American Music Awards 2011: Short on Thrills
Perhaps the fact that the person with the most nominations couldn't be bothered to show up for the 39th annual American Music Awards foreshadowed that this show wouldn't make entertainment history. OK, Adele, who led with nods in four categories, had a good excuse: She was at home recovering from throat surgery. But, still, she kind of made us wish we were somewhere eating Jell-O and catching up on Sunday political talk shows instead of tuned in to ABC Sunday night. Occupying the yawn-inducing space between impressive and disastrous, the production, airing live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, was enough to cure any music fan's insomnia. Sure, if you were really into one of the hugely popular artists, there were plenty of good-enough performances for you (Mary J. Blige singing her heart out in an all-white number and remembering the late Heavy D, Chris Brown crooning "All Back" and "Say It With Me") and a couple that actually made us perk up a litt...