LL Cool J Previews the Grammy Nominations Concert
The Grammys don't take place for a few months, but the Grammy party gets started early every year with the Grammys nomination concert, which combines the nominations ceremony with music from the hottest artists of the year. Co-host LL Cool J, alongside music artists Fun and Luke Bryan and the show's producers, gave ET a preview of the concert.
"It feels phenomenal," Cool J said of hosting the event with Taylor Swift. "I think that people will be pleasantly surprised, and hopefully they'll really enjoy themselves. I'm hoping that this building is just full of fans that just want to have a great time and listen to great music."
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While the annual concert that began in 2007 is usually hosted in Los Angeles, the producers decided to make a shift to a city that is categorized by its music, Nashville. Cool J assesses that the move to Music City is indicative of the concert's pure focus on the music.
"This is a music show for music fans," the actor and rapper said. "By leaving Los Angeles and coming to Nashville and doing the show here, we're proving to everyone that this show really is for everybody. I think we're taking a leap of faith, and you should take it with us."
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Cool J, who hosted the Grammys awards show in 2012 and will host the show once again in 2013, hosted the inaugural Grammys nominations concert with Swift, then age 17. The 44-year-old NCIS: LA actor said it was a pleasure to work with her once more, but chuckled when reminded of how relatively young she is.
"It's funny. You know, I guess her and my daughter could be friends," he said. "It's fun, though. It's fun to work with Taylor. I worked with her on the very first Grammy nominations concert live, and here we are again, so it's really cool."
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While the nominations concert, which will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena tonight from 10-11 p.m. ET on CBS, has moved to Music City, the Grammys awards ceremony will again take place in Los Angeles on February 10, 2013.