Santa Monica, U.S.A. – Music’s Biggest Night, the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, returns to Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, and will air live on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The eligibility year for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards is Oct. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, 2012.

Additionally, “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! – Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night ” – which officially kicks off Grammy season by revealing nominations in several categories while featuring unique performances with past Grammy winners and/or nominees – will air live on CBS Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. For Grammy coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

Grammy Week – a weeklong series of cultural events culminating in Music’s Biggest Night – will again feature celebrations of music, education and philanthropy, including Grammy Camp – Basic Training, the Entertainment Law Initiative luncheon, the Producers & Engineers Wing event, the Grammy Foundation’s Music Preservation Event, the annual MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, the Special Merit Awards Ceremony, and Clive Davis and The Recording Academy’s Pre-Grammy Gala, among others.

The Grammy Awards telecast is one of television’s major broadcast events, ranking as one of the highest-rated and most-watched specials. Ratings for the Grammy Awards have continued to soar over the last several years, with the 54th Annual Grammy Awards attracting 39.9 million viewers, the largest Grammy audience since 1984 and the second largest in history.

The telecast was the highest-rated awards show of the season, and the biggest social event in the history of television. The awards drew 13 million social media comments with the conversation on Twitter reaching a record high at 160,341 tweets per minute during the live telecast.

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.

Image Courtesy of  The GRAMMYs

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Two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J is set to host the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, marking the first time in seven years that the music industry’s premier event will have an official host. Music’s Biggest Night takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition 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 worldwide via Westwood One/Dial Global, 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 soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

“I’m thrilled to be part of Music’s Biggest Night,” said LL COOL J. “I will always have fond memories of my first GRAMMY Awards and to now be hosting the GRAMMY show, in the company of so many other incredible artists, is a dream come true. Great performances and great music — it’s gonna be a great night!”

LL COOL J has hosted “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this will be his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast. Recent past hosts include Queen Latifah at the 47th GRAMMY Awards and Jon Stewartfor the 43rd and 44th GRAMMY telecasts. Over the years, additional GRAMMY hosts include Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell, among others.

LL COOL J joins previously announced performers and current GRAMMY nominees  Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift. Aldean and Minaj will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time, while Clarkson, Foo Fighters, Mars, and Swift are returning to the GRAMMY stage.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer,  Louis J. Horvitz is director, andDavid Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

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