Kelly Clarkson, looking ready for the holiday season in a sparkling red floor-length dress, took the stage for her performance of “Mr. Know It All” with a “Newsies”-style open that poked fun at her label dramas and rumors about her sexuality.
And Adam Lambert’s return to the AMAs stage — the first since his controversial performance in 2009 — was greeted with some of the night’s biggest applause as he introduced OneRepublic.
“Wow, has it really been two years?” Lambert said.
Before the ceremony, Hot Chelle Rae, who won Sprint New Artist of the Year, wowed the red carpet crowd with performances of “Tonight Tonight” and “I Like It Like That” during the pre-show. Taio Cruz and Marianas Trench also performed.
A handful of awards were announced off-camera, including Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist (Adele) and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist ( Usher).
The night ended with a predictably silly performance by party rappers LMFAO, who did a medly of recent hits complete with goofy cameos by Justin Bieber, David Hasselhoff and YouTube star Keenan Cahill.
See the full list of winners below:
Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Sprint New Artist of the Year: Hot Chelle Rae
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist: Bruno Mars
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist: Adele
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group: Maroon 5
Favorite Pop/Rock Album: Adele
Favorite Country Male Artist: Blake Shelton
Favorite Country Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group: Lady Antebellum
Favorite Country Album: Taylor Swift – “Speak Now”
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album: Rihanna – “Loud”
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist: Usher
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist: Beyonce
Favorite Soul/R&B Album: Nicki Minaj – “Pink Friday”
Favorite Latin Artist: Jennifer Lopez
Award of Achievement: Katy Perry
What did you think of the show? Sound off in the comments below!