It takes a village to emcee the Grammys

Veering from its recent tradition of tapping a comedian as emcee, the 45th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday will be hosted by an ensemble of celebrities associated with New York, among them Marc Anthony, Robin Williams, Ed Bradley, Queen Latifah, Paul Shaffer and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

The show at Madison Square Garden marks the gala’s return to Gotham after five consecutive years in Los Angeles and, with a number of key nominations going to music addressing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York is expected to be very much on the show’s collective mind.

The show, broadcast live on the East Coast, will air tape-delayed here at 8 p.m. on CBS.

-- Geoff Boucher