Who are the Big Stars of the Year? 

This year has been filled with amazing new songs and movies, but the best ones are decided by the Oscars and Grammys: annual award shows that highlight the most influential artists, songs, and movies of the year...

What are the Oscars?

The Oscars have a variety of awards, such as best actor/ actress, best makeup and hairstyling, best visual effects, and many more! Winning an Oscar award is a high honor; many directors and movie producers work hard to reach this goal. Many people's favorite actors and actresses are nominated and appear at the ceremony. The award ceremony has a pre-show that is filled with fun music and performances by well-known artists. 

This year the Oscars are being hosted on March 27th. They start at 8 pm and end at around 12 am, so make sure you prepare a lot of snacks! You can watch them live on ABC. If you are a film fanatic, then the Oscars are definitely a must-watch! 

Nina’s Oscar Predictions

Best costume design

I definitely think that Disney's movie “Cruella” will take the lead with costume design. The movie is about the backstory of the infamous villain Cruella de Vil, and her dream about becoming a well-known fashion designer. She ends up working for one of the most respected designers in London, the Baroness, who holds annual fashion shows. Cruella hides her identity, because in secret she wants to take over the Baroness’ spotlight with her own outfits. 

The costume design in this movie blew my mind. I loved every outfit, but there were some specific ones that stood out most. One of them was Cruella's iconic masquerade costume. It was first introduced as a flowy white gown with a hood, but after Cruella threw a lit match on the dress, it burned in flames and transformed into a beautiful fiery red dress. 

 Not only are the costumes in the movie beautiful, they are also significant to the characters themselves. The transformation of the dress from white to red really highlighted Cruella's chaotic nature that was suppressed in the beginning of the movie. 

Best documentary feature

From the emotional storyline to the beautiful singing, the documentary of Aretha Franklin “Respect” definitely deserves this award. Before watching this movie, I had never heard of Aretha Franklin or her music. But after I watched it, I was shocked at how I didn’t know about her earlier. This movie highlights her amazing music career while also showing her struggles in society at that time as an African American female singer. 

The movie touches upon many important topics such as racism, sexism, and abusive relationships. It can be difficult for one to watch if they are sensitive to those topics, but they truly shed light on Aretha Franklin’s life and her impact on the music industry. It was not only a documentary of Aretha Franklin, but also a documentary on womanhood and life in America in the 1960s.  It showed how even with all the abuse and hatred in Aretha Franklin's life, she was still able to persevere and achieve her dream. 

Best Original Musical

A super energetic yet touching musical “In the Heights” will likely take the Oscar home for this category. The movie takes place in Washington Heights and starts with the main character Usnavi, who is running a small deli shop on the street. His main goal is to get more money so that he can rebuild his old house in the Dominican Republic. During his journey, we are introduced to other characters who are struggling with their own dreams. 

Along with a great storyline, “In the Heights” has many songs that span across genres. Some of my favorite songs are “In the Heights,” “No me Diga,” and, of course, “Blackout.”

 “In the Heights” is the opening song that reels the viewer in with its catchy melody and introduction to the movie. I loved the movie right away when I heard this song. “No me Diga” captures the attitudes of the characters and has humorous and sassy lyrics. “Blackout,” during the climax of the movie, was also amazing. The beat of the song coincides with the plot, changing from a fun night out to a chaotic separation of the main characters, and ending with an unexpected blackout across the whole city.  

The intelligent and catchy integration of the music with the plot definitely will definitely make “In the Heights” a smart choice for best musical of the year. 

What are the Grammys?

This highly regarded award show honors some of the best figures in music. From singers, musical soundtracks, producers, and many more, this celebration of excellence commemorates all aspects of the music community! Some of the most coveted awards at this ceremony include Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. The Grammys features performances from many musical guests and typically has an array of famous presenters. 

This year, the Grammys are being hosted on Sunday, April 3rd at 8:00pm EST. They will be hosted by the popular comedian and television host, Trevor Noah. You will be able to stream the award ceremony on CBS Network and Paramount Plus! For all music lovers, the Grammys is a must watch celebration of the year's best exceptional music and hard work!

Laila’s Grammy Predictions

Song of the Year

After taking 2021 by storm, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver's License” is likely to take this award home! Only being Rodrigo’s debut song as a solo artist, the song skyrocketed to the top of the charts quickly after its January 8th, 2021 release. Just after its initial release, the heartbreak ballad became number one in 48 countries on Apple Music, 31 countries on Spotify, and 14 countries on YouTube. Now, it boasts over one billion streams on Spotify. Due to Rodrigo’s prior acting work on the Disney shows Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, many fans of her acting continue to support her through her pop stardom. With a record breaking year and so much support, this song is likely to take the cake for Song of the Year. 

The song flaunts Rodrigo’s whisper-to-belt voice, songwriting skills, and piano playing. It was produced by Dan Nigro of Geffen Interscope. In addition to this, he also co-wrote the song with her. It was inspired by emotions Rodrigo experienced after a public breakup, which is initially why so many fans tuned in to hear what she had to say. However, her emotional lyricism and ability to beautifully portray the pains of teenage heartbreak is truly what set this song apart from many. The bridge of the song in specific has become very popular in itself for its dramaticized and cathartic vocals and instrumentals. Therefore, I believe that Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is gonna take this one home!

Album of the Year

Personally, I believe that out of all of the Album of the Year nominees, Taylor Swift’s evermore should take home the grand prize! Evermore is Swift’s ninth studio album and sister album to its predecessor, folklore. As one of the most famous female artists of our generation, it is no surprise that Swift’s album broke multiple records. For starters, just three days after the album's release, it became the all time record holder for the largest one week vinyl sales. It also won the Aria Music Award for Best Pop/Rock album and the American Music Award for Favorite Pop Album. Despite having no proper singles or pre-release marketing, as it was a surprise album, evermore has been very successful. 

The album was so positively received by Swift’s large fan base considering it has a similar indie / alternative style to its older sister, folklore. The album features collaborations with artists such as The National and Bon Iver. The album was produced by Swift herself, Aaron Dessner, and Jack Antonoff. It includes popular songs like “willow” and “champagne problems”. In fact, Swift even performed “willow” at the 2021 Grammys! The album is so highly regarded not only for its beautiful melodies and vocals, but for Swift's detailed and emotional lyricism throughout the entirety of the album. Therefore, despite being one of the older albums on the Album of the Year list, evermore by Taylor Swift deserves to take this one home!

Record of the Year

Lastly, Record of the Year should go to “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish. This song premiered with her sophomore album, also titled Happier Than Ever. The hit song peaked number 1 on the Billboard music chart for “US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.” In just 7 months, the song has amassed over half a million streams on Spotify. In that same period of time, Eilish’s music video for the song reached over 150 million views on Youtube. She’s performed the hit song on popular shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and even the iconic Saturday Night Live, where she served as both the host and the musical guest for that week. The song's undeniable success even spread to social media platforms on Instagram and TikTok, where it became a trending “sound” for thousands of users to make videos. 

“Happier Than Ever” has been a breakthrough song for Billie Eilish. It highlights her soft, breathy voice and vocal control which she’s been known for throughout her career, but also contains a genre twist midway through the song in which she begins to belt over electric guitar played by her brother, musician, and producer, Finneas. This new side of Eilish’s music had fans at the edge of their seats, especially when it came time for the song's very memorable beat drop. In its first half, the song highlights the sadness and curiosity that comes with teenage heartbreak, and as the beat accelerates, the lyrics and beat shift from expressing heartache to rage. This song has been so loved and well received due to it transforming from a gentle ballad to a monstrous rock song. For these reasons, Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” should win record of the year!