She likely won't get "21," but Adele is poised to take the biggest share of nods when the Grammy nominations are announced Wednesday night.

The British singer-songwriter has had a great year, thanks to her sophomore album, "21." The mournful album about a failed relationship is the year's best-selling disc with over 4.5 million copies sold. It has resulted in two smash singles, "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You."

The Recording Academy will likely add to Adele's achievements. She is a strong contender to get bids for album of the year and for song and/or record of the year for the searing groove "Rolling in the Deep."

But she's not the only favorite for top nominations. Taylor Swift's multiplatinum "Speak Now" is a possible contender for album of the year, as is Tony Bennett's "Duets II," which marked the 85-year-old's first album to debut at No. 1, making him the oldest artist to achieve that feat.

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," which had the year's biggest debut with 1.1 million albums sold in its first week, could become her third straight disc to be nominated for album of the year. She was cited for "The Fame Monster" this year and for her debut, "The Fame," in 2010.

Then there's Kanye West. His "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" was one of the most highly regarded albums of 2010, and is eligible for a nomination for album of the year. So is his collaboration with Jay-Z for "Watch the Throne," another contender in the category.

A handful of the nominations are scheduled to be revealed during the fourth annual Grammy nominations concert special, to air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on CBS at 10 p.m. EST. Lady Gaga is slated to open and close the show.

Other performers include Katy Perry, who could get a record of the year nomination for her hit "Firework"; Rihanna, who could snag a few nominations, including album of the year for "Loud"; and The Band Perry, the country sibling trio likely to be up for best new artist. (Another strong contender for that category, Nicki Minaj, is scheduled to be a presenter on the special.)

The Band Perry, at rehearsals Tuesday night, were hopeful about getting a nomination.

"Our fingers are crossed. We kinda don't like to think too much about that kind of stuff on nights before nominations. We don't want to be a bad luck charm. I'll tell you what, it would be the cherry on top of a really wonderful year," said Kimberly Perry. "We actually just today got the news that we've been certified platinum. We've been high-fiving and celebrating all day. If we were honored to be nominated for best new artist, we would definitely be celebrating two days in a row."

This year's nominations will mark the newly trimmed Grammys. Earlier this year, amid some protests, the academy cut the number of categories from 109 to 78. Some of the more niche categories, like best Zydeco or Cajun music album, were eliminated. In addition, men and women will now compete together in vocal categories for pop, R&B and country, instead of having separate categories for each sex.

Even with the reductions, there is an avalanche of categories, as noted by Neil Portnow, the Academy's CEO and president.

"We've got 78 categories now. It would certainly be impossible to do all of them on any of our shows," he said Tuesday.

The 54th annual Grammy Awards will be presented Feb. 12 in Los Angeles, and will be telecast live on CBS.

The main 2012 Grammy nominees were announced this evening on The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!—Countdown To Music's Biggest Night telecast. And it's a big ole pop fest for this year's crop of nominees, with Adele, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Bruno Mars all vying for Album Of The Year. (Oh, and the Foo Fighters, for the rock crowd, of course.) Jump below for the full list of nominees for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, check our predictions and let us know which nominations surprised you the most.

This was a good year for Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy collaborator Justin Vernon (who performs as Bon Iver), with the Wisconsin native scoring noms for Song and Record Of The Year (for "Holocene"). Unfortunately for Yeezy, whose all-star "All Of The Lights" is up for Song Of The Year, his Fantasy opus and his Jay-Z collab Watch The Throne were shut out of Album Of The Year. We truly believe that the former, which landed on the top of more year-end lists than you can count last December, would have placed a spot had 'Ye not abandoned promoting the LP so early into 2011. (He makes up for the slight by pulling double duty in the Best Rap Album category, though.)

Rihanna's Loud, on the other hand, came out a week earlier than Kanye's LP, but it couldn't be ignored, with the Barbados pop star releasing seven singles off the album (four of those Top 10 hits).

Beyonce's 4 is all but absent here, besides the lone nomination for her single "Party", featuring Andre 3000 (as opposed to the single version, which features Best New Artist nominee J. Cole). Her I Am… World Tour received a nod for Best Long Form Music Video.

For dance fans, Robyn scored two nominations, one for Best Dance/Electronica Song for "Call Your Girlfriend" and the other for Best Dance/Electronica Album for Body Talk Pt. 3. And Daft Punk nabbed a nod for Best Score Soundtrack for their work on Tron: Legacy.

