Rock 'n' roll stars, rap singers and other legends of modern music are tuning up their guitars, arranging their drums and more unusual stage accessories for the 48th Grammy Awards ceremony that is scheduled to take place here on Wednesday.
The gala event is expected to feature appearances by U2, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Gorillaz, a new virtual group.
The Oscars of the music world are generally unpredictable, and the best-kept secret every year are scandals that can be sparked when prominent musicians appear on stage.
Millions of viewers remember well a mouth-to-mouth kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears two years ago during the MTV Music Awards ceremony.
This year's event wil attract divas like Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Madonna and this year's top contender Mariah Carey, who has a total of eight nominations. All of them enjoy close scrutiny by fashion critics.
Rappers and producers like Puff Daddy are not far behind and use events like the Grammys to display before the cameras their lines of clothes they design for rap music fans.
The parade of celebrities during the three-hour televised extravaganza will not be limited to musicians and will include presenters like actors Tom Hanks, Terrence Howard and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.
{{/usCountry}}The parade of celebrities during the three-hour televised extravaganza will not be limited to musicians and will include presenters like actors Tom Hanks, Terrence Howard and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.
{{/usCountry}}Awards will also be given in categories like "best spoken word album," where Democratic US Senator Barack Obama will compete against actor Sean Penn.
The ceremony will include Grammy awards in 108 categories that run the gamut from classic music, rock, rap and Latin tunes.
The ceremony, organized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, will be nationally broadcast by the CBS television network, but, according to industry sources, the number of its viewers has been declining in recent years, along with record sales.
Still, many artists believe it could be more important to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony that to win one of the golden gramophones, Geoff Mayfield, a columnist from Billboard magazine, told AFP.
That is why nominees like rocker Bruce Springsteen, British group Coldplay, Carey, the duo of Jamie Foxx and Kanye West as well as Herbie Hancock and Sugarland have lined up to perform at the 48th ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Murdoc, Noodle, 2D and Russel as well as the group Gorillaz will accompany Madonna, who has five Grammy awards of her own.
Sly And The Family Stone, a funk music icon of the 1970s, will be honored by Grammy award winners like Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith as well as young soul singer Joss Stone, rocker Robert Randolph and singer Devin Lima.
The awards for lifetime achievement will end up this year in the hands of British rock artists David Bowie and Eric Clapton, country music icon Merle Haggard and the late blues performer Robert Johnson.