Top nominees include Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bosй, Calle 13, Aventura, Elvis Crespo, and Mala Rodrнguez. By ED MORALES It’s Latin Grammys time again, this time live from Las Vegas, the city where mainstream America goes to escape, and Latinos (now almost a quarter of the area’s population) are a growing presence. This is the eighth annual edition, the third since the show moved from CBS to Univision, and the usual roster of big-name performers and presenters are waiting in the wings.

Among the glitterati are Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bosй, Calle 13, Aventura, Elvis Crespo, and Mala Rodrнguez. The award ceremony, which will air 8-11 p.m. Nov. 8, will illustrate the uneven nature of the awards’ evolution. In some ways the nominations and invited performers represent an increased understanding by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of both the music’s audience and its growing complexity.

But there are also some predictable knee-jerk biases toward derivative pop acts, as well as nebulous choices in the “rock” and “urban” categories.

The most fascinating competition is for album of the year, a wide-ranging category that includes Miguel Bosй’s “Papito,” Calle 13’s “Residente o Visitante,” Juan Luis Guerra’s “La Llave de Mi Corazуn,” Ricky Martin’s “MTV Unplugged” and Alejandro Sanz’s “El Tren de los Momentos.” Bosй’s is an album of duets with singers such as Shakira, Julieta Venegas, Martin, Juanes and even Michael Stipe, while Sanz’s and Guerra’s albums are peak performances by established megastars.