"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" to air Dec. 3 and feature nominee announcements and live performances

GRAMMY.com

For the first time ever, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards will be announced live on prime-time television, it was announced today by The Recording Academy. "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" is a new entertainment special that will announce nominations in at least six categories, feature performances by past GRAMMY winners, and will set the stage for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 8, 2009.

The one-hour special will be broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Dec. 3 from 9–10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will also celebrate the grand opening of the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live. Additionally, tickets to the live event will be available for sale to the public and proceeds will benefit the GRAMMY Museum. Presenters and performers will be announced shortly.

"Every year, millions of music fans and people around the world anticipate the announcement of our GRAMMY nominations, anxious to learn which artists from every genre represent the highest levels of musical excellence," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The ability to showcase GRAMMY-winning artists combined with the nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards represents a milestone for The Recording Academy as we begin the next decade of our important missions. And with the grand opening of the GRAMMY Museum — directly across from our Los Angeles home at Staples Center and now the Nokia Theatre — we are proud to introduce the world to this extraordinary facility, which will showcase our rich history, unique and classic GRAMMY moments, and the ongoing legacy exemplified by this very special evening of live music."

"With this special, we want to emphasize the stories behind great GRAMMY-winning artists and their music, and set the stage for nominees to thrill audiences at the annual GRAMMY telecast," said Ken Ehrlich, co-executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards. "This event allows us to spotlight even more once-in-a-lifetime performances by great GRAMMY-winning artists in anticipation of the 51st GRAMMY Awards."

"This special will provide viewers a unique opportunity to witness a great live music event while enjoying the GRAMMY nominations, jump-starting the road to Music's Biggest Night, the annual GRAMMY Awards in February, " said Jack Sussman, executive vice president, specials, music and live events, CBS.

Following the one-hour live telecast, guests will experience a one-hour exclusive concert by one of the evening's performers in celebration of the grand opening of the GRAMMY Museum. Tickets to "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" will be available to the public and will go on sale on Oct. 27 at all Ticketmaster outlets, via phone at 213.480.3232, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC and John Cossette Productions. John Cossette and Ken Ehrlich are the executive producers.