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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TouchTunes Interactive Networks, the largest interactive in-venue entertainment network in North America, today released its top songs and artists of 2011. The results, based on an analysis of over 900 million songs played across TouchTunes’ network of 50,000 in-venue music systems, revealed that consumers choose a mix of newly released and classic songs to listen to when they’re out in a social setting.

TouchTunes’ top played song of the year across every genre was country superstar Jason Aldean’s hit single ‘Dirt Road Anthem.’ Other notable songs to make TouchTunes’ 2011 Top 10 most played list includes Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ Eric Church’s ‘Smoke a Little Smoke’ and Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long.’

“Having the #1 song of the year running on TouchTunes jukeboxes is a cool thing for me. It means my songs are being played in most every bar and honky tonk in the country,” stated Jason Aldean. “Those are the kinds of places I used to have gigs when I was a teenager down in Georgia. It’s a really cool full circle kind of moment.”

Jason Aldean was also the third most played artist on the network, surpassed only by long-time fan favorites AC/DC, who was the second most played, and Kid Rock, who was the most played overall. Other top artists on TouchTunes in 2011 include Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“It’s always fun to look at the most played songs and artists on our network,” said Vicki Saunders, TouchTunes Vice President, Music Marketing. “TouchTunes provides fans with a unique listening experience, and gives them a chance to find that one perfect song that will set the mood for their night out. For many this year, Jason Aldean did just that.”

More information on TouchTunes top music plays of 2011 is available here: http://www.touchtunes.com/2011charts.

2011 Top 10 Played Songs: 

1. Dirt Road Anthem – Jason Aldean
2. Rolling in the Deep – Adele
3. Smoke A Little Smoke – Eric Church
4. All Summer Long – Kid Rock
5. Chicken Fried- Zac Brown Band
6. Down On Me (ft. 50 Cent) – Jeremih
7. Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
8. Country Girl (Shake It For Me) – Luke Bryan
9. Somewhere With You – Kenny Chesney
10. Rockstar – Nickelback

2011 Top 10 Artists 

1. Kid Rock
2. AC/DC
3. Jason Aldean
4. Toby Keith
5. Johnny Cash
6. Nickelback
7. Zac Brown Band
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd
9. Rolling Stones
10. Metallica

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