We have to admit, compiling a best moments for awards show can sometimes be tedious, but the 43rd annual American Music Awards made the task a breeze. In a span of three hours we were shocked, we saw people cry, we heard great songs and we partied to some amazing dance numbers.

The show offered a lot of memorable moments —from sultry dance numbers that left you twerking in front of your television to a WTF make-out session that had many of us confused.

Plus, Jennifer Lopez was on point as this year’s host with all of her wardrobe changes and epic show opening. Seriously, a lot happened last night, so in case you missed the live telecast here are the best and worst moments that made the evening, from Nick Jonas throwing a solo coming-out party to Miss Piggy throwing a teapot.

One Direction has cancelled their first show in five years! The announcement confused fans everywhere, especially since the group seemed to act like it was business as usual, releasing a new music video just hours after the cancellation.

The strange series of events started earlier today, when their publicist took to Twitter to announce that the boys would not be performing in Belfast, Northern Ireland, because Liam Payne had suddenly taken ill.

The statement read, “fans have been asked to hold on to their tickets and there will be a further statement tomorrow. The band apologize to their fans and wish Liam well as soon as possible.”

Harry wrote, “Deepest apologies to everyone at the show tonight in Belfast. Very disappointed, but unfortunately these things happen. We’re very sorry. H”

But, considering that the band has never cancelled due to illness (or injury), fans quickly started showing their concern on social media:

Then, just hours after the announcement came the release of the music video release of the band’s latest single, “Perfect.”  For some fans, it was a small, but nice, distraction from the cancellation drama.  However, the song, believed to be about Harry’s famous ex, Taylor Swift, has some controversy of its own. The lyrics, (“And if you like cameras flashing every time we go out / And if you’re looking for someone to write your breakup songs about / Baby, I’m perfect / Baby, we’re perfect”) as well as the melody seem to be a direct response to Taylor’s hit song, “Style.” (SO SUBTLE YOU TWO LOVEBIRDS).

The video, filmed in NYC’s InterContinental Hotel, is seemingly free of any Taylor references, with the four guys just “causing trouble in hotel rooms.” But towards the end, Harry seems to travel to an ethereal, very familiar wall. We’re not saying the scene was ripped directly from Swift’s video… But we kind of are.

Watch the video below:

Just days after “Drag Me Down,” the bands first music video without Zayn Malik, was released, fans became alarmed when mulitple outlets confirmed that One Direction will be taking an extended hiatus in March. “They are taking a hiatus so they can work on individual projects for a while but they are not splitting up,” a source told E! News. “They will remain together and plan to work together in the future.” The Sun reports the hiatus means the band will not embark on a tour for their fifth studio album.

It’s been a rough year, Directioners. We feel for you. With the news of Zayn Malik leaving the band, followed by news of Louis Tomlinson’s coming love child, it’s been nonstop ups and downs for the fandom. But fans did not disappoint on social media, showing their cheeky-ness and wit, as well as their sincerity when it came to the split.

One Direction surprised fans on July 31st with the release of their latest single, “Drag Me Down.” The song, which marks the first since Zayn Malik‘s departure, set the record for the most Spotify streams in one day, with 4.75 million plays on Friday.

On Tuesday, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson appeared on Good Morning America to perform the single. After Malik tweeted his support with “Proud of my boys the new single is sick. Big love :)x” GMA hosts Lara Spencer and Michael Strahan asked the band about life as a foursome.

“Obviously, it’s different but, you know, when you lose a member of your team obviously everyone gets a little bit close together. No, it’s still going great. And that’s what this album is about, we’re still going strong, and we’re all still here,” Payne replied.

Fans were noticeably excited when Tomlinson finally broke his silence on his impending fatherhood. Strahan turned to Tomlinson and said, “Louis, from one father to another I want to congratulate you on your upcoming fatherhood. So how are you feeling?” Louis replied with a big smirk, “Thank you. Obviously it’s a very exciting time, so I’m buzzing.”

Well, sorry it’s officially official ladies.

It’s been a wild roller coaster ride of a year for One Direction fans. Back in March, Zayn Malik left the band, claiming he wanted to be “normal” and live a less stressful life. Many fans are still recovering from their loss, and today, People exclusively revealed that Louis Tomlinson is expecting a baby with LA based stylist Briana Jungwirth.

A mutual friend of the two told the magazine, “Louis is happy and very excited about becoming a dad and he thinks Briana will be an amazing mother. It was a surprise at first, but he and Briana are very, very close friends and this has brought them even closer.” A surprise in deed! Louis and Briana were spotted together partying in LA back in May after meeting through mutual friends. (Perhaps the same mutual friend who so rudely opened his/her mouth about this?) The “friend” also made sure to note that the two are not in a relationship, but are very close friends. In fact, “she’s absolutely not interested in Louis’ fame. She’s very private and most of the time they spend together is out of the public eye, just hanging out with their friends.” She hadn’t even been to a One Direction show until recently!

