AMAs 2011: Kelly Clarkson goes all ‘Newsies’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Pop & Hiss will be posting live throughout the night.
As the American Music Awards closed in on Hour No. 1 on Sunday night, Kelly Clarkson performed her ‘Mr. Know It All,’ giving the song a ‘Newsies’-like makover for the live presentation. If the chorus of the tune was instantly jarring, and the media-are-evil theme was long tired before the tune even began, Clarkson’s deft mix of rock and vintage pop gave the song some old-school musical pizazz.
Moments later, Enrique Iglesias showcased his ‘I Like How It Feels,’ a song full of stomping, hand-clapping beats, given an American club gloss courtesy of RedOne. Iglesias would have been better to stick with ‘I Like How It Feels’ rather than switch into ‘Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You),’ which is more anonymous of a club hit, despite the latter getting a boost from Ludacris.
Earlier, Chris Brown once again showcased his impressive, Michael Jackson-inspired dance movies. Less impressive was his ballad crooning in ‘All Back.’ On the award front, Nicki Minaj was named favorite rap/hip-hop artist, and Rihanna’s ‘Loud’ won favorite soul/R&B album.
ALSO:
Justin Bieber finds his flow on Chris Brown mixtape
Critic’s Notebook: Adele’s quiet power amid the pop girl riot
One Song: ‘Party Rock Anthem’ by LMFAO is not worth celebrating
-- Todd Martens
