The title "American Music Awards 2019" is fairly telling as here you have the name of the ceremony as well as the year when this was held. This means also that it is not too long ago, not even half a year, because this took place in November 2019. I find it always very embarrassing to see that so many writers and directors worked on such an event and yet the outcome is so disappointing, especially when most of them are also very experienced. I mean Glenn Weiss is the epitome of experience, but certainly not the epitome of quality. This one here ran for way over three hours without commercials already and probably three hours with commercials. Then again, which I always find fairly despicable, the show also had lots of advertizing. I mean there were not just one, but even two sponsors. I will not say the exact names, but one was a telecommunication enterprise that promoted their new technology and the second was a famous movie that was used as a sponsor (not the company, the movie itself) to get as many people as possible to watch it. And things did not end there. Just one more example: There were two actresses handing out an awards and these two starred in another new movie and were only there to promote it. Their connection to music was literally not existent. Unreal stuff. Truly embarrassing. At least pick actors who appeared in musicals or have won AMAs or Grammys or whatever for narrating audio books. I actually really enjoyed the film they were promoting, but it's still a move I can definitely not encourage. Okay, now some chronology: The show began with Selena Gomez singing a new song. The usual for her: pseudo heartbreak pop music that is as soulless as it gets, no matter how hard Bieber's ex tries to move her face to make it look authentic. The only good thing about that is that it's pretty difficult to go downhill from there. They still found a way, namely the host was next to give a stage performance and as if that wasn't bad enough already, she also shoved her kids into the camera before the 15-minute mark. Not cool. At least finally there was one award in the first half hour. And there we have once more the usual problem with these music awards shows. It is definitely not just the AMAs. For every award that is announced, there are like two songs played. This may be nice for the live audience in Los Angeles, even if I wonder how they can appreciate all this garbage quality, but for audiences at home it certainly is not. This is an awards show. Make it one. The best (i.e. worst) example was when Carrie Underwood received an award (probably still one of the more talented winners) and when she was on stage, they told her: "hey you won another award too." And strangely enough that awards was probably more significant than the one she was accepting anyway. No, Carrie, that is not good news. That is really disrespectful because you would have deserved to be announced for that category too and not being treated in a way like "well you are on stage now, so take this one too". Many people weren't on stage and they probably did not get their moment in the limelight with the award in their hands and the opportunity to hold a speech. Come on guys, this is a 3-hour show. Show us the winners. Not all these songs.
One big winner was Billie Eilish, which should surprise nobody, as she is everywhere this awards season. I do not want to be the judge if she deserves it. I think her performance that night was pretty weak and I don't like her new Bond song a lot either. But I liked her take on John Lennon's trademark song at the Oscars. She also won more than one awards at the AMAs and I must say if she is really so different and talented from everybody else, then she should sto praising these mediocre or even bad "artists" and apparently she likes them all, which definitely does not say anything too positive about her (taste in) music. Her introduction to Green Day was a joke to be honest. They are not good. Never have been, never will be. Okay, another thing I did not like about Eilish, which is mroe subjective was the political message on her outfit. I prefer to keep stuff like that outside of awards ceremonies and it is pretty uninspired anyway as everybody is going with the mainstream if they actually display such a statement. Other than that, her brother was as uninteresting as always and Eilish somehow reminded me of Harley Quinn this time. She was not the big winner at the 2020 AMAs, but she certainly would have been a more deserving big winner than the one whho actually was: Taylor Swift. Sigh. I liked her early in her career, but everything she has done in recent years is not good at all, even if her medley was admittedly not as bad as I thought it would be. The cringe was still there when she constantly hugged all these girls for the camera showing everybody how approachable she is and how she is there for her fans all the time. Yeah right. Approachable by men perhaps. But giving her the perhaps biggest trophy of the night (another fail announcer there with Regina King btw.) and also a honorary award for how influential she has been in the last ten years is all kinds of wrong. Shows you really that if this is what defines American music right now, then if American music was a person, it would be comatose pretty much. No quality in life anymore. Also Carole King lost a lot of respect from me here for the praise she had for Swift. The accurate response would be to say the consequence of her writing her own songs all by herself is not that she is creating quality, but creating the opposite of quality with this approach. Nothing to be proud of.
On a more positive note, Toni Braxton showed she still got it and gave maybe the best performance of the night. She should have played the last number and not Shania Twain, who was utterly disappointing, and it's not easy for me to say that about her becaue she has some songs I like a lot. Still, Twain's performance was really symbolic for the entire show, lots of glitter, very colorful, but at its core nothing. Completely void. More good aspects: The host had barely any screen time. Yes she was this bad. Old Town Road got a trophy and I support that. I mean it's not a deep or meaningful song, but pretty catchy and thus better than probably 90% of all the other songs featured that night. The singer of that song was actually a bit surprised his song did not win more apparently as he said something like "finally" when he held his speech, which made for a nice difference compared to everybody else who stood there rambling about how it's the biggest honor already to be nominated with all these incredible other artists in the same category. Cough. Oh yeah, difficult to come up with more good aspects. But easy to come up with weak aspects. The Jonas Brothers as well as these Korean heart-throbs can take every event down further quality-wise, no matter how bad it already is and they sure did here. Luckily, the latter did not perform at least. Cammila Cabello is a cutie by the way. Ok now I am really digging deep to find something positive. Maybe I should stop. At least, she is certainly not less talented than Selena Gomez. And why was there a thank you to the SAG in the closing credits? Was it because of all the actors that had no buisness being there and handing out awards? Okay finally, like I said in the title of my review, this one here is voted for by the fans, which may explains Swift's dominance over Eilish, but honestly if these results are the outcome when the people have the power, then the people totally should not have the power. I refuse to believe that there is no superior music than the one put on display that night.. Actually, I know there is. It simply wasnn't featured. And you can only blame the "artists" so much for making music that appeals to the masses if they masses are as dumb as a rock. Everybody wants to make money and they are taking the easy way. Swift is the best example. When she still did country very early in her career before becoming a sellout, she was actually pretty decent. She is not without talent, only because she hasn't shown it for a decade. So stand up people and stop listening to this garbage. For the direct consequence of garbage music are garbage awards shows like this one here. Basically a more conceited version of the People's Choice Awards with focus on music only. And still they did not get all the awards in. What a mess. Highly not recommended, also because of the unbearable rambling by several artists how these are the only shows that matter because it is the fans who decide. Well, we all know you would not trade in one Grammy for five AMAs. Would you? WOULD YOU? No you would not. Fat thumbs-up to Billy Ray Cyrus for skipping the occasion! If this got cancelled for 2020 (and every year afterwards), nothing of value would be lost, unless they really revamp the entire show. Maybe the entire industry even. Don't watch. And more importantly, don't listen to.
