Can we get excited by the Brits?

Well, not really, but I'm tired of talking about George now. I'm going back to music today. And the announcement yesterday of the Brit Award nominees gives me a chance to do just that. The annual industry back-slapping time is well underway, with lots of prizes for mediocrity to go round. And what more evidence of said mediocrity that all these nominations for James Blunt. It was grimly predictable though.

However, there is some cause for mild interest though. There are 3 nominations for Arcade Fire. How good would it be to see them taking the award for Best International Group and Best International Album (for the brilliant 'Funeral') from under the noses of U2 and Madonna? But I guess they'll have to settle for International Breakthrough Act at best.

Note much else of great note, except the inclusion of Antony & the Johnsons in the male solo artist category. OK, I know Antony's the main man, but there's a definite plural there...

I'm also looking forward to see how similar this list is to the NME's annual awards. They used to be called the 'Brats' and were meant to be an 'alternative', but now they've also got big brand sponsorship and are looking more and more identical to the Brits each year. Maybe next year they can merge and save us all the bother of saying "I can't believe they've been nominated!" twice.