Bette: Don't Give Me That Grammy

For most artists, getting a Grammy Award nomination is a welcome piece of news. Not for Bette Midler, not this year.

In a twist of fate, her CD "Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook" is up against an actual Clooney album, "The Last Concert." The other category nominees are Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett and k.d. lang.

"I'm mortified. I'd really like Rosemary to win that Grammy. I can't believe I'm up against her," Midler tells the Boston Globe in Sunday editions. "I'm going to look into withdrawing. I just think it's bad form if I won. You know, she never won a Grammy."

According to Grammy historian Craig Bechtloff, it's "probably unprecedented" to have a tribute album and an album by the actual artist in the same category.

Clooney, who was nominated for eight Grammys, died June 29 at age 74 from lung cancer complications.

The Grammy Awards will be handed out on Feb. 8.

Midler, who's currently making a splash with her "Kiss My Brass" concert tour, uses an enormous photo of Clooney in a romantic dress as a backdrop as she sings "Tenderly" and talks fondly of Clooney and her legacy of beauty and elegance.

Midler also says Clooney's passing also brought about an unexpected reunion in her life: with Barry Manilow, who in his early days was Midler's pianist.

Manilow also sang duets with Clooney, in the 1990s, and last year called Midler to suggest that he and Midler team up for the Clooney tribute album that is now at the heart of the Grammys dilemma.

He produced the CD, did the musical arrangements, and also sings with Midler - in "Slow Boat to China," taking over the notes Bing Crosby used to croon.