Ludacris & Supermodel Chrissy Teigen to Host 2015 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS

ABC and dick clark productions have announced that the "2015 Billboard Music Awards" is set to return to ABC and will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on SUNDAY, MAY 17 at 8p.m., ET. The show will showcase this year's hottest musical acts and biggest music stars. TV host and supermodel Chrissy Teigen will host with hip-hop superstar and actor Ludacris, who returns to host for the second consecutive year and whose eighth studio album, "Ludaversal," will be released tomorrow.

"If my extensive collection of all 53 'Now That's What I Call Music' compilations is any indication, I am both qualified and honored to join Ludacris in hosting this amazing show that spotlights the best music and artists of the year," said Teigen.

"I had so much fun hosting the BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS last year and I can't wait to be back!" said Ludacris.

The "2015 Billboard Music Awards" finalists will be announced on Tuesday, April 7. Tune in to "Good Morning America" that morning when Ludacris and Pete Wentz reveal a portion of the "2015 Billboard Music Awards" finalist categories.

About "2014 Billboard Music Awards"
ABC's 3-hour broadcast of the "2014 Billboard Music Awards" delivered an across-the-board win, topping the 8:00-11:00 p.m. time slot in Total Viewers, all key Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and Teens 12-17.

Surging by 1.2 million viewers year to year (10.7 million vs. 9.5 million) to deliver its 2nd consecutive year of growth, the "2014 Billboard Music Awards" scored its most-watched telecast in 13 years and equaled an 11-year high in Adults 18-49 - since 2001 and 2003, respectively. In addition, the annual show was also up for the 2nd consecutive year with Teens 12-17 (+6%) to deliver its top rating in 10 years - since 2004.

The "2014 Billboard Music Awards" was the No. 1 most social program on the Sunday it aired with 5,450,160 tweets, shooting up 25% year to year (vs. 4,358,169 tweets on 5/19/13) for its highest number ever.

About Chrissy Teigen
Known for her clever, irreverent yet savvy tweets and Instagram photos, 2014 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT cover model and television host Chrissy Teigen is also the founder and author of SoDelushious.com. Teigen is currently working on her first cookbook and next up will be seen as commentator on SPIKE TV's "Lip Sync Battle premiering April 2 . Teigen will also co-host the new nationally Syndicated talk show "The FAB Life," which will premiere this fall.

About Ludacris
The career of the multitalented CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES can best be described as remarkable. As a recording artist, he has sold more than 15 million albums domestically, placed four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and has charted 36 top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including five No. 1s. Thanks to the blockbuster success of such singles as "Stand Up," "Get Back," "Southern Hospitality," "Number One Spot," "Money Maker" and "My Chick Bad." All of these records were accompanied by ingenious videos that demonstrated Bridges' far-reaching imagination, and his willingness to stretch the boundaries of what rap videos should look and feel like.

With an unrivaled match of lyrical acumen, wit, and imagery, Bridges has solidified himself as one of music's premier entertainers. Although he's best known for his infectious tunes, Ludacris has shown that he's equally adept at writing powerful songs with serious subject matter, including runaways, with the song "Runaway Love." Bridges' versatility and artistic complexity also enabled him to make a seamless transition to acting.

Most recently, he starred in Furious 7, the seventh installment in the global box-office hit franchise. His other feature film credits include Universal Pictures' "Fast & Furious 6," "Fast Five," "2 Fast 2 Furious," Garry Marshall's ensemble comedy "New Year's Eve" and Ivan Reitman's romantic comedy, "No Strings Attached," opposite Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. His acclaimed performances in film, ("Crash," "Hustle & Flow"), and television, (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), have Hollywood and critics alike buzzing about his increasingly impressive screen resume. Stepping back into the studio, he is also now wowing fans with his 8th studio album, "Ludaversal."

A consummate businessman, Ludacris is enjoying success outside of entertainment. His latest venture includes a highly anticipated new restaurant coming soon to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport. His philanthropic efforts rival his entertainment accomplishments. He also partnered with Crash writer/director Paul Haggis and Artists for Peace and Justice to help raise more than $4 million for Haitian relief efforts. In addition to that, he has raised more than $100,000 for disaster victims through The Ludacris Foundation. Having partnered with Jane Fonda, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Nelson Mandela, to name a few, The Ludacris Foundation continues to inspire youth through education.

About Billboard
Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com which is the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music, the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike.

About "2015 Billboard Music Awards"
The "2015 Billboard Music Awards" are set to return to ABC and will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT. The show will showcase this year's hottest and biggest music stars. BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of March 10, 2014 through March 8, 2015. The "2015 Billboard Music Awards" is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are Executive Producers.

?About dick clark productions
dick clark productions (dcp) is the world's largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the "Academy of Country Music Awards," "American Country Countdown Awards," "American Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," "Golden Globe Awards," "Hollywood Film Awards" and "The PEOPLE Magazine Awards." Weekly television programming includes "So You Think You Can Dance" from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, and dcp; "World's Funniest Fails" from Jukin Media and dcp; as well as "Boom!" (FOX) from Keshet DCP, the joint venture between Keshet International (KI), the global distribution and production arm of Keshet Media Group, and DC Media, the parent company of dcp. dcp also owns one of the world's most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About the MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar de la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, U2, Lady Gaga, Sting, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also is home to the annual ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and the Frozen Fury NHL pre-season game which features the Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche.

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