow" — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "All The Stars" — Kendrick Lamar & SZA "Rockstar" — Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage "The Middle" — Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey 

      Album Of The Year: Invasion Of Privacy — Cardi B By The Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile Scorpion — Drake H.E.R. — H.E.R. Beerbongs & Bentleys — Post Malone Dirty Computer — Janelle Monáe Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By (Various Artists)

       Childish Gambino. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy / Dipasupil/Getty Images.

          Song Of The Year: "All The Stars" — Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA) "Boo'd Up" — Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai) "God's Plan" — Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake) "In My Blood" — Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes) "The Joke" — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile) "The Middle" — Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey) "Shallow" — Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper) "This Is America" — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)

          Best New Artist: Chloe x Halle Luke Combs Greta Van Fleet H.E.R. Dua Lipa Margo Price Bebe Rexha Jorja Smith

    Best Pop Solo Performance: "Colors" — Beck      "Havana (Live)" — Camila Cabello "God Is A Woman" — Ariana Grande "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" — Lady Gaga "Better Now" — Post Malone

                 Best Pop Vocal Album: Camila — Camila Cabello Meaning Of Life — Kelly Clarkson Sweetener — Ariana Grande Shawn Mendes — Shawn Mendes Beautiful Trauma — P!nk Reputation — Taylor Swift

     Best Dance Recording: "Northern Soul" — Above & Beyond Featuring Richard Bedford "Ultimatum" — Disclosure (Featuring Fatoumata Diawara) "Losing It" — Fisher "Electricity” — Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson "Ghost Voices" — Virtual Self

     Best Rock Song: "Black Smoke Rising" — Jacob Thomas Kiszka, Joshua Michael Kiszka, Samuel Francis Kiszka & Daniel Robert Wagner, songwriters (Greta Van Fleet) "Jumpsuit" — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots) "MANTRA" — Jordan Fish, Matthew Kean, Lee Malia, Matthew Nicholls & Oliver Sykes, songwriters (Bring Me The Horizon) "Masseduction" — Jack Antonoff & Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent) "Rats" — Tom Dalgety & A Ghoul Writer, songwriters (Ghost)

        Best Urban Contemporary Album: Everything Is Love — The Carters The Kids Are Alright — Chloe x Halle Chris Dave And The Drumhedz — Chris Dave And The Drumhedz War & Leisure — Miguel Ventriloquism — Meshell Ndegeocello  

     Best Rap Album: Invasion Of Privacy — Cardi B Swimming — Mac Miller Victory Lap — Nipsey Hussle Daytona — Pusha T Astroworld — Travis Scott

     Best Country Album: Unapologetically — Kelsea Ballerini Port Saint Joe — Brothers Osborne Girl Going Nowhere — Ashley McBryde Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves From A Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton  

      Best Jazz Vocal Album: My Mood Is You — Freddy Cole The Questions — Kurt Elling The Subject Tonight Is Love — Kate McGarry With Keith Ganz & Gary Versace If You Really Want — Raul Midón With The Metropole Orkest Conducted By Vince Mendoza The Window — Cécile McLorin Salvant

          Gospel singer Jekalyn Carr performs on The Gigantic Gospel Fall Tour September 9, 2018 at Greater Grace Church, Houston, Texas. Photo by Naomi Richard.

     Best Gospel Album: One Nation Under God — Jekalyn Carr Hiding Place — Tori Kelly Make Room — Jonathan McReynolds The Other Side — The Walls Group A Great Work — Brian Courtney Wilson

      Best Latin Pop Album: Prometo — Pablo Alboran Sincera — Claudia Brant Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos), Vol. 2 — Natalia Lafourcade 2:00 AM —  Raquel Sofía Vives — Carlos Vives

      Best Americana Album: By The Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile Things Have Changed — Bettye LaVette The Tree Of Forgiveness — John Prine The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone — Lee Ann Womack One Drop Of Truth — The Wood Brothers

      Best Comedy Album: Annihilation — Patton Oswalt Equanimity & The Bird Revelation — Dave Chappelle Noble Ape — Jim Gaffigan Standup For Drummers — Fred Armisen Tamborine — Chris Rock

     Best Song Written For Visual Media: "All The Stars" — Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Alexander William Shuckburgh, Mark Anthony Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA), Track from: Black Panther "Mystery Of Love" — Sufjan Stevens, songwriter (Sufjan Stevens), Track from: Call Me By Your Name "Remember Me" — Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Miguel Featuring Natalia Lafourcade), Track from: Coco "Shallow" — Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper), Track from: A Star Is Born "This Is Me" — Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble), Track from: The Greatest Showman

     Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Boi-1da Larry Klein Linda Perry Kanye West Pharrell Williams

     For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube. 

