(CNN) -- Rihanna took the red carpet and stage by storm Sunday night, nine months after she was beaten by boyfriend Chris Brown on the eve of the Grammys.
"I'm really happy right now," Rihanna told CNN as she arrived at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre for the 37th annual American Music Awards show.
While she was not nominated for an award Sunday, Rihanna used the show to promote "Rated R," her fourth album, which is set for release Monday.
Janet Jackson opened the show with a medley of her greatest hits, all from her recently-released compilation, "Janet: Number Ones."
Adam Lambert -- last year's American Idol runner-up -- closed the three hour telecast with a sexually-charged choreography that caused immediate buzz. Lambert, who is openly gay, shared a kiss with a keyboard player on stage.
The most unusual performance may have been by Lady Gaga, who used a microphone stand to break into a large glass box to get to a piano, which began burning as she played.
The most-out-of-sync honor may be for Jennifer Lopez, whose lips did not quite match her words as she danced in a boxing ring with six male dancers. To make matters worse, Lopez fell during the dance.
Whitney Houston's appearance may have been the most emotional. Her friends shed tears as Houston received a standing ovation from the audience after her forceful delivery of her newest song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."
Actor Samuel L. Jackson then presented Houston, who is in the midst of a career comeback, with an AMA international award of excellence.
Michael Jackson's oldest brother, Jermaine, accepted the late pop star's two awards, giving Jackson a record 23 AMA trophies. Jackson won favorite male soul/rhythm and blues artist, and favorite pop or rock male artist.
Jermaine Jackson wore a single sequined glove in honor of his brother. It was the same glove he wore at his brother's memorial service in July and funeral in August, he told CNN backstage. "I'll always keep it," he said.
He was asked his for his opinion about the auction this weekend that fetched $420,000 for the famous rhinestone-studded glove from a buyer in Hong Kong, China. Jackson wore the glove at a 1983 performance during "Motown 25," an NBC special where he debuted his revolutionary moonwalk.
"That's sad," Jermaine Jackson said. "They shouldn't do that."
But Michael Jackson lost out to country and pop crossover sensation Taylor Swift for artist of the year.
Swift accepted the honor from London.
"Music has never been, ultimately, about competition and to even be mentioned in the category with Michael Jackson is an unimaginable honor," Swift said.
Beyonce, who did not attend the show, won the favorite female soul/rhythm and blues artist, beating out Keyshia Cole and Keri Hilson.
"I don't expect to win, to be honest," Hilson told CNN on the red carpet. "I'm just happy to be here." Country band Gloriana said they were surprised to win the breakthrough artist award, which member Mike Gossin said he expected to go to Lady Gaga.
It shows that America "has a place in its heart for a band of four kids who just studied music all their lives," Gossin said.
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