Taylor beats MJ at AMA Awards

The lovely Taylor Swift was proclaimed Artist of the Year at last Sunday’s American Music Awards (AMA). This one came after she became the youngest artist ever to win the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Award. This girl, who is only 19 years old and writes all her own materials, is really pop music’s biggest star for the year.

Taylor’s album Fearless has already sold over two million copies this year alone. I already expect hit cuts Love Story and You Belong With Me to be hot contenders for the Song of 2009 and to go big also at the Grammys. As we have already deduced from the results of the AMA during the past 37 years, it is the best precursor of the Grammy Awards.

Anyway, Taylor topped the nominations with six nods at the AMA. She got five trophies: Pop/Rock Favorite Female Artist; Adult Contemporary Favorite Artist; Country Favorite Female Artist Country Favorite Album: Fearless; including the biggest of them all, Artist of the Year.

And just think, she was named Artist of the Year over nominees like Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Michael Jackson. I say they are all deserving but Taylor of the vast crossover appeal, take note, she can go country, pop or rock, was the lucky one. She lost in the Favorite Pop or Rock Album category to Jackson’s Number Ones.

It was just too bad that Taylor was not around to accept the awards personally. You can never duplicate such moments. Was she scared that Kanye West might want to do a Take 2 of his tasteless performance at the MTV Video Music Awards last August? No, I don’t think so. Taylor was in London for a concert and did her “thank yous” via satellite. Awards people let you do that if you are a big, big, big star like Taylor is these days.

Still, people cannot help but think that Taylor almost never got the plum because of the much-lamented MJ who got four wins out of five nominations. These are Pop/Rock Favorite Male Artist; Pop or Rock Favorite Album: Number Ones; Soul/Rhythm & Blues Favorite Male Artist; and Soul/ Rhythm & Blues Favorite Album: Number Ones also. Probably the only reason MJ did not become Artist of the Year was because he was already gone and his hits were actually all dug up from the archives of over 20 years ago.

The other winners at the AMA were Pop/Rock Favorite Band: The Black Eyed Peas

Latin Music Favorite Artist: Aventura

Alternative Rock Music Favorite Artist: Green Day

Contemporary Inspirational Favorite Artist: Mary Mary

Country Favorite Male Artist: Keith Urban

Country Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Rascal Flatts

Soul/R&B Favorite Female Artist: Beyoncé

Soul/R&B Favorite Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas

Rap/Hip-Hop Favorite Male Artist: Jay-Z

Rap/Hip-Hop Favorite Album: Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z

Soundtracks Favorite Album: Twilight Soundtrack

T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist: Gloriana

This category covers all genres. Gloriana is a Country group. They must either be truly outstanding or have a lot of text-addicted fans because they won over Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Keri Hilson, Drake and other breakthrough acts that we Pinoys are more familiar with.

Billboard’s hit songs

And now here are the hit songs of the moment in the US of A as per Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 chart. Some of these titles and their artists will be what you will find in next year’s Grammys or AMA.

The Top 20 of the Hot 100 are: Empire State Of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys; Fireflies by Owl City; Whatcha Say by Jason DeRulo; Replay by Iyaz; Need You Now by Lady Antebellum; 3 by Britney Spears; Down by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne; Party In The U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus; Paparazzi by Lady Gaga; TiK ToK by Ke$ha.

Bad Romance also by Lady Gaga; Sexy Chick by David Guetta feat. Akon; Sweet Dreams by Beyoncé; You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift; Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas; Russian Roulette by Rihanna; Run This Town also by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West; I Gotta Feeling again by The Black Eyed Peas; Forever by Drake feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem; and Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson.