59th Annual Grammy Awards Winners

General

Pop

Best Pop Solo Performance
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Best Pop Vocal Album

Dance/Electronic

Best Dance Recording
Best Dance/Electronic Album

Contemporary Instrumental

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Rock

Best Rock Performance
Best Metal Performance
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album

Alternative

Best Alternative Music Album

R&B

Best R&B Performance
Best Traditional R&B Performance
Best R&B Song
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Best R&B Album

Rap

Best Rap Performance
Best Rap/Sung Performance
Best Rap Song
Best Rap Album

Country

Best Country Solo Performance
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Best Country Song
Best Country Album

New Age

Best New Age Album

Jazz

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Best Latin Jazz Album

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

Best Gospel Performance/Song
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
Best Gospel Album
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Best Roots Gospel Album

Latin

Best Latin Pop Album
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
  • Un Azteca en el Azteca, Vol. 1 (En Vivo) – Vicente Fernández
  • Raíces – Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
  • Hecho a Mano – Joss Favela
  • Generación Maquinaria Est. 2006 – La Maquinaria Norteña
  • Tributo a Joan Sebastian y Rigoberto Alfaro – Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
Best Tropical Latin Album
  • Donde Están? – Jose Lugo & Guasábara Combo
  • Conexión – Fonseca
  • La Fantasia Homenaje a Juan Formell – Formell y Los Van Van
  • 35 Aniversario – Grupo Niche
  • La Sonora Santanera en Su 60 Aniversario – Sonora Santanera

American Roots

Best American Roots Performance
Best American Roots Song
Best Americana Album
Best Bluegrass Album
Best Traditional Blues Album
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Best Folk Album
Best Regional Music Album
  • E Walea – Kalani Pe'a
  • Broken Promised Land – Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard
  • It's a Cree Thing – Northern Cree
  • Gulfstream – Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars
  • I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in the Evangeline Country – (Various Artists); Joshua Caffery & Joel Savoy, producers

Reggae

Best Reggae Album

World Music

Best World Music Album

Children

Best Children's Album

Spoken Word

Best Spoken Word Album (includes Poetry, Audio Books and Storytelling)

Comedy

Best Comedy Album

Musical Theatre

Best Musical Theater Album

Music for Visual Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Best Song Written for Visual Media

Composing

Best Instrumental Composition

Arranging

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
  • You and I
  • Ask Me Now
  • Good 'Swing' Wenceslas
  • Linus & Lucy
  • Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
  • We Three Kings
    • Ted Nash, arranger (Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

Packaging

Best Recording Package
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Notes

Historical

Best Historical Album
  • The Cutting Edge 1965–1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12 (Collector's Edition)
    • Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)
  • Music of Morocco from the Library of Congress: Recorded By Paul Bowles, 1959
    • April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter, Bill Nowlin & Philip D. Schuyler, compilation producers; Rick Fisher & Michael Graves, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
  • Ork Records: New York, New York
    • Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
  • Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966–1983
    • Bernard Horowitz, Andreas K. Meyer & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Andreas K. Meyer & Jeanne Montalvo, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)
  • Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & the Phonograph, 1890–1990
    • Michael Devecka, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Michael Devecka, David Giovannoni, Michael Khanchalian & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Engineered Album

