Timberlake, Beyonce among American Music nominees

Justin Timberlake bows as he accepts the Best Male Artist award from Timbaland (R) at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas September 9, 2007. Timberlake, R&B singer Beyonce and rock bands Linkin Park and Daughtry led nominations for the 35th annual American Music Awards, which for the first time will allow members of the public to pick the winners, organizers said on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Justin Timberlake, R&B singer Beyonce and rock bands Linkin Park and Daughtry led nominations for the 35th annual American Music Awards, which for the first time will allow members of the public to pick the winners, organizers said on Tuesday.

The four leading acts each garnered three nominations.

Among the artists with two nominations each were country stars Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. Hip-hop performers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, T.I. and Young Jeezy also received a pair of nods each.

Winners will be announced on November 18 during a ceremony held at the brand new Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The event traditionally had been held at the nearby Shrine Auditorium.

Also new is the voting procedure. Fans can vote online at www.ama.abc.com through November 1. Until now, winners were decided by a poll of 20,000 music buyers. Nominees are still determined by retail and sales data.

Leading nominees do not always walk away with the most statuettes, and many of this year's top contenders are competing in the same categories. Timberlake, Linkin Park and Daughtry will vie for favorite pop/rock album, while Timberlake and Beyonce were cited for favorite soul/R&B album.

For the fourth year, Jimmy Kimmel will host the show. The initial lineup of performers includes Daughtry, the Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, and R&B singer Rihanna.

Another tradition is absentee winners.

Last year's multiple champions were the Black Eyed Peas and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, neither of whom attended. The Black Eyed Peas also did not show up the previous year to pick up their plastic trophies.

"If people are on tour, they're on tour. If people can't make the show, they can't make the show. You do the best you can," the show's producer, Larry Klein, told Reuters.

Last year's show also hit a record low in the television ratings, drawing just 10.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That was half the number who tuned in for the more-prestigious Grammy Awards this past February.

Reuters/Nielsen