The Hollywood Insider has confirmed that troubled singer Amy Winehouse (pictured, left) plans to appear at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. She's nominated for six statuettes, but there had been concern that her legal woes would prevent the Brit from obtaining a visa to enter the U.S. That tangle seems to have been worked out, but it's still unknown whether she'll perform.
The Grammys have bigger issues to deal with, anyway. Putting together this year's half-centennial bash has become particularly thorny, thanks to — what else? — the writers strike. The Golden Globes were reduced to a press conference because of the strike, but the Recording Academy insists that, regardless of WGA approval, it's forging ahead with the ceremony.
If the WGA doesn't allow its writers to pen dialogue for the CBS telecast, insiders say viewers can expect a banter-light, performance-heavy ceremony. The Foo Fighters are the only act confirmed so far. They'll be playing an orchestral version of the Grammy-nominated song "The Pretender" as part of the annual My Grammy Moment contest. Other performers are expected to be announced any day now, but we hear that offers are out to Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Chris Daughtry for what's shaping up to be a marathon of tributes and duets. "It's been business as usual,"says a source familiar with the bookings."Even the parties are still a go."
But if the WGA announces that writers will picket the event, all eyes will turn to nominees such as Beyoncé (pictured, right), Justin Timberlake, and Jon Bon Jovi — all of whom happen to be members of the Screen Actors Guild — for guidance. (UPDATE: In a statement released Thursday, Beyoncé's father/manager Matthew Knowles said the singer would attend and perform at the Grammys.) SAG has vowed that its members will not cross a WGA picket line. Will these musician-actors show up? One industry exec bets that, in the end, the stars' music loyalties will win out: "While artists respect the writers, they will still attend the awards. The Grammys are a highly coveted celebration and a symbol of credibility to their peers." Grammy organizers, not to mention legions of music fans, are surely hoping that's right.