Mariah Carey leads American Music Award nominees

LOS ANGELES - Pop singer Mariah Carey, riding high on the US pop charts with her comeback album, led the field of nominees for the American Music Awards, organizers said on Tuesday.

Carey received four nominations, followed by a trio of acts with three each: punk-rock band Green Day; pop singer Kelly Clarkson; and rapper 50 Cent. Winners will be announced on November 22 during a televised ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Carey will compete for favorite female artist and favorite album with "The Emancipation of Mimi" in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories.

"Mimi" has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States since its release in April. The single "We Belong Together" recently ended a 14-week run atop Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart.

Three years ago, Carey was the butt of music industry jokes after her movie and album, both named "Glitter," tanked. Her Virgin Records label hastily dumped her with a $28 million payoff, and Carey moved to the Island Def Jam label.

Clarkson, the inaugural winner of the reality-TV talent show "American Idol," was also nominated in the pop/rock category for female artist and album ("Breakaway"). She will also compete for favorite adult contemporary artist.

Green Day will go up against Carey and Clarkson for favorite pop/rock album with the politically themed concept album "American Idiot." The San Francisco Bay area trio was also nominated for favorite pop/rock band and favorite alternative music artist.

Rapper 50 Cent was an unusual entry in the pop/rock category as favorite male artist. He was also nominated for favorite male artist and favorite album ("The Massacre") in the rap/hip-hop category.

Among the acts with two nominations each were country singers Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and Gretchen Wilson, R&B trio Destiny's Child, R&B singer Fantasia, rapper Eminem, and pop-funk band The Black Eyed Peas.

Nominees are determined by radio airplay and sales data, while the winners are chosen from a poll of 20,000 Americans.

- REUTERS