This year the awards show will take place in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live from the Palms Casino Resort on September 9 at 9 p.m. ET. Timberlake, West, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Timbaland, Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown, Lily Allen and the Foo Fighters are all scheduled to perform and remind us why music sales are once again down this year.

One of the most interesting nominations is for Carrie Underwood who is in the running for "best new artist," which is really interesting considering the song mentioned in the nomination was on an album release in November of 2005. But she was beat by a month by Peter Bjorn and John who are also nominated as a new artist when they have a US album out in October of 2005. Maybe they couldn't come up with a real new artists to fill the nomination? Or maybe this is like when Jethro Tull won the best "metal" Grammy sending roars of laughter across the globe at the cluelessness of the academy? Because you know you don't get much more metal than a flute solo. Then again we can't really take these nominations that seriously when they put up Gwen Stefani and Akon as one of the "Most Earthshattering Collaboration." Yes, that is actually a category name!

Video of the Year
• Amy Winehouse: "Rehab"
• Beyoncé: "Irreplaceable"
• Justice: "D.A.N.C.E."
• Justin Timberlake: "What Goes Around ... "
• Kanye West: "Stronger"
• Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z): "Umbrella"

Male Artist of the Year
• Akon: "Don't Matter," "I Wanna Love You" (featuring Snoop Dogg), "Smack That" (featuring Eminem)
• Kanye West: "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Stronger," "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been" — DJ Premier remix, featuring Nas, KRS-One and Rakim)
• Justin Timberlake: "Let Me Talk To You/ My Love," "SexyBack" (featuring Timbaland), "What Goes Around ... "
• T.I.: "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)," "You Know What It Is" (featuring Wyclef Jean), "What You Know"
• Robin Thicke: "Can U Believe," "Lost Without U," "Wanna Love You Girl" (remix, featuring Busta Rhymes and Pharrell)

Female Artist of the Year
• Amy Winehouse: "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good"
• Beyoncé: "Irreplaceable," "Beautiful Liar" (featuring Shakira)
• Fergie: "Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)," "Glamorous" (featuring Ludacris), "Fergalicious" (featuring Will.I.Am)
• Nelly Furtado: "Maneater," "Say It Right"
• Rihanna: "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z)

Best New Artist
• Amy Winehouse: "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good"
• Carrie Underwood: "Before He Cheats"
• Gym Class Heroes: "Clothes Off," "Cupid's Chokehold/ Breakfast in America"
• Lily Allen: "Alfie," "Smile," "LDN"
• Peter Bjorn and John: "Young Folks"

Best Group
• Fall Out Boy: "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race," "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs"
• Gym Class Heroes: "Clothes Off," "Cupid's Chokehold/ Breakfast in America"
• Linkin Park: "What I've Done"
• Maroon 5: "Makes Me Wonder"
• White Stripes: "Icky Thump"

Most Earthshattering Collaboration
• Akon (featuring Eminem): "Smack That"
• Beyoncé and Shakira: "Beautiful Liar"
• Justin Timberlake (featuring Timbaland): "SexyBack"
• Gwen Stefani (featuring Akon): "The Sweet Escape"
• U2 (featuring Green Day): "The Saints Are Coming"

Quadruple Threat of the Year
• Beyoncé
• Bono
• Jay-Z
• Justin Timberlake
• Kanye West

Monster Single of the Year
• Avril Lavigne: "Girlfriend"
• Daughtry: "Home"
• Fall Out Boy: "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs"
• Lil Mama: "Lip Gloss (No Music)"
• T-Pain (featuring Yung Joc): "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')"
• Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson, D.O.E. and Sebastian): "The Way I Are"
• MIMS: "This Is Why I'm Hot"
• Plain White T's: "Hey There, Delilah"
• Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z): "Umbrella"
• Shop Boyz: "Party Like A Rock Star"

Best Director
• Beyoncé and Shakira: "Beautiful Liar" (director: Jake Nava)
• Christina Aguilera: "Candyman" (directors: Matthew Rolston and Christina Aguilera)
• Justin Timberlake: "What Goes Around ..." (director: Samuel Bayer)
• Kanye West: "Stronger" (director: Hype Williams)
• Linkin Park: "What I've Done" (director: Joseph Hahn)
• Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z): "Umbrella" (director: Chris Applebaum)

Best Editing in a Video
• Beyoncé and Shakira: "Beautiful Liar" (editor: Jarett Figl)
• Gnarls Barkley: "Smiley Faces" (editor: Ken Mowe)
• Justin Timberlake: "What Goes Around ..." (editor: Hollee Singer)
• Kanye West: "Stronger" (editors: Peter Johnson and Corey Weisz)
• Linkin Park: "What I've Done" (editor: Igor Kovalik)