Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight! If you missed the GRAMMY Awards last week—as nearly 10% fewer did TV-ratings-wise, as compared to the last year’s show—allow me to start off with a little primer.  Females largely owned the night, with Beyoncé winning both Best Country Album and Album of the Year, Chappell Roan winning Best New Artist, Doechii winning Best Rap Album and Sabrina Carpenter winning Best Pop Vocal Album.  That’s to say nothing of Bianca Censori’s very un-censor-y award for least dressed. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, nominated for six awards, walked away without any trophies, though she may cross paths with the Lombardi Trophy and at least one ring this Sunday at Super Bowl LIX. Speaking of which, bucking the female trend, Super Bowl halftime performer Kendrick Lamar kicked off a memorable week for himself, bringing home five GRAMMYs, including for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his diss track of fellow rapper Drake, “Not Like Us.” As sure as I favor drums and blue cheese over flats and ranch, that song is likely to be performed in the halftime spotlighta.

• Curiously, the price of Super Bowl tickets has actually been trending downward this year. Clearly, no eggs are being served in the stadium.
   
• NBA Executive and Hall of Famer Pat Riley is poised to make some money off of a Kansas City Chiefs victory on Sunday, having agreed to license the use of his trademark ‘THREEPEAT’ for use on merchandise celebrating a prospective third straight Super Bowl title. There go my plans to license “Number Threesy in the Big Easy.”
   
• The Los Angeles Rams are scheduled to play the NFL’s first game in Melbourne, Australia – which is great news for bringing in an even larger global audience and for those curious to see a football spiral the opposite way.

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn.