Rihanna and Britney get up close and personal at Billboard Music Awards

After five years of dormancy, the Billboard Music Awards have been revived with a major dose of star power. This year marks the Billboard Awards' rebirth. The Billboard Awards had been a staple since 1989, but gave out what appeared to be its last award in 2006. This year, the show was brought back. The ceremony, hosted by The Hangover 2 star Ken Jeong, is being held in Las Vegas and broadcast live in the US.



Britney Spears and Rihanna lock lips on stage. Photo: Getty Images

The Billboard Music Awards are given out to music's most popular artists. The finalists and winners are determined by their rank on the Billboard charts and their "social and streaming activity".

Rihanna is the top finalist, competing in 18 categories. Among the awards she's up for include top artist, top female artist, and top radio songs artist.

Eminem's name appears in 16 categories, including top artist. He's also vying for top male artist as well as top social artist. Other nominees include Swift, Ke$ha, and Nicki Minaj.

Lady Gaga is in 12 categories, while Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber are in 11 categories. Beyonce is due to receive a special Millennium Award for her career achievements.



AP





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