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9 Unforgettable Moments from the 2018 Billboard Music Awards

The Billboard Music Awards rocked the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, and almost all the biggest names in music and entertainment came out to celebrate the artists, songs, and albums that took the world by storm this year.

In a night filled with bombastic live performances and emotional, touching speeches, there were a few moments that stood out from the rest.

Here are some of the biggest, best and most important highlights from Sunday's BBMAs.

1. Emotional Tribute to Santa Fe High School Shooting Victims

Our hearts go out to all the victims in the Santa Fe community and their families. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7ejLAd8nKk

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

Kelly Clarkson somberly opened this year's show with an emotional call to action in response to the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas on Friday. The 36-year-old singer fought back tears from the first moment of her powerful speech, where she rejected the idea of having a moment of silence in favor of calling for a "moment of action [and] a moment of change."

The tragic shooting, which is believed to have been committed by a 17-year-old student who attended the high school, claimed the lives of 10 people, eight children and two adult teachers, and left 13 others wounded.

"Mommies and daddies should be able to send their kids to school, to church, to movie theaters, to clubs. You should be able to live your life without that kind of fear," Clarkson said "We need to do better. Because we're failing our children, we're failing our communities and we're failing their families. I have four children; I cannot imagine getting that phone call or that knock on the door."

2. Ariana Grande Kicks Things Off With a Splash

We have 'ʎɹɔ oʇ ʇɟǝl sɹɐǝʇ ou' after that #ARIANA_BBMAs performance! @ArianaGrande 😭🚫 pic.twitter.com/vSqrNprYXw

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

The 24-year-old singer kicked off the awards show with a rain-soaked, umbrella filled performance of her new single "No Tears Left to Cry," while rocking a black babydoll dress and thigh-high leather boots.

The appearance marked Grande's first televised performance since her split from longtime boyfriend Mac Miller earlier this month, and it's clear the singer hasn't let it affect her stage presence. Grande didn't miss a beat during the stylish number, which was a beautiful live recreation of the song's psychedelic music video.

3. Kelly Clarkson Proves Why She's the Best Choice to Host

Come through, @Kelly_Clarkson! #BBMAs#KELLY_BBMAspic.twitter.com/XgJpR7nYjx

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

When Clarkson took the stage for her opening monologue, the singer showed exactly why she was the best possible choice to host: her effortless enthusiasm and genuine appreciation for her fellow artists.

After saying she was going to keep things "simple" as the evening's host, Clarkson immediately kicked into an over-the-top medley of some of the nominated artist's biggest hits, including Maren Morris' "My Church," Sam Smith's "Too Good at Goodbyes," and Kendrick Lamar's "Humble." 

Clarkson continued with her cover of Imagine Dragons "Thunder" and Khalid's "Young Dumb & Broke" -- which Khalid himself couldn’t help but dance to in the audience -- and then performed Cardi B's verse from Bruno Mars' "Finesse" as well as Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You," Shawn Mendes' "Nothing Holding Me Back" and Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do."

As the explosive, acrobat-filed display of extravagance came to a close, Clarkson jokingly reiterated that she planned on "keeping it simple."

Later in the evening, Clarkson stepped back from hosting for a live performance of her own music.

These two go way back! ↩️ @SimonCowell brings out the next #BBMAs performer, @Camila_Cabello! #CAMILA_BBMAspic.twitter.com/ShAdlp5g41

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

The singer took the stage in a golden, fringe-covered dress to belt out a rendition of "Whole Lotta Woman," off her 2017 album The Meaning of Life.

4. The Chainsmokers Honor Avicii

Before presenting the award for Top Hot 100 Song, The Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall joined Halsey to pay tribute to the late EDM artist Avicii.

Nothing but love for Avicii from @TheChainsmokers & @halsey as they present the #BBMAs for Top Hot 100 Song. 💞 pic.twitter.com/k89czVBrih

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

"His passing was a great loss for the music world, and for us," Pall shared, somberly. "He was an artist who inspired so many and in so many ways. And, simply put, he meant so much to us and everyone in the EDM community."

"Everyone who worked with him would agree that he was such a joy," Halsey added. "And it makes this tragedy all the more painful."

Not long after paying tribute to the late artist, The Chainsmokers took home the award for Top Dance/Electronic Artist, and Pall dedicated the Golden Microphone to Avicii and addressed the artist's influence on EDM and pop.

.@TheChainsmokers are #BBMAs WINNERS! Congrats on taking home the 🏆 for Top Dance/Electronic Artist! pic.twitter.com/WOXnCgEExT

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

"We want to dedicate this award to Avicii. None of us would be here. Everyone who was nominated for this award was massively influenced by him," Pall shared, in part. "He will be missed."

5. Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera Belt Out Wild Duet

I got a right to speak my mind 🗣 about how FANTASTIC this song is. WOW. @xtina@ddlovato#XTINADEMI_BBMAs#BBMAspic.twitter.com/VLuixGOQ8e

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

There's no denying that Lovato and Aguilera stole the spotlight with their insane diva-off when the pair took the stage to perform their girl-power duet "Fall in Line." 

Rocking matching black leather trench coats, the amazing number seemed to be set in a dystopian police state, with back-up dancers in fascist-like black uniforms and militaristic helmets. It gave the whole thing an emotional Handmaid's Tale/1984 vibe that really added some emotional weight to the defiant, feminist messages and themes of the powerful song.

6. BTS Has the Absolute Best Night

You might be sick of this 'Fake Love' but I am NOT sick of those dance moves, @BTS_twt! #BBMAs#BTS_BBMAspic.twitter.com/kvbXidp3gZ

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

Every time BTS was mentioned, or the cameras cut to them in the audience, everyone freaked the hell out. Every. Single. Time. So you can only imagine how loud things got when the seven K-pop megastars took the stage to perform their song "Fake Love."

Kelly Clarkson came prepared while introducing the band, bringing out some fuzzy pink earmuffs to defend her ears against the deafening roar of the fans. 

It's TIME for @BTS_twt's FIRST #BBMAs performance AND WORLD TV PREMIERE PERFORMANCE of their song 'FAKE LOVE!' #BTS_BBMAs#BBMAspic.twitter.com/HkR8FQalzp

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

RM, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, Suga and V slayed the flawless performance with their signature intricate stage presence and complex dance moves that put most of the night's other live numbers to shame.

The award for Top Social Artist presented by @23andMe goes to... @BTS_twt! #BBMAspic.twitter.com/jzE1hvQkno

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

Before their acclaimed performance, the bandmates also took home the award for Top Social Artist for the second year in a row, after becoming the first Korean artists to ever take home a Billboard Music Award in 2017.

7. An Emotional Musical Call For Gun Control

.@BebeRexha introduces a very special performance by @ShawnMendes, @thegreatkhalid and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Show Choir at the #BBMAs. pic.twitter.com/pbyWy8sUaV

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

The BBMAs addressed the Santa Fe High School shooting once again during the show with an impassioned call for gun control via a performance by Shawn Mendes and Khalid of their emotional ballad "Youth." 

📹 | Shawn, Khalid & the choir students from Stoneman Douglas High❤️ #BBMAs  May 20th,2018pic.twitter.com/Y9e9CAt6J9

— Shawn Mendes Updates (@ShawnMTrack) May 21, 2018

The two stars were joined by the choir of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed and 17 others injured in a mass shooting that left the nation devastated. 

8. Janet Jackson Gets Real

After rocking the stage with her incredible performance, @JanetJackson accepts the 2018 #BBMAs Icon Award! #ICON_JANETpic.twitter.com/S7nDbrGJQI

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

The legendary pop superstar was honored with the BBMAs' Icon Award  -- presented by surprise guest Bruno Mars -- making Jackson only the seventh artist -- and first black woman -- to receive the award.

To celebrate the honor, Jackson performed a medley of some of her biggest hits -- including "Nasty" and "Throb" -- in her first live, televised performance in many years.

While her musical presence drew a standing ovation, Jackson really blew people away with her powerful acceptance speech in which she said Americans are living "in a glorious moment in history."

"It's a moment when, at long last, women have made it clear that we will no longer be controlled, manipulated or abused," Jackson said. "I stand with those women, and with those men equally outraged by discrimination who support us. This is also a moment when your public discourse is loud and harsh."

9. Salt-N-Pepa Close Out the Show With Classics

Will I have these songs stuck in my head for the rest of the night? YEP. Am I mad about it? NOPE. @TheSaltNPepa#SALTNPEPA_BBMAspic.twitter.com/tF3hKeaH9K

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 21, 2018

The awards show closed out the night with some serious girl power with Hip-hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, who performed a selection of their greatest hits, including "Shoop," "Let's Talk About Sex" and "Push It."

However, things became next-level epic when En Vouge came out to perform with Salt-N-Pepa for their 1994 super-hit "Whatta Man," which brought the entire audience to their feet to sing along.

Check out the video below for a look at the most memorable moments from last year's Billboard Music Awards.

