Beyonce and Taylor Swift lead nominees for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards

Beyonce and Taylor Swift, as expected, were the leading nominees for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. Beyonce received 10 nominations; Swift pulled in eight. Both women are up for the "Big Three" awards-Album, Record and Song of the Year. But so, in a surprise, is dance/pop sensation Lady Gaga. The Recording Academy, which bestows the Grammys, has been slow to embrace mainstream dance/pop in the past. Madonna didn't receive a nomination in one of the "Big Three" categories until 1999, after 15 years of hits, when she was cited for her Ray Of Light album and single.

The other big surprise in the nominations was the poor showing, at least in the marquee categories, of Kanye West. West's first three albums were all finalists for Album of the Year, but his fourth release, 808s & Heartbreak, was passed over for that award. (It didn't even get a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. West's first three albums won as Best Rap Album, but this one was slotted in the pop field.) West's smash "Heartless" was also passed over for Record of the Year, despite covers by The Fray and Kris Allen, which boosted its profile. West clearly seems to have been hurt by his widely-criticized rudeness toward Swift at the Video Music Awards. Swift is the youngest individual artist ever to be nominated for Album of the Year. (She's in the running with Fearless, which is the year's best-selling album.) Swift will be 20 years and one month when the Grammys are presented on Jan. 31.  The former record holder as the youngest individual nominee in that category was Janet Jackson, was 20 years and nine months on Grammy night in 1987, when she was nominated for her breakthrough album, Control. Swift is also nominated for Record and Song of the Year for her crossover smash "You Belong With Me." Swift is the first female country solo artist to be nominated for each of the "Big Three" awards since Shania Twain scored 11 years ago with Come On Over and her crossover smash "You're Still The One."

Beyonce is nominated for Song of the Year for co-writing "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." But that iconic smash wasn't submitted for Record of the Year. She was instead nominated in that category for her mid-tempo, pop-leaning ballad "Halo." This is the fourth time that Beyonce has been nominated for Record of the Year. She made the finals with "Say My Name" (as part of Destiny's Child), "Crazy In Love" (with Jay-Z) and "Irreplaceable." But this is the first time she's been nominated for Album of the Year. She made the finals with her third solo studio release, I Am...Sasha Fierce.

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