The American Music Awards usually offers a mixed bag of entertainment—and this year was no different. While there were some great performances, there were also a bunch that made you want to grab your pillow and take a nap. But the attire is always entertaining. Last night, the sisters show up dressed as winners (well mostly). Here, some of the standouts on the Red Carpet where black seemed to be the overriding theme (with one notable exception).

At first glance, UK pop vocalist Leona Lewis, strikes me as a Mariah Carey wannabe. But her “True Colors” duet with Cyndi Lauper on “VH1’s Divas” was inspired (but she still has earned the title ‘diva’ yet) . Plus her latest single “Happy” is quite catchy. Today her sophmore CD, Echo ($13.98) hits the stores and  it’s a bit of a mixed bag. So what do I like? The ballads like “Can’t Breathe,” “My Hands” and “Broken” work. I’m less excited about her dance tunes—which are fine but they  don’t distinguish Lewis as anyone special (at least in my opinion).  So should you get it? If you loved “Spirit” go for it. Otherwise, take a listen to the tracks to see if you want to try it yourself.

It looked like most divas (both on the stage and in the audience) would much rather keep it short, sassy and sexy then go for the traditional elegance. Here are some of the sisters who did it their way.

Okay, this is not meant to be snarky but I am really scratching my head over the lineup VH1 has put together for the relaunch of their franchise “VH1 Divas”. Here’s the lineup: Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis and Jordin Sparks. Apparently you only need one or two albums to qualify—such is the case with Adele, Lewis and Sparks. Yes I know new mom JHud only has one CD too, but I think she’s in a different league (so is Kelly Clarkson). Hudson also has an Oscar, a Golden Globe award and a few Grammys. Even teens qualify. Frankly, it’s kind of confusing.  But a USA Today helped me understand what the network is trying to do. Apparently it is all about showcasing  a three-dimensional diva (I didn’t know they were one-dimensional before). Read the full story

I don’t know about you but award shows of all type have become a big snoozefest. The Grammys are no exception. But I have got to say that I am tempted to tune in next year on February 8th to see if any of deserving sisters win awards. Now, I am not talking about what I’ll call the usual suspects like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole,  Mary Mary, CeCe Winans that we’ve come to expect any musical award shows featuring music. Although they’ve each gotten at least one nod (if not more), I am more hyped about those who we don’t get to see nearly as much. Read the full story