Lil Wayne's name came up a lot on Wednesday night when the nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards were announced in a rather unusual fashion during a mini-event consisting of performances in between the nominee announcements.

Many announcement ceremonies for major televised awards shows are usually done in press conference form, often star-studded, but nothing with any productive value. However, in an effort to raise the interest factor, the Grammys decided to take a different approach by inviting artists to perform for the Grammy Nominations Concert that aired on CBS. The gig, which was considerably shorter than the actual Grammy Awards ceremony, opened up with Mariah Carey in a 60’s inspired Christmas number, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

The show, if it can be called that, was hosted by LL Cool J and Taylor Swift. Among the mixed bag of nominees which were announced, Lil Wayne and Coldplay were the two most mentioned, with 8 respectively 7 nods. Among others, Wayne is up for the prestigious "Album of the Year" award with "Tha Carter III," which was the only record this year to sell 1 million copies in its first week and over 2 million copies so far.

The New Orleans rapper, who has been nominated for Grammys before but has never taken home a trophy, was as surprised by the outcome as his fans.

"Wow I'm just simply speechless right now, every time I think something comes along that amazes me, something greater happens," he said about the nominations. "I owe all this to God and of course my fans, which is why I do this. I love making music for people and it's a great feeling to know how much my music is appreciated."

Ranking second among the nominees with seven nods was British rock group Coldplay who could take home the prize for "Record of the Year" for "Viva La Vida," "Album of the Year" and "Single of the Year." The title track became the band's first No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Also nominated for "Album of the Year" was Radiohead's "In Rainbows," Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman," and "Raising Sand," by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

Competing against each other on another category, Coldplay and Plant & Krauss were also nominated in the coveted record of the year category for the respective songs "Viva La Vida" and "Please Read the Letter."

The best new artist category features a remarkably diverse slate, from British singers Adele and Leona Lewis, to country band Lady Antebellum, to R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan and teen-pop sensations Jonas Brothers, who were mini-interviewed by LL Cool J after their first, and only, nomination.

"I can't stop smiling," Nick Jonas said after hearing the nomination, while his brother, Joe, added, "We're honored to be in the category with such amazing artists."

Dave Grohl announced the nominees for the "Best Collaboration with Vocals" award, including Alicia Keys & John Mayer with "Lessons Learned," Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland with "4 Minutes," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' "Rich Woman," Rhianna & Maroon 5's "If I Never See Your Face Again" and Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown with "No Air."

Other notable nominees include Jay-Z, and Kanye West with six nominations, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney with two nominations for tracks from "Amoeba's Secret," and Metallica with three nods for "Death Magnetic," but none in the main categories.

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will air live, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS February 8.