Fatboy leads Video Awards charge

Fatboy Slim married broadcaster Zoe Ball in 1999

Fatboy Slim, one of the world's most successful dance DJs, leads the list of nominations for this year's MTV Video Awards - up for nine prizes for his Weapon of Choice video.

The video was made by Spike Jonze, who directed Being John Malkovich, and starred a dancing Christopher Walken, star of Pulp Fiction and Sleepy Hollow.

 Click here to watch Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice on Top of the Pops

This is the most successful year so far for British artists, with Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Gorillaz and David Gray all nominated for awards, which will be handed out in September.

The awards honour the best music videos of the year. Jamiroquai hold the record for the most nominations with 10.

Live appearances

'N Sync, Missy Elliott and the Lady Marmalade quartet - Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil' Kim - all have six nominations each.

U2, Eminem and Destiny's Child are all named in five categories.

U2 are currently in the middle of a world tour

U2 will also play live at the event, to be staged in New York, along with singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, who is currently at number one in the American album chart.

Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice was only released as a single in America.

The video shows Walken dancing acrobatically through an empty hotel.

'Great year'

Jonze also directed videos for Fatboy Slim's Praise You and Rockerfeller Skank as well as making 1994's accliamed video for the Beastie Boys' Sabotage and for singles by Bjork and REM.

The most prestigious of the 20 awards is Best Video of the Year - for which Fatboy Slim will battle the Lady Marmalade quartet, Eminem, for the video to Stan, Janet Jackson for All For You, Missy Elliot for Get Ur Freak On and U2 for Beautiful Day.

MTV president Van Toffler said: "Not only has it been a great year for established superstars like U2, but as evident in this year's nominees, it's also been a great year for breakthrough artists from Alicia Keys to Staind to Dido."

Last year, 'N Sync won three awards, while Eminem, Aaliyah, Bjork and Macy Gray took home two gongs each.