GRAMMYS

Golden Grammys

Academy sets date for anniversary show; "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin to be honored.

By Geoff Boucher, Times Staff Writer

May 8, 2007

The 50th annual Grammy Awards are nine months away, but the Recording Academy is already preparing for the golden anniversary of its trophy show.

The academy said Tuesday that the show will be at Staples Center on Feb. 10. It has been staged in Los Angeles every year since 2003, when the show went to New York City.

Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, announced a flurry of ventures keyed to the anniversary, among them a high-end line of Grammy garments and jewelry that arrives in boutiques this fall and a lavish coffee-table book due in October.

A 30,000-square-foot Grammy museum is also scheduled to open in September 2008 near Staples Center as part of AEG's L.A. Live complex.

Portnow said Quincy Jones, a 27-time Grammy winner, has been named the "50th celebration ambassador" and will be appearing in a variety of settings to stir public awareness of the anniversary. Aretha Franklin, a 17-time Grammy winner, was chosen as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year, recognizing not only her music career but also her work for a variety of charities.