Grammy Noms Ready For Prime Time
The top nominees for the Grammy music awards will be revealed Wednesday night during a concert special that is to air live on U.S. television.
Among the performers are Mariah Carey, John Mayer and Taylor Swift - a potential nominee. Swift and LL Cool J are set to host the Grammy show, which will announce nominees in just a handful of the Grammy Awards' 110 categories.
In an era where awards shows are as commonplace as reality shows, such top-tier events as the Grammys are finding it hard to stand out. So the Recording Academy decided to try something different from its traditional morning roll call of nominee names at a staid press conference.
"This gives us an opportunity to have more music on television and ... really bring the ultimate amount of attention to the beginning of Grammy season," Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of the Recording Academy, said in an interview. "It's a more grand way to initiate Grammy season for us."
The nominations special - also set to include performances by Foo Fighters, Celine Dion and B.B. King - "has great potential" to become an annual event, Portnow said, adding that artists will perform classic recordings recently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Portnow also hinted that several newly nominated artists would be on hand Wednesday to talk about their nominations.
Swift is likely to be among them. The 18-year-old was nominated last year for a best new artist Grammy and was named favorite female country artist at last month's American Music Awards. Her debut album, released in 2006, has sold more than 3 million copies and her new CD, "Fearless," topped the charts when it was releases last month.
Carey is another Grammy darling - she scooped up three awards in 2005 - who could be nominated for her latest CD, "EMC2."
Other potential nominees include Coldplay, Radiohead, Lil Wayne and Rihanna, who won a Grammy last year for best rap/sung collaboration with Jay Z on the smash "Umbrella." Her hit-filled 2007 album, "Good Girl Gone Bad," was rereleased over the summer with additional hits, giving her another shot at Grammy love.
Welsh singer Duffy, who shot to No. 1 with her catchy single, "Mercy," is likely to be among best new artist nominees, along with fellow Brit Estelle, who raked in accolades for her track, "American Boy," with Kanye West.
"The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night," held at the Nokia Theatre, will also celebrate the opening of the new Grammy Museum next door.
The Grammy Awards are scheduled for Feb. 8 and are to be live broadcast in the U.S. on CBS - the network that is also broadcasting Wednesday's concert. Last year's awards show drew 17.2 million viewers, making it one of the least-watched Grammys and continuing the trend of shrinking awards-show audiences.