Grammys Live Report
Los Angeles (AFP) - 0000 GMT: Hello and welcome to AFP's Live Report on the 56th annual Grammy Awards. The music industry's Big Night Out at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles gets underway in an hour or so and we'll be on top of everything that happens over the ensuing three-and-a-half hours.
The nine most prestigious awards -- out of a total 82 -- will be presented in between a raft of live performances, including some unusual collaborations, like Metallica alongside classical pianist Lang Lang.
Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Lorde, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are just some of this year's nominees.
We're also promised something of a Beatles reunion, as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr come together for a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Fab Four on the 50th anniversary of their first appearance on US soil.
0005 GMT: My colleague Mick Thurston (@MickyT) reported earlier: "Many of the stars turned out Saturday night for legendary music producer Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammys party at the Beverly Hilton hotel -- where pop icon Whitney Houston died in her hotel bathroom on the eve of the 2012 show.
"Going into Sunday's show, Jay-Z scored the most nominations with nine nods, followed by California hip-hop star Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Timberlake and Pharrell Williams with seven each, while Canadian rapper Drake scored five.
"Tipped by many for coveted Record Of The Year was Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky,' but rival nominees include Kiwi teenager Lorde's 'Royals,' 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons and Hawaiian crooner Bruno Mars's 'Locked Out Of Heaven.'
"Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' -- made infamous by Miley Cyrus's twerking at last year's MTV Video Music Awards show -- is also competing for the evening's top prize."
