Lone Star Grammy Noms

Texas artists score big in 2015 Grammy Award nominations

Texas was well-represented in the latest round of nominations for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 57th annual Grammy Awards. Beyonce, Miranda Lambert and Lecrae topped the list of 24 Texas-born or -based musical acts who earned 35 nominations for music released during the eligible period between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014.

Beyoncé's self-titled album Beyoncé earned nods for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary album. The Houston pop star's single "Drunk In Love" (featuring husband Jay Z) was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. She was also nominated for Best Music Film for Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour.

Longview-born Miranda Lambert received four nominations, including Best Country Album for Platinum, and two nominations for the single "Automatic": Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. She was also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Somethin' Bad" (with Carrie Underwood).

Houston's Lecrae earned three nominations, including Best Rap Performance for "All I Need Is You"; Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Help" (with Erica Campbell); and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Messengers" (featuring For King & Country).

Dallas-Fort Worth nominees
Dallas native Edie Brickell was nominated for Best American Roots Song for "Pretty Little One" (with Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers); Brickell and Martin performed in Dallas in October at the Winspear Opera House.

Dallas native and rising star St. Vincent was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for her self-titled album St. Vincent. Her climb to fame got a major boost when she performed with Nirvana in April 2014 during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dallas-residing producer Tim O'Heir received a nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for Hedwig and the Angry Inch (with Justin Craig and Stephen Trask). O'Heir also was nominated for a Tony.

Arlington a capella group Pentatonix was nominated for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, for "Daft Punk."

Austin nominees
Austin artists include a team who worked on The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27): Dean Blackwood, nominated for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (with Susan Archie and Jack White), and Scott Blackwood, for Best Album Notes.

Ruthie Foster was nominated for Best Blues Album for Promise of a Brand New Day, and Eliza Gilkyson was nominated for Best Folk Album for The Nocturne Diaries. Craig Hella Johnson, conductor of Conspirare, was nominaed for Best Choral Performance for "The Sacred Spirit Of Russia."

Houston nominees
Robert Glasper Experiment received two nominations: Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Jesus Children" (featuring Lalah Hathaway and Malcolm Jamal Warner), and Best R&B Album for Black Radio 2.

Houston gospel acts included Aaron W. Lindsey, nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song for "No Greater Love" (with Smokie Norful), and the Walls Group, for Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Love On the Radio."

Houston jazz musicians included Everette Harp (with Jeff Lorber and Chuck Loeb), nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Jazz Funk Soul, and Jason Moran, nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for All Rise: A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller.

Texas-born legends up for Grammy Awards include Johnny Mathis, a native of Gilmer, nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Sending You A Little Christmas; Johnny Winter, originally from Beaumont, nominated for Best Blues Album for Step Back; and Jacksonville-born Lee Ann Womack, nominated for Best Country Album for The Way I'm Livin'.

Mariachi Los Arrieros Del Valle of McAllen were nominated for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) for Alegría Del Mariachi. And Pepe Aguilar of San Antonio was nominated Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) for Lastima Que Sean Ajenas.

Two Christian acts received nominations as well. MercyMe of Greenville was nominated twice: for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Shake," and for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Welcome To The New. And Waco act Crowder was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Come As You Are."

The Grammy Awards air February 8, 2015, on CBS.

Grammy Award nominees Edie Brickell toured with Steve Martin during the summer of 2014.

Paul Simon, Edie Brickell, Steve Martin at Houston Symphony concert July 2014

Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony

Grammy Award nominees Edie Brickell toured with Steve Martin during the summer of 2014.

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Movie Review

Glen Powell bumps off rich family in How to Make a Killing

Photo courtesy of A24

Glen Powell in How to Make a Killing.

Becoming a star in Hollywood and maintaining that stardom are two very difficult things to achieve, but Glen Powell has been adept at doing so over the past few years. A key supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick led to lead parts in films like Hit Man, Anyone But You, Twisters, and The Running Man. Powell is looking to keep his star power shining in the new dark comedy/thriller, How to Make a Killing.

He plays Beckett, an outcast member of the ultra-wealthy Redfellow clan. Struggling to get by in a menial job in New York City while still living in New Jersey, Beckett’s only smidgen of hope is that he remains an heir to the vast Redfellow fortune. The only trick? Every other remaining family member must die before he’ll see a dime of that money. When even that menial job goes away, Beckett indulges the fantasy of bumping off his familial competition.

Among those standing in his way are cousins Taylor (Raff Law), a finance bro, Noah (Zach Woods), a pretentious artist, and Steven (Topher Grace), a celebrity pastor; Uncle Warren (Bill Camp) and Aunt Cassandra (Bianca Amato); and grandfather Whitelaw (Ed Harris). Complicating matters, however, are an old childhood friend, Julia (Margaret Qualley), who starts asking more of Beckett than he can give; and new flame Ruth (Jessica Henwick), who happens to be dating Noah when he meets her.

Written and directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal), the film is a tale of two halves. Narrated by Beckett in the form of telling his story to a prison chaplain, the story plays with audience expectations on multiple occasions. As Beckett ramps up to detailing exactly how he got started down the road toward being a serial killer, the film has a fun-if-macabre vibe.

Under normal circumstances Beckett would be someone to despise, but since he’s an underprivileged person who’s taking aim at people who (mostly) don’t seem to appreciate their good luck, it feels okay to cheer for him. This follows a recent trend in “eat the rich” films, one that’s been influenced by a turn against real-life billionaires. Ford plays heavily into the theme and it works for a good portion of the film.

However, things get a little murky in the second half of the movie. A few of the planned killings get less attention than others, making their - pardon the pun - execution less interesting/fun than the others. Also, Ford does a poor job of indicating just how much weight should be put on Beckett’s relationship with Julia, someone with whom he only has occasional interactions for the bulk of the film.

It’s difficult to know the exact right way to showcase Powell, but this film doesn’t seem to be the best fit. Whether it’s the odd hairstyle/wig he’s given, or the varying degrees of confidence his character shows, his performance is up and down. Qualley’s acting style is over-the-top, and she needed to dial it down in this particular role. Henwick and Camp are the grounding forces in the film, keeping the story somewhat tethered to reality while almost everyone else makes a meal of their scenes.

How to Make a Killing is serviceable entertainment that gives viewers a decent number of laughs and thrills. But Ford can’t find a way to make the story work all the way through, and a so-so performance by Powell keeps the film from rising above its mediocre station.

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How to Make a Killing opens in theaters on February 20.

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Lone Star Grammy Noms

Texas artists score big in 2015 Grammy Award nominations

Grammy Award nominees Edie Brickell toured with Steve Martin during the summer of 2014.

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Glen Powell bumps off rich family in How to Make a Killing

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