In the movie, the rapper-turned-actor plays a NYPD cop who is working with the director of the Times Square festivities (Hilary Swank). Bridges actually has performed in Times Square, on NBC's New Year's Eve With Carson Daly, in 2008.
Getty Images
The 2014 Billboard Music Awards are getting a dose of Southern hospitality.
Hosting Sunday’s annual music celebration on ABC is one of hip-hop’s all-time most successful artists — Ludacris.
STORY: Jennifer Lopez to Receive Icon Award at 2014 Billboard Music Awards
Ludacris is the owner of 18 Hot 100 top 10 singles, the third-most of any hip-hop musician. He’s also produced five No. 1 albums on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and 29 top 10 singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Additionally, the Atlanta-based rapper boasts a considerable acting resume, making him an ideal choice to hold down hosting duties. He has appeared in acclaimed films like Hustle & Flow and Crash in addition to a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Ludacris is in the midst of filming for Fast & Furious 7 (his latest of several films for the series) and working on his studio album Ludaversal, due out this fall.
Stars who will present awards alongside Ludacris include Shania Twain, Phillip Phillips, Josh Groban, Lucy Hale and fun.’s Jack Antonoff. There will be performances from Shakira, 5 Seconds of Summer, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Lorde, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, OneRepublic, Pitbull and Ricky Martin.
STORY: Michael Jackson to Unleash World Premiere Experience at Billboard Music Awards
Fan voting for the 2014 Milestone Award presented by Chevrolet will continue through the first two hours of the awards show, ending at 10 p.m. ET. To vote for finalists Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic or Underwood go to billboard.com/milestone.
The BBMAs, produced by Dick Clark Productions, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET. Yahoo will be streaming this year’s red carpet show. For additional information, visit billboardmusicawards.com or the Billboard hub at billboard.com/bbma.
Dick Clark Productions, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard are all owned by affiliates of Guggenheim Partners.
This story first appeared on billboard.com
