I gotta feeling that the Grammy Awards are going to be a good night for Taylor Swift -- or Beyoncé. And maybe Kanye West won't even give us his 2 cents' worth on the subject.
For the second consecutive year, the finalists for the Grammys were announced in the hour-long Grammy Nominations Concert Live on CBS. Swift and Beyoncé -- who squared off at the MTV Video Music Awards in September for best female video where West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech -- are competing for the Grammy for record, song and album of the year. Actually, Lady Gaga is in the mix for the same trifecta. Beyoncé led with 10 nods, Swift followed with eight. West earned six -- three in the same category, best rap/sung collaboration.
The Black Eyed Peas, finalists for six awards including best album, were the only one of the top nominees to appear on Wednesday's show, a program that was sloppily casual and hopelessly dull -- certainly less interesting than the recordings vying for Grammys on Jan. 31.
The Peas perked up the opening and closing of the program with "I Gotta Feeling," which is up for record of the year. The most anticipated performance of the night -- the debut of Nick Jonas & the Administration -- was underwhelming. Stepping out from the Jonas Brothers, the 17-year-old heartthrob (who was backed by three Minnesota musicians plus his Minneapolis-bred producer/bassist John Fields) sounded aggressive on "Who I Am," but the song lacked musical changes and simply went nowhere. Maybe he'll show who he is on his solo album, due two days after the Grammy Awards.
More disappointing was six-time nominated Maxwell's tribute to Michael Jackson. The way he delivered "Lady in My Life" from "Thriller" suggested that the moody ballad was a bedroom song, not a piece to be sung outside the Staples Center on national TV. At least Sugarland, the popular country duo, fared better outside, offering "Coming Home," a churchy R&B ballad with a gospel choir.
LL Cool J, the muscle-bound rapper turned suit-wearing TV star, was the host of Wednesday's show, a seemingly awkward role for him. His best moment came when he asked nominee Drake, a fresh-faced singer/rapper from Toronto, what his plans were for Grammy night. Said Drake: "I want to make sure I get a nice suit."
The Grammys trotted out a cavalcade of stars, including Katy Perry and Ringo Starr, to announce the nominees in some of the 109 categories. Country hero and two-time winner Dwight Yoakam put it in perspective: "Twenty-one nominations and two wins. It's not hard math. It's hard to win a Grammy."
