Grammy Nominations

The nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards was held at the crack of dawn this morning. Here are some of the highlights.

Five of Blige's nominations are in the R&B field, which includes a nod for best female R&B vocal performance for "Be Without You," which pits her against Beyoncé ("Ring The Alarm"), Mariah Carey ("Don't Forget About Us"), Natalie Cole ("Day Dreaming") and India.Arie ("I Am Not My Hair"). Other multiple nominees are Red Hot Chili Peppers, with six; James Blunt, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Danger Mouse, Prince, Rick Rubin, will.i.am and John Williams, with five; and Beyoncé, Bryan-Michael Cox, Gnarls Barkley, Israel Houghton, T.I, and "SexyBack" singer Justin Timberlake, with four, including the coveted album of the year.

In the best R&B album category, Blige's Breakthrough – which on Monday won the singer nine trophies at the Billboard Awards and last month earned her two American Music Awards – will compete with Jamie Foxx's Unpredictable; India.Arie's Testimony: Vol .1, Life & Relationship; Prince's 3121, and Lionel Richie's Coming Home. In addition to Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, also in the running for album of the year are Taking The Long Way by the Dixie Chicks, St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley, Continuum by John Mayer, Stadium Arcadium by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The 49th Grammy Awards will air live on CBS from the Los Angeles Staples Center on Feb. 11.