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Producer

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • David Frost
    • Bach: The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalena (Matt Haimovitz)
    • Bates: Anthology of Fantastic Zoology (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
    • Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 5 (Jonathan Biss)
    • Brahms & Dvořák: Serenades (Boston Symphony Chamber Players)
    • Fitelberg: Chamber Works (ARC Ensemble)
    • Ispirare (Melia Watras)
    • Overtures To Bach (Matt Haimovitz)
    • Schoenberg: Kol Nidre; Shostakovich: Suite On Verses Of Michelangelo Buonarroti (Ildar Abdrazakov, Alberto Mizrahi, Riccardo Muti, Duain Wolfe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
    • Shadow Of Sirius (Jerry F. Junkin & The University Of Texas Wind Ensemble)
  • Blanton Alspaugh
    • The Aeolian Organ At Duke University Chapel (Christopher Jacobson)
    • Bolcom: Canciones De Lorca & Prometheus (René Barbera, Jeffrey Biegel, Carl St. Clair, Pacific Chorale & Pacific Symphony)
    • Brahms: The Four Symphonies (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
    • Copland: Appalachian Spring Complete Ballet; Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
    • Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles (James Conlon, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman, Lucy Schaufer, Lucas Meachem, Los Angeles Opera Chorus & Orchestra)
    • Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 (Andrés Orozco-Estrada & Houston Symphony)
    • Dvořák: Symphony No. 6; Slavonic Dances (Andrés Orozoco-Estrada & Houston Symphony)
    • Floyd: Wuthering Heights (Joseph Mechavich, Heather Buck, Vale Rideout, Susanne Mentzer, Kelly Markgraf, Georgia Jarman, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Florentine Opera Company)
  • Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
    • Friedman: Original Piano Compositions (Joseph Banowetz)
    • Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)
  • Judith Sherman
    • American First Sonatas (Cecile Licad)
    • Berlin: This Is The Life! (Rick Benjamin & Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)
    • Centennial Commissions, Vol. II (Charles Neidich & Pro Arte Quartet)
    • Gernsheim & Brahms: Piano Quintets (Reiko Uchida & Formosa Quartet)
    • Latin American & Spanish Masterpieces For Flute & Piano (Stephanie Jutt)
    • Similar Motion (Momenta Quartet)
    • Tchaikovsky: Complete Works For Violin & Orchestra (Jennifer Koh, Alexander Vedernikov & Odense Symphony Orchestra)
    • Tower: String Quartets Nos. 3-5 & Dumbarton Quintet (Miami String Quartet)
  • Robina G. Young
    • Johnson: Considering Matthew Shepard (Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare)
    • Lutosławski: Concerto For Orchestra; Brahms: Piano Quartet (Miguel Harth-Bedoya & Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra)
    • Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9 (Kristian Bezuidenhout)
    • Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 (Vadym Kholodenko, Miguel Harth-Bedoya & Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra)
    • A Wondrous Mystery – Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas (Stile Antico)

Remixer

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

Surround Sound

Classical

Best Opera Recording
Best Choral Performance
  • Penderecki Conducts Penderecki, Volume 1
  • Himmelrand
    • Elisabeth Holte, conductor (Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen, Ragnfrid Lie & Matilda Sterby, soloists; Inger-Lise Ulsrud, accompanist; Uranienborg Vokalensemble, choir)
  • Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
    • Edward Gardner, conductor; Håkon Matti Skrede, chorus master (Susan Bickley, Gábor Bretz, Sara Jakubiak & Stuart Skelton, soloists; Thomas Trotter, accompanist; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestra; Bergen Cathedral Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Choir of Collegium Musicum & Edvard Grieg Kor, choirs)
  • Lloyd: Bonhoeffer
    • Donald Nally, conductor (Malavika Godbole, John Grecia, Rebecca Harris & Thomas Mesa, soloists; The Crossing, ensemble)
  • Steinberg: Passion Week
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
  • Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway
  • Adams, J.: Scheherazade.2
    • Leila Josefowicz; David Robertson, conductor (Chester Englander; St. Louis Symphony)
  • Dvorák: Violin Concerto & Romance; Suk: Fantasy
    • Christian Tetzlaff; John Storgårds, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
  • Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9
    • Kristian Bezuidenhout
  • 1930's Violin Concertos, Vol. 2
    • Gil Shaham; Stéphane Denève, conductor (The Knights & Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra)
  • Schumann & Berg
  • Shakespeare Songs
    • Ian Bostridge; Antonio Pappano, accompanist (Michael Collins, Elizabeth Kenny, Lawrence Power & Adam Walker)
  • Monteverdi
    • Magdalena Kožená; Andrea Marcon, conductor (David Feldman, Michael Feyfar, Jakob Pilgram & Luca Tittoto; La Cetra Barockorchester Basel)
  • Mozart: The Weber Sisters
    • Sabine Devieilhe; Raphaël Pichon, conductor (Pygmalion)
  • Verismo
    • Anna Netrebko; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Yusif Eyvazov; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)
  • Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon a Castle
  • Gesualdo
    • Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor; Manfred Eicher, producer
  • Vaughan Williams: Discoveries
    • Martyn Brabbins, conductor; Ann McKay, producer
  • Wolfgang: Passing Through
    • Judith Farmer & Gernot Wolfgang, producers
  • Zappa: 200 Motels
    • The Suites – Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Frank Filipetti & Gail Zappa, producers

