Grammys: Who's the Boss?

Just who will rise to the occasion at this Sunday's 45th annual Grammy Awards is a mystery.

If history has anything to say about it, the night may well belong to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. That is, of course, unless Eminem swoops in for an upset.

The New Jersey rocker looks to be the odds-on favorite to dominate this year's shindig after his September 11-themed testament, The Rising, scored five nominations including Album and Song of the Year. But he faces some stiff competition from angry white boy Marshall Mathers III.

Mathers' The Eminem Show tied the Boss with five nods, including Album and Record of the Year ("Without Me") and made him a pop culture force to be reckoned with this year, selling 7.6 million copies. He also ruled the box office with his hit semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile.

Then again, Grammy voters have never been shy about spreading the wealth and anointing new talent.

Relative newbies on the leader board with five nods a piece are: budding jazz-pop songbird Norah Jones, R&B chanteuse Ashanti, skater girl Avril Lavigne and St. Louis rapper Nelly with perennial Grammy fave Sheryl Crow and neosoulster Raphael Saadiq rounding out the list.

E!'s live red carpet coverage of the rockin' event begins at 6 p.m. And sharpen your fashion claws for E!'s Live Fashion Police Show airing on Monday at 10 p.m.

Master prognosticator Tom O'Neil, founder of the Gold Derby Entertainment awards Web site (Goldderby.com) and author of The Grammys, thinks this year's ceremonies will follow the pattern of previous years, but concedes the Eminem factor could make things very interesting.

"It looks like Grammys as usual on the face of it, which is old music lion overdue for a crown, Bruce Springsteen versus the pop diva du jour, in this case Norah Jones," says O'Neil. "But the wild card is Eminem. . .the young lion overdue for the crown. It's a dynamic we've never seen at the Grammys before."

"Two years ago, he came into the contest as the clear frontrunner and got pummeled thanks to the accusations of gay bashing. Since then, not only did he redeem himself with that duet performance with Elton John but he's gone mainstream with 8 Mile," notes O'Neil. "If Eminem could reach into the mainstream and grab me, he may be able to reach the notorious Grammy voters "

However, eyeing their Grammy crystal ball, O'Neil and his group of experts at Gold Derby are betting the Boss will relive his glory days--they've given him 3 to 4 odds to win Album of the Year.

"Bruce will get album and Song and Norah will get record and artist, but there's a strong chance Em will upend everything," adds O'Neil.

Also competing with Springsteen and Slim Shady in the Album of the Year race are Jones for her debut disc Come Away with Me, Nelly with his hugely popular Nellyville, and the Dixie Chicks with their bluegrass-tinged Home.

Other Grammy watchers suggest that the presence of Nelly in that category could end up siphoning enough votes away from Eminem to give Bruce the edge. Precedence also helps, of course.

Given that the average age of voters skews toward the Metamucil generation, critics often refer to the music industry's biggest night as The Grannys. The big winners over the last decade have all been veteran artists that were typically overlooked in their prime, from Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan to Carlos Santana and Steely Dan.

But for Springsteen, such honors are long overdue. In 1985 at the peak of his popularity, the Boss' Born in the U.S.A. was snubbed in the Album of the Year category in favor of Lionel Ritchie's Can't Slow Down.

But if there's a drawback to rewarding Springsteen's first record with the E Street Band in 18 years, it might Grammy voters' weariness over 9-11-inspired anthems.

Springsteen's title track, "The Rising," and Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" could end up splitting the vote in the best song category, giving victory to Jones' "Don't Know Why." Then again, Jackson has never won a Grammy and the country music competition is stiff.

For Best Country Album, he'll face off against the heavily favored Dixie Chicks.

Speaking of the Chicks, they're among a number of all-star performers from all over the musical map slated to take the stage during the three-hour event.

Others on the bill besides Springsteen and his E Street Band include: No Doubt, James Taylor, Vanessa Carlton, Ashanti, Faith Hill, Yo-Yo Ma, Avril Lavigne, and sensitive popster John Mayer. Sunday night will also see several notable pairings, including Sheryl Crow with Lenny Kravitz singing "You're an Original," Nelly and Kelly Rowland doing "Dilemma," Coldplay will team up with members of the New York Philharmonic, and Eminem singing "Lose Yourself" with The Roots.

The two biggest highlights of the night are shaping up to be Elvis Costello and the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl joining Bruce and fellow E Streeter Little Steve Van Zandt in a Clash tribute as they perform "London Calling," and a rumored reunion of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. The '60s folk-rock duo will be on hand to accept a Lifetime Achievement award.

The Grammys, which return to New York City for the first time in four years, will be hosted by a team of celebrities this year, including Marc Anthony, Queen Latifah, Paul Schaffer, and even non-musical names like Ed Bradley, Robin Williams, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler of The Sopranos. The awards will be handed out live February 23 on CBS starting at 8 p.m.