How would you like to see a multitude of superstars such as Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Prince, Willie Nelson, the Wallflowers, Kenny Rogers, Mariah Carey, The Eagles, Boyz II Men, Diana Ross, Linkin Park, Neil Diamond, Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart, Reba McEntire, Led Zeppelin, Vince Gill, Stevie Wonder, the Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, The Go-Go's, Amy Grant, Tina Turner and LeAnn Rimes all live on stage on a single star-studded night?

Well, you can.

The American Music Awards were created by showman Dick Clark in 1973 as an alternative to the Grammy Awards; they honor achievements in popular music and the recording business. The awards salute the entire spectrum of music, from country-western stars (such as Crystal Gayle and Clint Black) to Soul singers (such as James Brown and Gladys Knight), as well as hard rock (Guns n' Roses, Poison, Bon Jovi), rap (Hammer, Will Smith, Snoop Doggy Dog) and traditional (Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman & Perry Como.)

The first of these pyramid-shaped, crystal trophies went to singer Roberta Flack back in 1973, and since then more than thirty awards have been given out each year, based on a poll of 20,000 record buyers. So it is basically a popularity contest. (With seventeen awards, singer Kenny Rogers has won the most AMA's overall).

The American Music Awards show is broadcast live on network TV each year. It attracts the biggest names in the music business, who appear live on stage as performers, presenters, recipients, and/or hosts. This show isn't really about awards so much as it is about musical performances (acceptance speeches are limited to 45 seconds). Hosts for the annual show have included Elton John, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Glen Campbell, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Natalie Cole.

And believe it or not, you can attend this annual star-studded night of live entertainment as part of the audience. Tickets don't come cheap, but they are available to the general public. Tickets are sold through TicketMaster. Seats on the floor are costly, priced at about $260, but balcony seats are only around $67 each, a relatively small sum to pay to see the best musical performers in the nation. (The money raised goes to a charity, the National Music Foundation).

The 2008 AMA show will be held on Sunday, November 23, 2008, at the new Nokia Theatre (next to the Staples Center and the L.A. Convention Center). Nominations should be announced in October.  Tickets are usually available through TicketMaster before the event. Jimmy Kimmel will once again be the show's host. Performances are scheduled for the Jonas Brothers and Pink.

Last year, the 2007 AMA show was held on Sunday, November 18, 2007. The host was Jimmy Kimmel.

And for the very first time, in 2007, music fans were able to choose which nominated artists won the AMA awards. Last year, members of the public could vote online for nominated artists by going to http://www.ama.abc.com. The big winners were Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and Daughtry. For a full list of all the 2007 nominees and winners, click here.

Performers on the 2007 show included Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Rascal Flatts, Lenny Kravitz, Fergie, Duran Duran, Sugarland, Chris Brown, Daughtry, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Nicole Scherzinger, and will.i.am.

Presenters in 2007 included Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Christina Applegate, Ashley Tisdale, Usher, Ryan Seacrest, Ashanti, Josh Groban, Vanessa Hudgens, Carrie Underwood, James Blunt and many others.

Last year (2006), the 34th Annual American Music Awards were held Tuesday, November 21 at the Shrine Auditorium, beginning at 5 PM PST. The host was, again, Jimmy Kimmel, and performers at the 2006 show included Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, the Dixie Chicks, Nelly Furtado, the Pussycat Dolls , Rascal Flatts,Tenacious D, Snow Patrol and Carrie Underwood.,

Performers at the 2005 show included The Rolling Stones, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Kenny Chesney, Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty), Sheryl Crow, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Santana, Ashanti, Bow Wow, Cyndi Lauper, The Eurythmics, Sarah McLachlan, Los Lonely Boys, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. Cedric the Entertainer was the host.

Presenters for 2005 included Ashanti, LeAnn Rimes, Nicole Richie, John Stamos, Ryan Seacrest, Brooks & Dunn, Lance Armstrong, Backstreet Boys, Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, Shakira, 3 Doors Down, Toni Braxton, Ryan Cabrera, Emmy Rossum, Stuart Townsend, Chingy, Nick Lachey, John Mayer, Jesse McCartney, Sean Paul, Sugarland, Gabrielle Union, and Gretchen Wilson.

Tickets are available from TicketMaster.

If you want bleacher seats outside instead, last year they were free, and were available from audiencesunlimited.com. Follow this link: http://www.audiencesunlimited.com

 Getting there: Location of the awards ceremony may vary from year to year. Phone for this years' location. The new Nokia Theatre is located next to the Staples Center, on the southwest edge of downtown Los Angeles.
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