Every year, you can count on the American Music Awards to bring out the most popular performers of the moment and the most tabloid-friendly celebrity presenters – and, of course, the biggest names in music. This year is no exception, as the star-studded nominee list features artists from Justin Bieber to Adele, Lil Wayne to Brad Paisley. 

So who are 2011's most popular picks to take home the crystal pyramids in each category? Here’s this NT writer’s best attempt at pre-show predictions.

Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Female Artist
Adele
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga

They made this hard: sticking Adele and Lady Gaga (easily two frontrunners for overall Artist of the Year) in the same category. But my guess will have to go to Lady Gaga – thanks, in most part, to the sheer size of her ‘Little Monsters’ following. True, Adele has had astronomically popular hits off of "21" this year (come on, you can’t go ten minutes without hearing either “Rolling in the Deep” or “Someone Like You” on the radio), but Lady Gaga has dominated the social media front. From worldwide anticipation for her “Judas” and “Born This Way” videos to media coverage on her work with gay bullying, Lady Gaga most likely has the vote for favorite pop female artist on lock. 

Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Pitbull

Let’s not even kid ourselves – anyone in a category with Justin Bieber is just going to lose; it’s practically a law in the unwritten Music Award Show Rulebook. Justin has been such a hot commodity this year – dominating the tabloids, airwaves, and even theaters – that I wouldn’t be surprised if they renamed 2011 “Year of the Biebs.” Bruno Mars, while he did release some solid singles (practically every song off of 2010’s Doo-Wops & Hooligans hit the radio at one point), probably falls short. And Pitbull?... Even shorter. Bieber is the easy pick.

Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Band, Duo or Group
LMFAO
Maroon 5
One Republic

While I was inclined to give this one to LMFAO (after all, “Party Rock Anthem” was pretty much the go-to track of every club, dance, and party in the country this year), the 14-year-old in me told me to pick Maroon 5. Their "Hands All Over" album gave us the hits “Misery” and “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” – and although all the sales and airplay from those probably wouldn’t come close to the popularity of “Party Rock Anthem” or LMFAO’s latest “Sexy and I Know It” – Maroon 5 still has Adam Levine’s judging gig on "The Voice" for backup. Plus, their latest track with Christina Aguilera, “Moves Like Jagger” was so big that it reached #1 on iTunes and went double platinum. 

Pop or Rock Album
Adele, 21
Rihanna, Loud
Lady Gaga, Born This Way

With all the praises I just sang for Lady Gaga in my previous post, it must be surprising that I picked Adele’s 21 for best pop/rock album. But my justification is that, while "Born This Way" produced hits for a certain demographic (just the teens, young adults… and Little Monsters), Adele’s sophomore album not only received critical acclaim, but was universally lauded by listeners of every age and style. Everyone loves Adele! Think of it this way – the lip-ringed girl in the coffee shop would probably have both "Born This Way" and "21" on her iPod, but only the latter would be playing in offices across the country.

Rap/Hip-Hop Music: Favorite Artist
Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West

Lil Wayne and Kanye have had their turn in the spotlight, but 2011 was definitely all about Nicki. Pink Friday had hits like “Right Thru Me” and “Moment 4 Life,” but it really was the overwhelming social media buzz for the rest of her album that helped her blow up even more. The viral video of the guy dancing in the Apple store to Nicki’s song skyrocketed “Check It Out” to fame, and every white girl’s obsession with her tongue-twisting “Super Bass” spawned thousands of YouTube covers. It didn’t hurt that singers like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez raved about Pink Friday every chance they got. That probably tuned a lot of younger fans from different genres to Nicki’s music. Kanye, I’m really happy for you and I’ll let you finish.. but it’s the female rapper’s chance to shine this year, I can feel it!

Rap/Hip-Hop Album
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
The Throne, Watch The Throne
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

Personally, I preferred the unique "Watch The Throne" album to Pink Friday, but I think it was released a little too late to catch up to Nicki. See above for why I think PF will most likely take rap/hip-hop album as well!

Soul/R&B Music: Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

This was a hard one, since every fiber of my being wanted to pick Chris Brown. But his album’s mixed reviews and lone big track (“Yeah 3x”), combined with his recent Twitter meltdown where he alienated the remainder of his fans by tweeting, “I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE AMA's! U dont have to respect me now, but u will!”… I really doubt he’s getting anything. Subtract 100 points from Chris for insanity, add 100 to Usher for his latest viral Christmas collaboration with Justin Bieber, and you have the clear choice. 