RELATED CONTENT:

Janet Jackson Receives Icon Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards

2018 Billboard Music Awards: Best and Most Daring Red Carpet Looks!

Billboard Music Awards 2018: The Complete Winners List

[auburnfamilynews]

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Some big time players won’t be suiting up for a couple of Auburn’s rivals this fall

In a normal year, Auburn would be gearing up for a trip to Atlanta to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels. We would have already gotten a chance to see a little taste of this Chad Morris offense last weekend in the season opener against Alcorn State.

But this is not a normal year. This is 2020. A crappy year but a historic one nonetheless. Last week, Auburn was unable to practice due to a breakout of COVID-19. This week, Auburn returned to practice while a number of big time players in the SEC decided to hang it up and begin focusing on the NFL Draft.

LSU Loses More Starters

Even in a normal year, LSU’s attrition this off-season would have been wild. Both coordinators, a number of off the field assistants, a Heisman winning QB and 13 starters all gone. But this is not a normal year and the blows have kept coming to the defending national champs. Earlier this week, Ja’Marr Chase announced his intentions to skip his junior season and begin preparation for the NFL Draft.

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/elByYq0oNg

— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) August 31, 2020

The Biletnikoff winner put together an outrageous sophomore campaign catching 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s a huge blow to LSU’s offense which already had a mighty task ahead of itself in coming close to the same type of machine that was fielded last fall.

Then later that day another starter announced his intentions to opt out and leave early. Massive nose tackle Tyler Shelvin was expected to help anchor the Tigers defensive line this fall but instead he will be preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft. Chase’s decision makes some sense considering he’s a 1st round lock and matching last fall’s production would have been difficult. Shelvin, on the other hand, probably needed another year to have a chance to move up draft boards. His departure leaves LSU with even less returning contributors from last year’s title team.

Updated LSU depth chart from the national championship game: pic.twitter.com/uOCDidufVl

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 31, 2020

Rumors abound others could still jump ship as well. Most notably, buzz is out there that JaCoby Stevens is considering not playing this fall. Ed Orgeron confirmed the speculation that others are weighing the decision but he’s hopeful they will play.

2020 was going to be a tough year for LSU to follow up on last year’s success. Now it might be even tough to be 2018 good. Gus Malzahn is 0-3 against Ed O. No excuse to be 0-4 after this season.

Jamie Newman’s Heisman Campaign Ends

Remember how UGA landed a Heisman contender at QB this off-season? Remember how Jamie Newman was going to come to the SEC, light up SEC defenses and elevate UGA’s offense to 2019 LSU type of heights?

Well that plan has hit a bit of a snag in that Newman doesn’t plan to play a snap for the Dawgs.

. #GODSPLAN pic.twitter.com/1LMOi1lydF

— Jamie Newman (@jlmn12_) September 2, 2020

Newman’s opt out is the most shocking to date. While hype has been off the charts for him this off-season a lot of it was predicated on him having a strong showing in the SEC. His decision to step away now following the first scrimmage and kickoff just 3 weeks away leaves plenty of room for speculation.

Dawgs fans have been quick to pivot from “Newman is the next Cam Newton” to “he’s leaving because JT Daniels beat him out.” However, every reporter worth their salt on the UGA beat has said Newman was the best QB this past weekend and the front-runner for the starting job. Daniels isn’t even cleared for contact yet though that’s expected to happen in the near future.

I thought the Newman hype was overblown but I still believed he was a solid QB. The two things he does really well (run the ball & throw deep) make him tough to defend in the college game. Daniels is a former 5-star with big time arm talent but threw 10 picks his freshman season. He hasn’t seen live action in two years. Throw in a brand new offensive scheme he’s only just started to practice in and it’s hard to see the Dawgs offense looking all that explosive out the gate this fall.

However, given how good this UGA defense should be in 2020 it might not matter all that much. My fear is we see a 2016 rerun where Auburn’s defense dominates the Dawgs offense but the Tigers fail to capitalize offensively. But if there were ever a year for Gus Malzahn to leave Athens with a W you gotta a think a year where the game will be played in a mostly empty stadium against an offense with a brand new scheme with a QB who wasn’t been cleared for contact 3 weeks before the season behind a brand new offensive line would be his best bet.

Get it done Gus.

Not Much of a QB Battle in Tuscaloosa

When Bryce Young flipped from USC to the Tide fans immediately began to speculate he would be usurp Mac Jones as starter. The thought is intriguing. Young was ranked the #1 overall player in the 2020 class. He was an early enrollee so would get a chance to compete against Jones the whole off-season. Fans and even some analysts believe he’s more college ready than Tua was coming out of high school while Jones isn’t as established as Hurts was back in 2017.

