The 2016 BBMAs will air live from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena Tonight Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC

The Billboard Music Awards are upon us.

The annual honors, given by music publication Billboard, have been airing since 1989 – though took a four-year break for contract negotiations in 2007.

“The Billboard Music Awards is one of best award shows to honor chart success. My great friend Ludacris and I have also shared songs together on the Billboard chart,” said Ciara. “I look forward to sharing the stage with him on this special night. It will definitely be a night to remember!”

The 2016 BBMAs will air live from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Ludacris will return as co-host for the third consecutive year, alongside first-time co-host Ciara.

Here’s everything else you need to know about the honors.

Who’s Performing?

Like any good awards show, the BBMA will be packed full with performances, beginning with Britney Spears who will open the show with a medley of her greatest hits. Spears will also accept the prestigious Millennium Award – an honor previously given to Beyoncé and Whitney Houston.

A slew of chart-topping talent will take the stage, including DNCE, Fifth Harmony, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Tove Lo, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, Pink, Ty Dolla Sign,Troye Sivan and Meghan Trainor.

Justin Bieber will premiere his new song “Company” on the show, while Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton will get romantic with their new duet “Go Ahead and Break My Heart.”

’80s pop rock group The Go-Go’s will unite on the Billboard stage, celebrating the 35th Anniversary of their smash hit “We Got the Beat.” The ladies will embark on a North American Farewell Tour this summer to commemorate 38 years in the music industry.

Céline Dion will be received the evening’s lifetime-achievement ICON Award, following in the footsteps of Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Jennifer Lopez. Dion will perform Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” on the program – her first televised performance since her husband René’s death.

Madonna will add to the evening’s tributes, in a special performance for the late Prince.

One of the evening’s most highly-anticipated performance comes from Rihanna. Though she hasn’t announced what she’ll be singing yet, this will be RiRi’s first U.S. on-air performance since a bout of bronchitis forced the singer to cancel her Grammys appearance in February.

Who’s Nominated?

Leading the 2016 finalists is The Weeknd, with 19 total nominations across 16 categories.

The Weeknd’s closest competitor would be Bieber, who follows with 12 nominations. Drake and Fetty Wrap both picked up 11 nominations, while Taylor Swift and Adele both have 8.

Finalists are based on Nielsen U.S. year-end chart performance – determined by collecting data on sales, number of downloads and total airplay. Michael Jackson has 40 career wins – the most by any male artist. Janet Jackson has the most awards for female artist, with 33 wins.

The three biggest awards of the evening are Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Hot 100 Song – won last year by Swift, her 1989 album and Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” respectively.

The Top Artist finalists this year are Adele, Justin Bieber, Drake, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

Adele, Bieber, Swift, and The Weeknd will all compete for Top Billboard 200 Album – joined in the category by Ed Sheeran, for his album x.

The Weeknd gets double nominations in Top Hot 100 Song category for “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills.” They’ll go up against Adele’s “Hello,” Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” and “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth.

Who’s Presenting?
Buckle up – because Hollywood’s brightest will be hitting the stage to hand out awards on Sunday night.

Presenters include Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, 2016 Miss America winner Betty Cantrell, Lauren Cohan, Kathryn Hahn,Khalifa, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Idina Menzel, Keke Palmer, Rebecca Romijn, Serayah, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Lindsey Vonn and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz.

Tagged: Ashton Kutcher, Blake Shelton, Celine Dion, Ed Sheeran, Fifth Harmony, Idina Menzel,Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Keke Palmer, Lindsey Vonn, Meghan Trainor, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Nick Jonas, Pete Wentz, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Mendes, Steven Tyler, Stevie Wonder,Tove Lo, Troye Sivan, Ty Dolla Sign, Whitney Houston, Wiz Khalifa

CAMILLE COSBY DEFENDS HUSBAND BILL IN NEWLY UNSEALED DEPOSITION

Bill Cosby’s wife gave few answers about her husband during a contentious deposition in February, according to a transcript of the contentious questioning released Friday and obtained by NBC and the Associated Press. 

Camille Cosby claimed she had “no opinion” on whether or not it is “deceitful” to give Quaaludes to someone for the purposes of sex, according to The New York Daily News. (Bill had admitted in a 2006 deposition he had obtained Quaaludes to give to women.)

The deposition is part of a defamation suit filed against Bill by seven women who claim they were portrayed  as liars after accusing the comedian of sexual assault.

Bill has counter-sued the seven women who filed suit, also alleging defamation.

During the February deposition, Camille was read sections of her husband’s 2005 deposition where he admitted he “had sex and we had dinners” with model Beth Ferrier, NBC reports. 

