AS CREATIVE AWARDS TAXONOMY WEEK CONTINUES:  Among the changes for next year's Grammy Awards:

• Songs with "samples or interpolations of previously written songs" now eligible in all songwriting categories, not just rap.
• "Dance/Electronica" awards are now "Dance/Electronic" 
• This one, I've just got to include verbatim, because I have no idea what they're trying to accomplish:

"A more formal, official guideline for the Alternative Music Field has been established. The new guideline states that the Best Alternative Music Album category is intended for recordings that take as a starting point any existing musical genre or combination of genres, and expand and redefine the boundaries of those genres. Though there may be considerable overlap with the Alternative radio format, this category is not intended to mirror it. 

THIS SUMMER'S MOST IMPORTANT CROSSOVER IN THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE AREA: Phineas and Ferb meet Star Wars will debut on July 26. And yes, GoT's Jojen Reed/Liam Neeson's Heathrow-security-defying son in Love Actually will continue to voice Ferb.

MAYBE THIS IS HOW HOUSES STARK AND LANNISTER SHOULD RESOLVE THEIR FEUD: Hodor plays Family Feud.  Hodor!

BLOND V. BLANCHE:  Our occasional Spelling Bee correspondent Rafael Noboa has penned for Deadspin a 32-nation analysis for the World Cup of Beer, with multiple recommendations per entrant. For Sam's Army, he recommends:

Captain Hickenlooper's Flying Artillery Ale (Wynkoop Brewing Company) | Just as the U.S. roster is diverse, so is its beer scene. There are too many to choose from, so I went with the one I was drinking when Landon Donovan scored his penultimate World Cup goal to lift the U.S. into the knockout rounds of the 2010 World Cup: Captain Hickenlooper's Flying Artillery Ale. Named after the brewery owner and current Governor, this is a smooth brown ale, possessed of a malty palate with a lingering sweet finish. Do yourself a favor: wherever you are, toast our men with the local brew of your choice. Other options: Too many to count—Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, Buckeye 76 IPA, Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA, Lagunitas DayTime, New Glaurus Dancing Man Wheat. Pick one of these and leave the Bud for another time. Or never.

OUR PATHS HAVE BEEN REVEALED, SO LET'S START THE SHOW:  Neil Patrick Harris is leaving Hedwig on August 17, but the show will go on: Andrew Rannells will make his debut on August 20.

ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE GRIDIRON:  HBO's Hard Knocks documentary series will cover the Atlanta Falcons this year.

THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN: With apparel companies like Men's Wearhouse and Lululemon being big M&A ventures, Wall Street bankers and lawyers are having to change their wardrobes, and the WSJ is ON IT!  (My favorite is the Willkie Farr lawyer who switched to Men's Wearhouse suits to get the business.)

IN MY OPINIONATION, THE SUN IS GONNA SURELY SHINE:  Whoa!  Girl!  Joining repeats of ALF, Sabrina, Sister Sister, and Step By Step on The Hub this fall?  Blossom.  Enjoy all the questionable hats and Very Special Episodes again!

WHAT'S THE ONION'S GREATEST COMPETITOR? IS IT WIKI-LEEKS?  Holy crap. Competitive punning is a thing!  Goodbye, law:

The category is "art and artists," and Bass' college art classes come in handy. "I gotta get out of here, I have a Weegee," referencing the famous photographer as he reaches back toward his underwear. But Ziek is always quick to respond — "I'm excited for this competition. That's why I Rodin to town early" — and eventually outlasts him.

EGOT WATCH:  Among Vulture's revelations from the Emmy submissions (they're listed in the many links here, with Performers being the big one) is that The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (G-O) would like to be nominated for Best Guest Actor-Comedy for his work on New Girl.

Also, for taxonomists, parse these categories:

• Structured reality program: “programs that contain consistent story elements that mostly adhere to a recurring structured template”
• Unstructured reality program: “programs that contain story elements driven by the actions of characters and lacking a consistent structured template”
• Reality competition program: “any program with a competition element that gives a prize or title, including game shows”

PASS OUT, DIE, POOP:  Long before she became the ALOTT5MA Special Guest Spelling Bee Blogger, Shonda Rhimes attended Dartmouth College, to which she returned this weekend to deliver the commencement address. It is smart about the difference between dreaming and doing, smart about hashtag activism, and particularly correct for both moms and dads about the myth of "balance," and why we work so damn hard sometimes:

I want my daughters to see me and know me as a woman who works. I want that example set for them. I like how proud they are when they come to my offices and know that they come to Shondaland. There is a land and it is named after their mother. In their world, mothers run companies. In their world, mothers own Thursday nights. In their world, mothers work. And I am a better mother for it. The woman I am because I get to run Shondaland, because I get write all day, because I get to spend my days making things up, that woman is a better person—and a better mother. Because that woman is happy. That woman is fulfilled. That woman is whole. I wouldn't want them to know the me who didn't get to do this all day long. I wouldn't want them to know the me who wasn't doing.

THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BIRD TOILET:  John Oliver spent thirteen minutes of his show last night talking about FIFA, and Dave Zirin's not too happy about the organization either:

Finally, the world is seeing FIFA for what it is: a stateless conglomerate that takes bribes while acting as a battering ram for world leaders who want to use the majesty of the World Cup to push through their development agendas at great human cost. 

People don’t have to be displaced and workers don’t need to die for soccer. 

(Feel free to start offering predictions, hopes, allegiances, etc.)

"ORCHESTRAL MOVEMENTS FROM THE HOOD" NIGHT:  Seattle native Sir Mix-a-Lot performs with his hometown symphony orchestra.