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Madonna & Animated Gorillaz to Perform on 48th Grammy Awards

Madonna and the animated group Gorillaz make their world debut performing together on one stage to open the 48th Annual GRAMMY AWARDS telecast, On Feb. 8, 2006 on CBS.

The Grammy-nominated Gorillaz will be joined onstage for the first time by five-time Grammy winner Madonna in an exclusive Grammy segment, featuring the band in 3D animated color for the first time on network television.

The Gorillaz are nominated for Record Of The Year, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, Best Short Form Music Video ("Feel Good Inc." featuring De La Soul) and Best Urban/Alternative Performance ("Dirty Harry" featuring Bootie Brown).

The interplay between Madonna and the Gorillaz characters will be seen by viewers at home, as well as those in attendance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, said Grammy telecast exec producer Ken Ehrlich.

"If you're sitting in that house, you really believe that those animated characters are real," Ehrlich told the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. "It's based on a 150-year-old magic illusion, called Pepper's Ghost, that has to do with projection, reflection and a transparent kind of scrim material." It's opening the show, Ehrlich explained, for the same reason Madonna's song "Hung Up" is being paired with "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz. "They were made for each other," he said. "They're both great dance records."

The music industry's premier event will take place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS at 8:00 pm (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at www.grammy.yahoo.com.

The 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Prods. in association with Ken Ehrlich Prods. for The Recording Academy. John Cossette and Ken Ehrlich are exec producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer and Tzvi Small is exec in charge of production.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Inc., also known as The Recording Academy (www.grammy.com), is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download (www.WhatsTheDownload.com).