And though Foster The People's debut LP Torches missed out on Album Of The Year (the main pick on our Grammy wish list!), they did get a nom for Best Rock Album and Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for their ubiquitous jam "Pumped Up Kicks". They're in stiff competition in that category, though, as the late Amy Winehouse is also up for her duet with Tony Bennett, "Body And Soul". (Then again, Michael Jackson was posthumously nominated last year for "This Is It", and lost out to Bruno Mars.)

THE 2012 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

Record of the Year
Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
Bon Iver, "Holocene"
Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"
Katy Perry, "Firework"

Song of the Year
Kanye West, "All of the Lights"
Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"
Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
Bon Iver, "Holocene"
Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"

Best New Artist
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Album of the Year
Adele, 21
The Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Lady Gaga, Born This Way
Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops and Hooligans
Rihanna, Loud

Best Pop Solo Performance
"Someone Like You" — Adele
"Yoü And I" — Lady Gaga
"Grenade" — Bruno Mars
"Firework" — Katy Perry
"F***in' Perfect" — Pink

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Body And Soul" — Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
"Dearest" — The Black Keys
"Paradise" — Coldplay
"Pumped Up Kicks" — Foster The People
"Moves Like Jagger" — Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera

Best Dance Recording
"Raise Your Weapon" — Deadmau5 & Greta Svabo Bech
"Barbra Streisand" — Duck Sauce
"Sunshine" — David Guetta & Avicii
"Call Your Girlfriend" — Robyn
"Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites" — Skrillex
"Save The World" — Swedish House Mafia

Best Dance/Electronica Album
Zonoscope, Cut/Copy
4×4=12, Deadmau5
Nothing But The Beat, David Guetta
Body Talk, Pt. 3, Robyn
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, Skrillex

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets II, Tony Bennett & Various Artists
The Gift, Susan Boyle
In Concert On Broadway, Harry Connick Jr.
Music Is Better Than Words, Seth MacFarlane
What Matters Most – Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics Of Alan And Marilyn Bergman, Barbra Streisand

Best Rock Performance
"Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" — Coldplay
"Down By The Water" — The Decemberists
"Walk" — Foo Fighters
"The Cave" — Mumford & Sons
"Lotus Flower" — Radiohead

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
"On The Backs Of Angels" — Dream Theater
"White Limo" — Foo Fighters
"Curl Of The Burl" — Mastodon
"Public Enemy No. 1″ — Megadeth
"Blood In My Eyes" — Sum 41

Best Rock Album
Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul — Jeff Beck
Wasting Light — Foo Fighters
Come Around Sundown — Kings Of Leon
I'm With You — Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Whole Love — Wilco

Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver — Bon Iver
Codes and Keys — Death Cab For Cutie
Torches — Foster The People
Circuital — My Morning Jacket
The King of Limbs — Radiohead

Best Traditional R&B Performance
"Sometimes I Cry" — Eric Benét
"Fool For You" — Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona
"Radio Message" — R. Kelly
"Good Man" — Raphael Saadiq
"Surrender" — Betty Wright & The Roots

Best R&B Album
F.A.M.E. — Chris Brown
Second Chance — El DeBarge
Love Letter — R. Kelly
Pieces Of Me — Ledisi
Kelly — Kelly Price

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
"Party" — Beyoncé & André 3000
"I'm On One" — DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne
"I Need A Doctor" — Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey
"What's My Name?" — Rihanna & Drake
"Motivation" — Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne
"All Of The Lights" — Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Best Rap Performance
"Look At Me Now" — Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
"Otis" — Jay-Z & Kanye West
"The Show Goes On" — Lupe Fiasco
"Moment 4 Life" — Nicki Minaj & Drake
"Black And Yellow" — Wiz Khalifa

Best Rap Album
Watch The Throne, Jay-Z & Kanye West
Tha Carter IV, Lil Wayne
Lasers, Lupe Fiasco
Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West

Best Country Solo Performance
"Dirt Road Anthem" — Jason Aldean
"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" — Martina McBride
"Honey Bee" — Blake Shelton
"Mean" — Taylor Swift
"Mama's Song" — Carrie Underwood

Best Country Song
"Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" — Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy
"God Gave Me You" — Dave Barnes
"Just Fishin'" — Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill
"Mean" — Taylor Swift
"Threaten Me With Heaven" — Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O'Brian
"You And Tequila" — Matraca Berg & Deana Carter

Best Americana Album
Emotional Jukebox — Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down — Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain — Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman — Levon Helm
Blessed — Lucinda Williams

Best Blues Album
Low Country Blues — Gregg Allman
Roadside Attractions — Marcia Ball
Man In Motion — Warren Haynes
The Reflection — Keb' Mo'
Revelator — Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best Folk Album
Barton Hollow — The Civil Wars
I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive — Steve Earle
Helplessness Blues — Fleet Foxes
Ukulele Songs — Eddie Vedder
The Harrow & The Harvest — Gillian Welch

The trophies awarded by the Recording Academy will be handed out at the annual Grammy ceremony on Feb. 12, 2012. For the full list of nominations, check out the official Grammy website.

