The mother of all music awards shows kicks off tonight, as world-renown artists put on their fashionably loud garb for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.
U2 leads the field with eight nominations including Album of the Year for “All that You Can’t Leave Behind,” Song of the Year for the hit “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” and Record of the Year for their track “Walk On.”
Rookie R&B artist India.Arie tops all female nominees with seven nominations including Album of the Year for “Acoustic Soul.” She also contends for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her hit song “Video.”
Joining Arie in the Best New Artist category are Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys, David Gray and hard rock band Linkin Park.
Rounding out Album of the Year nominees are folk-rock legend Bob Dylan’s “Love & Theft,” OutKast’s “Stankonia” and the various artists ‘soundtrack to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Grammy favorite Alicia Keys’ R&B hit “Fallen” contends for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, as well as Album of the Year for “Songs in a Minor.”
Not only do Keys and Arie go head to head in the top four categories, but the showdown continues into Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Train’s hit “Drops of Jupiter” joins U2, Keys and Arie in the Record of the Year category, as well as Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.”
Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” also challenges rock veteran Aerosmith’s “Jaded” for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
Newcomer Furtado’s breakout hit “I’m Like a Bird” joins U2, Train, Arie and Keys in the Song of the Year category and Faith Hill, Janet Jackson, Sade and Lucinda Williams in Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category.
The King of Pop Michael Jackson returns to the Grammys this year with his nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “You Rock My World.”
Elton John’s “I Want Love” joins Michael Jackson as does Craig David’s “Fill Me In,” Brian McKnight’s “Still” and yet another folk-rock legend James Taylor with “Don’t be Lonely Tonight.”
Outkast’s “Stankonia” leads the Best Rap Album category with Eve’s “Scorpion,” Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint,” Ludacris’ “Back for the First Time” and Ja Rule’s “Pain is Love.”
Ja Rule also has nods in the Best Rap Performance by a Duo Or Group with “Put It On Me,” featuring Vita and the new category of the year, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, with “Livin’ It Up” featuring Case.
Other inaugural nominees of the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category are Eve and Gwen Stefani for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” Jagged Edge and Nelly for “Where the Party At,” Ludacris and Nate Dogg for “Area Codes” and Mystic and Planet Asia for “W.”
Sheryl Crow takes a break from pop and slips into the Best Female Country Vocal Performance with “Long Gone Lonesome Blues.” Other nominees are Dolly Parton’s “Shine,” Jamie O’Neal’s “There is No Arizona,” Lucinda Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart” and Trisha Yearwood’s “I Would Love You Anyway.”
Best Country Album nominees are Diamond Rio for “One More Day,” Tim McGraw for “Set The Circus Down,” Willie Nelson for “Rainbow Connection,” Trisha Yearwood for “Inside Out” and the various artists’ album “Timeless – Hank Williams Tribute.”
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include jazz greats Count Basie and Rosemary Clooney, pop singer Perry Como, soul legend Al Green and folk legend Joni Mitchell.
There will be a special performance tonight as a tribute to “O Brother Where Art Thou?” featuring Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanley and Dan Tyminski and Pat Enright appearing as The Soggy Bottom Boys.
Other performers include: Alan Jackson, Al Green, Outkast, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Joshua Bell and Alicia Keys.
Collaboration performances include: “Lady Marmalade” featuring Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink and Missy Elliot, N’Sync with Nelly and Alejandro Sanz with Destiny’s Child.
The Grammys are put on by The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences every year and seen by over 2 billion people in 180 countries.
Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” will host the Grammys live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. on CBS.
