Lady Gaga will take the Grammys stage tonight to perform music from her movie A Star Is Born. A duet with director Bradley Cooper, the original song “Shallow” is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance of the Year. And although the song is a duet, and Gaga and Cooper are nominated together, one thing will be absent from the performance — Cooper himself.
Cooper has a very good reason for missing the Grammys. He will be across the pond in London for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, or BAFTAs, which are taking place on the same night. It’s the UK’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. Cooper and Gaga are up for several awards, including Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively; Best Film; and Best Director (Cooper). It’s a notable set of noms for Cooper, who was famously snubbed for Best Director by the Oscars committee this year. If he wins the BAFTA, it’s the ultimate consolation prize.
Still, Gaga’s performance at the Grammys should be every bit as lovely as their duet at her Las Vegas residency — after all, no offense to Cooper, but Gaga is really the powerhouse of the song. Cooper and Gaga are expected to sing “Shallow” together at the Oscars, so we’ll get our Jack and Ally fix, even if Cooper won’t be walking across the stage to collect the award he really wanted.