Gorillaz lead the battle of the bands

LONDON, UK (BBC) - Virtual pop stars Gorillaz look set to dominate the MTV Europe awards, which take place in Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday evening.

The group have been nominated six times - ahead of U2, Eminem, Dido, Craig David and Limp Bizkit who all have four nominations each.

No Spice Girls were nominated - nor former Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell - but Robbie Williams picked up two nominations.

Hear'Say, winners of TV series Popstars, were also left in the cold.

The award ceremony will be hosted by TV character Ali G, who spoke at the event's launch in London in September.

Cartoon characters

Gorillaz, formed by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett, appear as cartoon characters in their videos. They are in the running for the titles of best group, dance act and new act.
They have also been nominated for their song Clint Eastwood and for the video of the same track - as well as for a new category, best website.

The Artful Dodger, Craig David, Feeder, S Club 7 and Sugababes were all nominated in the category of best UK and Ireland act. The Europe-wide awards are in their eighth year and have become one of the most respected events in the pop calendar. The music TV channel says that more than 6 million young people cast their vote for the MTV awards in 2000.