Shimmel and BB Awards take

BIBLE THUMPERS: Following the strong showing of the first-ever iHeartRadio Music Awards on NBC last Thursday night, all TV eyes now turn to the Mark Shimmel-booked Billboard Music Awards show, scheduled for 5/24 on ABC, which just announced musical guests Miley Cyrus and Ricky Martin. Lots of chatter about whether the airing of the Michael Jackson single, which had its world premiere on the iHeart Awards, accompanied by Usher’s show-stopping dance moves, could give a boost to an MJ moment planned for the bible telecast that Shimmel has gone on the line for, sight-unseen. Much bashing of the iHeart Awards by the Billboard crew in the weeks leading up to the telecast, as they attempted to block various aspects of the iHeart show. But as it turned out, the relationships between Clear Channel’s Tom Poleman, John Sykes and the rest of Team iHeart with the top artists in the business was readily apparent, as all involved seemed to enjoy being part of the show. Stay tuned, boys and girls—this oughta be interesting. (5/6a)