The Grammy Awards sauntered into middle age this week.
A staggering 50 years of musical innovation is cause for a special celebration, indeed!
Not unlike the Oscars in many respects, the Grammy Awards are the top glitzy glamour event of the year - albeit - solely in the musical arena.
Without doubt, there will be quite a bit of wild cheeky fashion spirit on display this year.
The award-getters are determined by 12,000 music industry professionals who belong to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Only albums released between October 1st (2006) and September 30 (2007) are considered for the Awards.
Kanye West heads up the nominations with a staggering 8 in total.Amy Winehouse - amid a swirl of publicity over reports of drug abuse - will appear via satellite telecast from London due to the controversial denial of a Visa.
Understandably, because of the logistics and time constraints involved, Winehouse handlers were forced to offer up the next best thing.
"I'm raring to go and really excited to be performing at my first Grammy Awards," the vocalist gushed at a recent press junket.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their support over the last couple of weeks. I'm really sorry I can't be there, but I appreciate that I'm being given a second chance via satellite."
She will take a brief leave from her drug rehab to rehearse Friday and Saturday and be rarin' to go Sunday.
Many will tune in on the old boob tube, nonetheless, to catch the much-anticipated performance, if only for curiosity's sake.
According to producers, the ratings-grabber is expected to grace the airwaves on Sunday Night without much of a hitch. (CBS 8 o'clock)
The final lineup of presenters and performers for this weekend's Grammy Awards has been set, according to the producers.
Despite speculation, the organizers have vehemently denied that the much-loved "Gloved One" or a former Beatle, will show despite planned tributes to the legendary work of each.
There will be a few high-wire hairy moments, though.
For example, performers from Cirque du Soleil's Grammy-nominated - "Love" - have scaled down a high-flying stage act (normally performed at the Mirage in Las Vegas) to fit the comparatively narrow confines of a circular stage at the Staples Center.
But, the heart of the event has always been the music.
The 2008 Grammy Awards will not disappoint.
On hand to perform live will be the likes of Feist, the Foo Fighters, Carrie Underwood, and Aretha Franklin.
John Fogerty - who has waited awhile to perform at the Grammy Awards - will realize his dream to strut his stuff on stage in front of peers. At 62, he'll finally step out of the wings.
Fogerty, the former frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival, will be part of the show's - "Cornerstone of Rock" tribute - with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.
The old-timer won a Grammy in 1997 - and in addition to singing Sunday night at the Grammy show - will be considered for rock album of the year category with his recent offering "Revival."
How apropos!
The Golden Anniversary show is sure to entertain - what with the likes of A-list presenters like Prince, Ludacris, Bonnie Raitt, Miley Cyris , and Kid Rock - on tap to perform.There will definitely be an '80s flashback zest to the Sunday Grammy Awards when Jimmy Jam revisits his musical roots in a one-night-only reunion with the musical band "The Time"
"We can't remember the last time we all played together," the 48-year-old record producer said.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (former high-school classmates in Minneapolis) formed a band called Flyte Time that evolved into The Time.
In 1981, they were joined by Morris Day and toured with Prince as Morris Day and the Time.
Pop hits included "Cool," "Get It Up" and "The Walk."
By the end of the decade, Jam and Lewis moved on to produce a string of hit albums for Janet Jackson.
Jam, chairman of The Recording Academy, is working on new albums with Usher and Jennifer Hudson, currently.
Jam rehearsed Wednesday for the Grammy Show.
"I'm shocked at how quickly it all came back," Jam said.
"We're having a great time. We're getting along so good. We're just soaking up the whole atmosphere."
An alleged rift with Prince has been mended, he noted on an upbeat end note.
In spite of these look-backs at the Industry, and a few gem performances, Grammy producer Ken Erhlich assured industry-professionals this past week that his creative team was doing their utmost best to avoid a show that was too nostalgia-inclined.
"We made a conscious decision back in November not to do so much looking back but to stay current. Give it a touch of connecting," he said.
"You got to connect the dots in music, as you well know, and that's what we're going to do on Sunday."
Yes, while it is important not to forget the musical roots of the great industry - first and foremost - it is essential to surge forward.
Especially in view of the fact many new and exciting talents on the turf now, are wallowing in innovative trends, with the advent of a myriad of rich media proliferating on the Internet and elsewhere.
Now, for a look at some of the vote-getters
Best Album nominees include "Foo Fighters" for "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"; old-timer Vince Gill for "These Days"; and Herbie Hancock for "River: The Joni Letters." Rounding out the category are vocalists Amy Winehouse and Kanye West for "Back to Black" and "Graduation", respectively.
Best New Artist?
Heading up the noteworthy list are Feist, Ledisi, Paramore, Taylor Swift, and Amy Winehouse.
The song of the year includes recordings by Carrier Underwood (Before he Cheats), Plain White T's (Hey There Delilah), Corinne Bailey Rae (Like a Star), Amy Winehouse (Rehab) and Rihanna (Umbrella).
In the hotly-contested record of the year category the musical choices are "Irreplaceable" (Beyonce), "The Pretender" (Foo Fighters), "Umbrella" (Rihanna) "What Goes around comes around" (Justin Timberlake), and "Rehab" (Amy Winehouse).
Rock album of the year nominees include "Daughtry", by Daughtry; "Revival", by John Fogerty; "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace", by the Foo Fighters; "Magic", by Bruce Springsteen; "Sky Blue Sky", by Wilco.
For the first time in Grammy Award history, the pre-telecast awards presentation will be broadcast live online on Sunday, February 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center.
To catch the warm-up show, surf to Grammy.com from 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. (PST) and you will be able to view awards given in each category announced during the pre-tel, including the following:
Best Metal Performance:
AS I LAY DYING - "Nothing Left"
KING DIAMOND - "Never Ending Hill"
MACHINE HEAD - "Aesthetics Of Hate"
SHADOWS FALL - "Redemption"
SLAYER - "Final Six"
Best Hard Rock Performance:
EVANESCENCE - "Sweet Sacrifice"
FOO FIGHTERS - "The Pretender"
OZZY OSBOURNE - "I Don't Wanna Stop"
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - "Sick, Sick, Sick"
TOOL - "The Pot"
Best Rock Instrumental Performance:
METALLICA - 'The Ecstasy Of Gold
RUSH - "Malignant Narcissism"
JOE SATRIANI - "Always With Me, Always With You"
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "Once Upon A Time In The West"
STEVE VAI - "The Attitude Song"
Rock on, eh!