BEIJING, Dec. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The first nominees of the 2010 Grammys were announced on Thursday as the Recording Academy unveiled a handful of nominations for its 109 categories during a prime-time TV special.

    This year's hits as Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" became Grammy contenders for song of the year, along with Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me," Maxwell's "Pretty Wings" and the Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody".

George Lopez announces the nominations for Song of The Year which includes "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live - Countdown to the Music's Biggest Night event in Los Angeles, California, December 2, 2009

    Also nominated were the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, MGMT, Darryl Hall & John Oates and The Fray for best pop performance by a duo or group.

    It was the second year in a row that the Recording Academy revealed its nominees during a televised concert. In the past, they had been announced during a morning news conference.

The Black Eyed Peas perform during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live - Countdown to the Music's Biggest Night event in Los Angeles, California, December 2, 2009

Besides, Thursday’s special also gave nominees the chance to perform, such as the Black Eyed Peas, who performed their ubiquitous hit, "I Gotta Feeling," as well as provided face time for some hot series’ stars, like LL Cool J, the rapper-actor who is the star of "NCIS: Los Angeles."

    Other performers on the show included Nick Jonas and The Administration, R&B crooner Maxwell and country duo Sugarland.