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[05/19/11 - 10:35 AM]
Mary J. Blige Teams With Lil Wayne for Her First Single, "Someone to Love Me," And More Once-in-a-Lifetime Collaborations for "The 2011 Billboard Music Awards"
Plus: Bret Michaels, Sarah Hyland, Randy Jackson, Lucy Hale and Eric Stonestreet have been added as presenters.

[via press release from ABC]

MARY J. BLIGE TEAMS WITH LIL WAYNE FOR HER FIRST SINGLE, "SOMEONE TO LOVE ME," AND MORE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME COLLABORATIONS FOR "THE 2011 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS"

Far*East Movement Takes the Stage with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder and Snoop Dogg, Plus a Performance from Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Nayer

Bret Michaels, Sarah Hyland, Randy Jackson, Lucy Hale and Eric Stonestreet Set to Present from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Nayer perform "Give me Everything," Far*East Movement with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder perform "Rocketeer," Far*East Movement with Snoop Dogg perform "If I Was You (OMG)," and Mary J. Blige with Lil Wayne perform "Someone to Love Me" all live on stage at "The 2011 Billboard Music Awards," hosted by Ken Jeong, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on SUNDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Bret Michaels, Sarah Hyland, Randy Jackson, Lucy Hale and Eric Stonestreet join previously announced Kylie Minogue, Matthew Morrison, Joe Jonas, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Tim Allen, Keri Hilson, Kelly Rowland, NAS, Rico Rodriguez, Scott Weiland, Travis Barker and Trey Songz as presenters. Collaborating musical acts Mary J. Blige with Lil Wayne, Far*East Movement with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder and Snoop Dogg, and Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo join previously announced performers Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Keith Urban, Pitbull, Lady Antebellum, Far East Movement, Ne-Yo, OneRepublic and Taio Cruz. Beyonc´ will receive the 2011 Billboard Millennium Award for her work as an innovative artist who is currently defining her times. Neil Diamond will receive the 2011 Billboard Icon Award to honor an enduring legend in music.

Mary J. Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide since her 1992 debut, "What's The 411?." Among her many accolades, Blige can claim 8 multi-platinum albums, 9 Grammy Awards (she has been nominated for a staggering 29) and 4 American Music Awards. She is the co-founder of the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), whose mission is to empower women from all walks of life to reach their full individual potential. On July 31, 2010, Blige sold over 60 thousand bottles of her "My Life" perfume on the Home Shopping Network. Her perfume was the first to sell over 60,000 bottles in one day on HSN, and $1 from each purchase was donated to FFAWN. Blige has announced plans to release her highly anticipated new album, "My Life II, The Journey Continues," on September 20th, 2011. The album's first single, "Someone to Love Me (Naked)" featuring Diddy and Lil Wayne and produced by Jerry Wonda (Black Eyed Peas, Estelle, John Legend), is already a Top 40 hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart - marking her 42nd Top 40 R&B hit.

Pitbull was announced as a finalist for three Billboard Music Awards, including Top Latin Artist, Top Latin Song -- "Bon Bon," and Top Radio Song -- Usher featuring Pitbull "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love." Besides playing around the globe, Pitbull has also collaborated with some of music's biggest stars, including Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Shakira and on Jennifer Lopez' current hit "On The Floor." Pitbull's new album "Planet Pit" comes out June 21 and features a host of pop music luminaries plus the Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 single, "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)," featuring T-Pain and his latest Top 5, "Give Me Everything" featuring NeYo, Afrojack & Nayer.

Far*East Movement found mainstream success after building a following in the Downtown Los Angeles club scene. They triumphed when their song, "Girls on the Dance Floor," co-written by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Bruno Mars, found success across radio stations across the country. The success led to a record deal with CherryTree/Interscope Records and release of their debut album,"Free Wired," in October 2010. The album's lead single, "Like A G6," exploded on radio and sales charts, reaching triple platinum-plus status and the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, making them the first Asian-American group with a No. 1 song in the country. "Rocketeer," the second single featuring Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, became another platinum selling Top 10 Billboard charting single that connected with new fans of all ages. They are nominated for the Billboard Award for Top Rap Song.

OneRepublic formed in 2002 and achieved massive success on MySpace. Their first single, "Apologize," was No. 1 for eight weeks on the Billboard Pop 100 chart and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. They followed up "Apologize" with another top 10 Pop 100 hit, "Stop and Stare," before going to work on their second album. The 2009 set "Waking Up" spawned the Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits "All the Right Moves" and "Secrets." In 2009 OneRepublic was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Ne-Yo has claimed 10 Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including his debut effort, "So Sick," which spent two weeks at No. 1 in 2006, and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. His most recent album, 2010's "Libra Scale," hit No. 9 - marking his fourth consecutive Top 10 set. He's earned multiple Grammy nominations and awards in his career, including trophies for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2008, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song in 2009. Besides being an accomplished performer, Ne-Yo has also assisted other musicians in achieving success as a songwriter. He wrote "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on top for nine weeks. In addition he also wrote Rihanna's Top 10 singles "Unfaithful" and "Russian Roulette," her No. 1 hit "Take a Bow," and Beyonc´ Knowles' Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, "Irreplaceable."

Tickets prices begin at $57.75 for Upper Level, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are now on sale and available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album, single and digital sales, airplay, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and many of the other most popular online destinations for music. The awards will be based on the reporting period of February 28, 2010 through March 1, 2011.

"The 2011 Billboard Music Awards" is a production co-executive produced by Richard D. Beckman, CEO Prometheus Global Media and Don Mischer Productions. Louis J. Horvitz is directing. David Wild and Jennifer Mischer are the writers.

The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's HD format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. This program carries a TV-14 D, L,S parental guideline.

Visit www.Billboard.com/BBMA.com for a complete list of finalists and to apply for media credentials. Music fans can also follow news about the show or related events on Twitter at www.twitter.com/billboarddotcom or Facebook at www.facebook.com/billboard.





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