2011 Grammy Weekend is On Now - Watch Pre-Telecast Awards & More Live Online

The official 2011 Grammys telecast isn't until Sunday night, but the weekend full of events started Friday night. The MusiCares Person of the Year award was presented then, and the festivities continue on Saturday and Sunday and you can watch live online at www.grammy.com/live. You can also watch live online at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. You can also follow Grammy news before, during, and after the ceremonies (including photos) at the official Grammy Twitter page, www.twitter.com/thegrammys.

The pre-telecast awards, which includes the handing out of Grammys in 98 categories, starts at 4 p.m. Eastern and runs for more than two hours. Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding will host the pre-telecast awards, which will have performances by nominees ranging from Buddy Guy to Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Mavis Staples. (See the Grammy press release for details on hosts, performers, and more.)

The 2011 Grammys Awards telecast will be shown only on CBS TV at 8 p.m. Eastern. It not be shown online, though the Academy will have something called "Dual Screen Experience" (which I'm guess means you'll see backstage and other live content online in addition to what's shown on TV.)

Here's the Grammys online schedule (all times are Eastern):

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12
12:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Grammy Moments
5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Special Merit Awards
10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. - Pre-Grammy Gala

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13
12:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Grammy Moments
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Red Carpet
4:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. - Pre-Telecast Ceremony
6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Red Carpet
8:00 p.m - 11:30 p.m - Dual Screen Experience
11:30 p.m - 1:00 a.m. - Grammy Celebration

2010 Grammys: Winners & Nominees, Blog, Twitter Updates

The 2010 Grammys are tonight, and as usual, most of the awards have been given out before the telecast (which begins at 8 p.m. Eastern). To see who's been nominated and who's won, check the official Grammy nominees' page, www.grammy.com/nominees. Winners' names are marked "winner" and have the Grammy gramophone appearing next to them. This list will be updated as the results are announced on the show, to refresh the page to get the latest winners.

Again this year you can get updates on the awards, links to stories and videos, and news of backstage happenings through the official Grammy Awards Twitter feed, @thegrammys. And speaking of Twitter,  Imogen Heap is wearing a special "Twitter Dress" that displays TwitPics sent in by her fans, in real time.

You can follow all the Grammy news and scuttlebutt at the EW.com 2010 Grammy Awards live blog and other places on the Web, in addition to the official Grammy Web site.

You can buy music by the 2010 Grammy nominees and winners here at Amazon.com, and buy the 2010 Grammy Nominees album here.

Grammy Awards 2009 - Live Updates on Twitter!

Yes, the music industry has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and now the Grammy Awards are even giving us updates on Twitter tonight! If you want the latest news, facts, trivia, and gossip on everything about the Grammy Awards 2009, go to the official Grammys Twitter feed (twitter.com/thegrammys/) and you'll get all you want to know (and possibly more) about this year's awards and the telecast (tonight on CBS at 8 p.m.).

Recent tweets (as of Sunday morning) include news that Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters will be playing drums for Paul McCartney on the telecast ... who'll be playing what songs on the telecast ... who's receiving this year's Lifetime Achievement Awards ... red carpet updates ... and even what "Grammy" means (no, it wasn't named after someone's grandmother).

The Grammy Awards 2009 Twitter feed also has links to other Grammy info and trivia, including the Grammy nomination process.
If you're not into the breathless nature of Twitter, you can find info on nominees, past awards, and more in a less-breathless format at the official Grammys Web site, www.grammys.com.

The Grammy Awards will be telecast on CBS tonight at 8 p.m., but the Twitter feed says a live Webcast will be streaming awards in 100 different categories starting at 4 p.m. Eastern, if you are a completist.

Kudos to the Recording Academy for using Twitter... the Grammys have entered the social media age. Now, if they could only bring their strategy for selling music up to date and avoid going out of business...