Lady Gaga Rules Billboard.com's Readers Poll 2013

Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande also scored major wins, but Gaga was the Billboard.com readers' MVP.

Put your hands up, make 'em touch: Lady Gaga is the ruler of Billboard.com's 2013 Readers' Poll, which allowed pop music fans far and wide to vote for their favorite albums, songs, videos and performances of the past year. Gaga, who returned in late 2013 with her "ARTPOP" opus, emerged in a superstar-laden field and claimed the poll's top prize: the 2013 MVP.

However, the MVP award was just the start for Gaga. "ARTPOP" was voted the readers' favorite album to top the Billboard 200 chart in 2013, while the official clip for "Applause" ran away with the Favorite Music Video category. Gaga's two-song stop on "Saturday Night Live" last month was voted the Favorite TV Performance of the year, and the singer blew away the competition in the Fashion category. And although "Lady Gaga Cancels Tour Dates Due To Injury" won the Biggest Disappointment award, that win just demonstrates how eager fans remain to see Gaga live -- her next tour was voted the most anticipated event of 2014.

2013 was a huge year for Gaga in the Readers' Poll, but Miley Cyrus wasn't too far behind the "Do What U Want" singer. "Wrecking Ball," Cyrus' first No. 1 single on the Hot 100 chart, was voted the best Hot 100 chart-topper of the year, and Cyrus' "Bangerz" career revival was voted the Comeback of the Year. Cyrus' twerk-happy VMAs performance was voted the Most Shocking Moment in music of 2013, and the "Wrecking Ball" online parodies won the vote for the Best Viral moment of the year.

Some other winners of note: just like in our mid-year poll, Ariana Grande ran away with the Newcomer of the Year vote, overcoming fellow newbies Imagine Dragons and Lorde in the vote. Taylor Swift's international Red run was voted the Favorite Tour of the year, while Lollapalooza and "The X Factor" won for the year's best festival and musical TV show, respectively. And although we had to remove Beyonce from one of our categories -- "Beyonce Does Not Release An Album in 2013" certainly still can't be an option in the Biggest Disappointment vote! -- Queen Bey gave the Festival Performance of the year at Made In America, while she and Jay Z were voted the Hottest Couple of 2013.

Check out the full results below -- including the percentage of the votes that each candidate received:

Here are the final results for Billboard.com's 2013 Readers' Poll:

First-Half MVP
1. Lady Gaga (26%)
2. Miley Cyrus (21%)
3. Taylor Swift (9%)

Best Newcomer
1. Ariana Grande (30%)
2. Imagine Dragons (20%)
3. Lorde (17%)

Favorite No. 1 Hot 100 Song
1. Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" (27%)
2. Katy Perry, "Roar" (17%)
3. Lorde, "Royals" (16%)

Favorite No. 1 Billboard 200 Album
1. Lady Gaga, "ARTPOP" (26%)
2. Taylor Swift, "Red" (17%)
3. Miley Cyrus, "Bangerz" (17%)

Best Music Video
1. Lady Gaga, "Applause" (30%)
2. Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" (16%)
3. Taylor Swift, "I Knew You Were Trouble." (10%)

Best Comeback
1. Miley Cyrus (37%)
2. Justin Timberlake (29%)
3. Daft Punk (5%)

Most Shocking Moment
1. Miley Cyrus' VMAs Performance (37%)
2. Lady Gaga Appears Naked in Marina Ambramovic Video (26%)
3. Cory Monteith's Death (15%)

Best Viral Sensation
1. Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" (56%)
2. Ylvis, "What Does The Fox Say" (19%)
3. Baauer, "Harlem Shake" (15%)

Best Festival
1. Lollapalooza (29%)
2. Made In America (20%)
3. Coachella (19%)

Best Festival Performance
1. Beyonce at Made In America (49%)
2. Swedish House Mafia at Ultra Music Festival (21%)
3. Paul McCartney at Bonnaroo (10%)

Best Tour
1. Taylor Swift (17%)
2. Beyonce (16%)
3. Justin Bieber (14%)

Best TV Performance
1. Lady Gaga on "Saturday Night Live" (28%)
2. Miley Cyrus at American Music Awards (19%)
3. Beyonce at Super Bowl (11%)

