American Music Awards to Air Sunday
Nov. 14 -- Dick Clark says viewers who tune in to Sunday's American Music Awards telecast will get to hear jokes from host Jimmy Kimmel — instead of long sequences of bleeps.
Clark, the show's producer, hired the Osbourne family to hostthe program last year — with disastrous results.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Clark told TheAssociated Press on Friday.
The Osbourne's expletive-laden introductions had the ABC networkcensor working double-time — perhaps unnecessarily in some cases — to bleep out the foul words. ABC will broadcast this year's show
Clark says they didn't curse as much as viewers thought, becausewhole sentences were censored, not just the offensive words.
"We had a very nervous ABC censor who slaughtered the show andleft it full of holes making it appear to be a far more lasciviouspresentation than it was," he said.
This year, Kimmel — who has his own late-night ABC talk show -will take the reigns as host of the live telecast.
"I think Jimmy pretty much does his own thing," Clark said."But we've cautioned him about a couple of little areas."
Clark promised an eclectic array of performers aimed at thebroadest possible audience.
Among those taking the stage for the 31st annual awards telecastwill be rocker Sheryl Crow, teenybopper Hilary Duff, grunge-popPink, rappers OutKast, rock-thrasher Kid Rock, soul songstressAshanti and country star Toby Keith.
AMA Nominees
FAVORITE POP/ROCK MALE ARTISTClay AikenKid RockJohn MayerJustin Timberlake
FAVORITE POP/ROCK FEMALE ARTISTCeline DionAvril LavigneJennifer Lopez
FAVORITE POP/ROCK BAND DUO OR GROUPFleetwood MacMatchbox Twenty3 Doors Down
FAVORITE POP/ROCK ALBUMEvanescence, FallenNorah Jones, Come Away With MeKid Rock, CockyJustin Timberlake, Justified
FAVORITE SOUL/R&B MALE ARTISTGinuwineJaheimR. KellyLuther Vandross
FAVORITE SOUL/R&B FEMALE ARTISTAaliyahAshantiBeyonce
FAVORITE SOUL/R&B BAND, DUO OR GROUPB2kDru HillIsley Brothers
FAVORITE SOUL/R&B ALBUMAshanti, Chapter IiBeyonce, Dangerously In LoveR. Kelly, Chocolate FactoryLuther Vandross, Dance With My Father