When asked if her husband was being deceitful, Camille said she had no opinion.

She repeatedly refused to answer most questions about Cosby’s “integrity” and cited marital privilege. 

Joseph Cammarata, the attorney for the plaintiffs, asked Camille about Shawn Thompson, a woman who said Bill fathered her daughter, Autumn Jackson, in the 1970s, according to reports. 

Bill has acknowledged he had an affair with Thompson according to NBC. (Jackson was convicted in 1997 of attempting to extort money from Bill to prevent her from saying she was her daughter, according to NBC.)

Camille said in the deposition that Autumn is not Bill’s daughter and that she is confident about that “because there was a test, a DNA test,” according to NBC.

About 50 women have accused Bill of sexual misconduct going back decades. The entertainer, his publicists and his legal team have repeatedly denied the allegations.

Bill has a hearing May 24 in a criminal case in Pennsylvania for allegedly drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, in 2004. 

KIM KARDASHIAN WEARS LINGERIE-INSPIRED SLINKY BLACK OUTFIT FOR LONDON LUNCH DATE WITH KANYE WEST

Kim Kardashian has only been in London for a day and has already got through plenty of outfit changes.

On Saturday, Kim and KanyWest grabbed a bite to eat in trendy Mayfair following their appearance at a Vogue event and the 35-year-old slipped into a brand new outfit for the outing.

The mum-of-two looked like she had just rolled out of bed in a boob-baring black silk dress which had lace detailing around the bust.

The reality star teamed the look with a diamond-encrusted choker, a jacket draped loosely over her shoulders and a pair of maroon boots.

Completing the fuss-free look, Kim wore her hair scraped back into a messy bun.

The rapper, 38, had also changed outfits, this time opting for a little more colour in a camouflage jacket and white T-shirt.

Keep business interests and friends separate

Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon put on his mentor hat in a recent interview, saying that it’s important for young artists to keep their business interests and friends separate. 

Surrounding yourself with yes-men and hangers-on is the wrong way to go, he told Jan DeLeon.

"There's a lot of people that don't have great intentions and they'll be right there next to you rooting you on and acting like they're genuine, but they don't really give a f-ck about you -- they're there for their personal pleasure," he said. "So I always say make sure your team is solid and you're handling business. Have the people there that are important to regulate what's going on around you… This is how things get messed up, when people just allow other people to come in."

Raekwon said he felt a pull to help old friends "get out of the hood," but that it hasn’t always worked out. "Like I said you never know if they’re really down for the get-down when it comes to that," he said. "So I think it’s important to just lay it out at the top. And if you feel that person is worthy of that job, give it to them. Don’t give it to them just because it’s your homeboy."

He added, "You definitely can’t help everybody, but from us being from that project mentality, we always want to come back and help a few people out that we can because we love them. But if you’re not doing job, you’re in trouble."

PRINCE MAY HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR MORE THAN SIX HOURS BEFORE HE WAS FOUND: REPORT

Heartbreaking new details are emerging amid the ongoing investigation into Prince’s untimely death on April 21.

The Star Tribune reports that a paramedic who responded to the 911 emergency call told staff members, law enforcement officers and others that the “Purple Rain” singer may have been dead for more than six hours before his body was discovered in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate.

As Us previously reported, Prince was found with prescription painkillers in his home when he died, and had been battling a decade-old addiction to opioids.

Sources close to the investigation tell the Star Tribune that the singer had in fact become “increasingly agitated” in the days following an overdose that prompted his plane to make an emergency landing on April 15.

In an attempt to remedy the situation, a staff member at Paisley Park called someone in New York in the early hours of April 20 seeking advice on how to calm Prince down, the Star Tribune reports.

The musician was then taken to the hospital, where he received an intravenous treatment, a source told the newspaper. At some point that same day, a doctor treating him for withdrawal symptoms made a house call (according to the Star Tribune, the timeline of events is as yet still unclear.)

Staff members also reportedly reached out to Prince’s longtime friend Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, who put them in touch with Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a California doctor who it was hoped would help wean Prince off his dependence on prescription painkillers.

He was, however, unable to make it out to Minnesota until April 22, so he sent his son, Andrew Kornfeld, to the residence on April 21 instead.

Andrew was one of the individuals who would later discover Prince’s lifeless body.

Sony Music Files Fraud Lawsuit Against Rdio Executives Over Pandora Deal

In a new lawsuit, Sony Music alleges it was defrauded of millions when the on-demand service Rdio came to agreement with Pandora and subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last November.

