Today's Entertainment

COVER STORY Katy Perry aims for fireworks at Grammy Awards on CBS By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it It’s hard to top the musical year Katy Perry has had, but winning a Grammy — or four — could help her do just that. The energetic, rule-bend- ing superstar has a quartet of nominations in the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, which CBS televises from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 13. Perry’s bids all stem from “Teenage Dream,” up for album of the year; she says her Grammy performance is likely to incorporate a medley of her hits from that release, including the title track plus “California Gurls” and “Firework.” “I’m so grateful to be nomi- nated anytime,” Perry says. “I’ve never won a Grammy, but I feel like, ‘Oh, they know that I exist’ ... and that’s a really great feel- ing. This year has been a bit different. With the nomination for album of the year, it feels like they’re recognizing my whole body of work and recognizing me as a whole person, and not just for my face. It’s nice. “I love all the love I’ve gotten from the different award shows,” adds Perry, “but with the Gram- mys, it’s such a different situa- tion, The people voting for you are other artists and producers and songwriters, people who are in the grind of this industry and understand its ins and outs and successes and failures. It’s like your friends picking the team captain in dodgeball, and they pick you first.” Eminem leads the nominees in this year’s Grammys with 10 nods, followed by Bruno Mars (who has recorded his own take on Perry’s “California Gurls”) with seven, then several other acts with six each: Jay-Z, Lady Ante- bellum and Lady Gaga. Perry’s other nominations — “the filet mignon of nomina- tions,” she enthuses — are for best pop vocal album of the year (“Teenage Dream”), best female pop vocal performance (“Teen- age Dream”) and best pop col- laboration with vocals (“California Gurls,” with Snoop Dogg). “What I set out to do in mak- ing this second record was to re- connect with the reason I made the first,” Perry explains of her follow-up to the album “One of the Boys,” which put the singles “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold” on the charts. “That was me going to Santa Barbara (Perry’s California hometown), shedding the skin of celebrity and going to the root of She recognizes that her current Grammy nominations are addi- tional symbols of it. “It’s been a long road to this place, and I knew I was going to have to take it,” reflects Perry, who was dropped by two major labels before scoring success. “If you put out a song like ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ you have to know that you’re not always going to be everyone’s favorite. People are going to consider you a one-trick pony, but I knew I had other aces in my deck of cards that I could play later on. It was just about showing people the different di- mensions of me. “Many of those who used to be critics are now fans,” Perry concludes. “That feels good.” Refi nancing can mean SAVINGS! BIG Let us help you figure out how much you can SAVE. 2 x 4" ad Member FDIC Katy Perry is nominated for four of the honors in the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday on CBS. my feelings. I tried to reach deep inside and say some things that I thought would relate to other people on a mainstream level.” Indeed, Perry stresses, “I really enjoy being on the same level as other people. I never want to be above anyone, and I don’t think I am. I feel like people can come up to me and think of me as somewhat a girl- next-door type. I always want to be approachable.” That certainly will be what Perry aims to achieve for much of the remainder of 2011, since touring will be foremost in her career. She launches her “Cali- fornia Dreams” concerts in Eu- rope the week after the Gram- mys, with the North American leg set to begin in early June in Atlanta; designed to be as in- teractive with the audience as a concert can get, the bill also will include Robyn and Marina & the Diamonds. Thanks to that itinerary, Rus- sell Brand can expect to do a lot of flying, too. The British actor-comedian (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Get Him to the Greek”) became Perry’s hus- band in October, and she be- lieves her work schedule serves her personal life completely. “I always plan things maybe eight months to a year in ad- vance,” she says. “You have to have something like a summit to plan the next year, so that you can avoid a lot of non-planning. “I really believe that if talent meets timing, it can breed suc- cess, but you always have to be prepared.When I was searching for that big break, I would go out to dinner or be with my friends, and someone would call and say a producer wanted me to come and meet with him. I’d be like, ‘Well, I guess I’ll just leave.’ I was always prepared for that moment.” On the heels of a week when she made a guest appearance on the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and contributed “Firework” (as sung by Lea Michele) to Fox’s “Glee,” Perry clearly has attained wide ac- ceptance that she’s enjoying. Disability Specialist, Inc. Representing Social Security Disability Claimants A Leader in the Field With More Than 15,000 Successful Claims Our expert representatives will: • Explain the process • Discuss the merits of your claim • File the needed paperwork and appeals • Gather evidence • Contact physicians • Appear with you in court • Provide any other necessary services 1 x 4" ad All to assure professional representation. No recovery.... No fee. Call for free case consultation 1.800.642.6393 disabil@cpinternet.com www.disabilityspecialist.net Corner of 7th & Laurel Downtown Brainerd 829-7266 rner of 7th & L Laurel Downtown Brainerd FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2011 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH – 3 2 x 4" ad Pequot Lakes 218.568.4473 Cami Haberman Crosslake 218.692.4472 Wendy Flategraff

• Cover