You may not be sure whether Lil Wayne will decide to pull out a guitar or “A Milli” at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, but the show will definitely be worth watching.This year, the Recording Academy is putting together a incredible lineup at the 51st Grammy Awards. Performers include all Album of the Year nominees — Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss and Coldplay. Radiohead, who is also nominated, will be making their first televised U.S. performance since 2000.The Academy also nabbed Kid Rock, Rihanna, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Jay-Z. U2, who didn’t put out any music to be nominated this year, is also performing. Hell, even Paul McCartney is playing.As if the performers alone weren’t enough, the Academy recently announced duets among performers. Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus may not be the most breathtaking performance of the evening, but it certainly provides for a certain demographic. The Academy also announced, via Twitter no less, that Kanye West will be performing with Estelle, pretty much guaranteeing a rendition of her 2008 hit “American Boy.” Other group performances include Adele, Chris Brown and Sugarland as well as a Four Tops tribute including Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx and original member Duke Fakir.With Kid Rock and Lil Wayne both up for more than one award and performing Sunday night, you have to wonder if they will meet up on stage at some point like they did at the MTV Video Music Awards and the Country Music Awards last year.Even though this year’s lineup is completely unprecedented in star power, the Academy always features prominent performers at its music awards show. And as of recently, ratings for the show have been getting worse.The 2006 Grammy Awards only mustered 17 million viewers, the smallest for the ceremony in 11 years. The Academy was competing with the overlapping time slot of “American Idol,” which got 28 million viewers. Things looked a little better in 2007, with the Grammys securing 21 million viewers, but the numbers dropped again last year.But the Academy is prepared this year. I’ll take Paul McCartney, Radiohead and Lil Wayne over Sanjaya Malakar and Kelly Clarkson any day, and I’m pretty sure most people would as well.The Grammys have always been a subject of much controversy. Some people argue that they offer too many awards, many of which are very similar. Others refuse to watch just because they feel their favorite artists were snubbed for not being popular enough.And the Academy recognizes this. Not concerned with the winners of all 110 award categories? Fine. You’ll still be able to witness a lineup that can put any Coachella, Bonaroo or Voodoo Fest main stage to shame. Not bad.I have never been one to watch the Grammys regularly. The nominations are usually predictable, and the Academy had the audacity to award flute rockers Jethro Tull for Best Metal Performance in 1989 — that tells you a little about their judgment.But they figured out a way to pull viewers this year — stacking the lineup with the biggest performers in music and putting together duets some unlikely musicians.You may not be concerned whether DragonForce can secure the award for Best Metal Performance or who will take home Best Hawaiian Music Album. But it is definitely worth sitting through those categories to hear the performances.
 
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