AMAs 2014: Top 5 Moments From the Show...

Host Pitbull said it best before the 2014 AMA Awards when he told fans, “Get ready to celebrate!”
Sunday night’s American Music Awards promised to be more than just a night of handing out honors, but more of an entertainment spectacle with more than 15 performances by the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde, 5 Seconds of Summer, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
If you missed the show live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, we’ve got you covered with the top five moments of the night. Here they are:
1 — Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’ Debut & Dick Clark Award
Swift kicked off the show in one of the most original performances in award show history. Swift’s TV debut of “Blank Space” featured zombie-like dancers and her having an interesting, yet romantic dinner inside a picture frame, hovering above the main stage. Then, Swift brought the drama, wearing a short, stunning black and nude dress, taking out her aggression on a handsome dancer. The performance ended with a collage of picture frames and Swift’s iconic voice. A smirk on Swift’s face at the end gave away the fact that the “1989″ singer knew she nailed it.

Swift wasn’t done though. Later in the night, the legendary Diana Ross took the stage to present Swift with the first Dick Clark Award of Excellence.
“Tonight we are all honored to present this to a young woman who has taken the music industry by storm,” Ross said.

2 — Iggy Azalea Wins Her ‘First Ever’ Award for Best Hip-Hop Album
When Jamie Foxx announced that Iggy Azalea had won the award for Best Hip-Hop album for her breakout hit “The New Classic,” you figured the “Fancy” singer must have won a slew of awards over the past year. In fact, Iggy came up on stage and revealed “This award is the first award I’ve ever won in my whole life.” Congrats and many more to come.
She later won for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist and closed the show with a jaw-dropping performance alongside Jennifer Lopez.

3 — Sam Smith’s Emotional Speech
First, the beloved soul singer won an AMA for Favorite Male Artist for Pop/Rock, and his acceptance speech was just as thoughtful as his songs.
“I didn’t think I was going to be winning this … thank you to my fan base. Last year, I wrote an album about being lonely, tonight, I couldn’t feel further from lonely,” he candidly said.

Then, Smith and A$AP Rocky killed it on stage with their song “I’m Not the Only One.”
A standing ovation was well deserved.

4 — Lorde Debuts ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ Hit “Yellow Flicker Beat”
It started like out of a movie. Lorde singing in the dark about “silver and gold scars” when she debuted her song from the “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1″ soundtrack. Singing her powerful track “Yellow Flicker Beat” in a closed-off room, it was all about the music, and Lorde’s lyrics were chilling and captivating, just like the blockbuster movie.
The box rose and unveiled an energetic Lorde dancing around stage in a white crop top. “This is the start of how it all ends.”

5 — Garth Brooks Is Back at the AMAs
Garth Brooks played via satellite and brought the house down when the icon went live to sing songs from his brand new album.
Dressed in his usual all black, Brooks had the crowd clapping along to his new hit, “People Loving People.”
It’s not often you get to see a true legend on stage, but the fans at the AMAs got that chance. The whole stadium where Brooks was performing broke out and sang the chorus at the end of the song. One word — chills.

Bonus — The New Wolf Pack
This. No words needed.

Suspect in 5 Kansas City Deaths Pleads Not Guilty

A man accused of attacking and killing five people during a rampage in a quiet Kansas City neighborhood pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of first-degree murder for each victim.

Brandon Howell, 34, didn't speak during a brief hearing in Jackson County Court, but attorney Patrick Berrigan said his client was denying all 12 charges he faced.

Prosecutors have said Howell assaulted 86-year-old Anna Taylor and her 80-year-old husband in their home Sept. 2, before he stole their SUV and fatally shot neighbors who happened to be outside.

Authorities have declined to discuss a motive for the attacks, noting only that charges against Howell include burglary and car theft.

Police arrived after Anna Taylor called 911 and found her and her husband, George, critically injured in their basement. Witnesses said they saw a man get out of the Taylors' vehicle and shoot their next-door neighbor, Susan Choucroun, before driving away.

Also killed were 88-year-old Alice Hurst and her son. Darrel Hurst, 63, had been visiting his mother, and police have said they may have been returning from the grocery store.

Choucroun and the Hursts were found dead on the scene. The Taylors died of their injuries a week later.

Hours after the south Kansas City attacks, officers were called to a suburban motel where three people reported being attacked.

Howell was arrested walking along the freeway carrying a shotgun in his pants.

Two of the three victims from the motel identified Howell as the attacker.

Besides the murder counts, Howell is charged with four counts of armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, stealing a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of firearm.

After Monday's hearing, prosecutors took a group of Taylor's relatives and neighbors to a private room and a court employee said they declined comment.

Kansas court records show that Howell pleaded guilty in 2000 to a 1999 home invasion in Johnson County, Kansas. He was sentenced to 12 years but was paroled in 2011.

He was acquitted in 2009 in the killings of two Kansas teenagers who were last seen in 1998. One victim's body was later found buried outside a Kansas City home being renovated by Howell's father; the other body has never been found.

Howell is being held without bond and his next court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 11.