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VIA EURWEB:

Michael Jackson, who has dominated album sales since his death June 25, received five posthumous American Music Awards nominations on Tuesday, including the coveted artist of the year.

Unlike the industry-voted Grammy Awards, American Music Award nominations are based on sales and radio data from Nielsen SoundScan, with winners determined by online voting from fans.

In the 10 days following Jackson’s death, his 2003 greatest hits package “Number Ones” surged to the top of the charts selling more than 440,000 copies, according to Nielsen. The collection could end up as 2009’s top-selling album.

Jackson will face Lady Gaga, Eminem, Kings of Leon and country star Taylor Swift in the artist of the year category, while “Number Ones” scored a nod for favorite pop/rock album, where it will compete against Gaga’s “The Fame” and Swift’s “Fearless.”

The King of Pop was also nominated for favorite pop/rock male artist, favorite soul/R&B artist and favorite soul/R&B album.

Swift leads all AMA nominations with six, while Eminem falls in behind Jackson with four nods.

Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas and T.I. each earned three nominations; while Jay-Z and gospel duo Mary Mary each collected two. Receiving one nod apiece were Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, Jamie Foxx, Maxwell, Day 26 and country singer Darius Rucker.

The American Music Awards will air live for the East Coast from Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on ABC at 8 p.m. Nov. 22.

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VIA EURWEB:

Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise will begin airing in off-net syndication next fall thanks to a deal struck by its parent company NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.

Variety is reporting that the company sold the franchise to NBC Local Media, Hearst Television and other broadcast groups around the country to air in daytime syndication.

The first batch of episodes will be a combination of the various “Housewives” incarnations — Orange County, New York City, Atlanta and New Jersey – and are set to air Monday through Friday.

NBC Local Media is the umbrella for Peacock’s owned-and-operated stations — in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Miami, San Diego and Hartford, Conn.

Hearst stations are in Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla.; plus Sacramento, Louisville, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Baltimore and New Orleans.

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VIA EURWEB:

Seven-time NBA All-Star and kidney transplant recipient Alonzo Mourning visited Washington, D.C. this week to educate federal lawmakers about the impact of kidney disease and to ask for their commitment on health care reform.

Mourning was accompanied by leadership from Kidney Care Partners, a broad-based alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers, nurses and physicians groups, researchers and manufacturers working together to improve access, choice and quality of care for individuals with kidney disease and kidney failure.

While on Capitol Hill, Mourning asked lawmakers to specifically support extending the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) provision, which currently forces end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients off of their private insurance and onto Medicare after 30 months of dialysis.

“By allowing ESRD patients to stay on their preferred private insurance coverage for longer, they will be able to take advantage of helpful preventive care and health management services not offered by Medicare that can help them better manage their kidney disease and their overall health,” said Mourning.

“Extending this access to employer-based insurance will also create the savings to Medicare that are needed to help patients keep their transplanted kidney and avoid a return to dialysis. So for patients and for the government, this policy just makes sense.”

Mourning’s advocacy efforts in Washington come on the heels of the successful passage of the “Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act,” which went into effect in Florida on October 1. The legislation, which was passed with overwhelming support in the Florida state legislature, created the opportunity for Florida’s Medicare beneficiaries, including ESRD patients under the age of 65, to purchase Medigap coverage for their medical needs.

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