One big winner was Billie Eilish, which should surprise nobody, as she is everywhere this awards season. I do not want to be the judge if she deserves it. I think her performance that night was pretty weak and I don't like her new Bond song a lot either. But I liked her take on John Lennon's trademark song at the Oscars. She also won more than one awards at the AMAs and I must say if she is really so different and talented from everybody else, then she should sto praising these mediocre or even bad "artists" and apparently she likes them all, which definitely does not say anything too positive about her (taste in) music. Her introduction to Green Day was a joke to be honest. They are not good. Never have been, never will be. Okay, another thing I did not like about Eilish, which is mroe subjective was the political message on her outfit. I prefer to keep stuff like that outside of awards ceremonies and it is pretty uninspired anyway as everybody is going with the mainstream if they actually display such a statement. Other than that, her brother was as uninteresting as always and Eilish somehow reminded me of Harley Quinn this time. She was not the big winner at the 2020 AMAs, but she certainly would have been a more deserving big winner than the one whho actually was: Taylor Swift. Sigh. I liked her early in her career, but everything she has done in recent years is not good at all, even if her medley was admittedly not as bad as I thought it would be. The cringe was still there when she constantly hugged all these girls for the camera showing everybody how approachable she is and how she is there for her fans all the time. Yeah right. Approachable by men perhaps. But giving her the perhaps biggest trophy of the night (another fail announcer there with Regina King btw.) and also a honorary award for how influential she has been in the last ten years is all kinds of wrong. Shows you really that if this is what defines American music right now, then if American music was a person, it would be comatose pretty much. No quality in life anymore. Also Carole King lost a lot of respect from me here for the praise she had for Swift. The accurate response would be to say the consequence of her writing her own songs all by herself is not that she is creating quality, but creating the opposite of quality with this approach. Nothing to be proud of.
On a more positive note, Toni Braxton showed she still got it and gave maybe the best performance of the night. She should have played the last number and not Shania Twain, who was utterly disappointing, and it's not easy for me to say that about her becaue she has some songs I like a lot. Still, Twain's performance was really symbolic for the entire show, lots of glitter, very colorful, but at its core nothing. Completely void. More good aspects: The host had barely any screen time. Yes she was this bad. Old Town Road got a trophy and I support that. I mean it's not a deep or meaningful song, but pretty catchy and thus better than probably 90% of all the other songs featured that night. The singer of that song was actually a bit surprised his song did not win more apparently as he said something like "finally" when he held his speech, which made for a nice difference compared to everybody else who stood there rambling about how it's the biggest honor already to be nominated with all these incredible other artists in the same category. Cough. Oh yeah, difficult to come up with more good aspects. But easy to come up with weak aspects. The Jonas Brothers as well as these Korean heart-throbs can take every event down further quality-wise, no matter how bad it already is and they sure did here. Luckily, the latter did not perform at least. Cammila Cabello is a cutie by the way. Ok now I am really digging deep to find something positive. Maybe I should stop. At least, she is certainly not less talented than Selena Gomez. And why was there a thank you to the SAG in the closing credits? Was it because of all the actors that had no buisness being there and handing out awards? Okay finally, like I said in the title of my review, this one here is voted for by the fans, which may explains Swift's dominance over Eilish, but honestly if these results are the outcome when the people have the power, then the people totally should not have the power. I refuse to believe that there is no superior music than the one put on display that night.. Actually, I know there is. It simply wasnn't featured. And you can only blame the "artists" so much for making music that appeals to the masses if they masses are as dumb as a rock. Everybody wants to make money and they are taking the easy way. Swift is the best example. When she still did country very early in her career before becoming a sellout, she was actually pretty decent. She is not without talent, only because she hasn't shown it for a decade. So stand up people and stop listening to this garbage. For the direct consequence of garbage music are garbage awards shows like this one here. Basically a more conceited version of the People's Choice Awards with focus on music only. And still they did not get all the awards in. What a mess. Highly not recommended, also because of the unbearable rambling by several artists how these are the only shows that matter because it is the fans who decide. Well, we all know you would not trade in one Grammy for five AMAs. Would you? WOULD YOU? No you would not. Fat thumbs-up to Billy Ray Cyrus for skipping the occasion! If this got cancelled for 2020 (and every year afterwards), nothing of value would be lost, unless they really revamp the entire show. Maybe the entire industry even. Don't watch. And more importantly, don't listen to.
