The nominees for the top prize will come later that day when the academy debuts the new TV special,
"A Very GRAMMY Christmas," to air on CBS at 9 p.m. EST. It will feature performances from
Pharrell and Ariana Grande.

The Grammys first launched a televised concert announcing its main nominees in 2008. Recording Academy
CEO Neil Portnow said in an interview Thursday it was time to switch it up.

"We’re freshening up, changing this up a little bit and the kickoff for Grammy season will still be
getting our nominations out that day, albeit a little differently," Portnow said.

The one-hour Christmas special will be hosted by LL Cool J and also will include Maroon 5, Tim McGraw and
some others to be announced at a later date, show producer Ken Ehrlich said Thursday. It will tape Nov.
18 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The nominees for album of the year will be announced toward the end of the program, Ehrlich said.

Grande, Pharrell and the others will perform their own hits and holiday songs, as well as discuss their
favorite holiday moments and Grammy moments. All of the performers are Grammy winners except for Grande,
who marked a breakthrough this year with a string of hits, including "Problem."

"If you ask any musical artist what their best Christmas gift would be, maybe eight out of 10 of
them would say a Grammy nomination," Ehrlich said.

The 57th annual Grammy Awards will air live Feb. 8 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will
include 83 categories.

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Online:

http://www.grammy.com/

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