newsmakers

newsmakers

Adele leads AMA nominees with 4

Los Angeles

Adele has the year’s most popular album with “21,” so it makes sense that she’s the most nominated artist for this year’s American Music Awards.

The nominees were announced Tuesday in Los Angeles, and Adele led all nominees with four. The British soul singer and songwriter was nominated for artist of the year, favorite female artist, favorite adult contemporary artist and favorite album for “21.”

Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Rihanna and The Band Perry all trailed Adele closely with three nominations each. Lil Wayne, Swift, Perry and Lady Gaga are all competing with Adele in the artist-of-the-year category.

The 39th annual American Music Awards will be Nov. 20 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. It will air live on ABC.

Actor Corbin Bernsen sues company

NORFOLK, Va.

Actor Corbin Bernsen has filed a lawsuit against a Virginia Beach company seeking more than $660,000 for breach of contract.

Bernsen played Arnie Becker on “L.A. Law” and was hired by Innovative Legal Marketing, LLC to do promotional work for the company in 2009.

A lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Norfolk says the company canceled the $1 million contract in June because its campaign was successful only in New York. The contract originally was scheduled to last five years.

Bernsen attorney Douglas Baldridge also contends the company wrongfully used Bernsen’s image on its website after it terminated the contract and that it aired commercials featuring Bernsen as recently as September.

A message left with Innovative Legal Marketing managing director Brien Johnson on Monday was not immediately returned.

Taylor Swift named Woman of the Year

NEW YORK

It’s another honor for Taylor Swift. The country music superstar has been crowned “Woman of the Year” by Billboard magazine.

The 21-year-old multiplatinum singer-songwriter is the youngest to receive the award, which has gone to Beyonc , Reba McEntire and Fergie. The announcement was made Tuesday. She will be honored at the 2011 Billboard Women in Music event in New York on Dec. 2.

Her latest album, “Speak Now,” has sold over 3.6 million copies since its release last fall, and she’s sold the most albums of any artist over the past year.

It’s the latest honor for Swift, who became the youngest person to win the Grammy for best album for “Fearless” in 2010. She also has won several ACM, CMA and AMA awards.

Penny Marshall gets Amazon book deal

NEW YORK

Filmmaker-actress Penny Marshall has a book deal with a fresh twist: The publisher is Amazon.com.

The online retailer, which has been steadily expanding its publishing operations, announced Tuesday that it will release Marshall’s memoir “My Mother Was Nuts” in Fall 2012. Marshall starred in the 1970s sitcom “Laverne and Shirley” and went on to direct such hits as “Big” and “A League of Their Own.” According to Amazon, she also will write about her marriage to Rob Reiner, her friendship with John Belushi and her fight against lung and brain cancer in 2009.

Amazon recently signed a deal with best-selling self-help author Timothy Ferris. Rival booksellers, worried about helping a competitor, have expressed strong reservations about selling books released by Amazon.

Associated Press