But that scenario hasn’t quite unfolded as expected. First, spring practice was cancelled. Second, Young has missed extensive time likely due to either testing positive for COVID-19 or being in quarantine due to exposure. He’s just now returning to practice while Jones has already lead the Tide offense in a scrimmage.

There’s a chance the phenom freshman takes over the gig as the season plays out but for now Mac “Pick 6” Jones looks to be the clear leader of the Crimson Tide offense. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this fall despite the departures of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. As long as he remembers which color jersey his team is wearing, he’s likely to have a strong season in 2020.

@ZAKOBYMCCLAIN picks it off and GOES THE DISTANCE! pic.twitter.com/HrfPIoqnMz

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) April 7, 2020

Joey Gatewood Still Not Cleared

The NCAA is an infuriating organization for many reasons but one of the biggest has to be its seemingly insane waiver review process. A process that might allow someone like Justin Fields to transfer due to frustrations over playing time to powerhouse Ohio State without having to sit out while Luke Ford, another UGA transfer, is denied despite returning closer to home to be near a sick family member.

Or how about a former USC QB transferring to Athens over the summer being granted a waiver in a months time while a former Auburn QB transfers to UK in December is still waiting to hear anything from the NCAA? Makes total sense.

Despite having left Auburn during the middle of the season, signing with the Cats in December and been given support by Auburn to be immediately eligible, Joey Gatewood’s eligibility status is still up in the air. It makes no sense and while I don’t necessarily wanna see Gatewood start for the Wildcats Week 1 because he would obviously score 5 touchdowns in an upset win while Nix throws 3 picks in the most Auburn of all contests, I don’t understand how no decision has been made at this point.

It’s unlikely even if cleared Gatewood would start for Kentucky with Terry Wilson healthy and ready for action. But you can bet Eddie Gran will have something drawn up to get Gatewood a chance to get some revenge on his former team. But he remains in limbo and given the fact the NCAA just furloughed it’s whole staff, I imagine hope of hearing anything in the near future isn’t high in Lexington.

NCAA is furloughing its entire staff about 600 people in Indianapolis for anywhere between 3-8 weeks. https://t.co/9jRFeSZFZ9

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 2, 2020

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/3/21418961/around-the-sec-big-time-opt-outs-jamarr-chase-jamie-newman

[nickreposted]

