Madonna to Open the Grammy Awards

Pop star Madonna will perform with "virtual" band Gorillaz at Wednesday's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles next week. Organisers said the singer would appear with a 3D colour animation of the cartoon band in what organisers called an "exciting Grammy moment". Gorillaz - created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn - have been nominated for four Grammys, while Madonna has previously won five. Sir Paul McCartney will also perform at the ceremony for the first time. He is nominated for three awards, including album of the year for Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.