Music Video/Film

Best Music Video
Best Music Film

New England Patriots: Super Bowl LI Champions



HOUSTON -- The greatest quarterback of all time capped off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, leading an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession of the first Super Bowl overtime ever played. Here's what we learned in Super Bowl LI:

1. After throwing a second-quarter pick-six to put his team in a seemingly insurmountable 21-0 hole, Tom Brady bounced back in the most dramatic fashion possible, earning Super Bowl MVP honors for an unprecedented fourth time. En route to a Super Bowl-record 466 passing yards, Brady erased a 25-point second-half deficit by orchestrating four touchdown drives and a field goal in New England's final five series. Thumbing his nose at Father Time in the last game of his thirties, Brady completed 27 of 34 passes (79.4 percent) for 302 yards (8.9 YPA), two touchdowns and a 123.3 passer rating on those five legacy-cementing possessions from the middle of the third quarter through James White's game-ending touchdown run.


"There were a lot of plays," Brady told Terry Bradshaw during the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy. "Coach talks about how you never know which play it's going to be in the Super Bowl. There were probably 30 of them tonight. Any one of those would have been different, the outcome would have been different."

2. If the quarterback position wasn't the most uniquely important in all of professional sports, White would have been the runaway choice as MVP. The shifty scatback authored the most brilliant performance of his career on the game's brightest stage, hauling in a Super Bowl-record 14 receptions for 110 yards while adding three touchdowns and a clutch two-point conversion. From Kevin Faulk to Danny Woodhead to Shane Vereen and, now, to White, no quarterback utilizes pass-catching "satellite" backs to greater effect than Brady.

3. Nine years later, the Patriots extracted a decent payback for David Tyree's miraculous "Helmet Catch," instrumental in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII upset. Facing an eight-point deficit with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brady unfurled an ill-advised pass over the middle into double coverage. Although the ball was tipped by Robert Alford as two other defenders arrived, the cornerback's leg prevented it from falling incomplete. Julian Edelman plucked the ball off of Alford's ankle, bobbled it for a second and somehow hung on without allowing it to hit the turf. Edelman's "Ankle Catch" is New England's answer to the circus-catch antics of Tyree and Seahawks wideout Jermaine Kearse.

"I couldn't believe it," Brady said after the game. "One of the greatest catches. You know we've been on the other end of a few of those catches."

4. If the prolate spheroid had bounced differently in the second half, the Falcons could have turned Super Bowl LI into a lopsided laugher. Reminiscent of the Seahawks' lopsided Super Bowl XLVIII victory, when Dan Quinn's Seattle defense dominated Denver's record-breaking offense, the Falcons simply outclassed the Patriots in terms of speed and athleticism for the first 40 minutes of Sunday's ultimate affair. Atlanta jumped out to a forbidding 28-3 lead, with fleet-footed middle linebacker Deion Jones setting the tone as a true sideline-to-sideline force on defense and big-play tailback Devonta Freeman shredding New England's defense on the other side of the ball.


Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff cut his teeth in the Patriots front office, learning how to construct a successful organization from team-building master Bill Belichick. When Dimitroff was afforded the chance to run his own operation in Atlanta, he parted ways with his mentor in one key area: Whereas Belichick emphasized size and power, Dimitroff coined the phrase "urgent athleticism" to describe his own draft philosophy. That difference played out in stark terms for one half at NRG Stadium Sunday evening. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the talented young roster compiled by Dimitroff, Quinn and Scott Pioli is poised to remain an NFC powerhouse for the next few years.