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SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE LATEST EPISODE OF AMERICAN HORROR STORY! Tonight's episode, "Spooky Little Girl," revealed two more deaths that occurred in the infamous "Murder House": Elizabeth Short aka "The Black Dahlia" (Mena Suvari) and Constance's boytoy Travis (Michael Graziadei). The ghostly presences in that house are starting to really multiply. Perhaps the most chilling moment though occurred at the very end during a kitchen conversation between Constance (Jessica Lange) and Billie Dean (Sarah Paulson). Worried over what kind of child Tate (Evan Peters) and Vivien (Connie Britton) would conceive, Constance asked Billie Jean for her psychic opinion. Billie Jean revealed that any conception between the undead and the living would yield, according to the Catholic Church, the anti-christ who would bring about the End of Days. Well, that's certainly going to put a damper on tree-trimming time at the Harmon house. EW talked to Ryan Murphy about tonight's gruesome deaths and what's in store for Vivien's literally damned pregnancy.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's go back to last week, did you always plan on Tate being Rubber Man?
RYAN MURPHY: Yes we did. I think the thing about it even from the first episode and that first therapy session there was always a certain thing to his character that led you to believe him. People in some weird way are pissed that he's the Rubber Man like the fact that he raped Violet's mother makes him a bad guy. To which I'm responding "Well what about the high school massacre." To Evan's great credit and the credit of the writers, I think Evan's done an amazingly difficult job making a monster sympathetic. We had that great monologue by one of the high school girls early in the season where she says, "The devil is beautiful." So if you look back we really have put those teasers in there. I'm thrilled people are pissed about that choice. It's a very difficult thing for Violet because of course she will find out the truth. Tate is the true monster of the show but because Evan has made him so likable and lovable and complex, I think people are torn.

Ben at the end seemed to wonder if Vivien was actually telling the truth. When will they all discover that Tate is the Rubber Man?
If they do, and I'm not going to say if they do, it will be the end.

Is it medically possible to have twins with two different fathers?
Yes. Yes it is. We looked it up. It's literally like a Satanic Maury Povich episode come to life [laughs]. We researched it. It's a medical anomaly. What has to happen is for a woman has to have intercourse with two different men within a 48 hour period and it happens. It's amazing. It's my favorite medical discovery.

Billie Dean gave a discussion of the anti-Christ and the End of Days. Does this mean the finale is apocalyptic?
That's an interesting point. My response to that is Wait till the last episode. Also, who says what Billie Dean says is true? Just because Billie Dean has an opinion doesn't mean it's accurate.

Is that true about the Pope's box?
Yes. I've always been obsessed with it. As an Irish Catholic boy I was told that story in grade school by a nun. When I first saw Seven and when Brad says, "What's in the box? What's in the box?" That's the first thing I thought of because I wanted to know "What's in the box?" I think that sort of anti-Christ/baby demon is such a part of horror mythology that we definitely wanted to explore it but just because we explore it doesn't mean it's true. But it really has incited, much like Tate being Rubber Man, a strong reaction. We have four more to go and it is very zig-zaggy and plotty and I think it will go to unexpected places. But just because she says that…take a breath.

Will we ever see her Lifetime show?
I have two words for you Tim: Spin. Off. Sarah I think is a genius and I would love to do a webisode. I think that's a great webisode with Sarah Paulson.

Will we see Billie Dean in the last four episodes?
Oh yeah.

What instigated having The Black Dahlia involved in this episode?
I grew up and there was a "murder house" in my town. I think every town has the "murder house." I've always been interested in unsolved LA crimes. I've been on those tours. I've been to the place where The Black Dahlia was discovered and I've been to the house where she was supposedly murdered on Franklin Ave in LA. The thing that fascinated me about the case is that there were more than 60 people who claimed credit for that murder. I've always been obsessed about that idea that our culture what fame is about. Once I started researching The Black Dahlia for this epsidoe it made sense for me that she was killed in that house and I wanted to explore the '40s. The Black Dahlia does return. The interesting thing about the house is that it does bring the occupants secrets and spirits and lessons when they need to know them. We have an episode coming up where someone says, "Why are you appearing now?" and it says "Because you were ready." The house knows how to pray on your weaknesses.

