LOS ANGELES -- The folks who planned tonight's

(Feb. 21) Grammy telecast (8 p.m. ET on CBS)

have given Faith Hill a big job.

Because the country singer has great crossover

appeal, she has a prime spot in the big show's

running order. Hill's performance of "Breathe" --

nominated for Song of the Year and Country Song

of the Year -- comes right at the end of the first hour

and carries over slightly into the second hour.

The theory is that Hill, with her broad-based

popularity, can dissuade viewers from reaching for

the remote to tune to West Wing or Who Wants to

Be a Millionaire, airing on competing networks.

U2's performance of "Beautiful Day" follows

immediately after Hill; if the Grammy TV committee

has guessed right, many in the audience will be

hooked for a second hour by the tasty lure of the two acts.

Tuesday morning, during rehearsals at the Staples Center, Hill appeared ready

for her role. Her slender shoulders draped in an orange shawl, she sported jeans,

and her hair was pulled back in a single, chopped-off ponytail. Her request for

Tylenol sent stage crew and handlers scurrying to find some, but whatever ailed

her did not affect her ability to deliver a stirring performance of "Breathe."

On Monday, Macy Gray ran through "I Try" so many times that she went 40

minutes over her allotted practice slot. Hill, in contrast, had her demanding paces

down in just three tries, clocking in at 45 minutes.

Her appearance on tonight's show will go something like this: A lighted platform,

concealing Hill, will fold down to create a walkway to her microphone. A 14-piece

string section will play on her right; Hill's 10-piece band and backing vocalists will

be stationed to her left. On a large screen behind her, an ever-changing tableau

of abstract art will provide a colorful backdrop, sort of like a highbrow light show.

"It looks great up here!" Hill exclaimed at one point during rehearsal.

Before and after her performance, Hill will join husband Tim McGraw in the

audience. Seating charts tend to change, but Tuesday the couple's designated

seats were next to CBS sitcom stars Kevin James (King of Queens) and Ray

Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) and across the aisle from Trisha

Yearwood.

In other curious juxtapositions, Emmylou Harris sits next to Beach Boy Brian

Wilson; Vince Gill is adjacent to Paul Simon; songwriters Mark D. Sanders and

Tia Sillers are on the same row as the Blue Man Group; songwriters Stephanie

Bentley and Holly Lamar are between Kid Rock and MTV personality Carson

Daly.

Harris started collecting Grammy Week awards Tuesday. She was named Best

Acoustic Guitarist Female at the 2001 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards during

afternoon ceremonies at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Alabama's Jeff Cook

was named Best Country Guitarist Male; Shelby Lynne, who once was a country

artist, took Best Country Guitarist Female.

"The guitar has meant so much to me," Harris said as she accepted her award.

"The mystery of music and the beauty of music was never really unlocked for me

until I came into contact with the guitar."

The "romantic image of women with guitars" appealed to her, Harris went on to

say, but eventually she had to learn to play. She got a book and learned three

chords. "I'm really grateful for this award, because I still don't know more than

three chords."

Cook showed great emotion accepting his award. "I can remember searching

pawn shops all over Chattanooga, Birmingham, looking for a guitar I could afford,"

he said. "I've won a lot of things with Alabama, but this is the first thing, recently,

that I've gotten on my own."

He dedicated his award to the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. After the

ceremony, he named James Burton, the Ventures, Danny Gatton and Jerry Reed

among his major influences.

Lynne did not attend the Gibson awards luncheon, but she will be on hand

tonight for the Grammys. The former country singer is nominated for Best New

Artist. She will perform "The Difficult Kind" with Sheryl Crow.

Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley will appear together in the final half hour of the

show. Parton will perform "Travelin' Prayer," Paisley will do "We Danced" before

the duo pairs up to hand out the Best Country Album honor.

Lee Ann Womack will join Jimmy Jam to present 20 awards in pop and R&B

categories during the pre-telecast ceremony. Womack, Gill and Gloria Estefan

will hand out the Grammy for Latin Pop Album at the beginning of tonight's third

hour.

Among the many nominees attending a reception in their honor Tuesday night at

the California Science Center were first-time nominees Riders in the Sky, Ray

Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Steve Wariner and his son, Ryan Wariner, and

banjo ace Alison Brown.

By the time Elton John and Eminem give the final performance of the night

tonight, they all will know their fate.