Beyonce duels Taylor Swift for a Grammy

It seems that this year at the Grammy Awards ceremony the big battle will be between R&B superstar Beyonce , and country star Taylor Swift. This is the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony.

Beyonce has 10 nominations going into Sunday’s extravaganza at the Staples Center, just ahead of the precocious 20-year-old Swift, who has eight.

Moreover, super star Beyonce has nominations in the coveted record of the year and album of the year categories, for her single “Halo” and her chart-topping double-album “I Am … Sasha Fierce.” The former “Destiny’s Child” singer is also nominated in the song of the year category.

The singer has to face competition in the main categories not only with Swift, but also with eccentric pop star Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, who all have nominations in the best album, record and song categories.

On the other hand, Swift, who enjoyed success last year at the American Music Awards and Country Music Awards, has rocketed to fame over the past two years.

According to a source, Swift is considered to be the top-selling digital artist in music history with over 24.3 digital tracks to date.

Grammy chief Neil Portnow has praised Swift as a “phenomenon in entertainment.” “She crosses so many genres and generations. She’s really struck a chord with people because her music is so honest,” Portnow said.

Nevertheless, there will be a tribute to Michael’s Jackson career that seems to include a 3-D film clip made before his death as well as performances from Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson and Usher. Jackson will also be honored with a lifetime achievement award during the show.

In terms of the record of the year, the battle will be between Beyonce’s “Halo” and Black Eyed Peas’s pop track “I Gotta Feeling”, the Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and Swift’s “You Belong with Me.”

On the other hand, the nominees for song of the year, awarded to the songwriters, are Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” Maxwell’s “Pretty Wings,” Beyonce’s No.1 single “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” and Swift’s “You Belong with Me.

Consequently, the best rock album nominees are AC/DC’s “Black Ice,” “Live From Madison Square Garden” by Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, “21st Century Breakdown” by Green Day, “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King” by the Dave Matthews Band and “No Line on the Horizon” by U2.

The best new artist category features the Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings.