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Music Awards Latin America (or the VMALAs) will take place on October 20 at the Great Tlachco Theater in Xcaret, Playa del Carmen on Mexico's Carribbean coast — the first time the event will take place in a Latin American country. The festivities will air on MTV Latin America in 24 countries, as well as MTV2 in the United States. Shakira, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and the Foo Fighters are all set to perform during the program.

Colombian singer Juanes and Argentinean group Miranda! each earned five nominations. Molotov and Reik, both from Mexico, and Colombia's Andrea Echeverri (lead singer of Aterciopelados) nabbed four nods.

Shakira has two Best Video noms — for "No" and "La Tortura" clips, the latter of which she performed with Alejandro Sanz at the MTV Video Music Awards last weekend — giving the singer a 40 percent chance of taking home one of the ceremony's top honors. Juanes (for "La Camisa Negra"), Miranda! ("Don") and Molotov ("Amateur") are also nominated.

Artist of the Year nominees include Café Tacuba and Diego Torres along with Juanes, Miranda! and Shakira.

Several American artists are in the running for VMALAs, as well. Ashlee Simpson, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson are nominated for Best International Pop Artist (as are the Backstreet Boys and Hilary Duff) as well as Best New International Artist (along with the Killers and My Chemical Romance).

Coldplay, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Green Day and the Foo Fighters will vie for the title of Best International Rock Artist; 50 Cent, the Beastie Boys, the Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliott and Eminem earned nods for Best International Hip-Hop/ R&B Artist.

— Chris Harris  MTV

For more on Shakira, Cafe Tacuba, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Foo Fighters and Juanes, check out the MTV News Archive