5. That said, Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will battle persistent nightmares over an ultimately decisive sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter. After Julio Jones tight-roped the sideline for one of the most acrobatic catches in postseason history, the Falcons simply had to call three straight runs that would have forced the Patriots to use their timeouts. They would then have the opportunity for a field-goal attempt of roughly 40 yards, extending the lead to 31-20 with less than four minutes remaining. Instead, Trey Flowers sacked Matt Ryan for a third time, turning a three-point opportunity into a punting situation. It's hard to crush play-callers for remaining aggressive, but this was a costly miscalculation for the Falcons.

6. Atlanta's epic second-half collapse will effectively circumvent wall-to-wall post-Super Bowl coverage of an offense that ranks among the greatest in NFL history. Had the Falcons held on for the win, they would have recorded the most points in a season by a Super Bowl champion, featuring an MVP quarterback fresh off the hottest playoff streak of all time. Extending his own record of 120-plus passer ratings to seven games, Ryan finished the postseason completing 70 of 98 passes (71.4) for 1,014 yards (10.4 YPA), nine touchdowns and a staggering 135.3 passer rating. His eight completions of 15 or more yards tied Carolina's Jake Delhomme (Super Bowl XXXVIII, also in Houston versus the Patriots) for the most in one Super Bowl game.


Considering the inflated, offense-friendly environment in which they shined, the 2016 Falcons won't quite stack up to the era-adjusted dominance of the 2007 Patriots, 2000 Rams, 1998 Vikings, 1994 49ers, 1983 Redskins and 1950 Rams.

7. When Julio Jones' Hall of Fame bust is unveiled in Canton 10-15 years from now, they will run a loop of highlights from his spectacular 2017 postseason run, played through a painful toe injury. Double- and even triple-teamed at times, Jones made the most of his four targets, hauling in all four for 87 yards. His balletic, leaping sideline grab over Eric Rowe is perhaps the best example of aerial acrobatics since the Flying Wallendas made big-top magic -- or at least since Lynn Swann's sensational Super Bowl X leap.

8. Flowers, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Chris Long were the standouts for a Patriots defense that buckled down in the second half. After going 20 consecutive possessions without a three-and-out sequence this postseason, the Falcons were forced into a pair of quick punts twice in three third-quarter sequences as New England chipped away at the lead. Hightower hit Ryan's arm in motion, forcing and recovering a fumble that put the ball in Brady's hands at Atlanta's 25-yard line. Brady found Danny Amendola for a six-yard touchdown five plays later, trimming the lead to one score in the middle of the fourth quarter.

9. Dwight Freeney isn't ready to make a decision on retirement after a fantastic performance in which he and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett dominated the Patriots' offensive line for three quarters. "I don't know what the story will be for me after this," Freeney told reporters after the game. "I don't know if I'll return next year." Freeney, 36, is no stranger to languishing on the open market until he finds the right fit with a Super Bowl contender.

Clemson: 2016-17 NCAA Division I FBS National Champions



TAMPA, Fla. -- So many thought it would be different.

Alabama's defense was so much better and more suited to face Deshaun Watson, and Jalen Hurts didn't have enough to win a footrace with Clemson.

And for most of the game, all of that was coming to fruition.

Until the fourth quarter.

That, folks, is where championships are won and lost. And Monday night, that's where Clemson upended mighty Alabama with a 2-yard pass to Tide slayer himself Hunter Renfrow in the Tigers' 35-31 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.

With how badly Clemson wanted this and with how much Alabama just had to win it because of how historically good it looked before Monday night, it had to end this way. And a wild fourth quarter was the only way to do it.

