Video: Honored to be hosting The Grammys!

The 54TH Annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 12, 2012 (8:00-11:30 PM, ET/delayed PT on CBS).

Two-time Grammy Award Winner & NCIS: LA star LL Cool J will be the first host in 7 Years!  Past hosts include Queen Latifah (47th Grammy Awards), Jon Stewart (43rd & 44th) as well as Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell, among others.  This will be the first time LL will host the Grammy Awards.

LL has hosted THE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS CONCERT LIVE! - COUNTDOWN TO MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT since its inception in December 2008.

Mulitple nominees include: Kanye West (7), Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars (6) Lil Wayne and Skrillex (5).   Drake, Paul Epworth, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Nicki Minaj, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead, Rihanna  and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) each received four nominations.

Announced presenters include: Dierks Bentley, rapper/actor and current four-time nominee Drake, GRAMMY winner Miranda Lambert,  Emmy® and Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow, Actor/recording artist Jack Black, six-time GRAMMY winner and current three-time nominee Fergie, three-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee ?uestlove (The Roots), nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr three-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Marc Anthony, six-time GRAMMY winners and current nominees Lady Antebellum and television and radio host/producer Ryan Seacrest.

LL Cool J
Two-time Grammy Award winner and NAACP Image Award winner LL COOL J is an entertainment icon who has championed every possible field, from music, film, television, author, fashion designer and philanthropist.

First introduced to the world in 1984 as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass 10 consecutive platinum-plus selling albums, while 2004's "The Definition" and 2006's "Todd Smith" both went Gold.  He is a multi-platinum artist who is currently tied for third place for most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper. In 2008, he released his critically acclaimed album "Exit 13," his appropriately titled 13th and last album for the only label he has called home - Def Jam Recordings.

Expanding into the digital world, LL founded www.boomdizzle.com, an online social networking community which provides a world-wide digital platform for existing and new artists to create, promote, perform, and distribute music and entertainment. Boomdizzle gives every artist the opportunity to become the next superstar by providing all of the services traditionally offered by major entertainment labels.
LL's starring film credits include "The Deal" opposite William H. Macy and Meg Ryan, the "Last Holiday," opposite Queen Latifah and "Edison," starring Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Justin Timberlake.

LL has appeared in more than 30 films and starred opposite acclaimed actors such as Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell in "S.W.A.T.," Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in "Any Given Sunday" and Gabrielle Union in "Deliver Us from Eva." Other film credits include "Rollerball," "Charlie's Angels," "Kingdom Come," "In Too Deep," "Toys" and "Slow Burn" with Ray Liotta.  He has also received a Blockbuster Award for best comedic performance as the "Chef" in Renny Harlin's action film "Deep Blue Sea."

 LL transitioned to television with a dramatic performance on the second season premiere of "House" and a comedic guest-star role on "30 Rock" as hip hop mogul Ridiculous.
Also an author, LL's fitness book, LL COOL J's Platinum Workout was a New York Times bestseller and in Spring of 2010 he released his second fitness book LL COOL J's Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle. In 2002, he released a children's book, And the Winner Is, as part of Scholastics series of books and CDs by today's hottest rap stars called "Hip Kid Hop." LL's book tells the story of a young basketball player who learns the importance of winning and losing gracefully.  He also penned a 1997 autobiography, I Make My Own Rules.
LL has always been an avid philanthropist involved in numerous causes, including literacy for kids as well as music and arts programs in schools. Last year, he was named a member of the Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet which raises funds and awareness for initiatives tied to the organization.
LL is from Long Island, N.Y. and his birth date is Jan. 14. He resides in N.Y. and L.A. with his wife, Simone, and their four children.  He can be followed on Twitter @LLCOOLJ.