Music Biz Spot

Good evening everybody, and welcome to the live blog for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, which are beaming live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Though a handful of awards have already been handed out, the big contests tonight will include only the biggest superstars in music, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Eminem and countless others.

Tonight will also be about the live performances, including an all-star tribute to the late Michael Jackson in addition to a surprise duet partner for Lady Gaga and a hip-hop tag-team with Lil Wayne, Drake, Travis Barker and Eminem. So stay right here for the blow-by-blow of music’s biggest night, and be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for the rest of the big stories coming out of tonight. And as always, make your voice heard in the comments below!

(Click here for all the hottest photos from the Grammy Awards red carpet!)

8:31 Beyoncé tips her hat to Grammy-winner Alanis Morissette with an extra-rocking version of “You Oughta Know.” It sounds awesome, but does Beyoncé know it was originally about former “Full House” star Dave Coulier?

8:29 Simon Baker, star of “The Mentalist,” introduces Beyoncé, who enters flanked by an army of dancers dressed by the LAPD SWAT. Instead of breaking out her award-winning “Single Ladies,” she belts out “If I Were a Boy” (complete with crotch grabbing). This thing is loud and the crowd is going absolutely ape.

8:26 Taylor Swift takes home the prize for Best Country Album (as though there was any doubt). She is thrilled and surprise (as always). She says she’s “standing here accepting an impossible dream right now.”

8:24 Apparently, Bon Jovi is going to play whatever song gets voted on by fans. The nominees: “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “It’s My Life” and “Always.” Vote here!

8:18 They acquitted themselves nicely, but the cast of “American Idiot” may have been undone by the fact that they were sharing the stage with Green Day, who sort of blew them off the stage. Billie Joe Armstrong is a fountain of charisma, and it’s hard not to be eclipsed by him.

8:15 Jennifer Lopez introduces Green Day and the cast of “American Idiot” (the musical that hits Broadway in the spring). Cue the theatrical version of “21 Guns.”

8:12 Colbert announces the nominees for Song of the Year with the help of his iPad (which Jay-Z did not get in his gift bag). Beyoncé adds to her already giant armload of awards tonight with a win for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” The three non-Beyoncé songwriters accept for her because she’s preparing for a performance, which makes it more than a little anti-climatic.

8:11 Colbert on the Jonas Brothers: “I ran into the Jonas Brothers back stage. Or I ran into one Jonas Brother three times, I’m not sure.” On Susan Boyle: “Justin Timberlake may have brought the sexy back, but Susan Boyle sent it away this year. Goodbye, sexy! Your industry was saved by a 48-year-old Scottish cat lady in sensible shoes.”

8:08 Stephen Colbert is here to shout out Taylor Swift and Jay-Z. Colbert introduces his teenage daughter and tries to explain to her who Jeff Beck is. “You know the game ‘Guitar Hero’? He has the all-time high score, and he’s never played it.” He closes with, “Have a good time, honey — just stay away from Katy Perry.”

8:06 After a brief sojourn into “Your Song,” Gaga closes the song by singing, “Thank you Sir Elton John!” Not quite the bloodbath she delivered at the VMAs, but then again, Elton John was wearing a crazy dangly earring.

8:03 She stabbed herself at the VMAs, and this time Gaga meets her end via fire. But not even an inferno can keep her down, as she resurrects herself with the help of Elton John. They’re both covered in soot and sparkles, and they’re tag-teaming on “Speechless.” The rest of the show is going to have a real hard time topping this.

8:00 Lady Gaga opens the show, and it’s already overwhelming. The stage is made up to look like an industrial plant called “The Fame Factory.” She appears on a platform wearing a crazy sparkly leotard and Ultimate Warrior makeup. Cue “Poker Face.” The crowd goes insane.

7:55 In case you missed it, get caught up with who looked hot and who was guilty of fashion crimes with the MTV Newsroom Blog’s Grammy red carpet live blog, brought to you by MTV News fashionista Jocelyn Vena. As she is wont to do, Lady Gaga clearly scored the Most Amazing Dress Award with her pointy, space-aged, no-way-can-she-sit-down dress.

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Hi, all! It’s Jocelyn Vena here, MTV News’ fashionista for the evening. I’m here to share my thoughts on tonight’s hits and misses as the celebrities roll up on the red carpet leading up to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. (And of course, you’re here to tell me if you agree or disagree, so speak up in the comments section!) I can’t wait to see what everyone is wearing!

Tonight will celebrate some of the biggest names in music, including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Pink and the late, great Michael Jackson. Check out all the fashion-related updates below, and stay tuned for later in the evening when we’ll bring you the live blog of the entire show, from the first award to the last star-studded performance. Welcome to music’s biggest night!

(Click here for all the hottest photos from the Grammy Awards red carpet, including Adam Lambert, Snooki, Linkin Park and Sean Paul!)

7:09 Travis Barker is on hand and he’s with his son. How cute! They are both wearing T-shirts without sleeves. Like father, like son.

7:02 The Black Eyed Peas are here. Taboo is rocking a silver space-age suit. Will.I.Am looks like he’s ready for a Grammy battle in his camo suit. Apl looks normal in his black suit, and then Fergie brings the glam in her little royal blue dress with silvery detailing. Josh Duhamel has been dragged onto the stage with them. He’s paired his gray suit with a burgundy tie.

