Justin Bieber, Ke$ha and Usher Confirmed for American Music Awards 2012

Just when things could not possibly get even more interesting and huge at the upcoming 40th Annual American Music Awards, the AMAs organizing body announced more artists who are confirmed to perform at the November 18 event. Justin Bieber, Usher, No Doubt and Ke$ha are all set to join previously announced performers Taylor Swift, Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull and Linkin Park.

Usher, who is up for three nominations including Favorite Male Artist: Pop/Rock, expressed his excitement via his Twitter wall and wrote, "It feels good to be recognized for my work on#Looking4Myself. Really proud of my 3 AMA nominations!"

The "U Got It Bad" hitmaker has some tough competition as he shares his Favorite Male nomination with Bieber who is also vying for the Favorite Album: Pop/Rock award and Artist of the Year.

The AMAs organizers are expected to reveal more guest performers in the coming weeks. One name that is still missing in the line-up is Rihanna, who leads the nominees this year together with rapper Nicki Minaj. The female artists have four nominations each.

Drake, Maroon 5, One Direction, Carrie Underwood and Pitbull also have more than one nomination this year. A new category, Electronic Dance Music, will also be introduced this year and includes David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Skrillex as the nominees.

The 2012 AMAs will air on ABC on November 18 starting at 8 P.M. EST/PST.

Usher Gets Primary Custody of His Sons in Court Battle Against Ex-Wife

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Usher won in a long custody battle against his former wife Tameka Foster. The R&B singer was awarded primary physical custody of their minor sons, 4-year-old Usher Raymond V and 3-year-old Naviyd Ely Raymond, by a judge on Friday, August 24.

The new custody arrangement will begin September 1. Usher and Tameka, who were engaged in bitter custody battle since splitting in 2008, will still have joint legal custody of the kids. Also, visitation of the children hasn't been determined for Tameka just yet.

Usher initially wanted to delay the August 13 hearing given that Tameka just lost her son Kile Glover, 11, after a serious boating accident. In his petition, Usher said he could lose custody of the children because he feared the judge would favor a grieving woman.

Tameka, however, accused Usher of trying to win sympathy by pretending to be affected by Kile tragedy. The stylist asked the judge to turn down his request because resolving the custody battle would help her move forward. The hearing was later held as scheduled.

In a May hearing, Usher struggled to hold back his tears when Tameka branded him a bad role model for their kids. She criticized him for his partying and bought up his alleged drug use, while he accused her of physical and verbal violence. "I didn't want the boys to know that their father put their mother in jail," he explained why he didn't press charges.

Usher's Stepson Laid to Rest in Atlanta

A funeral for Usher's 11-year-old stepson, Kile Glover, was held in Atlanta on Friday, July 27. The kid was laid to rest in a cemetery near the Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Buckhead, where a heartfelt memorial service was held.

His mother Tameka Foster, who's also an ex-wife of Usher, was seen among the mourners. The casket was brought outside the church with a somber recessional led by a trumpeter before it was taken to the cemetery in a white carriage.

Kile suffered a brain dead after being hit by a passing jet while he was riding an inner tube at Lake Lanier. He was unresponsive when taken out of the water and showed no signs of recovery after being treated in a hospital for two weeks. He was taken off life support on July 21.

"Many have asked where to send flowers, but in Lieu of flowers. we ask that you make a contribution to the Kile Glover Fund @ Bank of America Our goal to to increase water safety- thru implementing laws, policies & education," Tameka tweeted.

"I appreciate the hundreds, perhaps thousands of prayers. I'm so grateful to you guys. Kile was the most fun, creative, sweet, respectful boy," she additionally wrote. "Kiles passing will not be in vain, we will see to this." Kile is her son with clothier-turned-TV executive Ryan Glover.

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Usher Busts His Moves in 'Scream' Music Video

Hot on heels of "Looking 4 Myself" June 8 release, Usher debuted a music video for a new single off his latest studio installment. In the visuals, the R&B singer is featured singing and busting his moves on a stage. In between the performance footage, a girl is seen floating on water before the "U Got It Bad" hitmaker dances with another woman.

The Max Martin and Shellback-produced song was premiered on April 26. It debuted at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 32 on the Billboard Pop chart due to strong radio play. As for the supporting clip, it was filmed under the direction of BBGun during one of Big Tyme's gigs in the off-Broadway show "Fuerza Bruta" last April.

The 33-year-old musician/actor recently shared that he hoped "Scream" would be the song of the summer. "It's intended to be that, but I don't think that was the only thing," he told MTV. "We thought about live performance, we thought about mixing and matching and also giving people an energy that only [producer Max Martin] would be able to create."

He additionally wanted the single to do more than getting people on the dance floor. "If I'm gonna move you, I want to move you. I hope that it could be something that could be life-changing," he gushed. "You may be going through something real crazy, who knows, and just need to get out and just enjoy yourself. So I always think about the club, I always think about that song that will be able to let you out of that slump, if you're in it."

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