Blunt up for five Grammys

James Blunt is among the top British nominations leading the way for the 49th Grammy Awards.The singer is up for both record and song of the year gongs for his Number One hit 'You're Beautiful' and he's been shortlisted in the Best New Artist and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance categories.Fellow British artists Imogen Heap and Corinne Bailey Rae are also going head-to-head with American Idol winner Carrie Underwood and R&B singer Chris Brown in the Best New Artist category.Meanwhile, The Pet Shop Boys have two nominations, while Paul McCartney, Sting, David Gilmour and UB40 all have one.Speaking about his hat-trick of nominations, Blunt said: "The Grammys is a pretty phenomenal institution ... so to have my name associated with it is a great honour."R&B singer Mary J. Blige leads the shortlist with eight nominations closely followed by rock giants the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have five.The awards will be held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on February 11.© Independent Television News Limited 2006. All rights reserved.

ITN | December 8, 2006

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