Televised portion of awards ceremony was kicked off by rock band the Police

The U.S. music industry is handing out its most prestigious awards, the Grammys, at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

The televised portion of the awards ceremony was kicked off by rock band the Police, who reunited for the show after splitting in 1984. Other performers include Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Shakira.

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Mary J. Blige is nominated for eight Grammys - the most of any artist this year, started the evening off with three early wins. The Dixie Chicks are up for five awards for material they released after controversy erupted over lead singer Natalie Maines' criticism of President Bush.

The nominees for album of the year are the Dixie Chicks, Gnarls Barkley, John Mayer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Justin Timberlake.

James Blunt, Chris Brow, Imogen Heap, Corrine Bailey Rae and Carrie Underwood are up for best new artist.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.