Canadian takeover of U.S. entertainment industry one step closer!

Grammy Award nominations are set to be announced on Wednesday evening during a splashy one-hour telecast on CBS, and plenty of Canadian artists could find themselves on the list. Canadian Press music writer Nick Patch offers his thoughts on which Canucks might be in the running for Grammy glory this year.

Drake, Buble, Bieber could get Grammy nods?  By Nick Patch, The Canadian Press

PIECE OF CAKE FOR DRAKE?:Last year, Drake nabbed two Grammy nominations and stormed the stage for a rousing performance of "Forever" alongside Eminem and Lil Wayne (but not Kanye West, who was still on unofficial exile for his Taylor Swift faux pas). And that was before the 23-year-old Toronto native even issued his debut album, "Thank Me Later," which opened at No. 1 in the U.S. and Canada en route to platinum sales in both countries.

So the telegenic rapper-crooner seems a lock to nab more nominations Wednesday — and this year, he might even win an award or two.

INTO THE FIRE:Both of the Arcade Fire's first two LPs were nominated for best alternative music album at the Grammys. And this summer's "The Suburbs" provided the ambitious Montreal rockers' most splashy release yet, opening at No. 1 on the charts in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

The record was critically acclaimed, too, receiving an average critical score of 86, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Still, while the band remains a well-respected critical darling, "The Suburbs" lacks the out-of-nowhere momentum that carried the band's debut, "Funeral," to widespread industry plaudits.

No longer the plucky underdog, Arcade Fire still seems a safe bet to land a nomination in the alternative music category. An album of the year nod is more of a longshot, though it's hardly out of the question.

DO YOU BELIEB?:Justin Bieber had an amazing year by any standard, but while throngs of adoring teens flipped their lids for the mop-topped idol, Bieber might have a trickier task winning over the greying Grammy voters — after all, his teen-pop peers the Jonas Brothers had recorded three studio albums before they received their first Grammy nod.

On the other hand, the Grammys have consistently grappled with trying to snare a younger audience, and there's perhaps no more bankable attraction for tweens than the Stratford, Ont., native, which is probably why he's performing at Wednesday's nomination show.

His two platinum-selling releases — "My World" and its full-length follow-up, "My World 2.0" — were both released in the eligibility period for the upcoming Grammys, so Bieber appears a safe choice for a best new artist nod, at least.

And let's face it :kids,  inviting a 16-year-old to the nominations soiree and sending him home without a party favour would just be bad manners.

CRAZY LOVE FOR CRAZY LOVE?:Michael Buble has won two Grammy Awards, including a trophy last year for best traditional pop vocal album for his concert disc "Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden."

But Buble's smash fourth studio album "Crazy Love," which was certified platinum in the U.S., Canada and several other countries overseas, narrowly missed qualifying on the eligibility period for the last Grammys.

Given that the 35-year-old Burnaby, B.C., native has been nominated for five Grammys in the past, it would seem downright crazy to bet against him earning another nomination this time around.

Even though the death of Leslie Neilson this week set back our plans for the eventual takeover of the entertainment industry south of the border, word has it that a whole platoon of new faces are set to make an assault on Hollywood and Nashville in 2011.

The Perspective Research Department is following these developments closely and will have all the latest poop as it becomes available.

Stay Tuned!

Your "hush, hush, and on the Q.T." scribe;

Allan W Janssen