American Music Awards 2013: Miley Cyrus feline the groove - New York Daily News

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Singer Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the 2013 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 24, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The cat certainly didn't have Miley Cyrus' tongue when she performed 'Wrecking Ball' at the American Music Awards.

You might call it a cat-astrophic performance.

At the close of the American Music Awards Sunday night, Miley Cyrus ^[1] performed her big ballad “Wrecking Ball” while a gigantic projection of a blinking pussycat mimicked every line out of her mouth on a screen behind.

LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS

Miley didn't have the cat's tongue either, after it lip-synced her performance.

PHOTOS: AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2013: TOP SHOW MOMENTS ^[2]

At the end of the song, the feline stuck its tongue out, Miley-style. The scene looked like something the singer might have dreamed up after taking a deep toke on that joint she lit up on MTV’s EMA show this month.

Kevin Mazur/AMA2013

Lady Gaga and R Kelly's performance of 'Do What U Want' pays homage to Marilyn Monroe and JFK.

The stunt had an even greater WTF effect because of the normally conservative tone of the AMAs. Dick Clark created them 40 years ago as a family-oriented, fan-driven show that, until Sunday, studiously resisted even a whiff of controversy.

PHOTOS: AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2013 ^[3]

Rich Polk/AMA2013/Getty Images for DCP

Taylor Swift was the big winner at the awards, taking home Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Country Female Artist and Favorite Country Album (for Red).

Though nothing else in the three-hour, star-packed event came close to Miley’s head-scratcher act, the show did contain some splashy moments.

Lady Gaga ^[4] staged her song with R. Kelly ^[5] , “Do What U Want,” as a cheeky homage to Marilyn Monroe’s famous performance of “Happy Birthday” for John F. Kennedy. Here, Gaga played a Marilyn figure, bumping and grinding for Kelly as an improbable Prez. The timing of the performance, two days after the 50th anniversary of JFK’s slaying, was in questionable taste.

Lester Cohen/WireImage

Rihanna accepts the inaugural Icon Award from her mom, Monica Fenty.

Macklemore ^[7] and Ryan Lewis injected some politics of their own into the event. Upon winning for top Rap/Hip-Hop Album, Macklemore dedicated the award to Trayvon Martin, urging viewers to think of “the hundreds and hundreds of kids who are dying due to racial profiling.”

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Christina Aguilera shows her off shrinking figure in an elegant dress as she arrives at the awards.

Justin Timberlake ^[8] , who won three awards, made a far more flippant mention of race. After comedian Sarah Silverman poked fun at the fact two of the three stars up for Favorite R&B/Soul Male were Caucasian, Timberlake joked, “That’s the first time I’ve been racially profiled by a white woman.”

Rihanna — at the ripe old age of 25 — received the inaugural Icon Award but it was Taylor Swift who was the big award-winner — taking four prizes, including Favorite Artist . Still, it was Cyrus who undoubtedly won the night’s buzz .

On a mobile device? Click here to watch the first video ^[10] and here to watch the second video ^[11] .

WINNERS

Pop/Rock Male Artist: Justin Timberlake

Soul R&B Female: Rihanna

Country Album: Taylor Swift “Red”

Rap Hip Hop Album: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “The Heist”

Alternative Rock Artist: Imagine Dragons

Latin Music Artist: Marc Anthony

Pop Rock Album: One Direction “Take Me Home”

New Artist: Ariana Grande

Icon Award: Rihanna

Soul R&B Male Artist: Justin Timberlake