SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Recording Academy) - Nine-time GRAMMY winner
Mary J. Blige and world-renowned pop tenor
Andrea Bocelli will join forces and perform live together in a special fund-raising segment for Haiti relief on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. This once-in-a-lifetime performance (audio and video) of the
Simon & Garfunkel classic "
Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be made available for download at iTunes.com/Target following the telecast, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, benefiting ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. This year marks the 40th anniversary of "
Bridge Over Troubled Water" receiving GRAMMY Awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year, and the song will provide a moving tribute to the survivors of the tragic events in Haiti.
The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV 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 via Westwood One worldwide, 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 shortly. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter: www.facebook.com/thegrammys, www.myspace.com/thegrammys, and www.twitter.com/thegrammys.
Current GRAMMY nominee Mary J. Blige is up for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Ifuleave" (with Musiq Soulchild).
This emotional performance with Blige and Bocelli joins previously announced performances by nominees Beyonce', the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, P!nk, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band, as well as a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson featuring Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher. Previously announced presenters include actress Kristen Bell, pop/R&B singer Justin Bieber, actor Jeff Bridges, pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus, actor Josh Duhamel, pop sensation the Jonas Brothers, nine-time GRAMMY winner Norah Jones, pop singer/songwriter Ke$ha, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J, GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Ricky Martin, 10-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Carlos Santana, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr.
All five Album Of The Year nominees are set to perform on Music's Biggest Night: Beyonce', the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, the Dave Matthews Band, and Taylor Swift.
As part of Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, fans will have an opportunity to decide which Bon Jovi hit the band will perform. For this "You Pick It, They Play It!" special segment, viewers can log on to www.cbs.com/grammys now and vote in the final round for one out of three of their favorite hit Bon Jovi songs: "Always," "It's My Life," and "Livin' On A Prayer." There is no registration to vote, and fans may vote as often as they wish. Additionally, a 30-second clip of each song may be viewed. Voting will continue until Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 31, when the song with the most votes is revealed live during their segment.
Additionally, the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony will take place from 1 � 4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on www.grammy.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, current GRAMMY nominees Tia Carrere and Kurt Elling will host the star-studded ceremony, which will feature performances by nominees including Montreal-based duo Beast (vocalist Betty Bonifassi and drummer/composer Jean-Phi Goncalves); jazz vocalist Elling; contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway; classical guitarist Sharon Isbin; and R&B singer Charlie Wilson as well as a special bluegrass performance by nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer Ray Benson, country instrumentalist Alison Brown, two-time GRAMMY winner Jim Lauderdale, singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, three-time GRAMMY winner Bryan Sutton and singer/fiddle player Gabe Witcher. Presenting GRAMMY Awards in 99 categories will be current nominees Colbie Caillat, Mick Fleetwood, LMFAO, and Tonex as well as percussionist Sheila E., four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack, and five-time GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter and Recording Academy Chair Emeritus Jimmy Jam. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 30 days following the event.
The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.