You had Clemson outscoring mighty Alabama -- the fourth-quarter king -- 21-7 in the final frame thanks to back-to-back go-ahead drives of 88 and 68 yards. Renfrow, who gutted Alabama's defense last year, was the hero with his 10 catches for 92 yards and two scores, but Deshaun Watson, who cemented his Clemson legacy, was the engineer.

Rocked time after time, he stood up each time and delivered when it mattered most. Watson's fourth quarter was one for the ages, as he only needed six plays for what we all thought was his game-winning drive to put the Tigers up 28-24 with 4:38 left.

Of course, a Tide offense that had failed to convert 11 straight third downs going into the ensuing drive, charged down the field for a 68-yard touchdown drive that should have won the game. It should have won the game because when the Tide needed a pass, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart hit tight end O.J. Howard for a 24-yard strike. And when Alabama needed another throw, Jalen Hurts broke through the pocket and slipped by Clemson defenders for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown run.

But when the game needed to be won, it was Deshaun Watson who promoted the orange-and-purple confetti celebration that left a couple of Clemson players somersaulting and back flipping their way onto the field.

This one needed nine excruciating and heart-pounding plays, like that 24-yard dart to Mike Williams early or the 17-yard beaut to tight end Jordan Leggett that put the ball at the Alabama 9-yard line with the time just rushing off the clock.


Then, like so many times before, it was Watson to Renfrow, who slipped past a pick to come free and wide open in the front corner of the end zone. He then calmly flipped his historic catch to the ref as teammates mauled him.

A fantastic end to a fantastic game has given the college football world a new true king. Mighty Alabama was dethroned by having its superb defense vanquished against the very team it sought to "dominate" as cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick proudly stated earlier this week.

But on Monday night -- really, early Sunday morning -- it was Clemson who did the late dominating. It was Clemson that came out on top.

It was Clemson that Clemsoned its way to its first national title since 1981, and sent Alabama's 2016 team in the depths of the what-could-have-beens.

James Madison: 2016 NCAA Division I FCS National Champions



FRISCO, Texas (STATS) -- James Madison played all season as if it knew something the rest of the FCS didn't know, but on Saturday, there was no denying who's the best team in the nation.

Sorry, Fargo, it's all purple reign this season.

Bryan Schor threw for two touchdowns and Khalid Abdullah rushed for 101 yards and two scores as the CAA Football champion Dukes handled Youngstown State 28-14 to claim the program's second FCS national title before 14,423 at Toyota Stadium.

The Dukes' fans reveled throughout the one-sided game, and why not considering their team's accomplishments. Having already ended North Dakota State's five-year national championship run in the semifinals, the Dukes (14-1) beat their chest in the final -- and some Youngstown State ball carriers as well -- to complete coach Mike Houston's first season with a national title. They previously won in 2004.

"This team won (a JMU-record) 14 games this year," Houston said. "They went undefeated in CAA play. They beat North Dakota State at North Dakota State. They won a national championship on a big stage. I think they go as the best team in JMU history -- hands down."

"This," senior linebacker Gage Steele said, "is going to be a moment that we talk about for the rest of our lives."

Coming into the season, James Madison simply wanted to win one playoff game, let alone the four it took as the No. 4 seed. The Dukes underachieved in the last two postseasons, losing at home in their opening game. But after Houston arrived from The Citadel, he demanded more discipline and physical play out of the Dukes, and they eventually molded into the most complete team in the FCS.

Losing only to FBS team North Carolina in mid-September, the Dukes won their final 12 games behind a physical run game, an athletic, opportunistic defense and a deadly return game.

It was all on display against Youngstown State (12-4), which sought to add to its four national titles in the 1990s. James Madison controlled the surge at the line of scrimmage -- offensively and defensively -- which allowed Schor and Abdullah to feed off each other and Steele (two sacks) to swarm Youngstown State quarterback Hunter Wells.

The Dukes made big plays early to grab control of the game.

