Music Features

PREVIEW: Eminem, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga set to dominate Grammys

By Andy Goldberg Feb 9, 2011, 11:51 GMT

02/02/2011 - Justin Bieber - "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" New York City Premiere - Arrivals - Regal E-Walk 13 - New York City, NY, USA © Janet Mayer / PR Photos

Los Angeles - The biggest night of the American music scene is almost here, and winners are as hard to predict as Lady Gaga's next controversy.

But critics, fans and pundits are betting that the first lady of pop, together with teen heartthrob Justin Bieber and resurgent rapper Eminem, will make an unholy splash at Sunday night's Grammy Awards.

Eminem, whose white-trash background and homophobic, misogynist lyrics made him a notorious industry bad boy, has cleaned up his act in recent years and is the leading contender for the 2011 Grammys with 10 nominations.

It helped that his album, Recovery, was the year's best seller, while his collaboration with Rihanna on Love the Way You Lie was one of 2010's biggest radio hits. Even more important, perhaps, in a country that loves a repentant sinner, is his mea culpa about his addiction to prescription drugs.

He goes up in the album-of-the year category against the bubblegum pop tart Katy Perry, country-rockers Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and alt rockers Arcade Fire.

With the Recording Academy apparently eager to bestow its grace on an artist it famously dissed in 2001 when it overlooked his Marshall Mathers LP, Eminen should get the night's biggest prize. He's also competing in the record of the year race, where Love the Way You Lie is up against Lady Antebellum's Need You Now, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind, Forget You by Cee Lo Green and Nothin' On You by B.O.B and Bruno Mars.

But in a ceremony that's dedicated to recognizing artists in many dozens of categories, there's plenty of prizes left for other artists.

Best female pop vocal performance will see Lady Gaga compete with the likes of Katy Perry, Norah Jones, Beyonce and Sara Barreilles, while in the male pop vocal category Michael Jackson's posthumous hit This Is It gives him a chance against Michael Buble, Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars and John Mayer.

Bieber may be the most popular teenager on the planet, but he is far from a shoo-in for the best new artist award, where he will have to contend with fresh stars like Drake, Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons and Esperanza Spalding.

If we indulge in a moment of honesty, however, it should be recognized that hardly anyone watches the Grammys for the awards - the show is all about the performances, where artists try to wow their colleagues in the audience even more than the millions of fans watching at home.

This year, Grammy watchers will be able to ogle at ageing rocker Mick Jagger, who is performing at the awards ceremony for the first time. The Rolling Stones frontman will hit the Grammy stage with singer Raphael Sadiq as part of a tribute to soul great Solomon Burke.

Another enticing prospect is the collaboration between Jennifer Hudson and Christina Aguilera, who plan on performing a tribute to the first lady of soul, Aretha Franklin. Also gracing the Grammy stage will be eight-time Grammy winner Barbra Streisand, who at 68 performs only sporadically now.

The younger generation will also be on stage - including Miley Cyrus and Bieber. Other scheduled performers include Rihanna, Cee Lo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Eminem, Arcade Fire, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Usher, Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum.