American Music Awards 2015's 20 Good and Worst Moments

American Music Award Was Held On November 22, 2015.

The 43rd Annual American Music Awards was held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It was broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jennifer Lopez. With three awards, Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night.

Worst: Selena Gomez is a Material Girl 3.0

Kevin Winter

OK, we need to officially put a moratorium on performances that look like Marilyn Monroe's Gentleman Prefer Blondes. It was brilliant when Madonna did it in 1985, charmingly meta when Taylor Swift recalled it for her 2014 VMA performance, and while it's still not as hackneyed as, say, Star Wars references, we should at least find something else for a pop star to do than descend stairs and be carted around by suitors. Also, those suiters shouldn't mix suspenders, Hammer pants, bad voguing and one tiny top-bun.

The 43rd annual American Music Awards featured Justin Bieber splashing around, the Weeknd

burning up and Ariana Grande's grandma stealing the show. Here's 20 moments
that made the evening, from Nick Jonas throwing a solo coming-out party to Miss Piggy throwing a teapot.

Best of the Night: Nick Jonas

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Nick Jonas treated his AMA slot like an audition, an opportunity to convince the world that he's ready for even bigger stardom. Unassumingly hunky in his layered dress hoodie, the singer zipped through his three solo hits, using each to spotlight a facet of his talent as a performer. Jonas began with an intense, clench-jawed solo piano rendition of "Chains." He capped a full band version of

"Levels" with an impressive, semi-pro drum solo. And though the gospel choir who filled in behind him during "Jealous" was a bit of an awards-show cliché, it helped him accentuate the richness of the song's melody. In a night of too many production numbers that were more elaborate than inspired and performers coasting on celebrity allure, Jonas displayed a winning grit and hunger.

Best: The Weeknd on Fire

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Was it a fire hazard? Absolutely. Was it a grand production? Not really. But the Weeknd's flames-and-falsetto burner was one of the most thrilling performances of the night. The Weeknd has had an incredible run in 2015, and he capped it off with a note-perfect performance of his chart-topping horror-pop smash "The Hills" in front of what looked like a flaming paperclip, hitting every high note. 

Best: A Song for Paris

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Jared Leto brought gravitas to his speech honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, hoping for a world without violence: "The entire world matters, and peace is possible." It was a strong, touching way to introduce Céline Dion, whose performance of Édith Piaf's beautifully sad "Hymne à l'amour" was both mournful and uplifting. 

Best: Justin Bieber Makes Yet Another Splash

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The AMAs were dress-down day for the Biebs, who hit the red carpet in the same ensemble of ripped jeans, ball cap and baggy white hoodie that he wore onstage. Performed with just an acoustic guitarist, "What Do You Mean?" was simple and moving. Justin was then joined by a dance crew for an impressively choreographed "Where Are Ü Now." As for the grand finale, "Sorry": Well, the artificial storm falling from the sky like a deluge of Bieb-tears was a little distracting, too often obscuring the dancers who were re-creating one of the hottest routines of the year — but impressive regardless. But if Bieber used his tear-streaked VMA performance to remind us that the sometimes bratty superstar was also a human being with real feelings, he used his AMA performance to prove that the sometimes bratty human being is a superstar who's here to stay.

Worst: 5 Seconds of Summer Aren't Hungry Like the Wolf

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The typically lively pop-punk newbies sounded and looked a little limp as they attempted to blast through their fun, energetic single "Hey Everybody!" The band was one of but three rock bands to represent at the AMAs and were sorely underwhelming as both Coldplay and Walk the Moon delivered wild, colorful and eccentric live takes on their own singles. They're only on album Number Two: What happened to their youthful energy?

Worst: Banter of the Living Dead

Kevin Winter/Getty

Why did so many of tonight's presenters look like they'd rather be literally anywhere else on earth than the AMAs stage? Wiz Khalifa's half-assed introduction for 5 Seconds of Summer made us worry about his emotional well-being. Nicki Minaj deserved so much better than the lethally drab copy the show's writers gave her to introduce the nominees for Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group: "A supergroup that's been together for over a decade ... a hot young band that's been turning out Number Ones since 2011 ... and a group that just had their first big hit this year. ... Check out this category," she said in a checked-out monotone as her eyes screamed, "Get me out of here, now." "Music has such an amazing effect on our emotions," Tyrese offered later in a subdued tone of infinite sadness. Then there was 5th Wave star Nick Robinson, whose "What a great show" was one of the least convincing statements ever made at an awards ceremony.

Best: One Direction Take a Bow

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This could be the last time we ever see One Direction perform together, and what an exit it was. The quartet — who seem to have replaced Zayn Malik with Harry Styles' floral bolo tie — were big winners throughout the night and capped off their many reasons for celebration with the Styles-penned "Style" response track "Perfect." The bad boy anthem is already a Top 10 boy-band smash but 1D reminded the AMA audience what sets them apart: their uncompromising desire and their ability to be engaging without performance gimmicks.

Best: Demi Lovato Gets 'Confident'

Kevin Mazur/Getty

As far as child stars go, former Disney sensation and ex-X Factor judge Demi Lovato has been through the ringer — but her fierce performance at this year's AMAs proves she's still in it to win it. This year saw the release of her brazen fifth album, Confident, which also serves as her own Declaration of Independence. Lovato showed moxie while performing the title track last night, channeling the sass of Chicago's Velma Kelly while holding the gothic, carnivalesque vibes of Marilyn Manson's "mOBSCENE" and the shadow-building light wall of Nine Inch Nails' recent tour. Just when we hoped she'd make it weirder, she simply tossed her finger wave curls aside and belted a monster ad-lib, fit for a classic pop diva.

Worst: Ariana Grande's Jessica Rabbit Moment

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What was Ariana Grande going for with that 1940s-baby-doll-style intro to "Focus"? Her dance moves were stiff, she looked uncomfortable the whole time and her backup dancer couldn't even bite her glove off correctly.

Source: rollingstone