The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards have added a few more performers to their February 13th ceremony, and still none of them are Britney Spears. However, viewers will get to see a couple of Grammy-nominated up-and-comers (Janelle Monae, B.o.B. and Bruno Mars), a chart-topping country band (Lady Antebellum), something for the ladies (Justin Bieber, Usher, and Jaden Smith performing together), and even a rock act! (Muse, the lone U.K. reps thus far).
Again, no surprises here, though the Grammys have the audacity to call the Usher/Bieber/Smith collaboration a "Grammy Moment," or "a special performance exclusive to the Grammy telecast with one-time-only groupings of artists," which is pretty hyperbolic. Radiohead and the USC Marching Band, that's a Grammy Moment. Ditto for Prince and Beyoncé, or a very pregnant M.I.A. performing "Swagga Like Us" with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and Kanye West. Usher, Bieber and Jaden Smith doesn't resonate like those aforementioned Grammy Moments.
The new recruits join Arcade Fire, Eminem, Miranda Lambert, Katy Perry, and Cee Lo Green. Barring a complete shocker, the big story remains Lady Gaga, who will debut her new single "Born This Way" stateside during the ceremony (a remixed version of the track premiered yesterday at a Paris fashion show yesterday, but it was impossible to hear with human ears). The one question that still hasn't been answered: Who will host the Grammys this year? We're 24 days away from Music's Biggest Night, and no host has been revealed yet. In a year stacked with predictable performers, maybe that'll be the big Grammy surprise we've been waiting for.
[Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com]