The 57th annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Sunday night, and while most of the trophies will go to big-name career musicians, some may be taken home by other forms of celebrity.
Joining the likes of Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams and U2 are stand-up comedians, movie directors and former presidents who are also nominated for Grammys this year.
President Jimmy Carter is among the nominees for best spoken word album, a category that typically offers a mixed bag of personalities. If Carter wins, he would join Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as the third president with two Grammy awards. He previously won the category in 2006 for his audio book, “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis.”
Also among this year’s nominees for best spoken word album are actor James Franco and late comedian Joan Rivers. Rivers was previously nominated for best comedy album in 1984.
Other comics nominated for Grammys this year include Louis C.K. and Sarah Silverman, who are both up for best comedy album. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andy Samberg is nominated for co-writing the song “Everything is Awesome!!!,” which is in the running for best song written for visual media.
Stand-up veteran Steve Martin is nominated for a musical Grammy this year, but that shouldn’t come as a shock since he’s won five Grammy awards already — three of them for music. This year Martin is nominated for best American roots song, playing banjo on the track “Pretty Little One” with singer Edie Brickell. In case you didn’t know about his banjo-picking prowess, this nomination is further proof.
Actor Jack Black is nominated for a Grammy this year with his band Tenacious D. (Getty Images)
Jack Black represents another comedic actor who’s up for a Grammy in a music category this year. His band Tenacious D is nominated for best metal performance after its version of “The Last in Line” as part of a tribute album to singer Ronnie James Dio.
Fans of “The Cosby Show” will be pulling for Theo Huxtable himself, as actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is also a 2015 Grammy nominee. Warner was part of a song called “Jesus Children,” which is up for best traditional R&B performance.
Academy Award-nominated directors David O. Russell and Spike Jonze are also among this year’s Grammy nominees. Russell for compiling the soundtrack to his 2013 film “American Hustle” and Jonze for co-writing “The Moon Song” from his movie “Her.”
Speaking of Hollywood’s big night, the host of this year’s Oscars is nominated for a Grammy as well. Actor Neil Patrick Harris will find himself a first-time winner if the Broadway cast recording of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” wins for best musical theater album.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
