LOS ANGELES —Well it’s the year of the ladies. Pop superstar Beyonce leads the pack of nominees for the 52^nd annual Grammy Awards with a total of 10 nominations including Album, Record and Song of the Year.  Following close behind is country darling Taylor Swift with a total of 8 nominations.  Tying the race with a total of 6 nominations were the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West.  Pop sensation Lady Gaga nabbed an impressive 5 nominations.

Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It" is nominated for Song of the Year.

For the second time in the year, the Grammy nominees were announced during a live concert at the Club Nokia at L.A. Live on Wednesday, December 2.  Taking the stage during the nominations were the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell, Nick Jonas, the Administration and Sugarland to name a few. 

In the category of Album of the Year the nominees include Beyonce for “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” Taylor Swift for “Fearless,” The Black Eyed Peas for “The E.N.D.,” Lady Gaga for “The Fame” and the Dave Matthews Band for “Big Whiskey and The Groogrux King.” Just glancing at the nominees it looks like Taylor Swift could definitely walk away with the award considering “Fearless” has sold more than 10 million copies and the pretty-faced teen has cleaned up at every other award show this year, but don’t count out Beyonce or Lady Gaga who have dominated the charts this year.

Country sensation Taylor Swift is nominated for 8 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year for "Fearless."

Nominees for Record of the Year include Beyonce “Halo,” The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling,” Lady Gaga “Poker Face,” Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” and Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me.”  This category is a three-way race between Swift, Beyonce and Lady Gaga whose hits played relentlessly on radio stations this year.

For Song of the Year, the nominees include Lady Gaga “Poker Face,” Maxwell “Pretty Wings,” Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” and Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me.”  Hands down the front-runner is Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”  The song was a ubiquitous hit that landed at the number one spot on the Billboard charts and created a worldwide Web sensation with everyone attempting to recreate that famous dance sequence.  She could face some stiff competition from Maxwell for his seductive “Pretty Wings,” which is the type of song that rings a cord with Grammy voters.  

Nominees for Best New Artist include Keri Hilson, Zac Brown Band, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings.  Missing from the category is Lady Gaga who was ineligible to be nominated because her massive hit “Just Dance” was nominated last year for Best Dance Recording. 

The nominees for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance include Adele “Hometown Glory,” Beyonce “Halo,” Katy Perry “Hot N Cold,” Pink “Sober” and Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me.” For Best R&B Album the nominees include Anthony Hamilton “The Point of It All,” India Arie “Testimony: Vol. 2 Love & Politics,” Ledisi “Turn Me Loose,” Maxwell “Blacksummers’ Night” and Charlie Wilson “Uncle Charlie.” 

Of course there were a few surprises in this year’s nominations.  Singing sensation Whitney Houston who made a triumphant return this year failed to score any nods.  Many were expecting Houston to garner several nominations including Song and Record of the Year for her hit “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.”  Also missing among the contenders for Record of the Year was American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson for her inescapable hit “My Life Would Suck Without You.”  West who managed to score several nominations this year was left out of the major categories like Record, Song and Album of the Year.  His unfavorable behavior at this year’s VMA may have cost him.

As always predicting the actual winners for the 52^nd Annual Grammy Awards will be a challenge itself.  The Grammy’s are known for being one of the most unpredictable awards shows in history.  Presenters and performers for the show have yet to be announced, but are likely in the coming weeks.  See who walks away with the biggest award in the music industry on Sunday, January 31, 2010, when the Grammy’s are handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

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