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50 Cent, Celine Win American Music Awards

Posted on: Sunday, 16 November 2003, 06:00 CST

What do rap tough-guy 50 Cent and pop diva Celine Dion have in common? Not much, but they each won trophies at the American Music Awards on Sunday - albeit in different categories.

Dion was picked favorite adult contemporary artist and 50 Cent won best rap/hip-hop album for "Get Rich or Die Tryin", a gritty CD about his many brushes with death on the street.

50 Cent, who often wears a bulletproof vest, has been shot nine times and stabbed. Born to a teenage mother who dealt drugs and was killed when he was 8, he started dealing drugs before he was a teenager.

MTV's "Newlyweds" pop stars Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson announced the award for favorite female country artist, which went to Faith Hill.

"All I've ever wanted to do is just stand onstage and sing and you fans have made it possible time and time again," said Hill, who has four previous American Music Awards.

Other winners included Ricky Martin for favorite Latin star, while soul veterans The Isley Brothers were honored as best R&B group. Best rap/hip-hop group went to Lil John and the East Side Boyz.

There were no clear favorites but more than a dozen performers were double-nominees going into Sunday's ceremony.

Among the 15 acts with two bids for awards were Dion, 50 Cent, rap and hip-hop stars Sean Paul and Missy Elliott; pop star Justin Timberlake and metal-thrasher Kid Rock. Eminem received two nominations for favorite male rapper and for the soundtrack to his movie "8 Mile."

Soul singer Luther Vandross, who is recovering from a debilitating stroke, also had two nominations.

In the country category, double bids went to Shania Twain, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith.

The awards were presented during a live ABC telecast from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel as master of ceremonies.

Nominations were based on sales figures and radio play, and winners were selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.

The American Music Awards was shifted from its usual January date to November, cutting the nominations window by about two months. The move was made in part to avoid the crush of other ceremonies, such as the Oscars, Golden Globes and Grammys, that will be competing for attention at the beginning of next year.

In addition, producer Dick Clark said staging the show before the holiday gift-buying season helped organizers secure more performers.

"Everybody is dropping new CDs and albums at this very moment, so they're anxious for the promotion," he said.

Among those without nominations who planned to take the stage were rocker Sheryl Crow, teenybopper Hilary Duff, grunge maven Pink and rappers OutKast.

Britney Spears launched the show by being lowered onstage in a purple corset, black hot-pants and thigh-high boots to start the telecast with a pyrotechnic-filled performance of her new song "Me Against the Music." She was followed by Kid Rock's pounding cover of Bad Company's 1975 anthem "Feel Like Makin' Love," which he screeched under the towering flashing letters L-O-V-E.

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On the Net:

http://www.americanmusicawards.com/

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