nicreations shared this story from Atlas Obscura - Latest Articles and Places. A Commodore 64 computer. (Photo: Luca Boldrini/CC BY 2.0) A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.  Back in the early ’90s, it wasn’t a sure thing that Microsoft Windows was going to take over the market, even though they had a clear lead over many of their competitors, thanks to MS-DOS. In fact, one of the iconic GUI-based experiences of the era, AOL, hedged its bets for a while, creating and maintaining a DOS version of its iconic pseudo-internet software using a graphical user interface platform few were familiar with: GeoWorks. It was an operating system for an era when it wasn’t even a sure thing we’d have a modem. And it was absurdly lightweight, something it gained from its earliest form—as GEOS (Graphical Environment Operating System), an operating system option for the Commodore 64. The platform, built by Berkeley Softworks—not to be confused with Berkeley Systems, which built the famous “flying toasters” screensaver—was one of the most popular pieces of software on Commodore 64 for a time, thanks to the fact that it was very functional and worked on very inexpensive hardware. “GEOS did not pioneer the GUI; most of its features were already present in the larger OSes of the day, like the classic Mac (albeit, not Windows),” writer Kroc Camen wrote of GEOS for OS News back in 2006. “What GEOS did show is that cheap, low-power, commodity hardware and simple office productivity software worked. You did not need a $2,000 machine to type a simple letter and print it.” The operating system eventually moved to the PC in the early ’90s in a more advanced form, and Berkeley Softworks changed its name to GeoWorks. I had some experience with Commodore 64 thanks to a childhood friend of mine who owned one and let me mess around with it a bit, but ultimately, I caught onto the PC version of GeoWorks because it came bundled with a 386 I used when I was a kid. That computer wasn’t super-fast—what, with its 40-megabyte hard drive and one megabyte of RAM—and, as a result, it really benefited from the lightweight, object-oriented approach of GeoWorks. The operating system took up maybe 10 of those megabytes, tops. And in an era where connecting to the wider world wasn’t really a big thing, the simplicity of the format was actually kind of nice. Among the more interesting things about the platform: Different interfaces for different skill levels: DOS was not a simple operating system for novices to jump into, and GeoWorks Ensemble made an effort to ensure it was more approachable. It offered two different tiers of usage—“appliances” and “professional,” along with a shell to jump into DOS programs, so you could play Commander Keen without a problem if you really wanted to. For people who had never used a PC before, the strategy was perfect—it had built-in training wheels. Built-in office tools: The software included a variety of apps that were roughly comparable to anything you could find on other operating systems, such as the Mac including a word processor, calendar, and spreadsheet. It also included a Print Shop Pro-style banner-maker, which came in handy if you owned a dot-matrix printer. Overall, these offerings were great for home users, an audience that Microsoft hadn’t really emphasized early on in Windows’ history. It wasn’t as flashy as, say, Microsoft Bob, but it worked a lot better. Geoworks’ welcome page. (Photo: Ernie Smith) Strong capabilities, low power: But the best part of GeoWorks was the fact that it worked well without really strong hardware. Windows 3.1 really needed a 486 to shine, but GeoWorks could effectively run on a 286 or 386 without any problem. It was stable, and despite the fact that (like early versions of Windows) it was essentially a graphical shell for DOS, it rarely ran into hiccups. The software had a cult fanbase, especially among German computer users, who have done a lot to keep its memory alive. And Quantum Computer Services, another company that had built early success on the Commodore 64, saw GeoWorks as its opportunity to dive into the PC sphere, launching its first online network for IBM’s PS/1 line of computers. “The Promenade interface makes it easy for all family members to use the services, without dealing with the frustrations of complicated commands and functions,” Quantum Executive Vice President Steve Case said in a 1990 press release. “Yet the software is advanced enough to satisfy experienced users of online services.” Within a year, the platform had been reworked into America Online, a company Case famously led throughout the ’90s, and within a decade, the company would be in the middle of an audacious merger with Time Warner—with AOL as one of the defining programs of the Windows era. GeoWorks had AOL before it was cool—a golden opportunity to take over the home PC market, especially as AOL’s early disks essentially included barebones versions of GeoWorks. That essentially allowed modem owners toget a taste of GeoWorks for free. But that wasn’t enough. Beyond AOL, GeoWorks had few third-party apps. Part of the reason for this was that, early on, you needed a Sun workstation to develop software for the platform, a deeply ironic requirement—essentially, you needed a $7,000 computer to develop software for low-end PCs, which meant mom-and-pop shops had no chance to even get on board. At the time, Microsoft was releasing Windows-native development platforms like Visual Basic to win over small developers. But those limitations could have been dealt with, honestly, if the desktop operating system itself gained a significant audience. Even GeoWorks’ biggest fans knew it didn’t stand a chance against Windows, due to Microsoft’s already-established goodwill. “I feel badly that this truly amazing program will never be given a chance, as IBM and Microsoft would never allow it,” one such fan wrote to PC Magazine in 1991. “I hope that software developers will see Ensemble’s amazing potential and will begin developing it. Without third-party developers, Ensemble will never survive.” Microsoft was standing on the shoulders of giants. GeoWorks could barely even reach the ankles. An old IBM PS/2 with an Intel 386 processor. (Photo: Wolfgang Stief/CC BY 2.0) But even though GeoWorks failed to win over PC users won over by Windows, the operating system still had a little life in its bones. That’s because, ultimately, operating systems often live multiple lives even if they fail. They show up in random places, because the software is still useful in certain cases. Palm’s sadly-discarded webOS, for example, currently drives LG’s smart televisions. GEOS was much the same way. Like a cow shoved through the food manufacturing process and split into a million pieces, parts of GEOS showed up in the ingredient lists of all sorts of weird products. Among the places where GEOS showed its bones: Personal digital assistants: Before Palm Computing founder Jeff Hawkins came up with the PalmPilot, he formulated an early take on the platform using a stripped-down version of GEOS. The Tandy Zoomer, which came out in 1993, wasn’t a hit, but the collaboration with GeoWorks, Tandy, and Casio proved informative for Hawkins and his team. It helped set the stage for the first truly successful PDA a few years later—one that didn’t use GEOS. (Not to be outdone, Hewlett-Packard created a PDA for the platform itself.) Early smartphones: GEOS’ role in the mobile revolution wasn’t limited to Palm. In the late ’90s, the operating system was a key part of the Nokia 9000 Communicator, one of the earliest smartphones, and one that was well-loved. It was capable of basic word-processing, graphical web-browsing, and could even edit a spreadsheet. For those perks, it wasn’t cheap, costing $800 at launch, and it was Zack Morris huge. “Modern users take features like mobile email and web browsing for granted, but the Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first device to offer these in a single device,” tech writer Richard Baguley wrote on Medium in 2013. “It may have been a bulky, clunky device, but we still miss it.” A Nokia 9000 Communicator. (Photo: textlad/CC BY 2.0) Electronic typewriters: The ’90s were a bad time to be a typewriter-maker, and Brother was not well-positioned to handle the internet revolution. But it did have something up its sleeve: GEOS. The company collaborated with GeoWorks on a set of printer variations that added basic word processing and desktop publishing capabilities to the mix. They were still typewriters, but they did slightly more interesting things than write type. Primitive netbooks: Brother’s interest in GEOS didn’t just extend to typewriters; it saw GEOS as an opportunity to bring “computing to the masses,” as one press release put it. In 1998, years after GEOS had faded from view for just about everyone else, the typewriter company launched an alternative platform—the $500 GeoBook, a low-power laptop that preceded the rise of netbooks by about a decade. It could surf the web and had much of the software available in the DOS version of GeoWorks, but it didn’t have a hard drive, which helped keep the price down. And much like netbooks, reviewers hated them. “For the price of this unit, you can easily find a discontinued, refurbished or used Windows computer and maybe even a new one. It will do hundreds of things that this machine cannot dream of,” a negative 1998 New York Times review explained. There aren’t any crazy GEOS projects like this nowadays that I’m aware of, but hey, maybe it’s running an ATM somewhere. Despite the number of extra lives GeoWorks has had, the outlook of the platform looks more dire than ever in 2016. This is partly due to the complicated corporate history around GEOS. After the company that created the software dissolved in the late ’90s, the technology was sold off to a firm named NewDeal, which built an office suite out of GEOS, one that looked a lot like Windows 95 and took away a lot of the platform’s unique charm. At one point, the operating system was owned by Ted Turner’s son, who attempted to run a low-cost PC company called MyTurn.com, with the GeoWorks software as its centerpiece. (When Teddy Turner ran for Congress in 2013, his MyTurn.com days came back to haunt him.) Eventually, the operating system ended in the hands of a company called Breadbox, which had essentially treated GeoWorks as a volunteer upkeep project, with the eventual goal of turning the GEOS into an educational software platform that worked in tandem with Android. But recently, Breadbox went into hibernation. In November, founder Frank S. Fischer died unexpectedly as they were in the midst of creating a version of the software for tablets. John F. Howard, his longtime partner on Breadbox, is currently working on next steps, talking things over with Fischer’s family as well as other developers who are interested in the platform. “There are still some legal issues to resolve, but I am confident that there is still some life in the GEOS code,” he wrote on the Breadbox website last month.  A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail. 

