• Music fans are being urged to go easy on the Recording Academy after Adele didn't receive any Grammy nominations Tuesday. Despite recently releasing one of the most critically and popularly acclaimed albums of the year, the "Easy on Me" artist wasn't eligible to be nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards because neither "30" nor its monster hit of a lead single were released before Sept. 30, 2021 -- the day the window of eligibility for next year's Grammy Awards closed. Adele's fourth studio album is, however, officially in the running for the 2023 ceremony. Adele debuted her latest record, "30," last week to rave reviews. The Los Angeles Times, for example, crowned the vocalist "queen of the ugly-cry ballad," while Adele fans and contemporaries alike gave the record a warm and weepy reception on social media. Other buzz-worthy 2021 albums that didn't make the cut because of their release dates include Ed Sheeran's "=," Megan Thee Stallion's "Something for Thee Hotties," Summer Walker's "Still Over It," Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's "An Evening With Silk Sonic" and Taylor Swift's "Red (Taylor's Version)." Recording Academy Chief Executive Officer Harvey Mason Jr. and Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt announced the 2022 Grammy nominations via livestream Tuesday. Nominees include Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, H.E.R., Taylor Swift, Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo, with jazz musician Jon Batiste leading the field with 11 nominations. The first round of Grammys voting began Oct. 22 -- about a week after Adele dropped "Easy on Me." Following Tuesday's announcement, the final round of voting will commence Dec. 6 and conclude Jan. 5. The winners will be announced Jan. 31.
• Matt Damon has some big-name endorsers for a book he has out March 1 about access to safe water. Former President Bill Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus are among those providing blurbs for "The Worth of Water," which the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker worked on with civil and environmental engineer Gary White. Damon has been a prominent spokesman for water sanitation since visiting Zambia in 2006, and with White founded the nonprofits Water.org and WaterEquity. Damon and White met at a Clinton Global Initiative gathering in 2008. "We can't wait to share the story of what happens when a movie actor and a civil engineer team up to try and take on the global water crisis -- the stumbles and obstacles, the breakthroughs and big gains, and the incredible people we met along the way," Damon and White said in a statement earlier this week. They said their efforts together show that "solving the water crisis is possible within our lifetime" and to do so, "the people who are fighting every day for essentials like safe water and sanitation" must be allowed to unleash their resourcefulness and determination.
