A Milestone for Eminem--and Recording Academy

But Slim, what if you win, wouldn’t it be weird?

--Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”

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Well, get ready for weird at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony.

The first intriguing question in this year’s record industry competition was answered Wednesday with the nomination of Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” for best album of the year.

Now the drama really begins.

If the controversial Detroit rapper achieves the win imagined in his “The Real Slim Shady” hit single, it could lead to one of the most confrontational moments ever in the Grammy competition--if he even chooses to attend the Feb. 21 ceremony at Staples Center.

In “The Real Slim Shady,” Eminem ridicules the Grammys as being lightweight, so it’s not inconceivable that he would snub the event. But it’s more likely that the drama of the moment will appeal to his showmanship and that he’ll use the platform for a bit of theatrics.

That leads to the next question: Will the academy invite him to perform a song from the album during the show as is customary for the best album nominees?

If so, and he performs “The Real Slim Shady”--the tamest recording in the mostly R-rated collection--somebody at CBS is going to have to be prepared to “bleep” at least a dozen words.

And, finally, will Eminem standing at the lectern lead to scattered boos in the hall or even some walkouts? His angry, often satirical music has been widely criticized for homophobic and misogynistic references.

Whatever its fate, the nomination of an album as controversial--and powerful--as “The Marshall Mathers LP” represents a victory for the Grammy process. Indeed, the best album nomination list may be the most critical-friendly ever.

Beck’s “Midnight Vultures” was one of the two most heralded albums of 1999 (included here because it was released after that year’s eligibility deadline), and Radiohead’s “Kid A” rivals “The Marshall Mathers LP” as the most acclaimed album of 2000.

The other collections--Paul Simon’s “You’re the One” and Steely Dan’s “Two Against Nature”--are quality works by Grammy favorites.

But “The Marshall Mathers LP” deserves to win the Grammy. Despite ugly, unsettling elements, the album--which relies on equal parts humor and anger--is a striking glimpse of the dark, troubling influences and attitudes that young people wrestle with these days in forming their values. Far more than most hard-core rap albums, it also stresses the consequences of violent or self-destructive actions.

If the academy screening committee generally favored artistry over sheer sales in selecting the best album nominees, the committee leaned more heavily on catchy pop strains and the sales factor in the picking of best single record nominees. That’s why something as conventional as boy band ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” picked up a nomination in the category.

The other best record nominees were also either huge hit singles or key tracks on high-profile albums. They, however, were solidly crafted recordings, with Macy Gray’s soul-leaning “I Try” and U2’s resilient “Beautiful Day” standing out as the class of a field that also includes Destiny’s Child’s self-affirming “Say My Name” and Madonna’s party-minded “Music.”

There were also some reasons to cheer in other key categories, with Shelby Lynne (especially), Jill Scott and Brad Paisley getting best new artist nominations. Rage Against the Machine’s “The Battle of Los Angeles” is the highlight of a best rock album field.

The song of the year nominees are highlighted by “Beautiful Day” (written by U2) and “I Try” (Macy Gray, Jinsoo Lim, Jeremy Ruzumna and David Wilder). Dr. Dre--who not only delivered his own “Dr. Dre--2001” album, but also produced various tracks on Eminem’s album--is the most respected producer ever in rap, and his victory as producer of the year would be another milestone in Grammy history. His only previous Grammy was for best solo rap performance in 1993.