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-history-of-geoworks-microsoft-windows-upstart-90s-competitor

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Grammy Predictions: Who Will Win?

The 59th annual Grammy awards ceremony is creeping up on us, and it’s going to be a close race this year amongst all of the contenders. The ceremony, hosted by James Corden, will be held on Sunday, February 12, and will feature performances by current nominees Adele, Carrie Underwood, and The Weeknd, to name a few.

Let's take a second and breakdown the Big 4 categories (Album, Record, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) and determine who we think will take home Grammy gold.

 Album of The Year

This award is arguably the biggest award given every year. It’s gone to such pivotal albums in the past as Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette, 21 by Adele, and Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. It’s meant to go to the album that represents the year in music and stands out amongst its competitors. The Recording Academy vote using this mantra: The Album of The Year is awarded to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.

The Nominees:

-       25 (Adele)

-       Lemonade (Beyoncé)

-       Views (Drake)

-       Purpose (Justin Bieber)

-       A Sailor’s Guide To Earth (Sturgill Simpson)

 Who should win?

-       Beyoncé should take home the award this year without question. Her album pushed boundaries and expanded the level of artistry that she had hit before. It doesn’t hone in on any one specific genre, but rather takes highlights from pop, rock, R&B, country, alternative, and hip-hop. Lemonade is set up in a perfect story arc and has phenomenal features that only push the album forward. It was the 2016-year-end number one album for over 20 different music publications for a reason. Queen Bey is overdue for this award and it’s about time we rectified that.

Who will win?

-       The Grammys have been known to surprise us before and give this award to someone completely left field (yes, I’m referring to the 2015 ceremony where AOTY went to Beck rather than Beyoncé.) While the award should go to Beyoncé, we can’t count out any of the other nominees. Adele is a Grammy favorite (she has 10 awards already) and took home AOTY once before in 2012. 25 was a massive commercial success, selling 3.8 million copies in its first week, making it the best sales week for any album ever. However, Adele’s third album was not nearly as critically successful as 21, so she might not get the win due to voters preferring her past album. While we shouldn’t count Drake or Justin Bieber out, their albums didn’t receive as much praise as the other three. That brings us to Beyoncé’s biggest competition this year: Sturgill Simpson. His alt-country album will most likely satisfy the older Grammy voters who feel that less songwriters and producers makes for a better album. When you break it down, Sturgill will most likely get most of the rock and country vote, Beyoncé and Drake will split the hip-hop and R&B vote, and Adele and Justin Bieber will split the pop vote.

