The 2009 American Music Awards Recap

Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment"

Janet Jackson - Medley



Jennifer Lopez "Louboutins"



Whitney Houston "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"



Rihanna - Medley



Mary J. Blige "I Am"



Alicia Keys "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"



The Black-Eyed Peas - Medley



Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone"



Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys "Empire State Of Mind"

The show of the year, or the 2009 American Music Awards, was on tonight. The AMAs are making a tradition out of having a stellar lineup & painfully awful award winners. Janet Jackson kicked off the show with a medley of "Control," "What Have You Done For Me Lately," "Miss You Much," "If," "Make Me," & "Together Again" ... & she smashed it! That "If" choreography never gets old & I'm very happy that she included "Make Me." Next up was Kelly Clarkson, whose string-accompanied version of her latest single was absolutely gorgeous. In her first performance of two, Alicia Keys joined Jay-Z for their current #1 hit; her intro was really great. The Black-Eyed Peas then took the stage to perform dance-y versions of "Meet Me Halfway" & "Boom Boom Pow." Fergie brought her A-game tonight! Following a "Mad House" intro, Rihanna performed "Wait Your Turn" & "Hard" with a number of very cool props. Best RiRi performance ever? Mary J. Blige kept it appropriately simple for her number, which was awesome & has me liking the song quite a bit more now. My most anticipated performance of the middle of the show was the return of Jennifer Lopez, who effectively premiered her new single. I think she both did her THANG ... & made a nice recovery. Whitney Houston then gave one of her best performances of this era before receiving her special award. In her second performance of the night, Alicia Keys gave a better-than-average showing, flying above the stage & all, to go along with her typical on-point vocals. Lastly, Adam Lambert closed the show. He most definitely entertained me & will have people talking, which is no doubt what he had in mind. As for the awards themselves, you can check out the relevant winners below. Considering the number of awards given to a one T.S., I didn't really mind MJ winning so many. This year's AMAs spit out one good performance after another the entire time, which is essentially the point of them, so I wish them luck topping themselves next year!

• Michael Jackson wins Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album (Number Ones), & Favorite Soul/R&B Album (Number Ones)
• Whitney Houston wins International Artist Of The Year
• Beyonce wins Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
• The Black-Eyed Peas win Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, Or Group & Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo, Or Group