Former US president Bill Clinton, seen here in July 2004, won his second consecutive nod for music's top awards in the best spoken word album category for the recording of his best-selling autobiography 'My Life' (AFP)

Former US president Bill Clinton, movie star Steve Martin, actor John Lithgow and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres won places alongside the world's top musicians as Grammy Award nominees.

An unlikely nominee, Clinton won his second consecutive nod for music's top awards in the best spoken word album category for the recording of his best-selling autobiography "My Life."

Earlier this year, the former leader of the free world won a golden gramophone statuette for lending his voice to the spoken word recording of Russian folk tale of "Peter and the Wolf."

Other unlikely Grammy nominees unveiled Tuesday in Hollywood included funnyman Steve Martin who also won a nod for best spoken word album for the recording of his novel "The Pleasure of My Company."

Lithgow, who starred in the hit television sitcom "Third Rock from the Sun," won two Grammy nods, including one for best spoken word album for "The World According To Mr. Rogers" which he shares with former "Cagney and Lacey" star Tyne Daley and comic Lily Tomlin.

Lithgow also won a nod for best spoken word album for children for "Carnival Of The Animals."

US comics DeGeneres and Jon Stewart won nominations for best comedy album, De Generes for "The Funny Thing Is..." and Stewart for his satirical "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents...America: A Citizen's Guide To Democracy Inaction."

Pithy US author David Sedaris also won two nominations for the music's highest honours, a best comedy album nod for his album "Live At Carnegie Hall" and best spoken word album for "Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim."

But while the news for Clinton was good, former US first lady, Senator Hillary Clinton, did not repeat her Grammy nominations success of 2004, when she won a nod for best spoken word album for the reading of her autobiography "Living History."

The 47th annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 13 next year.

(Agencies)

gramophone: an antique record player; the sound of the vibrating needle is amplified acoustically（留聲機）

statuette : a small carved or molded figure（小雕像）

sitcom : a situation comedy（系列幽默劇）