Sunday night – if you had bothered staying up; Monday morning, SA TIME: 02h00 and saw the airing of the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. Hosted by the Modern Family co-stars Ty Burrell (Phil) & Julie Bowen (Claire) in Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena; Adele once again, was the shining star. Taking home a whooping twelve, yes you read correctly, TWELVE awards, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album, during a show that saw its far share of sizzling and somewhat mediocre performances, including a jaunt-around-the-stage by Nelly Furtado with 'Big Hoop (Bigger the Better)' and a moving tribute to the late Whitney Houston. Also on the bill to perform were Chris Brown, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, amongst others.
Among Adele's host of wins also included Top Female Artist; Top 100 Artist; Top Pop Album for '21' and Top Alternative Song, for 'Rolling in the Deep'. LMFAO also bagged six awards.
LMFAO kicked off the show with an electric medley performance, performing their hits 'Party Rock Anthem'/ 'Sorry for the Partying Rocking'/ 'I'm Sexy and I Know It'. The group later returned to the stage, a number of times, to accept awards for Hot 100 Song of the Year (Party Rock Anthem) and for Top Duo/Group, amongst others.
Other winners of the night included Coldplay and Lil Wayne, who both bagged four BBMAs, while Casting Crowns, Jason Aldean and Lady Gaga each received two awards. Lady Antebellum, Shakira, Wiz Khalifa, Beyonce, Foster the People and Nicki Minaj, were amongst the artists that each walked away with one award.
According to reports, the show featured 15 performances, but in all honestly, I only remember Chris Brown's 'Turn up the Music' and Usher's 'Scream'; damn these brothers can move! Lacklustre performances, in my opinion included debuts by Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson's performance did do one thing; however, it showcased her sheer vocal ability while she stood there and belted out her new single 'Stronger'. Katy Perry however, bored me half to death with her 'Wide Awake' performance. The use of aerialists was a nice touch though. Top Social Award winner Justin Bieber, tried shame, but his performance of 'Boyfriend' fell well below average. Not even the mediocre dance moves could save him. After seeing Usher and Chris Brown, Bieber definitely started off on the back foot; who knows, maybe he'll get better with age, or maybe it's just my general dislike of the young man, oh well *shrugs.
To honour the passing of two legendary singers, Whitney Houston and most recently, Donna Summer, the Billboard Music Awards put on a show. John Legend and Jordin Sparks were accompanied by a full orchestra in their performances of "The Greatest Love of All" and Sparks, who also co-starred with Houston in her last film Sparkle, in her performance of the anthem "I Will Always Love You". Both these artists held their own, doing songs that are usually shied away from by other artists because of their sheer brilliance and vocals. Houston was awarded the Millennium Award which was accepted by her daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Natasha Bedingfield stepped up to honour the late Donna Summer, who died on Thurs (May 17).
The two-hour show only showcased some of the awards that were handed out and the presenters came from all-over the entertainment industry, including Miley Cyrus, who rocked a barely-there 'blazer-frock' number with a plunging neckline; Zooey Deschanel; RnB's Monica and Eric Benet & Gladys Knight.
Stevie Wonder ended the show on a high note! With the help of Alicia Keys, he belted out his tunes, including 'Higher Ground' and 'Overjoyed'. He even managed to convince Mrs Swizz Beats to perform an acappella version of her smash hit 'Empire State of Mind'.
All in all, an average show that was littered with amazing performances.
For a full list of the winners log on to: www.billboard.com/bbma/news/2012-billboard-music-awards-winners-performances?page=0,1
Senzo Dhlomo
Twitter: @SenzoDhlomo