So Ben who's a sex addict, this is the first episode where he really fights that addiction. And the Black Dahlia supposedly had a sexual addiction problem where she would put out and do the casting couch thing and then feel like s*** about it. So it sort of all intertwined. Really she is there to inform Ben's story but she does return.

Will Travis now be a regular presence in the house?
Yes. In the next episode after this, called "Smoldering Children," he, much like the Black  Dahlia, he is obsessed with fame.

Moira was fired but will we see her again?
Yes. You can't fire Moira? F*** that. She ain't leavin'.

Many readers seem to think that Violet might be dead. What's your response? Can you confirm? Deny?
My response to that is we are aware, I'm aware of that. But I was aware with the whole arc that was something people were going to think so we answer and put that to bed next week. Next week's episode, called "Smoldering Children," answers that question. It's interesting. But I kinda knew that would happen. I really appreciate and love people's attention. So many times people are right and I don't wanna say. Listen, my entire Thanksgiving was dedicated to the "Is Violet dead or alive?" question by people I don't even know. But I love that. That's the deliciousness of the show: the mystery of every week.

Can you preview next week's episode?
Well next week's episode is about a lot of things. One is does tackle is the Violet thing. Is she or isn't she? Or What? And there is a very big What; there could be a different scenario. And we once and for all reveal what of Larry's is a truth and a lie. We really tell you what happened to Larry. We talk about the period of time of when Larry was with Constance and what Tate's reaction to that was.

Will that reveal why he hates Constance so much?
Oh yeah. And also it reveals why did Tate do what he did at the school? Why did he do that? What influence was he under? It's one of my favorite episodes because it answers a lot of questions about the mythology. It was directed by Michael Lehmann who directed Heathers. I'm really proud of that one.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @EWTimStack

The Lion Gate

A sophism is a specious argument used for deceiving someone. In ancient Greece, sophists were a category of teachers who specialized in using the tools of philosophy and rhetoric for the purpose of teaching aretê — excellence, — to wealthy young statesmen and nobility. The practice of charging money for education led to the condemnations made by Plato (through Socrates in his dialogues).

These are the days when the birds come back. A very few, a bird or two, a backward look to take. These are the days when skies resume the old, old sophistries of June, a blue and gold mistake.

Doesn't bring anything to mind? Oh yes, the teachers! Whereas, supposedly, any ethical teacher would be forced to refuse the hugely obscene wads of cash to be made in the commercial realization and exploitation of the Great American public education racket.

While nobody who is in the thrall of contemptible business principals like the privatization of previously public assets, is not in their right minds, anymore to be trusted with the public interest than any other hostage taker set upon making their ransom demands. Kidnapping is a federal offense, or, in this case, the new class of well-heeled politicians lead by pleading the poverty of the state in crisis which they've bled white by six decades of skimming off the top by the top one percent in incomes.

They should be driven from office, like swine, and herded back into the free market they so claim to cherish.  They don't need a government, so let them do without it. Criticism is easier than statesmanship. Who was minding the fuckin' store while these lousy bums rushed off to Springfield, or Washington, D.C. to make bad laws, and rape the underage pages to their heart's content, and at the taxpayers expense?

Or do I overstate the case?

Making common cause with the wealthiest passengers on the train at the expense of the boilers is no way to run a railroad, a let alone government. It is necessarily the work of the permanent government to conserve the people's treasure intact for future generations, not to give it away free to their political cronies, and campaign financiers. "When there is an income tax," wrote Plato, "the just man will pay more and the villain less on the same income." 

Such overweening wealth, power, and political influence breeds only greed, laziness, and nihilism in the children of the privileged class. While the impoverishment of the vast majorities breeds anger, discontent, and meanness of spirit, deeper, and in far greater numbers, you'll see. Oligarchy, then is government temporally resting itself upon the thick foundation of wealth they have expropriated from the workers, taxpayers, and the children by covert ways and means most foul, subversive and seditious.

We know who they are, where they are, and what they're really up to; so inevitably, when they lose the argument, and they resort to force, which is the quicksand upon which all sand castles are made, we will submit at first, because our strength is not yet adequate to resist, but in our hearts we do not submit. They can run, but they cannot hide. We shall soon return, and reclaim what has been stolen from us, by those who have failed so miserably in performing their sworn duty to serve and protect everyone equally, under the law, and insure that they pay the penalty proscribed for such failures.  

The direction of public education will determine our future as a democracy, if any. We who of old left the booming surge of the Pacific, and live here in the mid-plain of North America, say farewell to California once our country, Los Angeles, goodbye, nigh onto Catalina, farewell, where our flying fishes flew, renew, dear old salty sea.