And the winner is ...

‘Tis the season for awards-giving, a holiday that lasts as long as the year itself. Last year, Atlanta artists drew plenty of nominations, but few trophies. This time around they’re off to a promising start.

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At the MTV Europe Music Awards, Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” won in the Best Song category. ... For the second year in a row, the Fox Theatre was named Top Small Venue (under 10,000 seats) at the Billboard Touring Awards. ... Just Plain Folks, a national music organization with more than 40,000 members, held its annual awards in Santa Ana, Calif. An esoteric group of locals were honored, including gospel singer Keri Fraser (for her song “God is in Control”), rock guitarist Mark Cook (two awards for the album Blue Voodoo), professional speaker Gene Griessman (for Lessons from Legends) and storyteller Andy Offutt Irwin (for Christmas at Southern White Old Lady Hospital). ... Soul musician Darome Bentley was selected out of 1,000 entries to win BMI’s inaugural demo contest. ... The 10th annual Georgia Karaoke Music Awards took place Nov. 12 at Park Tavern. The event honored several Atlanta amateurs, and Chase Guyton and Annette Weaver were named the king and queen of Georgia karaoke. Congratulations to all.

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KINGS OF THE WORLD?: On Nov. 11 in L.A., funk/rap hybrid Heavy Mojo triumphed at the U.S. finals for Global Battle of the Bands. The group now heads to London for the world finals on Tues., Dec. 12, where it’ll compete against bands from 24 different countries. The grand prize includes a sponsored world tour and $100,000 in cash. Wish them luck.

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I’M A BUSINESS, MAN: Producer and “head sneaker pimp” Jazze Pha, along with two business partners, recently launched Knitch, a high-end clothing boutique in Atlantic Station. ... Ludacris will continue his acclaimed acting career by appearing on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as a recurring character. He’s also developing a reality series, “Halls of Fame,” for teen-oriented cable network the N. ... If you’re a Comcast cable subscriber with access to On Demand, you can watch “Local Bands on Demand.” The 10-minute segments, hosted by Jay Harren, profile Warm in the Wake, Snowden, the Julia Dream and others.

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OPEN AND CLOSED: In October, music collective Industrial Strength Promo opened a venue and artist co-op on 494 Flat Shoals Ave. Its next showcase takes place on Sat., Dec. 2, with Subliminator, Eiliyas, John Dirga, i UNIVAC and Zano. ... Lanierland is no more. Before it officially closed on Nov. 9, the outdoor park hosted country greats such as the Oak Ridge Boys and Hank Williams Jr. for 36 years. For more information, visit www.lanierland.com.

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COMING SOON: Deerhunter’s highly anticipated Cryptograms is scheduled for a Jan. 29 release on Kranky Records. ... Purple Rain karaoke band League of Evil is working on its debut album for next year. ... Big Boi told MTV News that he’s working on his solo album. The disc, tentatively scheduled for release next year, will include production from Big Boi’s OutKast partner Andre 3000 as well as Organized Noize.

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CD RELEASES: Contemporary jazz violinist Ken Ford celebrates XII Days of Christmas during a Sat., Nov. 25, concert at Center Stage Atlanta. Special guests include Althea Rene, Maria Howell and radio personalities AJ Jamal and Joyce Littel. Proceeds from the show benefit Hosea Feed the Hungry & Homeless. ... Rock band Dust Rabbit drops its Fiver EP on Sat., Nov. 25, at Star Bar. ... Ike Stubblefield fanatics the Codetalkers record a live CD during a public session and party on Sat., Dec. 2, at Tree Sound Studios. Special guests include Shaman Goat Carson, Count M’Butu, the aforementioned Stubblefield and members of Blueground Undergrass.

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CORRECTION: In last week’s review of the BET Hip-Hop Awards, I undercounted the awards T.I. won. Not only did he win Hip-Hop Video and Hip-Hop MVP, he also snagged Hip-Hop CD of the Year (for King), making him the night’s most honored artist.