25th Annual American Music Awards®

Well folks, the big day came and went. The 25th Annual American Music Awards were handed out on January 26th, 1998. We brought you up to the minute coverage of the event, and you stayed tuned and visited often. The winners in each category are put in BOLD.

The awards, hosted by Drew Carey, began with a Janet Jackson production number. Cleavage doesn't adequately describe the outfit she wore. Reba started off the winning with her umpteenth AMA award. Straight from their Super Bowl performance, Boyz II Men accepted their award with a nod to fellow nominees, Dru Hill. Matchbox 20 and Trisha Yearwood gave us a couple of good live performances then, though we liked the way Matchbox 20's set was shot better. The intros for favorite country band were painfully done by Cybill Shepherd and Julio Iglesias, but there was no surprise when Alabama won...again. The ever-present Spice Girls weren't, but we did get to see them sing (for lack of a better word) in a pre-taped segment. Do you think Sporty Spice ever hates the fact that she got stuck with the boring outfits? At least she got to wear make-up for this appearance.

Anyway, the Spice Girls went on to win favorite pop/rock band over U2 and The Wallflowers, to the apparent dismay of presenter George Benson. In an attempt to forget his earlier presenting chores, Julio Iglesias went on to beat his son, Enrique, in the Favorite Latin Artist category. We got a chance to learn the names of all of Mary J. Blige's family as she took home the Soul/R&B album trophy. Need proof that someone's tampering with the drinking water? The Spice Girls beat out The Wallflowers and Matchbox 20 for best new pop/rock group. The class quotient went up a little as Tony Bennett came out to do the Award of Merit presentation to Frank Sinatra. Calling him the "Coolest guy on the planet, next to Puff Daddy, my Daddy," a tearful Nancy Sinatra accepted the award on her ailing father's behalf.

The Spice Girls were probably lucky they were rehearsing in Ireland, as their Girl Power would have been exhausted running to the stage to pick up yet a third award.

And now the winners are:

Favorite Country Female Artist

• Reba McEntire
• Leann Rimes
• Shania Twain

Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group

• Boyz II Men
• Dru Hill
• En Vogue

Favorite Soundtrack

• Evita (Soundtrack)
• Men In Black (Soundtrack)
• Preacher's Wife (Soundtrack)

Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group

• Alabama
• Brooks & Dunn
• Sawyer Brown

Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist

• Erykah Badu
• Dru Hill
• Puff Daddy

Favorite Rock/Pop Band, Duo or Group

• Spice Girls
• U2
• Wallflowers

Favorite Latin Artist

• Enrique Iglesias
• Julio Iglesias
• Luis Miguel

Favorite Alternative Artist

• Bush
• Mighty Mighty Bosstones
• Sublime

Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist

• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Puff Daddy
• Wu-Tang Clan

Favorite Soul/R&B Album

• Erykah Badu Baduizm
• Blackstreet Another Level
• Mary J. Blige Share My World
• Puff Daddy No Way Out

Favorite Rock/Pop New Artist

• Matchbox 20
• Spice Girls
• The Wallflowers

Favorite Country Album

• Tim Mcgraw Everywhere
• Leann Rimes Early Years:Unchained Melody
• George Strait Carrying Your Love With Me
• Trisha Yearwood Songbook-A Collection Of Hits

Award of Merit

• Frank Sinatra

Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist

• Babyface
• Puff Daddy
• Keith Sweat

Favorite Rock/Pop Album

• Jewel Pieces Of You
• Matchbox 20 Yourself Or Someone Like You
• Spice Girls Spice
• Wallflowers Bringing Down The Horse

Favorite Country Male Artist

• Clint Black
• Alan Jackson
• George Strait

Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist

• Michael Bolton
• Celine Dion
• Elton John

Favorite Country New Artist

• Bob Carlisle
• Kevin Sharp
• Lee Ann Womack

Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist

• Mary J. Blige
• Toni Braxton
• Mariah Carey

Favorite Rock/Pop Female Artist

• Toni Braxton
• Celine Dion
• Jewel

Favorite Rock/Pop Male Artist

• Babyface
• Beck
• Puff Daddy