Leading Grammy contenders U2 and Alicia Keys were christened Tuesday (January 22) as the first performers announced for the 44th annual awards show next month.
Meanwhile, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and Diana Krall were the first artists named to present trophies at the February 27 ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
U2, who have another huge performance slated for February at the Super Bowl (see "U2 To Elevate Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show"), lead the list of Grammy nominees with eight, including nods in the esteemed Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year categories. Bono and his bandmates have won 10 Grammy Awards in past years.
Soulful newcomer Alicia Keys, third in total nominations behind U2 and India.Arie, will compete for six trophies, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist (see "U2, India.Arie Lead Grammy Pack").
Jackson is the only announced presenter with nominations this year; she's competing in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Dance Recording and Best Pop Vocal Album categories.
Comedian Jon Stewart will mark his second consecutive year as host of the ceremony, which will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11 p.m. ET.
(MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS.)
For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.
