Adam Lambert American Music Awards 2009

Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson were the big winners at tonights

American Music Awards ceremony, with the former picking up five awards, including Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist in the pop/rock and country categories, and Favorite Adult-Contemporary Artist (the teen accepted her awards live via satellite from London). Jackson was recognized in four categories, including Favorite Male Artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories.

But the AMAs, though technically an awards show, have traditionally been more about performances than statuettes, and last night’s offerings didn’t disappoint.

Performances by Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert were among the musical highlights. Lady Gaga, dressed in a flesh-colored bodysuit wrapped with white piping — embedded with flashing lights meant to imitate ribs? —  performed a (literally) smashing rendition of “Speechless.” Starting off by singing hit “Bad Romance,” she segued into “Speechless” by using her microphone stand to bust open a glass box with a piano inside. Straddling the bench, she then proceeded to smash glass bottles as she performed the song. In a bizarre touch, she had violinists perform wearing gas masks in smoke-filled chambers beside her.

Lambert, not to be outdone, wore a silvery suit, with spikes on his left shoulder, to belt out the titular first single from his album “For Your Entertainment.” As can be expected, the controversial performance — the last of the evening — was filled with plenty of writhing, groping, hip swiveling and S&M costumes. The singer even planted an intense smooch on one of his keyboardists.

Otherwise, the evening was pretty straight-forward, as singers and bands performed their latest chart-toppers (Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Keith Urban, Whitney Houston, Eminem), host network ABC trotted out its primetime TV stars (Christian Slater, the “Modern Family” gals) as presenters and even New York Yankee A-Rod — chewing gum still firmly in cheek — made an appearance to introduce Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and presumably support girlfriend Kate Hudson, who introduced “Nine” co-star Fergie and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas.

Performance-wise, Janet Jackson, dressed like one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men, kicked off the evening with a medley of old songs, including “Miss You Much.” Non-Adam Lambert “American Idol” alumni (Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry) also contributed, and Rihanna, decked out in white striped bondage gear, sang a mash-up of two songs (”Wait Your Turn” and “Hard”) from upcoming album “Rated R.”

Furthermore, a comeback-seeking Jennifer Lopez showed up to perform her new single “Louboutins,” an ode to the pricey, red-soled shoes. (Her album “Love?” drops in January.) Dressed as a boxer, Lopez’s imagery didn’t exactly mesh with the subject she was singing about, and partway through through the number, she took a little tumble: