Swift leads iHeartRadio nominations
Taylor Swift leads the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards with eight nominations, followed by The Weeknd with seven.
Nominations were announced Tuesday by iHeartMedia and Turner. The event will be televised live from Los Angeles on April 3 on TBS, TNT and truTV and aired on iHeartMedia stations and the iHeartRadio digital music platform.
Swift’s “1989,” The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness,” Adele’s “25,” Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour,” and Ed Sheeran’s “X” are nominated for album of the year, a new category this year. Fetty Wap, Hozier, Sam Hunt, Shawn Mendes and Tove Lo are vying for best new artist.
This year, the artist of the year category has been split into separate male and female categories, and new genre-specific artist of the year awards have been added as well as Latin and regional Mexican music categories. Performers on the show will include Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor.
Ticket presales for the show begin today for Capitol One cardholders at www.iheartradio.com/capitalone. Fans can vote at iheartradio.com/awards.
Clarkson writes kid’s book
Kelly Clarkson has written a song and a bedtime story for kids.
Clarkson’s picture book, “River Rose and the Magical Lullaby,” will be released in October by HarperCollins Children’s Books. The publisher announced Tuesday that Clarkson has written an original lullaby for her story of a little girl who visits the zoo and has such a great time she can’t fall asleep.
Inspiration for the book’s title began at home. The 33-year-old singer and former “American Idol” star has a baby daughter, River Rose, and is expecting a second child.
Garner touts education
Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner is asking Kentucky lawmakers to spend $1 million on an early-childhood education program.
The star of the TV show “Alias” a nd movies i ncluding “Juno” and “Dallas Buyers Club” testified Tuesday before the House budget committee. Garner said the program works well in Kentucky, offering literacy and other development programs for children.
Lawmakers said they support the program but noted the state does not have much money to spend because of shortfalls in public pension programs.
Garner is from West Virginia. She testified along with Mark Shriver, Save the Children Action Network president and a nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.