Country sensation Taylor Swift proved her pop stardom at last night's American Music Awards, taking home four trophies - including Artist of the Year honors over deceased King of Pop Michael Jackson.
"Music has never been ultimately about competition," the 19-year-old said after accepting her Artist of the Year trophy via satellite from London, where she performed tonight.
Easy for her to say, it seems she has no competition!
Swift lead the AMA field with six nominations, winning all but Pop/Rock - Favorite Album, which was won by Michael Jackson's Number Ones. Jackson won four awards - Pop Rock Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album, and Soul/R&B Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album, losing only Artist of the Year.
Swift also won Favorite Female Artist in the Pop/Rock and Country categories, and Favorite Adult-Contemporary Artist. Her 2008 release Fearless - the best-selling release in the United States this year - was named Favorite Country Album.
The Black Eyed Peas and Jay-Z both won a pair of awards each.
Eminem was nominated four times and won nothing, though he did perform with 50 Cent during the show. Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon received three nominations each, and were also shut out.
Janet Jackson opened the show with a lackluster live montage, and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert closed the show with a predictably controversial performance highlighted by his kissing a male band member.
"You know, part of what I love about being a live performer is that sometimes you just are in the moment and sometimes things just happen," he told CNN after the performance, alluding to the fact that the kiss was spontaneous, and not planned. "Adrenaline is a crazy, crazy, crazy feeling, one of the things I love most about performing is when you're up there and all of a sudden you just have this feeling, this rush that comes over you and things happen."
His keyboard player must have felt the same rush, at the same time, because he leaned in for the kiss as if he knew it was coming.
Actual performance highlights (isn't that why we were watching?) included Lady Gaga playing a burning piano, The Black Eyed Peas performing a medley of their hits, and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing "Empire State of Mind."
The award show enjoyed its largest audience since 2004, attracting more than 14 million viewers.
The AMAs use sales and radio airplay to determine their nominees, with winners determined by an online fan vote. This is in contrast to the Grammy Awards, which are industry voted.
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2009 American Music Awards Winners (watch slideshow below):
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kings of Leon
Taylor Swift
Lady Gaga
Eminem
Michael Jackson
POP/ROCK - Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Michael Jackson
T.I.
POP/ROCK - Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
POP/ROCK - Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Nickelback
POP/ROCK - Favorite Album
Fame - Lady Gaga
Number Ones - Michael Jackson
Fearless - Taylor Swift
COUNTRY - Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban
COUNTRY - Favorite Female Artist
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
COUNTRY - Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band
COUNTRY - Favorite Album
Unstoppable - Rascal Flatts
Fearless - Taylor Swift
Foundation - Zac Brown Band
RAP/HIP-HOP - Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Jay-Z
T.I.
RAP/HIP-HOP - Favorite Album
Relapse - Eminem
Blueprint 3 - Jay-Z
Paper Trail - T.I.
SOUL/R&B - Favorite Male Artist
Jamie Foxx
Michael Jackson
Maxwell
SOUL/R&B - Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson
SOUL/R&B - Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Day26
Mary Mary
SOUL/R&B - Favorite Album
I Am...Sasha Fierce - Beyonce
The E.N.D. - The Black Eyed Peas
Number Ones - Michael Jackson
SOUNDTRACKS - Favorite Album
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Hannah Montana 3
Twilight Soundtrack
ALTERNATIVE ROCK - Favorite Artist
Green Day
Kings of Leon
Shinedown
ADULT CONTEMPORARY - Favorite Artist
Daughtry
Jason Mraz
Taylor Swift
LATIN - Favorite Artist
Aventura
Luis Fonsi
Wisin Y Yandel
CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL - Favorite Artist
Jeremy Camp
Brandon Heath
Mary Mary
T-Mobile BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Lady Gaga
Gloriana
Keri Hilson
Kid Cudi
Comments
Well, looking at the photo, (hot) Adam was being kissed back, so-whatever!
what i was offended by was Eminem's trash on murder, rape, etc, Rihanna's bondage gear, Janet's crotch grabbing a male dancer, etc.... looks like Tommy is kissing Adam right back, i don't hear any complaints from him ~ i'm more offended by the broadcast news every evening, murder and rape, mayhem, children tossed away in death after they have been abused by your friendly neighborhood child molester, daytime and prime time tv is filled with same sex situations, murder, rape, physical abuse, infidelity, sex, sex, sex, crime of every nature, and hey, its just Entertainment wut?
Taylor Swift DID NOT deserve to win Artist of the Year she is so phony when she was accepting the awards acting like she didn't know she was going to win, she really gets on my nerves and I'm sick of seeing her. Michael deserved evry award because he is a GENIUS and the Greatest Entertainer Of All Time, OK! I wish all the media woulld Stop kissing Taylor Swift's a** she is talented but come on! let's keep it REAL!!
How can taylor be nominated in pop/rock category? Last time I checked she was COUNTRY!!!
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