Eminem, Justin Bieber scoop Billboard Music Awards

Eminem and teen idol Justin Bieber dominated the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, winning six awards each with the 38-year-old rapper taking the top honor for artist of the year.

With Eminem absent, Bieber helped lead the way om stage beside some of pop's biggest current stars at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, marking the music magazine's efforts to revive what was once an annual event following a four-year hiatus.

Sporting his now short, spiky hair and a sparkling gold tuxedo jacket, Bieber beat singer Bruno Mars and rapper Nicki Minaj for best new artist and marveled to the audience, "I'm 17 ... every day is crazy to me because I see so many people and I get to make so many people smile."

The Canadian pop star, who has gained a huge following of "Beliebers" through YouTube and social media websites, also won awards for top pop album, streaming artist and song, as well as social and digital media artist. He thanked "everybody who helped me get out of my home town and live my dream."

Detroit native Eminem, who released the critical and commercial success "Recovery" last year, including the hit single "Love The Way You Lie" featuring singer Rihanna, won awards for top male artist, billboard 200 album, rap artist, rap song and rap album.

Rihanna, 23, kicked off the show with a performance of "S&M" from her 2010 fifth studio album "Loud," and was joined on stage by Britney Spears before going on to win three awards including top female and top radio artist of the year.

She thanked her biggest fan devotees, who call themselves the Rihanna navy, and hailed her native Barbados. The last Billboard artist of the year was Rihanna's former boyfriend Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting her in 2009 and did not attend the awards.

Katy Perry won awards for top hot 100 artist and top digital songs, while British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz won the top hot 100 song of the year for his hit, "Dynamite."

"Need You Now," by Lady Antebellum won country song of the year. The title track from their second album introduced the group from Nashville, Tennessee to audiences worldwide and is now the most-downloaded country song ever, according to Billboard.

Taylor Swift, 21, who has swept music award shows in the past several years, won country artist of the year. She sold 1,047,000 first-week copies of her third album "Speak Now" in the United States last November, making it the fastest-selling new album in five years.

Accepting the top duo or group award for the The Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.Am singled out "technology because without technology we wouldn't be here as an industry."

Beyonce was honored with the Millennium Award for her musical influence and hailed as a role model for women.

Neil Diamond, 70, won the icon award before performing his 1969 hit, "Sweet Caroline." Other performers included Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and singer Cee Lo Green.

U2 won the top touring award for its current "U2 360 degrees" tour, which features revolutionary staging and has become the highest-grossing tour of all time.

"You can make classic albums in your bedroom and you can play the greatest show of your life on a one-string guitar, but we just don't do that," U2 frontman Bono told the audience.

The awards, with eligibility from Feb 28, 2010 to March 1, 2011, were based on multiple factors including chart performance, album and single digital sales, touring and streaming and popularity on social media sites.

Rock Hall inducts Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, crooning his signature mellow rock songs in a stark contrast to fellow inductee heavy metal band Alice Cooper.
Diamond and Alice Cooper were honored alongside Tom Waits, Darlene Love and Dr. John at a black tie event at New York's Wardorf Astoria hotel, with Cooper performing in a typically theatrical fake blood-spattered shirt and eye makeup while thanking the crowd with a live snake writhing around his neck.
"We have always been a hard rock band, we just wanted to decorate it a little bit differently," Cooper said after his band performed the 1972 hard rock anthem "School's Out."
He later opined the "shock rock" style the band helped originate was gone -- "I don't think you can shock an audience anymore," he said.
Musician Rob Zombie introduced the band by comparing them to "more like a murderous gang of drag queens."
Diamond performed his rousing 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline" -- famed for being inspired by former U.S. President's John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline -- as he walked among the audience. He also sang his singles "Cherry, Cherry" and "I Am ... I Said."
Singer Paul Simon introduced Diamond by noting artists for the Hall of Fame become eligible 25 years after their first record, making Diamond's induction a long time coming.
"My question is, what took so long?" Simon said, before Diamond stepped on the stage to receive his award.
Diamond, 70, has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, as well as writing hits for other musicians including The Monkees' "I'm a Believer." He later teamed with Barbra Streisand for the easy-listening hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."
His successful live concerts were marked by his landmark live 1972 album "Hot August Night," and many of his songs, including "Solitary Man," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," "Red Red Wine", "Holly Holy," and "Song Song Blue" have been covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, UB40 and Chris Isaak.
SIXTIES TEEN SPIRIT
Singer-songwriter Tom Waits, 61, whose blues and experimental rock has won over fans since the 1970s, inflected his acceptance speech with offbeat remarks such as "songs are just very interesting things to be doing with the air".
He also joked about his profile over the years: "They say I have no hits and I'm difficult to work with -- and they say it like this is a bad thing."
Rhythm and blues singer Darlene Love, 72, whose 1962 No. 1 hit "He's A Rebel" with The Crystals gained fame as one of the most definitive girl group sounds of the time, thanked convicted record producer Phil Spector, who was behind her best-known songs.
Actress and singer Bette Midler paid tribute to Love, who worked with Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Dionne Warwick, by saying Love "changed my view of the world" and was "the very embodiment of teen spirit in the sixties."
The event started with the induction of New Orleans blues, funk and jazz singer songwriter Dr. John, whose real name is Malcolm Rebennack, who said music had been "a blessing" in his life. His 1972 landmark album "Gumbo" of New Orleans classics found a mainstream audience.
Songwriter and keyboardist Leon Russell received The Award For Musical Excellence and was honored by Elton John, who called him "my idol." The pair released a collaborative album last year, "The Union" after having not spoken for 38 years.
Industry executives Jac Holzman of Elektra Records and Art Rupe of Specialty Records also both received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The five performing artists and bands inducted at the ceremony were chosen by 600 music industry professionals. Inductees are represented in a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.