Every year around Grammy time, one of the hottest parties in L.A. is the Black Eyed Peas' Peapod, a benefit for the group's Peapod Foundation. Past performers include the likes of James Brown, Justin Timberlake and many others. This year wasn't short on talent, with Ne-Yo, Common, John Legend, Lil Jon, Natasha Bedingfield, Slash, and Snoop Dogg all making appearances.

"When you get a bunch of creative people in one room nothing could happen but magic," Ne-Yo told AOL Music.

Sure enough, one of last night's biggest pops came for an unannounced surprise appearance by Boyz II Men, who enjoyed love for 'Motownphilly' and the smash ballad 'End of the Road.' Even they seemed surprised by the response, commenting, "It's an honor to get this kind of love."

Beyonce, Rihanna, Carrie Underwood and the Foo Fighters are scheduled to perform at the 2008 Grammy Awards ceremony. Reports have also said that Beyonce will perform a duet with the legendary Tina Turner.

The Foo Fighters are scheduled to perform in conjunction with the My Grammy Moment contest -- where one winning instrumentalist will perform with the Dave Grohl-fronted group.

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center free of interference from the striking Hollywood screenwriters. The union announced earlier this week that it will not picket outside the awards venue.

In an attempt to rally support, the Writers Guild of America is urging musicians with Screen Actors Guild cards to protest the Grammys and back the striking writers. So far the list of targeted recording artists includes Queen Latifah, Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent.

Before recent lobbying, members of the WGA stated that they would not grant the awards show a waiver for the February telecast. "The [National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences] has not asked the WGA for a waiver or interim agreement for the Grammys. While no Guild decision has yet been made regarding the Grammys, if a waiver is requested for the Grammys, it is unlikely to be granted," Gregg Mitchell, a spokesman for the WGA, said in a statement.

SAG's decision to not cross the picket lines for award shows could force the Grammys to scale down it's scheduled broadcast, much in the same way that the Golden Globes show was handled. And since the Grammys typically taps actors to present awards, viewers should prepare for a show with fewer celebrities. If the WGA's lobbying of musicians is successful, Grammy nominees Beyonce, Tim McGraw, Jon Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell and Barbra Streisand could be missing in action.

The Grammys might be two months away, but the parties are already in full swing. To celebrate the announcement of the nominations, the Grammys and PEOPLE Magazine threw a kick-off party in L.A. Thursday night, hosted by Fergie and featuring performances by Fall Out Boy, Ne-Yo and Natasha Bedingfield.

Fergie -- who was posing for pictures out in the invite-only crowd, which included actress/singer Emmy Rossum, members of Hinder and the Pussycat Dolls, and Tyrese Gibson -- told PopEater she enjoyed her hosting duties. "I love it," she said. "I don't have to perform."

Things, however, were not quite as comfortable for Fall Out Boy.

Following Bedingfield and a four-song set by Ne-Yo, FOB took the stage with a lot of energy. Turns out, they were playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. "I'd like to thank the Academy," Wentz, whose band wasn't nominated, started to say. "Nevermind. This is awkward. I woke up at 5:30 this morning to see who was nominated and ended up breaking my foot on my computer."

We assume Wentz was kidding about the injury, given how agile he was on stage. The awkwart bit, however ....

Hip-hop mogul Kanye West and British R&B singer Amy Winehouse topped the 2008 Grammy nominations, receiving eight and six respectively. Other top nominees announced today include: Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Rihanna, T-Pain and Timbaland.

West is up for Album of the Year for 'Graduation,' while Winehouse makes for stiff competition with her 2006 release 'Black to Black'. The Foo Fighters 'Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace,' Vince Gill's 'These Days' and Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell, 'River: The Joni Letters,' round out the category.

Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable' goes up against Rihanna's 'Umbrella,' Justin Timberlake's 'What Goes Around Comes Around,' Winehouse's 'Rehab' and the Foo's 'The Pretender' for Record of the Year.

This year, newcomers Plain White T's get a Song of the Year nod for their hit single 'Hey There Delilah,' while Corrine Bailey Rae's mellow 'Like a Star' and Carrie Underwood's seething 'Before He Cheats' also have stakes in the category with 'Umbrella' and 'Rehab.'

There will be a brawl for the Best New Artist award between rehab-defiant Winehouse, Apple-friendly Feist, pop-punk Paramore, and country sensation Taylor Swift gunning for the honor.

It's been interesting watching Justin Timberlake grow up in the Grammy spotlight. He's gone from a baby-faced boy-bander no one took seriously, to a pariah (after that whole 'Nipplegate' incident), to one of the night's most respected musicians. His performance of 'What Goes Around' showed just how much he's improved as a performer and proved that he doesn't need pyrotechnics and slick choreography to mesmerize a crowd. Nice one, J. Tim.

The Black Eyed Peas took home a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for their 'Humps,' but what the hell was up with their ears? I wanted to pay attention as the eclectic quartet gave props to R&B greats Booker T & the MG's, but my eyes kept going to that crazy looking thing in Will.I.Am's ear. (What, did the Tinman lose his Bluetooth?)