The complaint filed in New York federal court targets Rdio chief executive officer Anthony Bay, Rdio general counsel Elliott Peters and Rdio senior v in charge of content licensing Jim Rondinelli.

The first big bust in the era of streamed music, Rdio sold its key assets to Pandora for $75 million. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, Rdio had more than $190 million in secured debt and about $30 million of unsecured debt. The company was losing $2 million each month.

Licensing sound recordings was one of Rdio's biggest expenses.

In 2010, Sony came to a content agreement that enabled Rdio to use music from such artists as Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce. By the end of 2014, according to the complaint, Rdio owed Sony $5.5 million as a minimum revenue guarantee. Sony says that Rdio's executives approached the label about renegotiating the content agreement and deferring the due date of the payment. Sony agreed to an interim extension.

The complaint states: "Unbeknownst to SME, however, at the same time that Rdio was negotiating the amendment to its Content Agreement with SME, it was simultaneously negotiating its deal with Pandora -- under which Rdio would file for bankruptcy; Pandora would buy Rdio’s assets out of bankruptcy; defendant Bay (as part-owner, executive officer, and director of Rdio’s secured creditor) would expect to be first in line to receive proceeds of the Pandora deal; and SME (as an unsecured creditor) would receive pennies on the dollar for the amounts owed to it under the amended Content Agreement."

Sony says that Rdio purposely kept its Pandora negotiations and impending bankruptcy secret so as to hold back Sony from demanding immediate payment of the $5.5 million and "inducing" extensions and a restructuring of payment obligations. What's more, Sony alleges that one day prior to Rdio making its deal with Pandora, a renewal amendment was made that gave Rdio the right to sound recordings through March 31, 2017.

"A material provision of the Renewal Amendment was Rdio’s obligation to pay SME $2 million on Oct. 1, 2015 — the day after the Renewal Amendment was executed," continues the lawsuit. "This presented a dilemma for Rdio: the Pandora deal would be jeopardized either upon Rdio’s taking $2 million in cash out of its business, or upon Rdio failing to make the payment to SME and putting its ongoing access to SME’s content at risk."

Faced with this situation, Bay and Rondinelli allegedly told Rdio it was raising capital so as to get Sony to extend the due date for the payment.

Sony, repped by Jonathan Sperling at Covington & Burling, is now asserting claims of fraudulent inducement and unjust enrichment. The music major is upset over the $5.5 million it still hasn't received from the 2010 deal as well as the $2 million not received under the renewal agreement. Sony also takes issue with compensation and bonuses paid out to Bay and Peters -- money, it says, that "should have been paid to SME for the rights it licensed to Rdio" -- as well as Bay being "personally enriched" by the sale of Rdio assets to Pandora.

"It would be against equity and good conscience to permit Defendants to retain any benefits that they obtained as a result of their fraudulent conduct," the complaint states.

The defendants couldn't be reached for comment, but we'll update if we hear any response.

Mutulu Shakur, Up For Parole After Serving 30 Years In Federal Prison

Tupac's stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, may be a free man this week after serving 30 years of his 60-year prison sentence "for masterminding a string of deadly armed robberies in New York and Connecticut committed by a militant political group known as 'The Family,'" the Associated Press reports.

Shakur's parole hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 4.

His original release date was scheduled for February 10, yet the 65-year old remains an prisoner at the high risk U.S. penitentiary in Victorville, California.

The Baltimore, Maryland native made the FBI's Most Wanted list after the $1.6 million caper of an armored truck at a Rockland County, New York mall was executed in 1981.

The heist resulted in the killing of a Brinks security guard and two Nyack, New York police officers.

In 1986, he was found in Los Angeles after being on the run for half a decade. He was indicted for racketeering and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

He was also charged with helping Joanne Chesimard, now known as Assata Shakur, escape from a New Jersey prison in 1979, where she was serving a life sentence for the murder of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster six years prior. She now lives in Cuba under political asylum.

Mutulu maintains his innocence and has been labeled as a political prisoner to some.

His lawyer argued in court during his 1987 trial that there was no proof that Mutulu was involved with the Brinks caper nor is there proof that he aided Assata in escaping prison.

A #MutuluIsWelcomeHere campaign was started in February in support and preparation of his release.

"There are enemies of our struggle who are intent on proving that Dr. Mutulu Shakur is a threat and danger to the community and society and does not deserve to be let free to come home,"the website says. "It is important that we challenge that narrative with true stories of personal experiences with Dr. Mutulu Shakur and how we have benefited from knowing him. We are asking that you take the time to describe the impact he has had on your life."