Taylor Swift To Co-Host Grammy Nominations Concert With LL Cool J

Taylor Swift currently holds three spots on iTunes' Top 10 downloads, thanks to the recent release of her latest album Red. Judging by some of her songs, her love life is full of highs and lows , but things certainly appear to be going well in her career these days. Today comes word that the singer/songwriter is set to join LL Cool J as co-host for The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night, an event that's set to take place this December.

The Grammy Nominations Concert Live will feature the announcement of the Grammy nominations in several categories as well as feature performances from previous Grammy winners or nominees and will take place live for the first time ever at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 (10:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT/9:00 PM – 10:00 PM, CT) on CBS. CBS announced today that Taylor Swift will co-host the event, along with actor/rapper LL Cool J. Swift and LL Cool J co-hosted the event together back in 2008, so they're both familiar with the gig.

Added to the announcement was that Luke Bryan will perform during the special, joining previously announced Maroon 5 among the performers.

The event itself seems built to generate buzz leading up to the Grammy Awards ceremony. As CBS points out, this is the fifth time the nominations have been announced during primetime and last year's airing of the nominations special helped boost ratings for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, which brought in 39.9 million viewers. It makes sense to make a primetime event out of the nominations as opposed to doing it at the crack of dawn if it means bringing more attention to the awards and the music. And bringing Swift and LL Cool J also seems like a good plan for this year's concert. Thanks to the growing success of Red, Swift's name is everywhere right now, and while LL Cool J's mainstream appeal might be tied a bit closer to his starring role on NCIS these days, the hip hop artist is still involved in the music industry and as of this summer, has been working on a new album.