Taylor Swift Bowls Over Justin Bieber to Become Celebrity Inductee Into International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame

ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The public has spoken and country music sensation Taylor Swift is the fan's choice as the 2010 celebrity inductee into the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.  With nearly 1.3 million votes cast online at www.gobowling.com, Swift topped pop star Justin Bieber in a hotly contested race to forever secure her place in bowling history.  Swift and Bieber were among nine celebrity nominees selected by the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) for their public support of the sport of bowling.  Placing at a distant third to Swift and Bieber was comic legend and former "King Pin" star Bill Murray who went on a late run to amass nearly 20,000 online votes during National Bowling Week (July 31 to August 7), an impressive total, but not nearly enough to catch Swift or Bieber who each garnered more than 600,000 votes.  Rounding out the bottom of the competition was late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon who netted just 623 votes.  The results of the Celebrity Hall of Fame vote were first reported in the August 23rd issue of OK! Magazine.

"In many ways Taylor Swift perfectly represents the current face of bowling, especially as the sport enjoys unprecedented growth in popularity among youth, women and young adults," said Steve Johnson, executive director of the BPAA.  "While we are grateful to Justin Bieber and all of our candidates for their enthusiasm for our great sport, we are tremendously proud to welcome Ms. Swift as our celebrity inductee into the Hall of Fame and we extend our deepest congratulations to her and the hundreds of thousands of fans who cast votes on her behalf."

For the first time in bowling history, the industry opened the Hall of Fame celebrity induction process to the fans – and the votes rolled in.  Since the fan polls opened July 12, nearly 1.3 million votes were cast in a fierce competition that has seen the front-runner position shift multiple times between Swift and Bieber.  Additionally, underscoring the global popularity of bowling, the BPAA reported that votes were cast by individuals in all 50 states and across 113 countries.

As released today by the BPAA and OK! Magazine, below are the final vote tallies among the nine Celebrity Hall of Fame nominees:

1. Taylor Swift......................................................................613,324 votes
2. Justin Bieber....................................................................608,015 votes
3. Bill Murray..........................................................................21,451 votes
4. Jeff Bridges........................................................................14,754 votes
5. Pauley Perrette....................................................................9,472 votes
6. Kim Kardashian...................................................................3,628 votes
7. Dwight Howard.......................................................................779 votes
8. Chris Paul...............................................................................663 votes
9. Jimmy Fallon..........................................................................623 votes

Below is bowling background information on the celebrity nominees:

• Taylor Swift – Since country music star Taylor Swift's rise to fame, she has been frequently spotted and photographed hitting the lanes with celebrity friends like Selena Gomez and Cory Monteith.
• Justin Bieber – Teenage heart throb Justin Bieber demonstrated his love of bowling in the music video for his smash hit single "Baby," that has garnered nearly 232 million views on YouTube.  Bieber also hosted a bowling-themed release party in New York City for his album "My World 2.0," where he defeated R&B star and New York radio personality Nick Cannon in a bowling showdown.
• Jeff Bridges – Oscar award-winning actor Jeff Bridges starred as "The Dude" in the 1998 critically acclaimed bowling film "The Big Lebowski."  In Bridges' role he reinvented "cool" and the movie has since become a cult classic.
• Bill Murray – Comic genius Bill Murray starred as the memorable Ernie McCracken in the 1996 comedy "King Pin."  Since his role as the flamboyant McCracken, Murray has been a bowling icon with the popularity of his character living on through millions of Internet views.
• Pauley Perrette – Perrette is best known for her portrayal as the lovable and upbeat gothic forensic scientist Abbey Sciuto who regularly enjoys bowling with nuns in the hit CBS series NCIS.
• Kim Kardashian – Photographs of Kim Kardashian at bowling centers and charity bowling events have graced the covers of celebrity magazines and tabloids nationwide.  Kardashian also showed her skills on the lanes with sister Khloe on her hit reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."
• Dwight Howard – A true bowling aficionado, NBA all-star center Dwight Howard frequently hosts charity bowling tournaments in Orlando and has been honored in the pages of U.S. Bowler Magazine for his support of the sport.
• Chris Paul – NBA all-star point guard Chris Paul is an avid bowler who has served as an advocate and youth ambassador for the United States Bowling Congress.  Paul, who dubs bowling his "second favorite sport" regularly runs a celebrity invitational pro-am bowling tournament on the PBA tour that pairs celebrities with professional bowlers.
• Jimmy Fallon – The former Saturday Night Live star turned late night talk show host regularly conducts zany segments with celebrity guests including Grapefruit Bowling with Jennifer Anniston, Drew Barrymore's bowling ball lick and a perennial show favorite – Human Bowling.

About BPAA

Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, the 78-year-old Bowling Proprietors' Association of America is a trade association representing the business interests of bowling center owners worldwide.  As the voice of the bowling industry, BPAA's mission is to enhance the profitability of its member bowling centers.

About International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame

Located at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame collects, preserves and researches bowling's history, provides a suitable home for bowling's major halls of fame, and makes the museum's information and collection available to interested parties globally for education, promotion and entertainment.

SOURCE Bowling Proprietors' Association of America