By Gerrick D. Kennedy, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift is having quite the month.
Just as “Red,” her latest opus of lovelorn anthems, opened to massive first-week sales numbers, the country-pop phenom has been tapped to co-host the Grammy nomination special, the Recording Academy announced on Monday.
Swift will co-host the CBS special with LL Cool J. The exhaustively titled CBS special, “Grammy Nominations Concert Live: Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night,” will be held in Nashville.
This is the first time the telecast will be held outside of Los Angeles in its five-year history.
Country singer/songwriter Luke Bryan and pop-rockers Maroon 5 are slated to perform, with additional acts and presenters expected to be announced.
Swift, a six-time Grammy winner herself, is the last artist associated with country music to win the album of the year award with her 2008 breakout disc, “Fearless.”
The concert/ news conference will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 5 at 10 p.m. EST. The eligibility period for this year’s ceremony is Oct. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, 2012.
Swift also recently announced a North American tour, which will hit stadiums and arenas in 2013. She is slated to perform in Los Angeles at Staples Center on Aug. 19 and 20.
