The 2013 Billboard Music Awards air live on Sunday, May 19 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on ABC. The acts competing in all the categories have been revealed. Leading the way with a whopping 11 nominations each is a three way tie between Taylor Swift, fun. and Maroon 5. Right on their tails is Rihanna with 10 nods. Not too far behind are Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction with nine and eight nominations respectively.

The nominations are based on Billboard’s music charts from February 27, 2012 to February 24, 2013. Winners are determined by taking into account album sales and downloads, track downloads, radio airplay and touring as well as streaming and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Vevo, Youtube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. This year’s event is hosted by Tracy Morgan. Swift, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Miguel, and Prince are among the scheduled performers announced so far. The latter will be on hand to receive the prestigious Billboard Icon Award. Check out the nominations in the major categories below.

check out the nominees after the jump

Surfing around this lazy Saturday, I stumbled upon these three entertainment stories that I missed sharing this week. Instead of doing separate posts, I decided to bundle them all up. Enjoy.

While I wrote about Kellan Lutz’s new ad campaign, I neglected to share that the Twilight veteran landed a huge role. The 28-year-old has been tapped to play Hercules in the upcoming big budget action flick Hercules 3D.

Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) is directing the film which begins shooting in Bulgaria in May. I expect Harlin to fully exploit Lutz’s Greek-like body. After all, he did direct The Covenant starring Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch, Chace Crawford and Sebastian Stan. I’m sure I’m not the only homo who was in heat during those swimming scenes. Too much hotness for one film.

“It takes more than a good physique to portray the most legendary, mythological personality in history,” Renny Harlin told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview, “and Kellan has exactly that, personality. He’s not afraid to explore the strengths and vulnerabilities of the character, and he impressed me with his passion and heart.”

check out pictures of Trevor getting creamed after the jump and more

It was bound to happen. After covering Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean and Ed Sheeran, it was only a matter of time before Fifth Harmony did One Direction. After all, both acts came in third place on their respective X Factor seasons. Since the female quintet has a lot in common with their male counterparts, the ladies not only did one, but two renditions.

During an interview on the Kids’ Choice Awards orange carpet, an interviewer asked 5H to sing a 1D track. While they’re typically in unison with their performances, trying to decide which One Direction song to cover on demand proved much harder.

Dinah Jane Hansen suggests “Rock Me,” but gets shot down. Ally Brooke then says “Irresistible” but is ruled out as well. Camila Cabello also tries a stab at it with “Nobody Compares” but suffers the similar fate. After quickly debating, “Kiss You” is picked. Even though only a short snippet is sung, it’s pure teen on teen magic.

In a much longer performance, Fifth Harmony tackles “They Don’t Know About Us.” While it’s not as great as their previous covers (specifically their Del Rey one), it’s pretty good. Check out both covers below.

listen to the cover after the jump

Logo recently announced the nominees for their annual NewNowNext Awards. Now in its sixth year, this highly praised and always unpredictable telecast is one big party that grants the gay stamp of approval to pop culture icons and trendsetters as well as stars-on-the-rise and celebrates what’s hot in TV, music, film and fashion for 2013 and beyond.

If you haven’t watch the NewNowNext Awards, they’re a lot of fun. With irreverent and outrageous categories including “Hottest, Sexiest Ink,” “Host with the Most,” “That’s My Jam” and “TV You Betta Watch,” the ceremony is always fun to watch. My personal favorite is the “Cause You’re Hot” award. All of the nominees are definitely worthy of the win. I covered the red carpet and ceremony a couple of years ago and think its time to check them out again. Especially given the caliber of the nominees. I love star gazing.

Winners will be revealed Monday, April 15th at 10/9C, during the 90-minute Logo NewNowNext Awards 2013 telecast.  The special will be taped in front of a live audience of today’s hottest emerging and seasoned artists at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood, CA on April 13th.  Performers, presenters and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Check out all the nominees below.

check out all the nominees after the jump

I was checking out the latest news on Facebook, as you do, and came across this little gem that put a big smile on my face. By no means am I the biggest One Direction fan but I definitely have an appreciation for the boys and the cheese pop that they bring into the world.

It seems that doing “Cup” songs is turning into the rage these days and I’m a fan. I love a capella music and have mad respect for anyone who can stay on pitch without the help of a musical instrument.

In the following video uploaded by Stewart Yu, three people sing a mashup of the following One Direction songs: “What Makes You Beautiful,” “One Thing,” and “Kiss You.” Listen and watch the video below and if you haven’t checked out Anna Kendrick‘s “Cups” remix that is now playing on radio, you can check it out here. Enjoy!

Listen & watch after the jump…

What happened to the good old days when groupies threw their panties on stage? I guess given the age demographic of most of One Direction’s fans, that probably would be inappropriate. Perhaps stuffed animals would be more suitable. I’m sure Harry Styles and the 1D boys would agree that anything but a pair of sneakers are a better idea.

During a concert in Glasgow, Scotland, Jade Anderson threw a pair of sneakers on stage. She later revealed she just wanted Styles to touch something belonging to her. When the first sneaker landed, Harry bent over to pick it up. As he stood up, he was hit in the crotch by the second shoe. Upon being hit, the Brit laid on the ground clutching his privates. Whether he was milking it or genuinely hurt, he rose a few seconds later.

Just in case you were wondering, Anderson was booted from the concert after the mishap. Being the good sports that they are, One Direction allowed her to stay and even returned her footwear back. Can you imagine the poor girl walking home barefoot? LOL. Check out the clip below.

check out the video after the jump

One Direction have just released the music video for their Red Nose Day charity single and we’ve got your first look at the cute video below. The song is “One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)“, a cover of the infamous Blondie hit.

Instead of spending a bunch of money on making a big budget video for the song, One Direction decided to make the video themselves as they toured around the world and use the money they would have spend on making the video and donate it to the Comic Relief charity. The result is a really candid video that shows the boys having fun with each other and random fans along the way.

The catchy single is bringing in more money than any past single released for Charity Relief. Kevin Cahill, chief executive of Comic Relief, said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better band to record the official Red Nose Day single in our 25th year. It’s an absolute coup and the first time ever we have a massive global-selling single for Comic Relief. Their genuine commitment to the work we fund is touching and I know that their contribution will raise a huge amount to make a real difference.” Watch the video below!

Video after the jump…

If you’re already going through Downton Abbey withdrawal since its Season 3 finale, then this might perk you up. Speaking of the finale, it drew in 8.2 million viewers beating the Season 2 finale (5.4 million) and Season 3 premiere (7.9 million). According to PBS, the most recent season’s average quadrupled the network’s average viewership. Apparently the hottest things in basic cable television right now are Brits and zombies. Now imagine if a network combined the two for a new a show- The Walking Dead Abbey.

I’m sure one of those viewers who regularly watches the PBS period drama is YouTube user Richard Sandling (Buchan39). He’s clearly a fan based on this amazing supercut. Dude took snippets from the show’s three seasons to create a cover of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” Just the idea of Maggie Smith uttering a 1D lyric is entertaining enough. This supercut rivals the Mad Men cast doing Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” For some reason, the word “song” is replaced by “book.” Didn’t they sing over at Downton Abbey? Check out the supercut below.

check it out after the jump