No Big Winner at Music Awards

No performer dominated the American Music Awards Tuesday night as “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson, hip-hop pop trio the Black Eyed Peas, R&B; group Destiny’s Child and country singer Tim McGraw each took two awards home.

“You get out there and you work hard,” said Missy Elliott, named favorite female artist in the rap/hip-hop category. “Nights like this are incredible! I feel blessed to be here.”

Although the awards show’s television ratings have declined in recent years, its prime-time broadcast on ABC and wide national audience are responsible for drawing big names from a variety of musical genres. This year’s performers included Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban, Lindsay Lohan and the Rolling Stones, the Stones appearing via satellite from Salt Lake City.

Unlike the Grammy Awards, which are voted on by musicians and record industry professionals, AMA nominees are chosen on the basis of record sales, with winners in 21 categories selected through a nationwide survey of some 20,000 consumers.

Detroit rapper Eminem beat out his protege, 50 Cent, as the favorite male artist in the rap/hip-hop category, even though Eminem did not release an album in 2005. 50 Cent’s “The Massacre,” the biggest-selling album of 2005, was chosen as favorite rap/hip-hop album.

Mariah Carey’s win as favorite female soul/rhythm and blues artist reflected her commercial rebound with her album “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which has sold nearly 4 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dyin’ ” won for favorite album and favorite male in the country category. Destiny’s Child took prizes for favorite group and favorite album (for “Destiny Fulfilled”) in the soul/rhythm and blues category.

Asked if there are too many awards shows vying for attention in the busy awards season months between November and March, Cedric the Entertainer, who hosted the show held at the Shrine Auditorium, said: “The more awards there are to win, the greater their chances to win something.”