Meanwhile, Peas-ette Fergie Ferg gave new meaning to the term ghetto fabulous with those multiple bullet holes in her lobes. Well, at least the group is consistent. Their fashion choices -- much like their music -- often leave me asking, "why?"

A sense of anticipation hung in the air Saturday night at House of Blues Anaheim as Family Stone, the Sly Stone-endorsed ensemble featuring his sister Vet and niece Lisa, as well as original trumpet player Cynthia Robinson and Grammy winner Skyler Jett, took the stage at a few minutes after 10:30. Would Sly, a notoriously reclusive rock legend, show up as rumored?

Since an ill-fated comeback attempt in 1987, the man who bridged funk, rock, soul and a social conscience into the soundtrack of an era, has made very few public appearances, including the 1993 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and last year's Grammy tribute. An hour into the set, following a stellar 'Everybody Is a Star,' Vet asked the half-full venue, "Can everybody say, 'Welcome back?'" And with that, the question was answered.

Attired in a long black coat, black pants, a red scarf and shades, and still sporting the platinum Mohawk seen on the Grammys, Sly came out and introduced one of his daughters to play keyboards. Following a brief classical piece, Sly took the keyboards himself to back up another daughter as she delivered a few rhymes. Then it was time for the man to take over, sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy as he led a 'Thank You (Fallentime Be Mice Elf Again)' that was as celebratory for the occasion as the music.

Following a "We want Sly" chant that only ended with the promise he would return later, the Family Stone continued on, taking an extended 'Thank You' in a series of different directions. Sly did return to the stage briefly for to lead the refrain on 'I Want to Take You Higher.'

British chanteuse Corinne Bailey Rae has been keeping so busy of late that, despite everybody else's talk, she hasn't had time to think about Grammy nominations. To that end, when she arrived at the nomination press conference last Thursday in L.A., she had no idea what to expect.

"I didn't know what I was doing or even that I was reading nominations," she says. "It's not a given that just because you come here you'll get a nomination. So I just put it out of my mind and now I'm overjoyed."

Among her three nods was one for Song of the Year for 'Put Your Records On.' With her star on the rise, Rae has hopes of performing in one of the Grammys well-known collabaorations. "I'm wondering and hoping if I'll be in any of them," she says. "I spoke to the main guy from the Grammys and I think he's got plans. I wouldn't like to preempt his plans."

Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee was among the announcers at last week's Grammy nominations press conference in L.A., and while her band was shut out of nominations this year for the chart-topping album, 'The Open Door,' Lee was happy to support her fellow artists.

"What's really cool about the Grammys is it's about musicianship and talent," she told AOL Music. "It's great to see James Blunt nominated and wonderful to see Mary J. Blige nominated. She's still so strong after all this time and I'm a big fan. And Justin Timberlake, too. What he's doing is really innovative and cool."

Given her past Grammy success as a two-time winner, what's her favorite Grammy moment? The answer might surprise. "Maybe now is my favorite Grammy moment," she says. "It's cool now 'cause I don't feel so much like I don't belong here, or that I don't know what to do or how to smile without looking sheepish. I feel like, 'Alright, I can do this.' There are people that are younger than me and haven't done this before."

Watch Evanescence's Sessions performance.

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall has already had a banner year in 2006 with the breakthrough hit, 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,' but her Grammy nomination did wonders for her ego.

"It's definitely a huge tip of a hat from a very established organization that recognizes good music, so it's a great ego-boost and a great confidence builder as a musician," she says. "I don't think you can really underestimate that. Sitting in your bedroom on your own writing songs for 10 years, you don't come out feeling like, 'I'm a writer. I'm a singer. I'm a musician.' You go, 'I'm unemployed, but I really want something to happen.' Now it's really great to be able to say, 'Yeah, I'm a musician and this is what I do.'"

And while other musicians may downplay awards, Tunstall, who won the Brity Award, says that's not the case for her. "At awards ceremonies, a lot of musicians can be quite disdainful. Most of them have been recording for years and have loads of awards on their shelves, so perhaps it becomes old hat. But at the moment it's a very special thing for me."

As Grammy nominations were announced this morning in L.A. by the likes of Ludacris, Justin Timberlake and Evanescence's Amy Lee, among others, James Blunt heard his name called repeatedly. How did that make the British crooner feel?

"Yeah, it's hard to take on board at times. It's the Grammys. It means a great deal for any musician," he told AOL Music. "I hadn't really imagined my name being in the pot. To hear my name, it takes more than a moment to sink in -- it'll take a beer."

While he's nominated in the heavyweight categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the ubiquitous 'You're Beautiful,' he's happy the song has steered people to the 'Back To Bedlam' album. "It's a song that worked really well on radio and I'm really grateful that I got that support," he says. "It really directs people to the album, which is like a book. I'd rather not just talk about chapter four of the book, but the album as a whole. But I'm very glad that I had a chapter that directs people towards the album in its entirety."