Arch MUSIC NEWS for 10/10/12

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Rihanna and Nicki Minaj lead the list of nominees heading into next month’s American Music Awards. Both artists snagged four nominations a piece, just one more than Justin Bieber, One Direction, Maroon 5, Drake and Usher, who all landed three nominations each. Rihanna will compete with Bieber, Maroon 5, Drake and Katy Perry in the top category for Artist Of The Year at the November 18th ceremony.  AMA winners are determined by fans through online voting at www.ama.abc.com. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the American Music Awards will be presented during a star-studded ceremony to be televised by ABC from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley says he doesn’t really care if his band ever gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In an interview with RollingStone.com, Stanley calls the selection process “transparent” and run by what he calls the “East Coast music Mafia.” But while Stanley doesn’t voice much respect or admiration for those behind the Rock Hall, he says if KISS ever gets the nod he’d “be gracious” and accept the induction. He says that it “means nothing” to him, but he knows it matters to the band’s fans.

Britney Spears is on board to participate in the upcoming television tribute to the late Whitney Houston.  She says she is “honored and humbled” to take part in the tribute, which will be taped Thursday at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Spears also added that Houston will always be one of her heroes. It’s not known if Spears’ participation will include a performance. So far, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion and Usher are among the performers for the special. The one-hour tribute to the six-time Grammy winner will include never-before-seen footage of Houston, along with some of her most memorable moments, and will air on CBS on November 16th. A new greatest hits album called “I Will Always Love You- The Best of Whitney Houston” will drop just days before the broadcast on November 13th.

Paula Abdul is taking another critical role in reality competition. This one’s temporary, however, as the former “American Idol” and “X Factor” judge sits in for a guest spot on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” Abdul will take her seat on the judges’ panel on next Monday’s episode.

Lady Gaga has been awarded a peace prize by Yoko Ono in a ceremony in Iceland. The wife of Beatles legend John Lennon presented Gaga with the LennonOno Grant for Peace, saying the singer has used her stardom around the globe to promote activism and changing the “mental map” of the world. Gaga told the longtime peace activist she planned to donate the monetary prize given with the award to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and vowed to continue to “communicate compassionately to the world and its leaders.”

Nicki Minaj better not cross Stevie Nicks. The Fleetwood Mac singer and former “American Idol” mentor told “The Daily Beast” she never would have tolerated Minaj’s verbal assaults the way Mariah Carey did. The rapper lashed out at her fellow “American Idol” judge during the show’s auditions in North Carolina last week. A video of the exchange has since gone viral. Stevie Nicks says if she had been in Carey’s chair things would have gotten violent, saying, in reference to Nicki, that she would have “strangled her to death right there.” Even though she would have “had to go to jail for it,” Stevie insists she would have “killed her in front of all those people.”

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