#10. Nice guy Kris Allen may have been crowned this year’s Idol winner, but it was runner-up Adam Lambert that had America talking. From the black eyeliner to the “Gothic” get-up-Lambert was slowly transforming into a Rock superstar. One of the most interesting things about Adam was the controversy that followed him. First there was the brief feud with Out magazine. And then there’s the risque performance at the 2009 American Music Awards.

Like Adam, Eminem knows a thing or two about controversy. 2009 brought the return of this popular rap superstar. Fans showed just how much they missed the “Stan” rapper as “Crack A Bottle” quickly soared to #1 on the charts with barely any promotion. Even more impressive was the high sales of the heavily anticipated album Relapse . Relapse went on to become the 2nd bestselling album of ’09. The video for “We Made You” targeted Businesswoman and singer Jessica Simpson, Amy Winehouse and Governor Sarah Palin-making them the latest victims of Slim Shady’s wrath. Eminem charts on our year-end countdown at #9.

Images: Adam-lambert.net and TheMavenReport.

Exactly when was the last time we’ve witnessed a music battle this big? You can bet overly excited fans will be more involved in the waged war than the artists themselves. Let’s just hope we don’t see anyone making a video like THIS one. Nevertheless, things are certainly going to be entertaining this week as we see musical stars Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle square off for the coveted number one slot on Billboard.

Let’s see how things are looking for the contenders:

Lady Gaga: She is still relatively new to the music community. The eccentric blonde bombshell has garnered more pop hits than any artist this year “Just Dance” “Poker Face “Love Game” “Papparazzi” and “Bad Romance” are all 10 top ten hits with 3 hitting #1. Lady Gaga’s unpredictable videos and performances have been praised by fans and critics alike. The sophomore release, The Fame Monster features 8 new catchy pop tunes-one being a guest appearance from Beyonce herself.

Rihanna: Thanks to her monstrous single “Umbrella”, Rhianna like Lady Gaga, has become a household name. The release of 2007′s “Good Girl Gone Bad” gave the world of music “Shut Up and Drive” “Please Don’t Stop The Music” “Take a Bow” and “Disturbia”. Now Little Miss Sunshine unleashes her fourth disc Rated R. The lyrically explicit albums enters more a darker territory for the “Russian Roulette” singer. Rihanna’s street hit “Hard” w/ Young Jeezy is one of the 13 tracks to make the cut.

Adam Lambert: Thanks to his risque performance at the 2009 American Music Awards Adam Lambert debut disc For Your Entertainment could possibly be his first number one. Earlier this year Lambert lost to Kris Allen, but despite being runner up to Allen, the flamboyant singer has been the talk of the town.

Susan Boyle: She’s the underdog in this competition. Susan Boyle story has won her over fans across the world. According to early predictions Susan’s I Dreamed A Dream could bow at #1, making her fairy tale story even sweeter. Could Boyle pull a upset victory over her competitors?

Shakira: She was a sexy She Wolf in her music video and did we forget to mention the very impressive bed choreography for “Did It Again”? Latin singer Shakira is no stranger to success as “Hips Don’t Lie” was one of the biggest Pop songs in recent history.

With a 3 hour awards show filled with so many musical acts, you can bet the every artist in that building was hoping to make a mark onstage. Despite a lackluster crowd there were some enjoyable performances at this years AMAs.

Opening the 2009 American Music Awards stage was the woman everyone’s been rooting for as of late-Janet Jackson. Janet gave it all she had, as she left viewers more than entertained with her medley performance of signature songs “Control” “If” “Miss You Much” “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” and then switching it to her most recent single “Make Make”. The performance couldn’t have ended better as J.J. finished off with the joyful “Together Again”.

No one can compare to theatrics of Lady Gaga. The big question is would she top if her bloody performance at the 2009 MTV Music Awards? Gaga wearing one of her usual extravagant getup’s, delighted the crowd with her pop charged single “Bad Romance”. Gaga then hopped over to the piano surrounded by flames and violins singing “Speechless” off her new sophomore album The Fame Monster.

Whitney Houston

The highlight of the night went to Ms. Whitney Houston. The singer dressed in a elegant white gown, pulled heartstrings from the audiences as she performed her emotional ballad “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”. The musical legend received a roaring applause as she the thanked the crowd.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

The duo of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys teamed up onstage for the Billboard Top 3 Hit “Empire State of Mind”, Alicia later took the stage again for her own single “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart”.

Jennifer Lopez introduced audiences to her “Louboutins”. Lopez dressed as a boxer took a bit daring move as she leaped off a dancer’s back- taking a bit of a fall in the process. But the Latin diva quickly hopped up like a pro and excited the stage like a champ.

Respected Idol winner Kelly Clarkson was also in attendance yesterday night. Kelly’s breathtaking performance her haunting fourth single “Already Gone” was one the true performances of the night. And another Idol Winner, Adam Lambert left his mark when he closed the show with his risque televised performance.

The big winner at the 2009 American Music Awards was the bubbly Taylor Swift. The country gal from Pennsylvania nabbed two of the biggest categories of the night: “Country Female Artist of the Year” and “Artist of the Year”. Taylor Swift via satellite thanked the label, fans and family.

Images: Getty

For Your Entertainment?RCA

Adam Lambert is a very flamboyant person, and trust he doesn’t try to hide it either. Adam’s new cover for his debut album “For Your Entertainment”, leaves your wondering if you’ve magically just hopped back in a 80′s time machine. Early Wednesday morning Adam Lambert fired back at critics for slamming the cover. Read: Adam Lambert: Leave my cover Alone . While we commend Ambert for creativity, it’s not exactly the best cover per se.

Today, Bizzom takes a look at some other album art covers that leaves us scratching our heads.

Khia-Gangstress

Gangstress(2006)Whoever told Khia that it was a good idea to put your “greatest” hairstyles as your album’s artwork clearly wasn’t thinking so well. Check out Khia’s over covers for Thug Misses and Nasti Muzik.

Blackout/Jive

The Blackout era didn’t present Britney Spears in the best light, the album cover wasn’t doing the Pop Princess any favors. The busy background effects and fonts left a lot to be desired.

Www.thug.com/Warlock Records

Uh Yea. This one needs no explanation.

The Redemption/Brooke Hogan

You know those tacky spray portraits that you see at the Mall? The wings, pose-just everything doesn’t translate well for Brooke Hogan’s album cover “The Redemption”.

Supermodel of the World/Tommy Boy Records

Much like Lambert, Rupaul always has to be the center of attention. The disastrous sparkles and over sized curls are just a few things wrong with this cover. We’ll let you spot out the rest.

Inspiration/Koch Records

Kung for the Holidays/Koch Records

Miracles:Happy Summer/Koch Records

William, it’s hard to forget about you especially since you left a lasting impression on the world with your infamous “She Bangs” cover. Hung has not 1 but 3 horrible album covers. Pure camp at its best.

Images: Amazon

What are some of the worst album covers you’ve seen? Discuss in the comments section.