Special Bo Diddley Tribute to Feature Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer, and Keith Urban
Kate Beckinsale, Blink 182, Natalie Cole, Zooey Deschanel, Diddy, Morgan Freeman, Green Day, Dwayne Johnson, John Legend, Leona Lewis, LL Cool J, Jason Mraz, Emily Procter, LeAnn Rimes, and will.i.am Are Latest Presenters Announced for Music's Biggest Night® Live on CBS Sunday, Feb. 8
February 05, 2009, SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two-time GRAMMY® winner and current GRAMMY nominee Terence Blanchard, GRAMMY winner and 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year Neil Diamond, current nominee M.I.A., GRAMMY winner Smokey Robinson, current nominee Robin Thicke, 2009 Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient Allen Toussaint, 25-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Stevie Wonder, and a tribute to Bo Diddley featuring current nominees Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer and Keith Urban are the next round of performers announced for the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards.
They join previously announced performers Adele; Chris Brown; Kenny Chesney; Coldplay; Estelle and Kanye West; Jennifer Hudson; Jonas Brothers; Kid Rock; Lil Wayne; Paul McCartney (with special guest drummer Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters); Katy Perry; Robert Plant & Alison Krauss; Radiohead; Rihanna; Sugarland; Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus; T.I. and Justin Timberlake; U2; Carrie Underwood; a Four Tops Tribute featuring Duke Fakir (2009 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and original member of the Four Tops), Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo; and Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West in a special performance of their hit single "Swagga Like Us."
Actress Kate Beckinsale, a reunited Blink 182, eight-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Natalie Cole, actress/musician Zooey Deschanel, GRAMMY winner Sean "Diddy" Combs, Academy Award® winner Morgan Freeman, three-time GRAMMY winner Green Day, actor Dwayne Johnson, five-time GRAMMY winner John Legend, current GRAMMY nominee Leona Lewis, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J, current GRAMMY nominee Jason Mraz, actress Emily Procter ("CSI:Miami"), two-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee LeAnn Rimes, and three-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee will.i.am are the latest presenters announced for Music's Biggest Night®. Previously announced presenters include actor Simon Baker (CBS' "The Mentalist"), actor/musician Jack Black, nine-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Sheryl Crow, current three-time GRAMMY nominee Duffy, talk show host Craig Ferguson (CBS' "The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson"), nine-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Al Green, current nominee Josh Groban, three-time GRAMMY-winning jazz musician and current nominee Charlie Haden, actor Samuel L. Jackson, actor Jay Mohr (CBS' "Gary Unmarried"), Academy Award-winning actress and current GRAMMY nominee Gwyneth Paltrow, GRAMMY winner Queen Latifah, and rapper and current nominee T-Pain.
The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 8, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, on Twitter at "theGRAMMYs," on Facebook at "The Recording Academy," on YouTube at "51stGRAMMYs," and on Last.fm at "the51stgrammys."
John Mayer has five nominations: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for "Stay"; Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Lesson Learned" with Alicia Keys); Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ("Gravity"); and Best Long Form Music Video (Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles).
Leona Lewis and will.i.am each are up for three awards. Lewis is nominated for Record Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Bleeding Love," and Best Pop Vocal Album (Spirit). will.i.am has nods for Song Of The Year ("American Boy" with Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray, & Kanye West), Best Urban/Alternative Performance ("Be OK" with Chrissette Michele), and Producer Of The Year.
Jason Mraz has two nods: Song Of The Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "I'm Yours."
Terence Blanchard, Natalie Cole, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, M.I.A., LeAnn Rimes, Robin Thicke, Keith Urban, and Stevie Wonder each are nominated. Terence Blanchard has a nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (Be-Bop). Buddy Guy and B.B. King each have a nod in the Best Traditional Blues Album category; Guy for Skin Deep and King for One Kind Favor. M.I.A. garnered a nomination in Record Of The Year for "Paper Planes." LeAnn Rimes is nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("What I Cannot Change"). Robin Thicke earned a nod for Album Of The Year (as an artist and producer on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III). Keith Urban is up for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals ("Let The Wind Chase You" with Trisha Yearwood). Stevie Wonder has a nomination for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ("Never Give You Up" with Raphael Saadiq and CJ Hilton).
As previously announced, this year's "My GRAMMY Moment" segment on the telecast gives music fans an opportunity to virtually share music's biggest stage with current GRAMMY nominee Katy Perry. Produced in partnership with CBS.com, music fans can upload a 30- to 60-second video of themselves singing along to a portion of Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" to www.cbs.com/grammys through Feb. 6. Videos will be voted on by fans and the public at-large, and the most popular videos will be shown as part of Perry's performance on Music's Biggest Night.
Additionally, The 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony will take place from 1 – 3:45 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally at www.grammy.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Hosting and performing at the Pre-Telecast will be current GRAMMY nominees Wayne Brady and Tia Carrere, with additional live performances by Latin GRAMMY-winning folk/jazz singer and current nominee Lila Downs, GRAMMY-winning classical artist and current nominee Hilary Hahn, and current GRAMMY nominee Heavy D. Presenting GRAMMY Awards in approximately 99 categories will be four-time GRAMMY-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, producer/host of the syndicated "Millennium of Music" radio show Robert Aubry Davis, GRAMMY-winning songwriter/producer Lamont Dozier, GRAMMY-winning children's folk artists Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, comedian Alex Raymundo, and actor and current nominee Blair Underwood. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com for 30 days following the event.
The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions in association with AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers. Musical directors for the telecast and pre-telecast are Rickey Minor and Larry Batiste, respectively.
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.
Contacts
The Recording Academy
Barb Dehgan
310-392-3777
or
Rogers & Cowan
Maureen O'Connor
310-854-8116
or
CBS Television
Colleen Sullivan or Kate Fisher
818-655-1590 or 212-975-3818
