Aaliyah, Destiny's Child win big at AMA

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The late singer-actress Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child and Tim McGraw were double winners Wednesday, at the 29th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Aaliyah -- who was killed in a plane crash following a video shoot in the Bahamas last August -- won for best soul album, "Aaliyah," and for favorite female soul/R&B artist. Singer Ginuwine urged the audience to rise in tribute to Aaliyah as he accepted the award in memory of the late singer.

Keys -- who had five nominations, more than any other artist -- was named favorite new artist in both pop and soul/R&B categories. Her debut album, "Songs in A Minor," was a top seller in 2001 as well as a critical success.

Destiny's Child won for favorite pop album, "Survivor," and was named favorite soul/R&B band, duo or group for a second straight year.

McGraw's "Set This Circus Down" won for favorite country album. He and his wife, Faith Hill, were named favorite male and female country artists for the second straight year.

Brooks & Dunn also repeated as favorite country band, duo or group. Trick Pony won for favorite new country artist.

Michael Jackson -- who was at the center of a power struggle between producers of the AMA telecast and the upcoming Grammy Awards telecast -- accepted an Artist of the Century award, but did not perform.

'N Sync beat out U2 and Dave Matthews band to take its second straight AMA for favorite pop band, duo or group.

"Quit booing," said the boy band's Justin Timberlake when some in the audience heckled 'N Sync's selection. "U2's going to get Grammys."

Lenny Kravitz won the award for favorite male pop artist, and Janet Jackson was named top female pop artist. Luther Vandross won for favorite male soul/R&B artist for a sixth time.

Sade was named favorite adult contemporary artist, and Enrique Iglesias won for favorite Latin music artist. Nelly won for favorite rap/hip-hop artist and Limp Bizkit won for the second straight year as favorite alternative music artist.

The award for favorite movie soundtrack went to "Save the Last Dance."

Yolanda Adams was named favorite contemporary inspirational artist, in a category offered at the AMA for the first time this year.

The AMA show is rarely attended by controversy, but there was a dust-up this year when producer Dick Clark filed a $10 million lawsuit against Recording Academy president/CEO Michael Greene, accusing the Grammy chief of strong-arming musical artists into refusing invitations to perform on the AMA telecast.

Clark said Greene caused Michael Jackson to breach a verbal contract to appear on the American Music Awards.

Earlier this week, Clark announced that Jackson would perform on Wednesday's telecast -- but not live. Instead, plans called for the show to air a never-before-seen videotape of Jackson performing his 13-year-old hit, "Man in the Mirror," in concert.

At the last minute, however, producers decided not to air the tape. A publicist for the show said the tape was withdrawn at the request of representatives for Michael Jackson.

While Jackson was accepting the AMA Artist of the Century Award on ABC, CBS had him singing his current single, "You Rock My World," in a rebroadcast of Jackson's 30th anniversary concert special, which was originally broadcast in November.

Speaking with reporters backstage at the Shrine Auditorium, Brooks said it isn't right that artists find themselves in the middle of power struggles between producers of awards shows.

"I say back off," said Brooks, "you're nothing without the artists."

Brooks was presented with the AMA Award Of Merit for "outstanding contributions to the musical entertainment of the American public." In his acceptance speech, Brooks thanked a long list of people including his ex-wife, Sandy Brooks.

"I don't think you could talk about a Garth Brooks career without mentioning Sandy Brooks," he said. "Even beyond marriage she has been great to me and her family has been great to me. And my three girls, Taylor, August, and Allie, I am madly in love with you."

Brooks joined a list of Award of merit winners that includes The Beach Boys, Irving Berlin, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Merle Haggard, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Little Richard, Loretta Lynn, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Tammy Wynette.

Winners of the 29th American Music Awards were determined by the public in a national poll conducted by the National Family Opinion, Inc. firm under the supervision of Broadcast Research and Consulting, Inc.