Roll out the red carpet - it's Grammy time. This year's nominees range from the revolutionary (Radiohead's "In Rainbows") to the ridiculous (The Jonas Brothers? Really?). 2008 may not have been the greatest year in music history, but there is still plenty of quality packed into this year's nominations.

Record of the Year:
Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" is the frontrunner in the first category. However, the song faces stiff competition from Coldplay ("Viva la Vida") and "Please Read the Letter" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Rounding out the nominees are "Chasing Pavements" by Adele and "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.

Album of the Year:
Guess who's favored in this category? Hint: It's the most downloaded album in history. Coldplay's "Viva la Vida (or Death and All His Friends)" was an enormous hit, but this award is far from a runaway. Lil' Wayne's "Tha Carter III" is a strong candidate, as are Plant's and Krauss' "Raising Sand." Ne-Yo also stands a chance with "Year of the Gentleman." It would be supremely ironic if Radiohead won a Grammy with their anti-establishment "In Rainbows," famously released as a choose-your-price download, but this remains entirely possible.

Song of the Year:
"Viva la Vida" is up again but probably won't net a win here. "Chasing Pavements" is a strong competitor, as is Estelle's "American Boy" (featuring none other than Kanye West). Look out for singer-songwriters (and personal favorites) Sara Bareilles and Jason Mraz with their respective hits "Love Song" and "I'm Yours."

Best New Artist:
Adele looks strong here. Her surprise nominations in Record and Song of the Year suggest that she'll probably have the support to take this award. She faces competition from Duffy, Nashville's own Lady Antebellum and R&B upstart Jazmine Sullivan. Oh yeah, I almost forgot ... the Jonas Brothers are, for some reason, here, too.

The general categories at the Grammy Awards show off the biggest names, but some treasures are buried in the depths of the nominations. Watch out for Flight of the Conchords to repeat their win from last year in the Best Comedy Album category, while "The Odd Couple" (Gnarls Barkley) may knock off Radiohead in the Best Alternative Album.

The Grammy Awards air on CBS on Feb. 8 - be sure to check them out!

Login or Register to leave comments.