The love was shared all around though, with a ton of special duets eliciting crowd approval. Will.I.Am and Lil Jon teamed for a raucous 'Get Low,' while Fergie and Legend recreated 'Finally,' the ballad that ends her album, 'The Duchess.' Will, a ubiquitous host, teamed with Ne-Yo for 'Because of You,' and of course the Peas, who he introduced as "my best friends," for 'Don't Funk With my Heart' and 'My Humps.'

Among the charities the Peapod Foundation benefits is the Peapod Academy, a music school the band created in Watts, California, earlier this year. "Going to Watts and cutting the green tape when it was the first day of school -- seeing the classes and meeting the teachers -- that's awesome to see that," Will said. "And when you see the music or the movies or whatever it is that comes out of that and it's all over the Internet -- that's when my heart's going to melt. It's melting now but that's when it just bubbles over."

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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 ....

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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.

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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?"

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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.'

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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