Adele, Rihanna, Gaga Lead Billboard Music Awards 2012 Finalists

Adele, LMFAO, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne lead the finalists for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, which will air live from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on May 20, 2012.

Adele takes the lead as a finalist in 18 award categories, including Top Artist, Top Female Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist.

Meanwhile, LMFAO is a finalist in 17 award categories, although the electro-pop duo actually scored 22 entries compared to Adele's 20. LMFAO and Adele will square off in the Top Hot 100 Artist category, which also includes Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

Pop superstar Rihanna is a finalist in 13 categories this year, after leading the pack with 18 category appearances in 2011. Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne each snagged a spot in 10 categories, and will both compete against Adele, Rihanna and Katy Perry for the prestigious Top Artist prize. And the Top New Artist category features a diverse collection of fresh talent, with Bad Meets Evil, Big Sean, Foster The People, Scotty McCreery and Wiz Khalifa serving as the 2012 finalists.

Tickets for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com and MGMGrand.com.