Grammy predictions: who deserves album of the year?

A day before the 2011 Grammy Awards and the predictions of who will take home the top prizes—album of the year, best new artist among them—are heating up around town. Over at the LA Times’ Pop & Hiss blog, Todd Martens predicts that this year’s Grammys will be a victorious for hip-hop artists.

According to the LA Times critic, “The favorite for this year’s top prize is Eminem, whose Recovery was 2010’s top-selling album. Once a magnet for controversy, Eminem on Recovery is more thoughtful and serious, with a darker, less hook-filled tone.”

In the record of the year category, Martens also thinks hip-hop will score another Grammy, but for either renown rapper/producer Jay-Z or Eminem’s collaboration with Rihanna: “Jay-Z has never won in one of the top Grammy categories; his pairing with Alicia Keys for “Empire State of Mind” is likely his best shot yet.”

And among the best new artist nominees, the LA Times critic believes Justin Bieber’s primary fan base of teenage girls “aren’t a sizable portion of the Recording Academy voting bloc, which has shown a reticence toward embracing teen pop stars.” Instead, Martens thinks “Drake and English folk rockers Mumford & Sons will have their champions. Recent history, however, has voters often aligning with acts steeped in tradition (see Adele, Zac Brown Band, John Legend, Amy Winehouse, etc.), which makes Mumford & Sons the safest bet.”

What are your Grammy predictions?

Amy Winehouse's Diaries Found in Trash Bin

A teenage Amy Winehouse, now 27, had big dreams – and a few small ones, according to new diary entries found in a London trash can.

The pages, discovered in a notebook among discarded schoolbooks, include song lyrics and notes Winehouse wrote to herself in 2001 when she was 17, not long before she got her first record deal.

On a list that includes handwritten reminders to get a "treadmill" and "buy car," the singer also wrote, "get teeth fixed." Revealing a slightly bigger goal, she apparently hoped to "buy FLAT in London." (The singer has lived in an apartment in the Camden area of London since her late teens).

Though the entries were found in the rubbish, Winehouse's rep tells PEOPLE she wants them back. "Yes, they are hers," her rep confirms. "They got thrown out by mistake and she's in the process of getting them back now."

Winehouse gets a bit more personal in some entries, reminding herself to "live like the bombshell I really am" and revealing feelings for a guy named Felix, by writing, "There's too much sexual tension."

In a red notebook on which she scrawled "Amy's Songs," the singer also jotted down some early lyrics including "Drain my drink & order more" and "Find someone with whom I can come undone."

Winehouse has been working on a new album, her father told PEOPLE recently. 

Credit: People