Talk show host Stephen Colbert, left, and rapper Kanye West are nominated for 2010 Grammy Awards. Talk show host Stephen Colbert, left, and rapper Kanye West are nominated for 2010 Grammy Awards. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The 52nd annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place this Sunday. While the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences bills the event as “Music’s Biggest Night,” the epic broadcast doesn’t always qualify as must-see TV.

Aside from the occasional curveball – like Radiohead’s brilliant revamp of 15 Step with the USC Marching Band last year – or major league scandal, the show typically boasts few surprises. We expect performances marred by spotty sound, trophies awarded to commercially successful favourites and teary speeches in which winners give thanks to their families, their agents and the higher power of their choice.

Nevertheless, the 2010 bash does promise some unexpected highlights. Here are 10 reasons to tune in this year.

1. Stephen Colbert is a presenter. The satirist scored a Best Comedy Album nomination for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! He’s up against the fantastically packaged Spinal Tap comeback record, so we’re not banking on a win. But we are counting on Colbert to work in a few deadpan zingers between his TelePrompTer lines.

2. Tia Carrere. Did you know the Wayne’s World dream girl won a Grammy last year for Best Hawaiian Music Album? Neither did we! And she’s up for another one this year (her third nomination). We’re looking forward to seeing the Relic Hunter in action when she co-hosts the pre-telecast ceremony, which will be live-streamed on the official Grammy site beginning at 1p.m. PT.

3. Jokes at the expense of Kanye West. Although Kanye is up for six awards this year, he’s conspicuously absent from the list of performers, likely because he’s still persona non grata after his outburst during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the last MTV Video Music Awards. With West kinda-sorta out of the picture, we’re guessing that more than one participant will try to trot out that “Imma let you finish, but…” routine that flourished in the aftermath of the MTV VMAs. The joke may be stale, but it does provide a great opportunity for a Grammy-related drinking game.

Rockers Green Day will make an appearance with cast members of the musical American Idiot. Rockers Green Day will make an appearance with cast members of the musical American Idiot. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

4. Green Day will team up with the cast of American Idiot. In September 2009, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre premiered a stage musical based on Green Day’s concept album American Idiot, which won a Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2005. For this year’s Grammystravaganza, the grown-up punks plan to perform with cast members of the musical, which is heading to Broadway this spring. Our prediction? The stirring collaboration could be this year’s answer to the Radiohead/USC Marching Band awesomeness.

5. The Michael Jackson tribute. There was no way NARAS would let this year’s awards go by without including an high-impact homage to the late King of Pop, who will also be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the show. The question of which performers would be selected to participate in this was a little more open-ended. Somehow, organizers arrived at Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion as the quintet to interpret Jackson’s Earth Song. Oh, and “the voice of Michael Jackson” will be woven into the mix. Sure to be bizarre andbombastic.

6. The Michael Jackson tribute is in 3-D. Right, so Celine and J-Hud and Smokey and Usher and Carrie (and Michael) will belt their hearts out while a never-before-seen Earth Song mini-movie – reportedly the centrepiece for Jackson’s This Is It tour – plays in the background. In 3-D! How will viewers experience this multi-dimensionality, you ask? U.S. retail chain Target has teamed up with CBS to provide “millions of free 3-D glasses.” Sadly, as Target has not yet arrived on Canadian soil, we North-of-49ers may have to use specs from the Avatar screenings at our local theatres.

7. Jamie Foxx + T-Pain + Doug E. Fresh + Slash. Yes, performing together. So many questions come to mind. Like: What in God’s name will it sound like? And is this Slash’s replacement for the on-hiatus Velvet Revolver? Regardless, we will be glued to our TV sets in anticipation of what could be a brilliant train wreck.

8. Yo! Taylor Swift might rap. Some dismiss the fresh-faced country ingénue as milquetoast, but Swift has proved she has more edge (and a better sense of humour) than her detractors assume. At last year’s CMT Awards, the teen troubadour teamed up with Autotune aficionado T-Pain for a hilarious hip-hop interpretation of Swift’s hit Love Story, dubbed – what else? – Thug Story. Let’s hope she does it again.

9. It may be our last chance to see Lil’ Wayne before he gets locked up. A few months back, Weezy pleaded guilty to charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon (the incident happened back in July of ’07, when NYPD officers found a concealed weapon on Wayne's tour bus). He’s headed to prison on Feb. 9 and might serve up to a year. You’d be well advised to watch his performance at the Grammys (with Eminem, Canada's Drake and Blink-182’s Travis Barker), because it might be a while before the Young Money MC gets on a stage again.

10. Lady Gaga. Love her or hate her, pop music’s reigning over-the-top diva is sure to deliver a mesmerizing spectacle. And even if you’re driven to cover your ears, Gaga’s outfit should serve as a great jumping-off point for this year’s Halloween costume.

The 52nd annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place Jan. 31 at 8 pm ET.

Sarah Liss writes about the arts for CBC News.