POP GO THE BRITS

The nominees for this year’s Brit Awards, announced Tuesday in London while America was otherwise occupied, are led by Coldplay and Duffy with four apiece, followed by Adele, Elbow and Scouting for Girls with three each, while Radiohead, Girls Aloud, Estelle and the Ting Tings got double nods.

Best British album noms are Viva La Vida, Rockferry (the U.K.’s top seller last year), In Rainbows, Elbow’s The Seldom Seen Kid and the Ting Tings' We Started Nothing.

Competing for best British group are Coldplay, Elbow, Radiohead, Take That and Girls Aloud. Coldplay is also up for best British live act against Elbow, Iron Maiden, Scouting for Girls and The Verve.

Noms for British female solo act are Duffy, Adele, Estelle, M.I.A. and Beth Rowley, while Ian Brown, James Morrison, Paul Weller, The Streets and Will Young will duke it out for British male honors. You’ll note that the female category is filled with names that are readily familiar to U.S. fans, while the male category is not.

British breakthrough act selections are Duffy, Adele, Last Shadow Puppets, Scouting for Girls and the Ting Tings.

On the International front, AC/DC, Kings of Leon, Fleet Foxes, The Killers and MGMT are all up for both best album and best group.

Beck, Neil Diamond, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Seasick Steve (?) find themselves in an improbable battle for International male honors, while Beyonce, Gabriella Cilmi, Katy Perry, Pink and Santogold face off on the female side.

The best producer category, shelved since 1998, has been restored, with Bernard Butler (Duffy), Brian Eno (Coldplay) and Steve Mac (Leona Lewis) the nominees.

The Brit Awards will take place Feb. 18, 10 days after the Grammys, meaning that confirmed performers like U2, Duffy and Kings of Leon will have plenty of time to get from London to L.A. should they get the call from Ken Ehrlich.