Watch CBS News

Expect The Unexpected At Grammys

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Anything can happen at the Grammys.

That was the message Christian Blauvelt, deputy culture editor at BBC.com, had during his in-studio interview with CBS 2's Andrea Grymes on Sunday morning.

The music industry's premier awards show begins at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Blauvelt said he wouldn't be surprised if the Grammys bucked a recent trend and awarded Album of the Year to an album that wasn't a huge commercial success.

Blauvelt noted that only two of the category's nominees -- Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" and Taylor Swift's "Red -- reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. He, however, predicts that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" -- which sold only about one-fourth the number of copies Swift sold -- will take the trophy.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis perform in Los Angeles on Jan. 23, 2014. (credit: Getty Images)

The Grammys recognize music released from October 2012 to September 2013.

"Sometimes it can seem like some of the albums and songs that are nominated are almost a little out of date, like Taylor Swift's 'Red,' which is one of the front-runners for Album of the Year," Blauvelt said. "It came out in November of 2012."

LINK: Full list of Grammy nominees

Blauvelt said Lorde, whose single "Royals" topped the charts for nine weeks, received the biggest snub of the nominations.

"Best New Artist was like tailor-made for her," he said.

The 17-year-old singer from New Zealand, however, did receive nods for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Lorde
Lorde performs at pre-Grammy event in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 25, 2014. (credit: Getty Images)

James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran are nominated for Best New Artist.

The night's most memorable moment, however, might be one of its performances. The Beatles are receiving a lifetime achievement award, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will perform together. The performance will come as the 50th anniversary of the legendary band's iconic appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Approach" approaches.

Blauvelt noted that, whether you're a fan of the Beatles, Swift or Jay-Z, there should be something to pique your interest during the show.

"The Grammys are really good about that," he said. "They're really good about having something for everybody. And really, the show comes first. A lot of times there's complaining about the Oscars, but the Grammys are all about the performances. They're just fun."

Hip hop is poised to hit a high note at the awards show, CBS 2's Teri Okita reported.

Jay-Z leads the pack with nine nominations while Kendrick Lamar scored seven.

"To actually put that work in and to have this type of success story as of right now in the moment. I've got to take it all in," Lamar said.

Rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are also up for seven awards but their performance of the Grammy nominated "Same Love" could be the biggest surprise of the show with 34 couples expected to get married on air.

Metallica will also be returning to the show this year and plans to team up with classical Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

Power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce are also expected to reclaim the stage with a duet on what could be a historic night.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.