| Wednesday 22 November 2006 |
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Mariah Carey snubbed at another awards show
|  | | The Black Eyed Peas were the big winners at last night's American Music Awards | Pop diva Mariah Carey, whose commercial success has not translated into awards show acclaim, was snubbed at the American Music Awards on Tuesday, despite scoring three nominations. The big winners this year were the Los Angeles funk band Black Eyed Peas, who won all three categories in which they were nominated. Veteran funk-rock combo the Red Hot Chili Peppers won two awards. Canadian rock band Nickelback, another three-time nominee, won a single award.
Carey, 36, who was nominated for four awards last year and won one, was a no-show. She went zero for six in 1997. No-show winners are a tradition at this event. The Peas and the Peppers sent in acceptance speeches from Costa Rica and London, respectively. Other MIA acts included rapper Eminem (favorite male rap/hip-hop artist), husband-and-wife country stars Faith Hill (female country artist) and Tim McGraw (country album), Toby Keith (male country artist), and Colombian bombshell Shakira (Latin artist).
Country trio Rascal Flatts, soul diva Mary J. Blige, and former "American Idol" champion Kelly Clarkson also won two awards apiece. Rascal Flatts and Blige attended, Clarkson did not. The American Music Awards are a more populist version of the Grammys, which are determined by music industry insiders and will take place in February.
The Black Eyed Peas won for favorite group in both the rap/hip-hop and soul/R&B categories, and favorite rap/hip-hop album for "Monkey Business". The Red Hot Chili Peppers won for favorite pop/rock group and alternative music artist. Nickelback won for favorite pop/rock album with "All the Right Reasons", a chart-topping effort that was released just over a year ago. Frontman Chad Kroeger said he thought the Chili Peppers were going "to clean the house tonight".
Rascal Flatts were named favorite country group, and also won the Text-In Award, determined by text messages sent by the show's viewers. Blige won for favorite female artist and favorite album ("The Breakthrough"), both in the soul/R&B categories. Clarkson won for favorite female pop/rock artist and favorite adult contemporary artist.
Actor Jamie Foxx picked up a statuette - for favorite soul/R&B male artist - to add to the Academy Award he won last year for his role as Ray Charles in "Ray". "This means a lot more than you think," said Foxx, accompanied by his biological mother, whom he said he had not seen in years. Another "American Idol" victor, Carrie Underwood, won the prize for breakthrough artist.
Performers included Gwen Stefani, who yodeled her way through a brand new song, "Wind It Up"; and country music outcasts the Dixie Chicks, who received loud applause for their socially conscious tune "Easy Silence". Veteran pop artist Lionel Richie brought the Shrine Auditorium crowd to its feet when he dusted off his '80s hit "All Night Long".
The event at the Shrine Auditorium was hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Nominees are drawn from top acts determined by retail sales and radio airplay, while winners are voted on by a random poll of about 20,000 record-buyers. (Reuters)
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