Perry leads MTV award nominations

POP singer Katy Perry won a leading nine nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, reducing eccentric superstar Lady Gaga to also-ran status with just three nods.

Sultry British singer Adele, whose second album 21 is the world’s top-selling record this year, earned seven nominations — all of them for her hit single Rolling in the Deep.

Rapper Kanye West was the top male nominee, with seven nods for his futuristic ET collaboration with Perry, as well as his own music videos for All of the Lights and Power.