Most Overexposed Artist
1. Miley Cyrus (34%)
2. Lady Gaga (24%)
3. Justin Bieber (12%)

Biggest Disappointment
1. Lady Gaga Cancels Tour Dates Due To Injury (39%)
2. Jonas Brothers Cancel Tour, Break Up (18%)
3. Season 12 of "American Idol" (13%)

Best Fashion
1. Lady Gaga (31%)
2. Miley Cyrus (19%)
3. Rihanna (10%)

Hottest Couple
1. Jay Z & Beyonce (27%)
2. Katy Perry & John Mayer (18%)
3. One Direction's Zayn Malik & Little Mix's Perrie Edwards (16%)

Most Memorable Feud
1. Lady Gaga vs. Perez Hilton (36%)
2. Miley Cyrus vs. Sinead O'Connor (26%)
3. Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey (25%)

Best Collaboration
1. Lady Gaga & R. Kelly, "Do What U Want" (35%)
2. Eminem & Rihanna, "The Monster" (17%)
3. Snoop Lion & Miley Cyrus, "Ashtrays & Heartbreaks" (12%)

Best Musical/Variety Show
1. "The X Factor" (29%)
2. "The Voice" (23%)
3. "Saturday Night Live" (22%)

Most Anticipated Event of 2014
1. Lady Gaga's Next Tour (29%)
2. Britney Spears' Las Vegas Residency (19%)
3. Taylor Swift's Next Album (14%)

Sources : Billboard

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Lady Gaga cements her title as Queen of Twitter

Lady Gaga cements her title as Queen of Twitter

Over October 3-4, Lady Gaga cemented her unofficial title as Queen of Twitter by becoming the first ever person to accumulate over 30 million followers on the site. 

According to social media monitoring site Starcount.com, the eccentric pop star gains around 30,000 new followers every day. Analysts from Starcount also cite the popstar's frequent interaction with fans on the microblogging site, as well as her fame, as the reason for her phenomenal popularity on Twitter.

Close behind Lady Gaga, in terms of Twitter popularity, is teenage popstar Justin Bieber, who has over 28 million followers.  

Lady Gaga @ladygaga

Justin Bieber @justinbieber.

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Analysis: How Lady Gaga, Katy Perry And Rihanna Came To Dominate Top 40 Radio

A pure pop boom coincides with the Pop Songs radio airplay chart's two-decade anniversary.

Happy birthday, Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs chart! Two decades in, the ranking continues to track the trends at, and reveal the realities of, U.S. mainstream top 40 radio. 

The chart's 20th anniversary - it launched the week of Oct. 3, 1992 - also coincides with an unprecedented pure pop boom, as mainstream top 40 radio is playing more pure pop than ever before. And, as station ratings soar, such a focus on the format's musical middle ground is reinforcing that the format works best when deemphasizing such extremes as rock and rap. 

A year-by-year analysis of Billboard's Pop Songs chart reveals that pure pop - i.e., melodic, often synth-driven, uptempo fare from the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry - has made up at least 60% of the survey's total top 10 hits each year from 2008 through 2012 (from January through July annually). Last year, the style accounted for a whopping 79% of the list's top 10s - the highest percentage in the chart's history - as 30 of the 38 top 10s during that period fit a pop classification. 


This week, Chart Beat is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart.

Today, Oct. 2: Analysis: How Lady Gaga, Katy Perry And Rihanna Came To Dominate Top 40 Radio 

Tomorrow, Oct. 3: The Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012, From No. 100 To No. 1

Thursday, Oct. 4: The Top 40 Pop Artists 1992-2012, From No. 40 To No. 1 

What's behind the pure pop boom? It's no coincidence that 2008 marked the arrival of two of the format's reigning stars: Perry and Gaga. Rihanna, meanwhile, continued to solidify her star status as an almost constant chart staple, adding touches of R&B and reggae to her overall pop focus. Add the continued domination or resurgences in that span of such acts asChristina Aguilera, Clarkson, Maroon 5 (which, in recent years, has segued from rock to a more pop lean), P!nk and Britney Spears, and it's clear that pop became tops at mainstream top 40 radio. 

