Word: islandness
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While Dubai's origins are largely a mystery, what is now a Rhode Island--size principality on the Persian Gulf was just a pearl-fishing village when its current rulers, the Maktoum family, took over in 1883. Along with those of other Arab emirates, its fortunes changed abruptly in 1966 with the discovery of oil. But compared with its neighbors, Dubai had limited reserves, prompting its rulers to turn to other industries to fuel their bold economic aspirations. Starting in the 1980s, at the prompting of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, then the crown prince, Dubai fashioned itself into...
...Boat," a satirical number by Andy Samberg's comedy troupe Lonely Island, is somehow competing against the likes of Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Jay-Z in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category for the 2010 Grammys. Originally a Saturday Night Live digital short, the song mocks some of the very artists that it will compete against this January. For that reason, the Recording Academy's announcement of the nominees on Dec. 2 seemed more like a game of "One of these things is not like the other." "We weren't expecting it at all," Samberg says of the selection. "The main...
...funny nominees - Weird Al Yankovic, Flight of the Conchords - in the Best Comedy Album category. Samberg and writing partner Akiva Schaffer are the first comedians to compete with actual musicians. Their spoof of hip-hop grandstanding has been viewed nearly 38 million times on YouTube and appears on Lonely Island's comedy album Incredibad, along with other SNL digital shorts such as "Dick in a Box," "Like a Boss" and a rap song Natalie Portman performed when she hosted SNL back in 2006. Samberg says he has no idea why "I'm on a Boat" is considered legitimate music...
...There's not any kind of magical formulation" to the Grammy nomination process, says Bill Freimuth, the Recording Academy's vice president of awards. Lonely Island's record company, Universal Republic, submitted the track, which was then approved by a screening committee. "They listened to it and said, 'Well, there's rapping and there's singing. Sure, why not?' " After that, the academy's 12,000 voting members gave "I'm on a Boat" the nomination. Freimuth agrees with Samberg about the T-Pain bump, saying the Auto-Tune master's participation "gave it that much more legitimacy...
...their third-leading scorer from a year ago, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s third game. After the weekend’s contest against Miami, Sanders told Goodman that he did not expect to return until the Eagles’ game against Rhode Island on Sunday. Nonetheless, the Crimson have been preparing as if Sanders will be in the lineup...