The 2012 Grammy nominations have been announced during a special concert on CBS, and, as usual, there are plenty of no-brainers and a handful of surprises. And, of course, a performance by Lady Gaga that made us go, "Hmm, OK, that's happening."
With all the nominees revealed, Kanye West leads the pack with seven total nominations, though he was surprisingly snubbed for the prestigious Album of the Year category for his excellent 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' LP (It's up for Best Rap Album). His biggest nod is for 'All of the Lights,' which is up for Song of the Year, as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song. His collaboration with Jay-Z, 'Watch the Throne,' was nominated for Best Rap Album, and their track 'Otis' is up for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Adele, meanwhile, is up for six, including three of the big four: Song and Record of the Year for 'Rolling in the Deep' and Album for '21,' the highest-selling LP of the year. She previously won Best New Artist in 2009.
To recap the evening's festivities: The first category announced was Record of the Year, which goes to the performer and production team behind the song. Adele got the no-brainer nod for 'Rolling in the Deep' and Bon Iver (pronounced Bon Eye-Vare by presenter Nicki Minaj) were recognized for 'Holocene' from their self-titled second album (we admit we didn't really see that coming, though we love it). British folk act Mumford and Sons were nominated for 'The Cave,' which also surprised us because they were nominated last year for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song for 'Little Lion Man.' (Every
