Timberlake, Beyonce among American Music nominees

By Dean Goodman

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.