When the Grammy nominations were announced in December, it was all about the incredible comeback story of Mariah Carey.

After a couple of horrific career years, the R&B-pop diva scored a leading eight nominations alongside outspoken rapper Kanye West and R&B newcomer John Legend.

To be exact, 2001 saw Carey star in the movie stinker Glitter, release its equally bad soundtrack, suffer a nervous breakdown, and be let go from her Virgin Records contract.

But that series of seismic events all became a faint memory with the uber-success of Carey's latest album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which edged out 50 Cent's The Massacre to become the best-selling music collection of 2005 and is now vying for album of the year at the Grammys on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

The collection also produced the uber-hit We Belong Together, which is up for song and record of the year.

However, Carey's comeback story -- she hasn't been the belle of the Grammy ball since she won best new artist and best female vocalist way back in 1991 -- has since lost some of its steam with the West P.R. machine back in high gear.

West's handsome mug currently stares out from the covers of both Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, most provocatively on the former as he appears as Jesus with the headline, "The Passion Of Kanye West."

The same artist who berated the U.S. president during the Hurricane Katrina telethon with the words, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," sure knows how to get people talking about him.

Last year at the Grammys, where he had a leading 10 nominations, West performed his breakthrough hit Jesus Walks wearing a pair of white wings over a white suit so it wouldn't be the first time he's used religious imagery to get his point across.

But in the same Rolling Stone issue, West also admits to being addicted to pornography so perhaps the mix of religion and sex is what all the current fuss is about.

Anybody who doesn't know when West is playing with them clearly hasn't been paying attention to the rapper, who had a hissy fit at the 2004 American Music Awards when Gretchen Wilson won best new artist over him.

West admitted to rollingstone.com that Carey will be a tough act to beat this year as they go up against each other in the top categories of album and record of the year with his disc Late Registration and single Gold Digger, respectively, in the running.

"I think a lot of people are gonna get behind Mariah because of the comeback story," he told rollingstone.com. "Not to discredit her at all, but I think I deserve it over her, because Gold Digger sounds like nothing you've heard before. Diamonds (From Sierra Leone) doesn't sound like something you've heard before. And I stand by that statement, and I'm gonna say that to the end. And statements like that could be the very reason why she possibly could win over me."

Jane's Grammy picks

Album of the year

Mariah Carey -- The Emancipation Of Mimi

Paul McCartney -- Chaos And Creation In The Backyard

Gwen Stefani -- Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

U2 -- How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Kanye West -- Late Registration

This is a three-way race between Carey, U2 and West. God knows what McCartney's new album is doing in there. I suspect Carey will get it as the best-selling album of 2005 in the U.S although U2's Bomb or West's Registration would be way more deserving.

Song of the year

Bless The Broken Road -- Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna & Marcus Hummon, songwriters (Rascal Flatts)

Devils & Dust -- Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Ordinary People -- W. Adams & J. Stephens, songwriters (John Legend)

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own -- U2, songwriters (U2)

We Belong Together -- J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, songwriters (Mariah Carey)

If there's a God, Bono's tribute to his dying father will nab this songwriter's award.

Record of the year

Mariah Carey -- We Belong Together

Gorillaz f. De La Soul -- Feel Good Inc.

Green Day -- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Gwen Stefani -- Hollaback Girl

Kanye West -- Gold Digger

This is the toughest category, with every single track deserving of the trophy. But if I had to choose, it would be Carey's We Belong Together, which was the comeback song of the year.