Clooney conflict troubling Midler

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 told the Boston Globe. “I’m going to look into withdrawing. I just think it’s bad form if I won. You know, she never won a Grammy.”

Clooney died in June 2002 at age 74 from lung cancer complications.