Brit singer opts for satellite act
Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse received a last-minute US visa to attend the Grammy awards in Los Angeles on Sunday but has opted to stay behind and perform via satellite from Britain after all, a spokesman said.
After rejecting her application earlier this week, the US embassy in London granted the visa "following further discussions", according to a statement released by her spokesman late Friday and published in the Los Angeles Times.
Winehouse, who has been nominated for six awards at the Grammys, checked into a London clinic Jan 24 after a video surfaced, which appeared to show her smoking crack cocaine.
She was to sing selections from her Back to Black album.
"Unfortunately, due to the logistics involved and timing complications, Amy will not be coming to the US this weekend to perform at the Grammys in Los Angeles, however she will still be performing via satellite broadcast from London as previously announced this morning," her US publicist said.
The satellite option had been arranged as a way of circumventing the US visa ban.
Winehouse was to check out of a London rehabilitation clinic on Friday to start rehearsals in preparation for the live broadcast from a London studio on Sunday.
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