In turn, ratings have reflected that audiences' appetites for pop are robust. CBS Radio flipped KAMP Los Angeles and WXRK New York to mainstream top 40 in 2009, taking on respective Clear Channel Media and Entertainment-owned format leaders KIIS and WHTZ. In Arbitron's August 2012 ratings among listeners ages 6 and older, KIIS led all Los Angeles stations with a 5.5 share, while KAMP pulled a 3.8 share. In New York in August, WHTZ registered a 6.1 share, while WXRK scored a 2.4 showing.

Similar battles brew in other large markets. In Detroit and Boston, CBS Radio has likewise switched WDZH (also in 2009) and WODS (two months ago) to mainstream top 40, again challenging established Clear Channel-owned format outlets WKQI and WXKS, respectively. 

Programmers' adherence to, and the availability of, pure pop music at the format has ebbed and flowed since Billboard premiered Pop Songs, born of then-new BDS electronic monitoring technology, 20 years ago. (Ironically, given its title, Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" led the inaugural list. Current No. 1 "One More Night" by Maroon 5 is the chart's 252nd topper.) 

While pure pop has comprised more than 60% of all Pop Songs top 10s each year since 2008, the sound encompassed just 41% in 1993, when R&B from the likes of Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and TLC infused format playlists. 

In 1996, pop accounted for just 19% of all top 10s, as such rock/alternative acts as Gin Blossoms, Hootie & the Blowfish and Alanis Morissette became the format's - and the public's - flavor of choice. 

And, in 2003, pop's percentage rose to 45%, but the amount of rap top 10s doubled to 12 from the previous year, too. The heyday of 50 Cent, Diddy and Eminem at pop radio contrasted with 1993-2002, when no more than one rap title reached the top 10 annually. 

Since 2008, however, Rihanna has reigned with 15 more top 10s after "Umbrella," Gaga's implored us to just dance (while racking seven Pop Songs No. 1s) and Perry's tallied a record six Pop Songs No. 1s from one album ("Teenage Dream"). And, she, um, kissed a girl. Clearly, we've liked it all. 

According to Edison Research VP of music and programming Sean Ross, several factors have aligned to make for a current pinnacle for pop music. "There's less competition. R&B/hip-hop and alternative don't have the [ratings] influence that they used to, or, thus, the same ability to force songs on top 40's agenda. Only country has a similar ability to break new music and it's still viewed by most pop PDs as another sphere." 

Ross adds that mainstream top 40 has learned to cultivate its own versions of rock and R&B-influenced pop, allowing the format to sample variety without risking playing extremes. In recent years, he notes, the format largely replaced hip-hop with rhythmic pop from such acts as theBlack Eyed Peas. Teen punk similarly usurped alternative at top 40, thanks to the rise of bands like the All-American Rejects. "Plus, R&B acts like Chris Brown and Usher are releasing exclusive pop singles for top 40 while saving their core R&B singles for that format," says Ross (who served as Billboard's radio editor in 1988-92). 

While the names have changed - Peter Cetera, En Vogue, Guns N' Roses, Elton John and Toad the Wet Sprocket inhabited the maiden Pop Songs chart; Miley Cyrus wasn't born until a month after the list's launch;Justin Bieber, a year and a half later - the survey continues to help guide pop programmers' decisions. "The Pop Songs chart came along at point when country and hip-hop were competing heavily with the format," Ross recalls. "It gave mainstream top 40 PDs their own chart to look at.

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They're Bieber believers in Brunswick West

Cat Justin Bieber

JUSTIN Bieber is known to chill out in Brunswick West's hotspots snacking on sardines.

The youngster loves to receive cuddles from adoring fans but may cough up a hairball or two in the process.

After a rough start to life the once homeless kitten has now found loving owners in the form of Brunswick West pet photographer Erin McNulty and her partner Jeremy Robinson.

The pair decided to adopt the treasured tabby after fostering Justin Bieber and his brother, Mr Moo, through PetRescue, a not-for-profit organisation that finds new homes for lost and abandoned pets.

Mr Moo was adopted by another family shortly after they took in the kittens and they soon decided they couldn't let their little star go to another family.

"He is the most chilled out, sweet-natured cat. He loves cuddles," Ms McNulty said. "When we decided to adopt him we tried to think of a new name but we couldn't - he's Justin Bieber. We often say that we have Bieber fever."

