Here we got the "American Music Awards 2014" and the title is pretty telling as this is the 42nd edition of the AMAs, which means it all started early in the 1970s and I am pretty sure they were much better back then than they are now. Not that such a comparison requires anything special. Because admittedly this show here that ran for 2 hours and 10 minutes (not counting commercials) was a pretty big failure. The host was rapper Pitbull and well you don't see rappers too often hosting these shows. He certainly wasn't the worst aspectg of the night, actually among the better ones indeed and his joke about changing photos in all kinds of ways with the reference to him looking like Enrique Iglesias was maybe the best moment of the night. I could also say the onyl good moment of the night. There was so much cringe here. Taylor Swift is just one example opening the show with another weak song of hers. There's no denying now she is way past her peak. Kinda fitting then she gets the equivalent of a Lifetime Achievement Award. From Diana Ross by the way. Ridiculous stuff. I cannot believe they were actually serious and her speech was also not exactly fun to wath so fake and rehearsed and I cannot believe they actually cast her in films as an actress. I also cannot believe they were actually serious with giving all these awards to One Direction. Shaking my head, oh well didn't the band name mean they are all going one direction always together for the band. See how that worked out. And their music is pointless boyband pop, nothing more. Most other winners were better. I don't really care for Imagine Dragons or Iggy Azalea though. But nice to see Sam Smith winning something. Still like him a lot. If I count correctly, we have 19 performance on stage that night, most of which include more than one song and that says it all. Topic missed. This is not an awards show anymore, it is a concert show with some quickly rushed-in awards in-between before the next performance begins. The only question here is who is more cringeworthy. The performers or the presenters. As for the latter, it is tough to top Tracie Ellis Ross and Heidi Klum and the Kardashians and also no idea why Lauren Cohan would present at a music awards show. Oh wait I forgot, it isn't one. As for the performances, mediocre was a success already here as a description honestly as most were as weak and forgettable as their songs. Lorde was kinda fun though, she feels as socially awkward when not on stage as Sam Smith. No words though for Taylor's over-the-top dancing and singing during her (=Lorde's) song. I assume that was because Lorde is also another best friend to Taylor. Well I mentioned Cohan, I can mention Lucy Hale too even if both these ladies are as stunning as it gets (unlike Uzo Aduba), problem is they have no connection to the music industry. And the way she introduced Selena Gomez I think it was was painfully cringeworthy, a very personal song. Yeah right. As if anything is personal whatsoever done by these starlets these days. I can only shake my head at that honestly. Generic artificial pop music 90% probably more, but at least one can appreciate the likes of Smith then when somebody with real talent shows up. Strangely enough, it is rather the guys now than the girls. Jennifer Lopez is just another example, impressive what she still does at her age, but doesn't mean it's quality music. I am also not sure if I like the ideas of handing awards to those absent beforehand, so they can make a little video about that. Would never happen at the Oscars or so. Or another thing I wanted to say was good, namely that they did without sponsors for some awards and right when I thought it, there was the Newcomer award I believe and that one had a sponsor. So America is a sellout I suppose? This crap even does not deserve one bit to be called the American Music Awards. Not only is it even worse than the equally struggling Grammys, but it sure does not represent good taste from any perspective. It is basically the MTV Music Awards in disguise. This awards ceremony from five years ago gets a massive thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