Justin Wellons' blocked punt to end Youngstown State's first drive set up the Dukes at the Penguins' 18-yard line. Two plays later, Schor threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jonathan Kloosterman (his fifth TD catch of the playoffs) at the 11:20 mark.

A poor YSU punt then gave the Dukes the ball at midfield. Abdullah cut back for a 30-yard run before Schor connected with Rashard Davis for an 18-yard touchdown pass, making it 14-0 with 9:37 left.

"Obviously, it didn't start the way we wanted," Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini said.

"This isn't a time to point fingers."

In the second quarter, Schor and his wide receivers picked apart the YSU secondary for four completions as part of an eight-play, 87-yard drive that was capped by Abdullah's 1-yard touchdown run, which extended the Dukes' lead to 21-0 with 8:17 remaining.


While Youngstown State closed within 21-7 before halftime on Wells' 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shane Kuhn, the unseeded Penguins' hopes for a comeback ended early in the second half. On the third play, a Wells pass deflected high into the air and cornerback Curtis Oliver intercepted it at the Youngstown State 47. The Dukes then steamrolled downfield in six plays, with Abdullah scoring from two yards out for his 25th touchdown of the season, making it 28-7.

Abdullah, named the game's most outstanding player, finished the season with 1,809 rushing yards, a James Madison record.

"It means everything," Abdullah said. "It just means that all the dreams and goals we had team came to fruition."

Youngstown State, averaging 257.5 rushing yards, didn't solve the Dukes' defensive front, which turned the Penguins one-dimensional in the second half. Wells (28 of 47, 281 yards) threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Wells with 10 seconds left to tighten the final score at 28-14, but the game wasn't that close.

The Dukes were FCS royalty again.

If I Stumble, They're Gonna Eat Me Alive...



I thought to myself as I continued my rise through the ranks: how lucky must I be to still be playing Pangya and enjoy the game for what it's worth? I am nearing completing three weeks playing the game and I am in the middle of the National Pro ranks, building up the stats of my players while taking advantage of two cards on the Celebrity server that increase my chances of a good Pangya shot: Cadie (SC) and Mingti (HS). These two cards, when used in combination, increase my chances of a good hit and a nice combo.



Thus far, I already have most of the collabs for Hello Kitty except for the ones for Cecilia. I will need to send out 10 dollars of cookies for that so I can purchase those outfits and be more inclined to play as Cecilia, although I am more likely to focus on crafting for some of the Animal Sets that are available. I estimate that by next week I will be a World Pro, given that I earn 1200 EXP per VS Match Stroke Play win. For example, if the next rank up required me to grind for at least 7000 EXP, all I need to do is seven VS stroke play matches in succession and win them all.



My vision is for one of my golfers (either Hana or Lucia) to have a normal drive of 300 yards. That's right, 300 yards. No cheating, no trainers, no hacking, none of that fancy stuff. Just natural, casual play, Angel Candy and Pang Mastery with no expiration, a steady dose of Cocoa, and so on and so forth. A lot of my pang is going to have to go towards improving my power. Right now, Hana's normal drive is 280 yards with my Bunny Pippin caddie, my normal caddie of choice. The GMs at this game are also developing the interface and giving the community a good look at how a community-run MMORPG does its business. It's cool stuff.



Already I am progressing faster on Celebrity than I ever did on Global for the first several months. With the real world stuff coming up, I may choose to steady my pace since I am in no real rush to make World Pro E right now. This is just my third week playing the game and I do want to enjoy the journey moving up. It's not the infamous FASTPASS that riled up the established gamers back on Global, but it's close and  I think by the end of the month, I will be back to Top Master C, my original rank from Global before TwinsLight, Roro Cat and Melody announced the shutdown of the server on Nov. 1 2016.



As of this blog date, I am now a National Pro B. With continued play, I  could be out of the National Pro ranks very soon. But it's not where I want to be just yet. Still, it's nice to know that the itch, the fire, the drive to play Pangya is back with a vengeance. It's a nice feeling and allows me to have a peace of mind. And my heart is beating like a hammer.