ARMENIAN MUSIC AWARDS SHOW TO AIR.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Like most celebrity-studded awards shows, tonight's ceremony at the Alex Theatre will feature internationally known pop stars, rock bands, glamour and glitz.

But these aren't the American Music Awards or even the Country Music Awards - they're the fourth annual Armenian Music Awards to be given in a show that will be telecast to an estimated 45 million viewers worldwide.

``This is basically the Armenian version of the Grammys. Every year, it gets bigger and better,'' said organizer Silva Harapeti, adding that there are still a few unsold tickets in the 1,500-seat theater.

``This is the only awards ceremony that Armenians have ever had in the United States,'' she said. ``The music awards is a huge, completely new stomping ground for Armenians.

The show will put the spotlight on 300 Armenian artists from eight countries. They will vie for awards in 27 categories, ranging from folk and traditional Armenian music to classical and rap.

Artists who are expected to attend include System of a Down, a hard-rock band that has successfully broken into the mainstream music scene, and the singularly named Andy - or Andranik Madadian - popularly known as the Prince of Persian Music.

``A lot of artists actually travel from around the world for the awards - England, Australia and France,'' Harapeti said. ``People get decked out for this. It's a black-tie event.''

Copying the format of the Grammy Awards, the broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. with preshow interviews on Charter Communications Channel 55. The ceremony itself will begin at 8 p.m. Filmed interviews with winners will be shown during intermission.

For the first time, the show will be carried by Iranian satellite NI-TV and broadcast to viewers in the Middle East and Europe.

Peter Bahlawanian, the annual show's founder and producer, sees the event as a way for Armenians to show the rest of the world who they are culturally and as individuals.

``The key here is Armenians need to introduce themselves properly so people don't assume and misunderstand the culture,'' Bahlawanian said. ``There is no politics and interference,'' he said. ``It's music, art, creation. That really shows what the culture is all about.''

Madadian, who was born in Iran and now lives in Santa Monica, said the music awards have been a unifying force for Armenians, who scattered around the world after the Armenian Genocide - the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Turks - in 1915.

``Most of the Armenians are coming from different countries. Lebanese and Syrian Armenians - I have never seen them or met them, but they are able to relate to what I do,'' said Madadian, who infuses his music with Persian, Spanish, Armenian, African and other international influences.

``Even though we know there are differences in us, once you play the music, all the differences are put aside.''

Because Armenians are celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of their nation's accepting Christianity, the music awards will center on the religion historically.

``The stage will be set up as part church, part throne,'' Harapeti said. ``It's going to be a very Gothic kind of look - taking everyone back to where it began.

``It's not a very detailed time line - very vague but accurate, with performances fitting into the time line,'' she added.

Elon Sarafian of Diamond Bar, who has been nominated for the Best Original Contemporary Album, will close the show with a song he wrote titled ``Wish,'' which he said conveys a message of peace.

Sarafian, who writes and arranges his own music and lyrics, said winning is not uppermost on his mind. What's most important to him, he said, is for listeners around the world to hear what Armenians contribute to the music scene and to become curious about who the Armenians are.

``Having the Armenian Music Awards opens up a window so the rest of the world can kind of peek through - stick their heads in.'' He added, ``This is interesting music.''

Tickets for the fourth annual Armenian Music Awards are $30-$500 and can be purchased by calling [phone].

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The Armenian Music Awards show is set for tonight in Glendale. Liana and Sako were among presenters last year.