Soul/R&B Music: Favorite Female Artist
Rihanna
Beyoncé
Kelly Rowland

Who doesn’t love Beyoncé? She’s the epitome of class! And she’s had a colossal year: releasing single and video after single and video off of 4, topping headlines with her publically announced pregnancy, and lighting up the VMA and Billboard Music Award stages with show-stopping performances. She was a tough choice over Rihanna – but why did they include B’s old band-mate Kelly Rowland? That was just mean.  

Soul/R&B Album
Chris Brown, F.A.M.E.
Rihanna, Loud
Beyoncé, 4

For the artist category, Beyonce was my easy choice – but the album category was a little harder. 4 undoubtedly has had a lot of hits and videos already (at least for an album that new), but Loud has been around for longer and has stayed popular since its release. “S&M,” “Love the Way You Lie,” “Only Girl in the World,” and “What’s My Name” were all international hits; and four equally huge chart toppers is no mean feat. Some of Rihanna's other tracks, including “California King Bed” and “Cheers (I’ll Drink To That)” have also started to climb on the charts. As of right now, her album has made a bigger dent than Beyonce’s – just in time for the AMAs. 

Alternative Rock Music: Favorite Artist
Foo Fighters
Black Keys
Mumford & Sons

Foo Fighters have been around for ages; winning multiple Grammys but no “Choice” awards – which tips me off that they might just be one of those under-respected but talented groups that lack the “popular vote” factor. Mumford & Sons is a close second, since they had some pretty big hits that became popular in pop and country music circles (artists from Vampire Weekend to Sugarland covered some of their songs). But if consumer opinion has any sway (and I think it will), Black Keys will probably take it for being featured on the Twilight soundtrack. 

Adult Contemporary Music: Favorite Artist
Adele
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry

Here’s Adele’s chance to shine out of Lady Gaga’s shadow! Without Gaga, Katy Perry also had a good fighting chance – but I still think Adele has that universal appeal as a plus over Katy. 

Latin Music: Favorite Artist
Pitbull
Enrique Iglesias
Jennifer Lopez

From starring in Fiat commercials to being voted People Magazine’s Most Beautiful of 2011, J.Lo has been everywhere this year! I’d be lying if I said I’m not surprised by her random comeback – but I guess being a judge on American Idol has helped. With my limited knowledge about Latin music, J.Lo’s my guess for favorite artist.

Country Music: Favorite Female Artist
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

If this show was anything like the CMAs, I’d peg Miranda Lambert with the obvious win. But since the AMAs is a little more mainstream, I’d put my bet on Taylor Swift. Plus, she’s had a huge year, with her highly anticipated Speak Now album and sold-out national tour. Nobody does simultaneous country-pop appeal like Taylor!

Country Music: Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton was the obvious pick at the CMAs, but he’s also my guess for the AMA. He’s skyrocketed to fame in the last couple of years, and his role as judge on The Voice probably made new fans out of viewers who don’t regularly listen to country music. (I know I was one of those bandwagon jumpers!) Jason and Brad would have a decent chance if the AMAs were catered towards a genuine country audience – but since it’s not, Blake is the likely choice.

Country Music: Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
The Band Perry

Lady Antebellum won big at the 2011 Grammys, picking up all but one of the awards they were nominated for. But The Band Perry has been a formidable presence on their tails, and their track “If I Die Young” has been steadily rising in popularity. This might end up being a risky guess, but I’m going to go with Perry.

Country Music: Favorite Album
Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
Taylor Swift, Speak Now
The Band Perry, The Band Perry

Again, though The Band Perry has had their moments, I don’t think they can match up to the whirlwind of consistent success that is 21-year-old Taylor Swift. The Speak Now album spawned a ridiculous number of hits (incredibly, ALL the songs on her album made the Billboard Hot 100). Taylor has definitely experienced the type of popularity that The Band Perry, a relatively new group, can’t match just yet.

Artist of the Year
Adele
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry
Lil Wayne
Taylor Swift

This category includes the best of the best, but I still automatically narrowed it down to Adele or Lady Gaga. And when all is said and done, Adele has the previously mentioned advantage of universal appeal, as well as the novelty factor. Has Lady Gaga gone one crazy outfit and mind-boggling music video past her prime? Will Adele’s inimitable vocal talent shine and make her the first British woman in a generation to win the AMA Artist of the Year? My guess is yes, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

To see how well I did on my predictions, don’t forget to check out the American Music Awards on Sunday, November 20, at 8/7c!

Reach reporter Jessica Men here.