Los Angeles - Over the years, the winners of the Grammy Awards have ranged from the has-beens (Steely Dan) to the drama queens (Madonna).
But if the music industry's equivalent of the Oscar Awards on Sunday night fails to honour two men by the names of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo with a prize for Record of the Year, you know that the whimsical musicians who choose the winners should probably check into drug or alcohol rehab.
If the names Danger Mouse and Cee Lo don't ring a bell, here's a little help. They are the pair behind the break-out duo Gnarls Barkley and the hit that you've no doubt hummed to yourself numerous times throughout the past year: that infectious, adventurous, funky pop hit Crazy.
Still, that's no guarantee of success as the dynamic duo - who often dress up as Star Wars character for their live shows - are going up against the eight-time nominee Mary J Blige, and the new liberal political darlings The Dixie Chicks, not to mention such perennial favourites as Justin Timberlake, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Mayer.
Some are guaranteed to go home with a prize Sunday night. Legendary rock bands The Doors, The Grateful Dead and Booker T and the MGs are to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards along with the late opera singer Maria Callas, folk singer Joan Baez, jazz saxophone player Ornette Coleman and late country music icon Bob Wills.
The tributes add to the sense that the Grammys are the biggest night of the year for the world recording industry, when most of the big players mingle on the red carpet and in numerous after parties.
The Grammys are also by far the best of the entertainment industry award shows, thanks to the habit of giving out all but the biggest prizes off camera, and devoting the precious air time to one-off appearances that feature great artists in unique collaborations.
This year's line-up is led by the iconic 1980's rock band The Police, who split up in 1984 after garnering five Grammys with such rock classics as Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and Every Breath You Take. Though the three-man band are not officially reuniting, they are expected to announce a US and UK tour to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of their signature hit Roxanne.
Other great Grammy moments should be provided by international singing sensation Shakira who will perform with Haitian hip hop master Wyclef Jean; a combination of soul legends Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson with best new artist nominee Chris Brown, and a trio of John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and John Mayer.
In addition all the best song and performer nominees will take the stage and there will be two tributes to James Brown featuring surprise artists.
This emphasis on showcasing the best pop talent in the world, rather than just giving them statuettes, is what has enabled the Grammys in recent year to finally shrug off its unwelcome moniker of The Grannys.
It has also led the Washington Post's influential music critic Eugene Robinson to see the show as offering 'a better, more finely detailed portrait of the American zeitgeist than either the Oscars or the Emmys.'
His reasons? The sheer profusion of recorded music and the thousands of musicians that vote for the awards are more representative than the relatively limited number of movies or television shows.
But if last year's event was any indication, it wasn't exactly a complement to the America of 2006, Robinson said. That has nothing to do with the domination of U2 in last year's awards show. Instead it reflected the fact that a broadcast of American Idol that night easily beat the Grammys in the ratings.
The significance according to Robinson: 'Viewers chose to watch fumbling amateurs over such legends as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Sly Stone.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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