The 48^thAnnual Grammy Awards air Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS, and once again we’ll see the old guard duke it out with the new, and the mediocre battle with, well, the rest of the mediocre (and Kanye West). It is the Grammys after all.

Who will win? Who should win? Here are our picks from Grammy’s latest batch of nominees.

Album of the year
“The Emancipation Of Mimi,” Mariah Carey
“Chaos And Creation In The Backyard,” Paul McCartney
“Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” Gwen Stefani
“How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,” U2
“Late Registration,” Kanye West

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Helen’s take: West deserves it, but Carey wins. If Dr. Phil has taught us anything, it’s that American loves a great comeback story. Plus, “Emancipation” is 2005’s the best-selling LP, and Grammy is all about the Benjamins. But for my money, West’s only competition is “Demon Days” by Gorillaz (which at least got a Record of the Year nod) and “Get Behind Me Satan,” by the White Stripes, once again relegated to the Alternative ghetto. “L.A.M.B.,” like Stefani’s pet Japanese women, is too gimmicky. “Bomb” is U2 Rock Star business as usual. McCartney could be the surprise sentimental win, but man he’s played. In the “Fine” single video, like most McCartney videos over the past 20 years, he’s playing every instrument, including that crusty Hofner Beatle bass. We get it! You were in the Beatles!

Ree’s take: Go Kanye, it’s your birthday! Yeah, I’m a dork, but “Late Registration” is a shoo-in. It might be fun to see Mariah (or Mimi, or whichever of her personalities shows up) get wacky at acceptance-speech time, but West is still the man. I agree, Sir Paul didn’t deserve the nod and St. Bono and Co. are stuck on repeat. L.A.M.B has some rump shakin’ moments. Unfortunately, with more producers on this record than a nori roll’s got rice, Stefani’s breakout is as mismatched as her beloved Harajuku Girls’ leg warmers.

LIVE VOTE

Who should claim Grammy's major prizes?

Record of the year
“We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey
“Feel Good Inc.” Gorillaz featuring De La Soul
“Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,” Green Day
“Hollaback Girl,” Gwen Stefani
“Gold Digger,” Kanye West

Helen: “Feel Good Inc.,” duh! This song is so amazing, I’m breaking my anti-iPod commercial giving props to the genre-bending Gorillaz. “Gold Digger” is also great — solid hip-hop, super catchy without being stupid (unlike “My Humps” and “Candy Shop”). As for “Hollaback Girl,” again I’m not a fan of Gwen’s gimmicks. Good to see Green Day still on top, but “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is one of its lesser punk ballads. Alas, Carey probably wins here as well for the much-loved “We Belong Together.” I’m not a fan of this multi-octave sapfest, but I do like the video where she dumps Eric Roberts at the alter (Tony Mottola?) for that dude from “Prison Break” (Eminem?).

Ree: What’s stupid about “My Humps?” I must be missing something. My niece would totally call “Hollaback Girl,” but since she’s a few years away from making official Grammy picks, I’m going to breakout on my own and give it to Gorillaz for “Feel Good Inc.” It’s smart and I love the thought of the entire record industry kissing up to Gorillaz producer Danger Mouse after the show: “Sooooo sorry about blacklisting your “Grey Album” in ’02 Mr. Mouse. No hard feelings, huh? Let’s get you, Sir Paul and Jay Z all together for a photo op!”

CONTINUED : Song of the year, more

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