Controversy’s a’comin’: Due to a loophole in the Grammy eligibility guidelines, quirky pop star Lady Gaga — the unspoken leading contender for a Best New Artist statue at the 2010 Grammys next February — has been deemed ineligible for nomination in that category.

The singer’s debut album, The Fame, spawned a handful of Number One hits, earning the New York-born Gaga comparisions to Pop Queen Madonna. The Fame has sold more than 1 million copies to date.

So what gives?

According to Variety, the charttopper with questionable fashion sense earned her first Grammy nod when her hit single “Just Dance” was honored in the Best Dance Recording category at the 2009 ceremony in Los Angeles — therefore rendering Gaga unable to be nominated for Best New Artist this year by Grammy regulations.