Grammys Going Live

As the Grammy Awards have become a veritable cross-promotional gold mine for the recording industry with each passing year, the annual event has grown from a humble pat on the back for artists to a litmus of the public’s music taste.

As the Grammy Awards have become a veritable cross-promotional gold mine for the recording industry with each passing year, the annual event has grown from a humble pat on the back for artists to a litmus of the public’s music taste. Banking off that ever-increasing success, the Recording Academy – the peer-approved co-op of industry professionals that determines each year’s recipients – has taken the occasion a step further this year and have announced an hour-long entertainment special this year dedicated to the nominations themselves.

The affair, set to take place tonight at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, will air on CBS and set the stage for the 51st year of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2009, with announcements in at least six categories and live performances by past Grammy winners. Among the roster of performers are Mariah Carey, John Mayer and Taylor Swift, who is herself a potential nominee for her release this year, Fearless, as well as Foo Fighters, Celine Dion and B.B. King. Swift and LL Cool J have been picked to host the event. The even coincides with the grand opening of the Grammy Museum at Live L.A., which will benefit from the proceeds from ticket sales. Undoubtedly, the anticipatory event will lend a preemptive PR boost to next year’s awards ceremony and attract viewers based on its stage talent alone. As for how many more red carpet events the public will lend their listening ears to before such banner functions become excessive is another matter altogether.