Michael Jackson: 0 New Albums, 5 American Music Award Nominations

The American Music Awards have long been about this country's greatest virtues: popularity and blazer-heavy dance battles. The Dick Clark-produced extravaganza began in the 1970s, and the program's top-honored music group of all time is not Pink Floyd, U2 or Radiohead, but the Backstreet Boys. And that's fine! Alison Krauss can win her goddamn statue some other day. But after this morning's nomination announcement for the 2009 ceremony, the popularity contest turned a strange corner as Michael Jackson was nominated for five awards, including two for his 2003 greatest hits album Number Ones. Movieline uncovers the explanation, as well as the chilliest award speech in AMA history, after the jump.

According to an AMA press release, nominees "were selected from data supplied by the Nielsen Company's Broadcast Data Systems, which monitors radio airplay performance, and SoundScan, which tracks retail music sales." Michael Jackson's 2003 hits album picked up 2 million in sales after his death, and he was played a lot on the radio this year, so he's nominated for a bunch of awards. You'd think Pink Floyd's 741 weeks on the charts with Dark Side of the Moon (and all its subsequent airplay) would've garnered it a few years of trophies.

The criteria may sound like a stretch, but Garth Brooks best addressed its dubious credibility in 1996, when he won "Favorite Artist of the Year" over breakout group Hootie and the Blowfish. In his speech, Brooks (who hadn't even released an album that year) said, "I cannot agree with this. Without any disrespect for the American Music Awards and without any disrespect for the people who voted, for all the people who should be honored, I'm gonna leave (the award) right here."

If a Michael Jackson hologram moonwalks onstage, releases a dove, and leaves his award at the podium, I will understand.

Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, and Eminem Lead AMA Nominations [Rolling Stone]