6:59 Usher, who will hit the stage for the Michael Jackson tribute, is wearing a khaki-colored suit with polka-dot tie and gingham shirt. A busy combination, but the patterns all work.

6:58 T-Pain is there. Coolio called and he wants his hair back. He too is wearing a leather jacket, but he added a Paul Wall grill (which Seacrest recognized).

6:54 Katy Perry has arrived with Russell Brand. She looks very demure in her Zac Posen sleeved gown in gold. The gown is unique, with flowery gold decals. One of her earrings is dangly, the other isn’t. She says she was inspired by India. Brand is showing more cleavage, FYI. He’s also wearing gray.

6:53 John Legend, like always, looks like a gentleman in his gray suit. Though he threw us off with his net sweater underneath his jacket. This is a situation. Yes, that kind of situation.

6:52 Imogen Heap tried to be wacky in her black dress and umbrella, but even her feathery neck disc was no competition to Gaga. She wore a planet for goodness sake!

6:51 More comedy nominees! Stephen Colbert is the guy when you think of Grammy Awards. He’s got his standard issue on, but apparently it will turn into wings! Jokes!

6:48 LL Cool J just gave Bieber a high five. He’s wearing almost the same outfit, except with a jacket and fedora.

6:46 Justin Bieber in a tie, vest and suit pants. It works for him. He makes Ryan Seacrest look like a giant. Ryan said it, not us. It should be noted that Bieber brought his mom as his date.

6:41 Paramore just hit the carpet. The guys look great in blazers and jeans and Hayley looks so glam in her black dress with silver sparkles — like a punk rock Audrey Hepburn.

6:38 Lady Gaga is wearing a dress that looks like a planet, and she’s carrying some sort of pointy chandelier. Her hair is yellow. The dress is silver. She is amazing. Who else but Gaga?

6:36 Melody Thornton from PCD is on the carpet in a Vegas showgirls gold gown. Splashy!

6:33 MGMT is wearing many fabrics and many patterns. They’re all hipster-y, and it’s kind of fun. Props to the blue plaid blazer.

6:30 OMG! Ricky Martin and he is livin’ la vida loca. (That may or may not be true.) But he is wearing a leather jacket and tie. Leather jackets are perfect for the Grammys. Relaxed, chic and edgy.

6:25 Adam Lambert sighting! He’s in a black, sparkly blazer, a little tie and lots of eye makeup! He looks so Adam Lambert. It’s kind of perfect.

6:23 Kathy Griffin in a sparkly gold dress. Why is she there? Oh, she’s nominated in some sort of comedy category. She keeps telling people to “suck it,” which is uncomfortable.

6:15 THE ZAC BROWN BAND! They look so countrylicious with their beards. And it seems like a gray-suited, no-tie wearing Common is now the band’s newest bestie. 16 minutes into the carpet and it’s weird. (P.S.: Common thinks Kanye West is misunderstood. And, he doesn’t have boundaries.)

6:14 Larry Platt (you know, the “Pants on the Ground” dude) looking like Flavor Flav performing his signature tune.

6:05 Lea Michele from “Glee” is wearing a perfect one-shoulder LBD. Her skirt looks like it was made from many tulle parrots. So beautiful!

6:03 Andy Samberg and Akiva from the Lonely Island look incredibly dashing in their suits and glasses. Props to Akiva for wearing glasses and sunglasses! Fashion and function! Perfect!

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Traveling with Snooki from “Jersey Shore” is always an adventure, but hopping in the car on Sunday morning on the way to her first red carpet hosting gig at the Grammy Awards was an epic trip.

After a last minute hair emergency that required a frantic run to a CVS for a curling iron and some fake eyelashes, Snooki hopped in the MTV limo (a Hyundi Elantra) with Sway and promptly offered him a Snickers bar a fan had pressed into her hand.

After he demurred, she begged for some house music and started bouncing in the backseat as she and Sway snapped a photo on her bejeweled phone for her twitter page. She then offered Sway some shimmery bronzer, which he politely passed on. “But it’ll make your skin sparkle!” she said.

But Sway did offer some career advice. “Just enjoy yourself,” he told her as she begged him to crank up Pitbull’s “Calle Ocho” and spritzed herself with some citrus-y perfume. Then she pulled out a six inch piece of wood that had “Snooki” carved into it that a fan whittled for her. “It’s supposed to be a pickle!” she explained.

The best part? When she flipped it over, it revealed a single carved “n.” Huh? “They were gonna write Nicole, I guess. But then they didn’t.” When Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” came on the radio, Snooks wiggled in her seat, getting psyched about possibly meeting Usher, and hopefully, she said, making out with him. “He’s single, right?” she asked. Oh, and in addition to signing her new deal for season two of “Jersey Shore,” she mentioned that she just signed set up a meeting about a potential recording contract with a major label next week. “I’m going in the studio next week! I can’t sing, I’ll just talk sexy. I can make my own beats though.” She typed her info into Sway’s phone so they can hang out sometime, when she promised to introduce him to some real guidos.

“That would be nice,” he said. “I’d like that. Where would we go?”

“My bedroom,” she answered instantly. He gasped and they exited the car on their way to the carpet.

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