Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli to Perform Together Live on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards
Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli to Perform Together Live in Special
Fund-Raising Segment for Haiti Relief on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards
Nine-time GRAMMY® winner Mary J. Blige and world-renowned
pop tenor Andrea Bocelli will join forces and perform live together in
a special fund-raising segment for Haiti relief on the 52nd Annual
GRAMMY Awards. This once-in-a-lifetime performance (audio and video) of
the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water” will be
made available for download at iTunes.com/Target following the
telecast, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross,
benefiting ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. This year marks
the 40th anniversary of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” receiving GRAMMY
Awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year,
and the song will provide a moving tribute to the survivors of the
tragic events in Haiti.
The music industry’s premier event
will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31, at STAPLES Center in Los
Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS
Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be
supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at
GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.
Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be
announced shortly. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news,
please visit The Recording Academy®’s social networks on Facebook,
MySpace, and Twitter: www.facebook.com/thegrammys,
www.myspace.com/thegrammys, and www.twitter.com/thegrammys.
Current
GRAMMY nominee Mary J. Blige is up for Best R&B Performance By A
Duo Or Group With Vocals for “Ifuleave” (with Musiq Soulchild).
This
emotional performance with Blige and Bocelli joins previously announced
performances by nominees Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, the
Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell,
P!nk, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band, as well as a special 3-D
GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson featuring Celine Dion, Jennifer
Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher. Previously
announced presenters include actress Kristen Bell, pop/R&B singer
Justin Bieber, actor Jeff Bridges, pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus,
actor Josh Duhamel, pop sensation the Jonas Brothers, nine-time GRAMMY
winner Norah Jones, pop singer/songwriter Ke$ha, two-time GRAMMY winner
LL Cool J, GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Ricky
Martin, 10-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Carlos
Santana, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr.
All five
Album Of The Year nominees are set to perform on Music’s Biggest
Night®: Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, the Dave Matthews
Band, and Taylor Swift.
As part of Bon Jovi’s performance on
the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, fans will have an opportunity to decide
which Bon Jovi hit the band will perform. For this “You Pick It, They
Play It!” special segment, viewers can log on to www.cbs.com/grammys
now and vote in the final round for one out of three of their favorite
hit Bon Jovi songs: “Always, ” “It’s My Life, ” and “Livin’ On A
Prayer.” There is no registration to vote, and fans may vote as often
as they wish. Additionally, a 30-second clip of each song may be
viewed. Voting will continue until Bon Jovi’s performance on the 52nd
Annual GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 31, when the song with the most votes is
revealed live during their segment.
Additionally, the 52nd
Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony will take place from 1 – 4
p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live
internationally on www.grammy.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Well-attended
by nominees and industry VIPs, current GRAMMY nominees Tia Carrere and
Kurt Elling will host the star-studded ceremony, which will feature
performances by nominees including Montreal-based duo Beast (vocalist
Betty Bonifassi and drummer/composer Jean-Phi Goncalves); jazz vocalist
Elling; contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway; classical guitarist
Sharon Isbin; and R&B singer Charlie Wilson as well as a special
bluegrass performance by nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer Ray Benson,
country instrumentalist Alison Brown, two-time GRAMMY winner Jim
Lauderdale, singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, three-time GRAMMY
winner Bryan Sutton and singer/fiddle player Gabe Witcher. Presenting
GRAMMY Awards in 99 categories will be current nominees Colbie Caillat,
Mick Fleetwood, LMFAO, and Tonex as well as percussionist Sheila E.,
four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack, and five-time GRAMMY-winning
producer/songwriter and Recording Academy Chair Emeritus Jimmy Jam. The
live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on
demand for 30 days following the event.
The 52nd Annual GRAMMY
Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich
Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are
executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.
Established
in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians,
producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to
improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its
makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent
peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible
brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for
groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy,
education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus
on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the
well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part
of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit
www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the
organization’s social networks on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube
(www.youtube.com/thegrammys).