 Song of The Year

Song of The Year is awarded to the songwriters each year and is a highly coveted win. It’s meant to go to the song that proved the most artistic and structurally the best. It has been awarded to some massive songs before like “Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson, “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, and, most recently, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.

The Nominees

-       “Hello” by Adele (written by Adele Adkins and Greg Kurstin)

-       “Formation” by Beyoncé (written by Beyoncé Knowles, Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, & Michael L. Williams II)

-       “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” by Mike Posner (written by Mike Posner)

-       “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber (written by Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, & Benjamin Levin)

-       “7 Years” by Lukas Graham (written by Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp) 

 Who should win?

-       The two most qualified to win this award are Adele and Justin Bieber. Adele’s soaring “Hello” topped the charts all over the world and satisfied the public’s need for more of her melancholy breakup tracks. It debuted at #1 in the United States and the UK and is already certified platinum. It is a massive arrangement and the songwriting is expert. Bieber has a slight hand up on Adele because he hasn’t won this award before. The Recording Academy seem to always look at artists who haven’t won the award before, especially when their new work is such a jump forward from their past releases. Bieber probably deserves to win a little more than Adele for the sheer fact that he stepped out of his usual pop/R&B spectrum and produced an acoustic pop track that dominated airwaves.

Who will win?

-       Since the Grammys are so unpredictable, the award really could go to anyone. With that being said, it looks like Adele and Bieber might be the frontrunners still. Beyoncé’s “Formation” is a bit too politically charged/controversial so it’s not likely to take home this one. “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” and “7 Years” are left-field contenders but don’t count them out just yet. It’s really anyone’s game for this one.

 Record of The Year

            This award is the more commercially packed one of them all, usually nominating and awarding songs that are popular and successful to the public. To break it down, this award goes to the most popular of songs, and is awarded to the artist, producers, and engineers. Some of the past winners include “Beat It” by Michael Jackson, “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, and “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum.

The Nominees

-       “Hello” by Adele

-       “Formation” by Beyoncé

-       “7 Years” by Lukas Graham

-       “Work” by Rihanna (featuring Drake)

-       “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots

 Who should win?

-       This is one of the categories where the award could go to anyone. The two biggest songs from the list (based on charts and commercial success) are “Hello” and “Work”. The latter might have a hand up in this category because Rihanna was excluded from the Album and Song of the Year categories this year. It was a massive success and even managed to be a critical one as well. If we’ve learned anything, though, it’s not to count out Adele at any point. She could easily snatch this trophy.

Who will win?

-       Since this category is such a hard one to pinpoint, lets break it down. “Formation” and “Work” will battle it out for the hip-hop and R&B voters’ decision, while “Hello” and “7 Years” will definitely battle it out for the pop vote. “Stressed Out” stands alone in the alternative and rock votes and could easily claim their first win in this category. Since there are no country songs nominated, which usually doesn’t happen, all of those votes will be distributed amongst the nominees, where Adele will most likely take the bulk of those votes due to widespread appeal. This category really is up in the air.

 Best New Artist

            Arguably one of the more crucial awards, this one is going to be a challenge. A person can only be nominated once in their career, and that means they have to have a massive debut. With only five nominees every year, they are almost always at the top of their prospective genres and that makes for a very tight race. Some of the past winners in this category include The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, and Sam Smith.

The Nominees

-       Maren Morris

-       Chance The Rapper

-       The Chainsmokers

-       Kelsea Ballerini

-       Anderson .Paak

Who should win?

-       Chance The Rapper deserves to take home this win. His monumental mixtape, “Coloring Book”, is a magnificent, unprecedented hip-hop release and touches on Chance’s personal life while maintaining a level of wit and cleverness that fans have come to expect from his music.

Who will win?

-       Like we’ve said, the Grammy voters are hard to follow. They USUALLY give the award to the biggest new artist of the year (Adele in 2009, Sam Smith in 2015) but they can definitely come out and give the award to someone that most pop culture savants don’t know as well (Esperanza Spalding in 2011, Bon Iver in 2012). While Chance The Rapper is a standout in the hip-hop world, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini dominated the country music scene, Morris more so than Ballerini, and The Chainsmokers had one of the biggest songs of the year and dominated pop radio. Anderson .Paak is this year’s left field contender, but that doesn’t mean that the R&B/funk artist won’t take home the trophy. No matter how it goes, all five artists are deserving of this award.

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