The 56th annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Times says:
“[The] Grammy Awards show is chock-full of star-studded performances. And like every year, the performances are all about the collaborations.
“Case in point: French electronica duo Daft Punk, with vocalist Pharrell Williams and guitarist Nile Rodgers, will team up with R&B sensation Stevie Wonder. The musical act will be the first live television performance for Daft Punk since 2008.
“Add to that a performance from musical superstar Beyoncé — another televised first in honor of her hush-hush-released self-titled album, which, by the way, shattered iTunes records when it came out in December.”
Here are a few things to look for at the awards ceremony:
— An eclectic music mix: CBS News says the awards show will feature: “[A] mix of new artists (Lorde and Kendrick Lamar) and veterans (Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney) [are] in the running this year. Jay Z leads the list of nominees with nine nods, and Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams are not far behind with seven each.”
“Quite a few of those newcomers scored nominations in major categories, including Lorde and Macklemore & Lewis. But there are some familiar faces, too, with Katy Perry, Pink, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift all in the running for a gramophone trophy,” CBS says.
— Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” is the odds-on favorite for Album of the Year. But The Daily News says Sara Bareilles’ “The Blessed Unrest” is a dark horse. Jay Z has a nomination for Best Rap Album for “Magna Carta Holy Grail.”
— The Fab Four will receive a Lifetime Achievement award: The Beatles collectively gets the award, although Paul McCartney and the late John Lennon have received it separately (1990 and 1991, respectively). Ringo Starr and Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, will be on hand at Sunday’s ceremony, along with McCartney, who has three nominations this year. Kraftwerk and the Isley Brothers will also receive Lifetime Achievement awards.
— Madonna will be performing: The Material Girl, 55, announced in an Instagram post on Friday that she’d be performing on stage, fresh off an injury that left her on crutches. The Daily Mail says she “allegedly bruised a bone in her foot while performing dance moves in high heels.”
“It’s official!” Madonna said on Instagram. “I’m off my crutches and I’m looking for the perfect pair of heels to wear to the Grammys,” she said.
The rumor has been that Madonna and Beyoncé will team up on something — what, we don’t know.
Also performing, according to Spin:
“Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl, and special guest Lindsey Buckingham will give a special closing performance. … But the most recent official additions were [McCartney and Starr], Jay Z with Beyoncé (who may or may not perform her risqué breakfast jam “Drunk in Love”), Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, John Legend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Keith Urban, and Sara Bareilles (with Carole King).
“They follow previously announced performers Daft Punk (with Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder, and several Random Access Memories session players), Kendrick Lamar (with Imagine Dragons), Lorde, Metallica (with pianist Lang Lang), Katy Perry, Pink (with fun.’s Nate Ruess), Robin Thicke (with Chicago), and multiple country legends (Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, with current nominee Blake Shelton). Also, Gary Clark Jr.”
It will be live-blogged by NPR: Pop culture gurus Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson will be giving their blow-by-blow take on NPR’s Monkey See blog starting at 8 p.m. ET, or a bit before.
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