With four nods, Sia unsure on Grammys
Sia, who has risen in the pop music ranks thanks to writing hits for female stars before hitting the charts with her own tunes, earned four Grammy nominations – but she’s not sure she’ll attend the big show on Sunday.
“I know, it’s getting a little close,” longtime manager David Russell said in an interview last week. “It remains to be seen what we’ll do.”
The reclusive singer has dodged press and even turns her head during live performances. The creative campaign for her latest album, “1000 Forms of Fear,” was a success thanks to radio airplay and its highly viewed music videos starring Maddie Ziegler of “Dance Moms.” Sia’s album debuted at No. 1 and “Chandelier” became a multi-platinum international success.
Sia and “Chandelier” earned nominations in the top categories, including song and record of the year. The Australian singer didn’t attend the recent ARIA Music Awards – the Australian version of the Grammys – though she won five honors, including album of the year. Instead, Sia filmed an acceptance speech starring comedian Carrot Top.
Last year marked a breakthrough for 39-year-old Sia, who released her first album in 1997. After writing for a slew of singers, from Rihanna (“Diamonds”) to Beyonce (“Pretty Hurts”), she finally saw her own Top 40 success with “Chandelier,” a song she originally thought she might send to Rihanna.
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong hit two parked cars with an SUV after a night of partying in Aspen, Colorado, but agreed to let his longtime girlfriend take the blame to avoid national attention, police reports show.
Police cited Armstrong with failing to report an accident and speeding weeks after the Dec. 28 accident, but only after his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, acknowledged lying for him.
Armstrong declined immediate comment on Tuesday.
Hansen initially told police she had been driving home from an Aspen Art Museum party when she lost control of Armstrong’s GMC Yukon on icy roads, hitting the cars.
Detectives later interviewed Hansen, who eventually told them Armstrong was driving, but the couple had decided to let her take the blame.
“We’ve had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and honestly, I’ve got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family,” Hansen told police, the reports state.
Hansen is not charged with a crime. Armstrong is scheduled to appear in court March 17.
The birthday bunch
Actor William Phipps is 93. Actor Gary Conway is 79. Movie director George A. Romero is 75. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 67. Country singer Clint Black is 53. Actress Gabrielle Anwar is 45. Nicolle Wallace (“The View”) is 43. Rock musician Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) is 40. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 40. Rock singer Gavin DeGraw is 38.