Idolator

With the Grammys only five days away—can you taste the excitement?—more news of who's going to appear on the Sunday night telecast has crossed the transom:

• Michael Jackson will appear onstage at Sunday night's ceremony, but he has apparently "won a stare-down" against the producers, who wanted him to perform a medley of reworked Thriller hits. So instead, he'll just... stand around? Wave his glove in the air? Who knows. The upside: The chance of an Akon appearance just dropped by about 66%. [Rush & Molloy]
• In news that is sure to excite the Oprah crowd, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban are going to duet on a Celine Dion song. Also, Fergie is performing with John Legend and John Fogerty is going to share a stage with Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. [Centre Daily]
• Amy Winehouse went to the US embassy in London yesterday in order to secure a visa for travel to the States; while her dad doesn't want her to perform because of her fragile state, her label and Grammy organizers are hoping she'll show up. Because they care that much. (NB: I don't think reporting this bit of news breaks our Winehouse embargo; Jess disagrees.) [E!]
[Photo: AP]

Welcome to another edition of On The Shelf, Idolator's every-Monday look at Tuesday's roster of new albums. It's another slow, holiday tie-in-laden week, and you've already heard us go on about what's undeniably the week's biggest release: My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. After the jump, we present our take on new albums by John Legend, Brooke Hogan, and Skid Row.
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