Gorillaz is top MTV Europe Awards nominee

Gorillaz is up for four gongs at the MTV Europe Music Awards and there is now the question of how members 2D on vocals and keyboards, Mudoc on bass, Russel on drums and Noodle on guitar will show up. Now, if something like this happened 50 years ago, the producers of the awards show would have had a huge problem. How will a winner that does not really exist accept its trophy? More so, should they even be nominated? Where should they go for the precedent, the Archies of Milli Vanilli?

But we live in a different world and the challenges posed by music and animation these days know no limits. Gorillaz is a virtual group. That means, everything about it, including the members who have been given their own personalities, was created through computers. Given this the only problem posed by the nomination of the Gorillaz is how eye-popping the group’s appearance at MTV Europe will be.

But then again, perhaps the guys who created this fantastic hop group should ascend the stage. After all, the Gorillaz was their idea and successful pop acts of the virtual sort do not happen everyday. They are producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Damon Albarn of the group Blur, cartoonist and animator Jamie Hewlett and their assorted collaborators.

The Gorillaz made its first big splash three years ago with the tune Clint Eastwood. Dark, funky and truly funny, it was an instant hit and made everybody take a look at this new band that looks like a group of refugees from manga country. A few months ago, the Gorillaz ditched its novelty trademark by coming up with an even better second album, which earned the group those MTV nominations.

With new producer Danger Mouse at the helm, Demon Days is a richly textured production filled with commercial hooks and out-of-this-world themes. As before, lots of guests came along for the ride. They all wanted to be animé voices, led by would you believe, actor Dennis Hopper, (he was James Dean’s contemporary!) doing the narration in Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head.

The other mighty interesting titles in the album are Last Living Souls, Kids with Guns, O Green World, Dirty Harry, (the Gorillaz must love Clint Eastwood,) Feel Good, Inc., El Manana, Every Planet We Reach is Dead, November Has Come, All Alone, White Light, Dare, Don’t Get Lost in Heaven and Demon Days.

In a tie with Gorillaz for four nominations at the MTV Europe Music Awards is Coldplay. Winners will be announced on Nov. 3 at the Atlantic Pavillon in Lisbon. Here is the list:

Male: 50 Cent, Eminem, Moby, Robbie Williams, Snoop Dogg

Female: Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott

Group: Coldplay, Green Day, Gorillaz, The Black Eyed Peas, U2

Rock: Coldplay, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, U2

Hip-Hop: 50 Cent, Akon, Kanye West, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg

Alternative: Beck, Bloc Party Goldfrapp, System of a Down, The White Stripes

Best Song: Coldplay’s Speed of Sound, Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc., James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful, Snoop Dogg’s (featuring Justin Timberlake) Signs, The Chemical Brothers’ Galvanise

R&B: Alicia Keys, John Legend, Mariah Carey, Mario, Usher

Pop: Gorillaz, Gwen Stefani, Robbie Williams, Shakira, The Black Eyed Peas

Album: 50 Cent, The Massacre, Coldplay, X & Y, Green Day, American Idiot, Gwen Stefani, Love. Angel. Music. Baby, U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

New Act: Akon, Daniel Powter, James Blunt, Kaiser Chiefs, Rihanna

Video: Beck’s E-Pro, Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc., Gwen Stefani’s What Are You Waiting For?, Rammstein’s Keine Lust, The Chemical Brothers’ Believe

Billboard’s top singles & albums

With only 86 days to go before Christmas and 93 days to go before the year ends, there is a marked change in the US hit charts. Mariah Carey, The Black Eyed Peas and Green Day continue to hang on but the rest are new releases that might dominate the pop music scene in 2006. Check them out.

The Top 10 singles in Billboard’s Hot 100 are Gold Digger by Kanye West featuring actor Jamie Foxx; Shake It Off by Mariah Carey; Like You by Bow Wow featuring Ciara; My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas; We Belong Together by Mariah Carey; Outta Control (Remix) by 50 Cent featuring Mobb Dee7p; Don’t Cha by The Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes; Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day; Lose Control by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop; and Play by David Banner.

The Top 10 albums in Billboard’s 200 are The People’s Champ by Paul Wall; Late Registration by Kanye West; Nothing is Sound by Switchfoot; Jasper Country by Trisha Yearwood; PCD by The Pussycat Dolls; Chaos and Creation in the Backyard by Paul McCartney; Welcome to Jamrock by Damian; Jr. Gong by Marley; Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas; The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey; and Charlie Last Name Wilson by Charlie Wilson.