Beyonce and Gaga lead MTV field

Singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga lead the nominations at this year's MTV Music Video Awards with nine apiece.The pair will go head to head in eight categories, including best female video and video of the year.

Britney Spears continues her musical comeback with seven nominations, having picked up three prizes last year.

The awards will be handed out on 13 September at a ceremony at New York's Radio City Music Hall, to be hosted by British comedian Russell Brand.

Green Day and Pink are amongst the first acts confirmed to perform at the show.

Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - a simple, dance-based video that has spawned dozens of tributes and parodies - is nominated for three of the main awards and in all six professional categories, including best direction and cinematography.

In the video of the year shortlist, it goes up against more lavish productions from Lady Gaga and Spears - who are nominated for Poker Face and Womanizer respectively.

In a statement, Beyonce said she had been "blessed" to have a video "people really connected with and responded to".

'Controversy-free'

Lady Gaga, meanwhile, thanked MTV "for being our video flagship and for supporting this bunch of inspired kids who love to get wasted and make art together."

Rappers Kanye West and Eminem complete the video of the year line-up with Love Lockdown and We Made You respectively.

Both are also nominated in the best male video category, as are hip-hop star Jay-Z and fellow rapper Ne-Yo.

In the best female video category, Beyonce and Lady Gaga's fellow nominees are Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and Pink.

A new category has been created this year for videos that were overlooked at previous MTV ceremonies.

Classics like the Beastie Boys' Sabotage, Bjork's Human Nature and George Michael's Freedom 90 are amongst those vying for a retrospective "Moonman" trophy.

Brand divided audiences last year with an innuendo-laden monologue in which he described former President George Bush as "that retarded cowboy fella".

This year, though, the 34-year-old has promised the show will be "a controversy-free festival of love