The moniker was given to the kitten by the teenage daughter of one of his previous PetRescue foster carers, but Ms McNulty won't be making any YouTube videos of him singing along to the teen idol any time soon.

"There is no Justin Bieber music played in this household," she said.

PetRescue will be at Whiskas World at the Royal Melbourne Show from September 28 to October 2 to provide information and advice.

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Justin Bieber's Mom Reveals Sexual Abuse, Addictions & Suicide Attempt In New Book

Justin Bieber 

Justin Bieber's number one lady is mom Pattie Mallette -- she posted his first song on the Internet and the rest was history. But who is Pattie?

Her story is both uplifting and tragic, and she chronicles her journey in her new book, "Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom."

PLAY IT NOW: Justin Bieber’s Mom Reveals Life Before Her Son’s Rise To Stardom

"It was a mixture of pure joy and fear all at once, but as soon as I held [Justin] in my arms everything else disappeared," Pattie toldAccess Hollywood of her superstar son's birth in a new interview. "He's just 10 fingers, 10 toes, perfect little baby."

Before Justin arrived when Pattie was just 18 years old, she lived a life battling addictions. After being sexually abused as a child, Pattie turned to drugs and alcohol in her early teens -- hitting rock bottom at 17 when she attempted suicide.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Young Love! Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez

"It was incredibly selfish of me," she said of her attempt to take her own life. "At the time, I was a broken, desperate teenager and I didn't have access to guns in Canada and the thought process was going through my mind - 'What's the quickest way to die?' And I selfishly and sadly knew my sister was killed by a car, and thought that's what I had to do."

While in the hospital, Pattie turned to religion to help her heal and realized she needed to forgive her abusers who are still alive today.

"This book is so not intended for shame or blame or any of that," she said. "It's to really give hope and inspiration for healing and, as crazy as it sounds, maybe even for them."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones

And it was Pattie's faith that led to her making a vow 16 years ago to not have sex with a man until she's married - a vow she has not strayed from.

"One, I wanted to commit to God that I wasn't going to have sex before marriage because I believed that's what he wanted me to do," she explained of her chastity. "And the other [reason] was that I don't want to get pregnant again without having a father to help raise a child and the child not having two parents living in the same home."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Sexiest Single Moms

But Justin's enormous success can make finding a man a little tricky.

"I have dated... I told Justin I was going to wait until he was 18," she said. "Once we moved to Atlanta I told him I would wait until he turned 18 because it's been so crazy and I wanted to be able to focus on him, so... he's 18 now."

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Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Obama join Beyonce for campaign

Beyonce Perfomance

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama are giving a helping hand to Beyonce.

Obama and the pop stars have signed on to support the global campaign for World Humanitarian Day which Beyonce marked Sunday with the release of a new video for her song "I Was Here," filmed at the United Nations in New York last week.

The campaign asks that on Sunday people help others through such acts as making sandwiches for the homeless or volunteering at a local charity. The goal is to share 1 billion messages of hope.

A representative for Beyonce says that Bieber, Gaga, Obama, Rihanna, Shakira, Jay-Z, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin and 

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Lawyer in Justin Bieber case fights anti-paparazzi law

A paparazzo charged with recklessly pursuing Justin Bieber for photos will challenge the constitutionality of the law targeting aggressive celebrity-hounding tactics, his attorney said Friday.

Attorney David S. Kestenbaum filed a motion asking a judge to declare that the 2010 California statute penalizing those who drive recklessly in pursuit of commercial photos is unconstitutional.

The 17-page motion argues the law used to charge his client, Paul Raef, violates First Amendment protections for the press and is too broad.

Kestenbaum filed the motion during a brief hearing that neither Raef nor Bieber attended. The photographer was charged last month with four misdemeanor counts after a July 6 high-speed pursuit on a Los Angeles freeway involving the pop singer and other paparazzi.

Raef is the first person charged under the law.

The motion does not address the specifics of the incident, but rather challenges the law on constitutional grounds. It contends the law is vague because state vehicle codes do not adequately define what would be a photo taken for commercial purposes.

"First and foremost, the statute unconstitutionally singles out the press for a special penalty," the motion states.

A judge will hear the motion during a hearing on Sept. 24. Raef has not yet entered a plea in the case.

