Thursday, December 17, 2020

Will Grammy showrunner
Ben Winston save the
Recording Academy from a dismal 2020 with a home-run telecast?
The well-liked and well-connected Winston, brought aboard by
CBS exec
Jack Sussman, is believed to have secured
Taylor Swift and
Harry Styles in addition to
Dua Lipa for the
63rd Grammy Awards show and made nice with
Beyoncé, who could easily have told Music's Biggest Night to shove it after the Academy stiffed
Jay-Z in 2018 with an 0-for-8 shutout. According to inside sources, it should be noted, neither Taylor nor Harry has been confirmed for the show yet.
Rumors are also swirling that
Adele is seriously considering the Grammy stage as the starting point for her new album rollout. Winston's ties to the U.K.'s biggest stars shouldn't be overlooked here, as well as a killer track record with artists (during his tenure on
James Corden's show, you'll recall, "Carpool Karaoke" attracted the world's biggest stars) and no existing Grammy baggage.
Along with the stadium-sized headliners confirmed, expect the hottest young acts to be on the bill, including hip-hop's new stars.
In his rookie season, Winston is set to look like a genius for locking down a stellar show, healing old wounds and making the Grammy goofballs look good—which is no easy feat.