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X marks the spot: Ed Sheeran set to perform at the 57th Grammy Awards

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Ed Sheeran, seen at the 2014 Victoria Secret Fashion Show, performs at this year’s Grammy Awards

Ed Sheeran, seen at the 2014 Victoria Secret Fashion Show, performs at this year’s Grammy Awards

X marks the spot: Back in the early years of this century, it looked like the death of the recording industry was nigh. With the masses turning to websites of shady legality to download their music, how would it survive?

Well, survive it did, and if the ongoing success of the Grammy Awards is any indication, it's continued to thrive.

On Sunday, Feb. 8, music's biggest names will all come together at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, to celebrate their best with the 57th Grammy Awards, and as usual, CBS will be airing the ceremony.

Beyond the awards themselves, it's the live performances by some of today's biggest stars that make the Grammy Awards so popular with TV audiences, and this year's lineup of musical talent shouldn't disappoint.

Ed Sheeran takes the stage in his second Grammy appearance, after performing his song "The A Team" as a duet with Elton John in 2013. This year, his album "X" has been nominated for Album of the Year, alongside some of the industry's heaviest hitters: Beyoncé ("Beyoncé"), Beck ("Morning Phase"), Pharrell Williams ("G I R L") and Sam Smith ("In the Lonely Hour").

Madonna, who still holds the distinction of being the best-selling female recording artist of all time, also takes to the stage, no doubt to promote her much-anticipated upcoming album, "Rebel Heart."

Country music won't be left out in the cold -- Eric Church also performs, along with R&B star Ariana Grande and rock 'n' roll favorites AC/DC.

It's an impressive lineup, and it makes for an evening of entertaining television. Of course, cheering on your favorite artists and albums is a lot of fun, too.

The 57th Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 8, on CBS.

 

Slap-worthy: It was once the norm, and now it's anything but. One thing's pretty certain, though: you really shouldn't slap someone else's child.

"The Slap," an eight-episode miniseries about just such a happening is headed to NBC, with its star-studded lineup hitting the screen Thursday, Feb. 12, on the peacock network.

Based on the Australian series of the same name (which itself is based on the novel by Christos Tsiolkas), "The Slap" tells the story of a family's struggles after a man slaps another couple's child at a family party -- and as everyone knows, there's no drama quite like the drama between family and friends.

Bringing that drama to the screen is a lineup of some of today's hottest actors. Peter Sarsgaard ("The Killing") and Uma Thurman ("Pulp Fiction," 1994, "Gattaca," 1997) headline the cast, but they're far from the only big names.

Other stars include Zachary Quinto ("American Horror Story," "Star Trek Into Darkness," 2013), Thandie Newton ("ER," "Norbit," 2007), Brian Cox ("Troy," 2004, "Braveheart," 1995), Melissa George ("Home and Away," "30 Days of Night," 2007) and Thomas Sadoski ("The Newsroom").

"The Slap" is continuing the recent trend of TV shows airing as either anthologies ("American Horror Story") or as miniseries. It's a format that can really pay off for audiences, with the show's story able to be fully wrapped up by the end with no need to hold anything back for future installments.

With a proven story and fantastic actors, "The Slap" has all the makings of a winner. "The Slap" premieres Thursday, Feb. 12, on NBC.

 

Late night's new royalty: Wow, where did this come from? It's not exactly news that late-night television is going through a bit of a shakeup, with NBC and CBS both seeing their longtime hosts stepping down (David Letterman, "Late Show"; Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show"; Craig Ferguson, "The Late Late Show").

Beyond the two titans of late-night television, though, an all-new show has been not-so-quietly attracting a lot of attention, and after a three-month break, HBO's newest hot commodity is back for a second season premiering Sunday, Feb. 8.

That commodity is "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," and the level of its popularity has astounded some industry watchers, considering its somewhat radical departure from the late-night norms.

John Oliver was a longtime correspondent in Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and filled in for host Stewart for two months in 2013. It was his successful time in the host's seat that led to speculation that he might do well with his own platform.

"Last Week Tonight's" format is a radical departure from the late-night norms. With only a single episode airing weekly, Oliver and his team pick a topical and newsworthy subject to focus on for most of each episode, then delve into it with a depth that the other late-night talk shows lack.

Whether he's skewering the Miss America Pageant's scholarship claims or ripping apart the amount of sugar found in our food, Oliver's tongue-in-cheek jokes and faux-news format disguise the fact that the comedian is doing real investigative journalism.

Make no bones about it, though: John Oliver is a comedian, and he sure knows how to make his audience laugh. HBO's "Last Week Tonight" returns for a second season Sunday, Feb. 8.