Raef, 30, was not arrested during the chase. However, his license plate was reported to police, who investigated and presented the case to city prosecutors. They charged Raef on July 25, but when the photographer appeared for booking, Kestenbaum said police were unaware of the new law and he was not processed.

Kestenbaum said he expects the case will likely end up in an appeals court, regardless of any ruling by a criminal court judge.

Raef has also been charged with more traditional reckless driving and for following other cars too closely.

Prosecutors allege he chased Bieber at more than 80 mph and forced other motorists to avoid collisions while Raef tried to get shots of the teen heartthrob.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

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The full nomination list 2012 MTV VMA

NO LADY GAGA SO SAD !! 

Video of the year

Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"

Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know"

Rihanna, "We Found Love"

Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"

M.I.A., "Bad Girls"

New artist

Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"

Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"

Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"

One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful"

The Wanted, "Glad You Came"

PHOTOS: Best & Worst moments of the 2011 VMAs

Hip-hop video

Childish Gambino, "Heartbeat"

Drake feat. Lil Wayne, "HYFR"

Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, "Mercy"

Watch the Throne, "Paris"

Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, "Beez in the Trap"

Male video

Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"

Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"

Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"

Chris Brown, "Turn Up the Music"

Usher, "Climax"

Female video

Rihanna, "We Found Love"

Katy Perry, "Part of Me"

Beyoncé, "Love on Top"

Nicki Minaj, "Starships"

Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Love You Like a Love Song"

Pop video

One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful"

Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"

Rihanna, "We Found Love"

Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"

Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, "Payphone"

 Rock video

Coldplay, "Paradise"

The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"

Linkin Park, "Burn It Down"

Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines"

Imagine Dragons, "It's Time"

Electronic dance music video

Duck Sauce, "Big Bad Wolf"

Calvin Harris, "Feel So Close"

Skrillex, "First of the Year (Equinox)" 

Martin Solveig, "The Night Out"

Avicii, "Le7els"

Video with a message

Demi Lovato, "Skyscraper"

Rise Against, "Ballad of Hollis Brown"

Kelly Clarkson, "Dark Side"

Gym Class Heroes, "The Fighter"

K'Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, "Is Anybody Out There?" 

Lil Wayne, "How to Love"

Art direction

Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"

Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"

Lana Del Rey, "Born to Die"

Regina Spektor, "All the Rowboats"

Of Monsters & Men, "Little Talks"

Choreography

Chris Brown, "Turn Up the Music"

Rihanna, "Where Have You Been"

Beyoncé, "Countdown"

Avicii, "Le7els"

Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull, "Dance Again"

Cinematography

M.I.A., "Bad Girls"

Adele, "Someone Like You"

Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"

Coldplay feat. Rihanna, "Princess of China"

Lana Del Rey, "Born to Die"

Direction

M.I.A., "Bad Girls"

Duck Sauce, "Big Bad Wolf" 

Coldplay feat. Rihanna, "Princess of China"

Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"

Watch the Throne, "Otis"

Editing

Beyoncé, "Countdown"

A$AP Rocky, "Goldie"

Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know"

Watch the Throne, "Paris"

Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, "Mercy"

Visual Effects

Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"

Rihanna, "Where Have You Been"

David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, "Turn Me On"

Linkin Park, "Burn It Down"

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Carly Rae Jepsen on Justin Bieber duet: 'I'm sworn to secrecy'

Carly Rae Jepsen has described her duet with Justin Bieber as top secret.

The 'Call Me Maybe' star recently revealed that a collaboration with Bieber will appear on her upcoming disc. Bieber apparently recommended the track to Jepsen on their very first meeting.

In an interview with MTV News, she remained coy when asked for specifics about the song.

"The Justin song, I'm kind of sworn to secrecy on because I think we want to release it together at one moment," the singer said, adding: "But the rest of the album, I'm really excited for!"

Jepsen added that she is similarly proud of another track called 'The Kiss', which features RedFoo of LMFAO.

"[The sound is] definitely in my vein, but [RedFoo's] a really brilliant guy, and I think if anything when a collaboration happens, it's a little bit of everybody that makes it what it is. So maybe not just me and not just him, but us together," she explained.

Jepsen's studio album is expected to be released later this year.

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