“People” goes on to say that Louis, who broke up with his longtime girlfriend Eleanor Caldwell back in March, has been to every ultrasound so far and is even looking for properties near Briana. So far, Louis and the rest of the One Direction have been silent, which leads us to believe that this fan fiction sounding rumor might actually be true. The guys have a show tomorrow in Seattle, where surely fans will have signs about Louis’ love child. Fingers crossed for some sort of comment.

And of course, One Direction fans had a lot to say on the matter. Some fans questioned whether or not they had wasted years shipping the wrong couple (Looking at you Larry shippers), while others made up conspiracy theories about this all being a huge PR stunt. We’ll just say congratulations Louis!

Check out some of the best reactions below:

MAY 14- The second the lights dimmed at the Fonda Theater, shrieks from teenage girls filled the room. As James Bay took center stage at the Los Angeles venue, with his long brown hair under his signature wide brimmed hat, and bright red guitar against his chest, the booming bluesy guitar riffs for “Collide” invigorated the crowd. Even on a cold and rainy Thursday night, there was excitement in the air.

Immediately, after he took lead in front of his band, it was easy to see why this 24-year-old from Hertfordshire, England is taking the music scene by storm, Bay has a presence that is undeniable. Bay combines his soulful voice, bluesy guitar solos, and contemporary songwriting into a unique sound that brings a wide range of genres together. You can’t quite pin him down into one area, because the mood and style from one song to the next is so different. It’s just James Bay.

James Bay Opens With “Collide”

Bay emerged onto the scene in 2013, after being discovered through a YouTube video and by the end of 2014, he had won the Brit award (the British equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for Critics’ Choice. Past winners include Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine, and Adele, all of which have had massive success in the US. Clearly in good company, Bay has followed in his predecessors footsteps. But Bay knew that if anything, his early success just meant he has more to prove. In an interview with The Independent, Bay said of his Brit win: “I’m hugely appreciative of the recognition. But then I’ll go away and work on how great my live set is gonna be. I’ve got stuff to prove. That’s the crazy thing about the Critics’ Choice Award, you get it before you’ve really done much.”

Photo by Rosemary Vega

But Bay has definitely been doing “much” since his win. His debut album, Chaos and the Calm, was released in March and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. Right before the release, he embarked on his very first headlining North American tour, starting in New York and ending in L.A.  Acknowledging that it was the last impression he’d make for the tour, Bay made sure to tell the crowd he’d give his “everything” for it. And alas- he did. His determination to prove himself was evident in every note, movement, and smile. Following “Collide,” Bay moved on to “Craving,” another song which showcased his guitar skills, skills that may not have been as obvious in his more popular songs, “Let It Go,” and “Hold Back the River.”

Towards the middle of the show, Bay gave his band a break and began an acoustic section of songs, “Running,” “Let it Go,” and “Move Together.” The slowed songs showcased the troubadour’s rasp and gritty vocals, mixed with beautiful falsettos that sent chills up and down arms. But the most powerful and emotional song was the folky, “Scars,” a song that he was only able to finish after two years of healing (and a reunion with his girlfriend). Bay really did seem to give his all to the performance, his voice echoing through the venue as the audience stood in silence taking in all his emotion.

Photo by Rosemary Vega

Changing the tempo completely, Bay picked things back up with “Best Fake Smile,” arguably the catchiest song of the record. The audience clapped and danced along to the booming chorus. At the culmination of the evening, Bay “ended” his set with “Get Out While You Can.” Again, Bay’s ability to switch from gritty vocals to beautiful high pitched falsettos was showcased in this Springsteen-esque rock song. Bay cleverly used his band to amplify this song, and they were able to showcase their talents in this one as well.

After some loud screams from the teenage girls and just about every “type” of person you could imagine in L.A. that made up the audience, Bay came back for his encore. After Bay sang “Incomplete” and a stunning cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” (with an incredible guitar solo in the middle), there was no denying it: James Bay isn’t going anywhere. With his musicality, his vocal ability, his good looks, and yes, of course, that charming British accent, Bay has nowhere to go but forward.

Even though Bay was a man of little words between songs, the crowd’s enthusiasm for Bay was evident as everybody- women and men, young and old- sang along every word to every single song throughout his set. All of Bay’s emotions, musicianship, hard work and passion was left for all his fans (and some celebrities- Nick Fradiani, Niall Horan, and James Marsden were all in attendance) to see and feel as he ended the night with the song that began most people’s admiration, “Hold Back the River.” “Let’s do this again soon, Los Angeles” Bay said, which I don’t think anyone would be opposed to.

One Direction released the music video for “Steal My Girl,” their first single from their next album, “Four.” The video is full of bizarre moments, like Zayn Malik’s ability to not be touched by rain, Louis Tomlinson hanging out with a chimpanzee, and Harry Styles’ coat. Danny Devito makes an appearance as a passionate director, which has us questioning why Niall Horan didn’t jump out at any given point yelling, “OH MY GOD, DANNY DEVITO, I LOVE YOUR WORK.” What any of this has to do with the song lyrics, the world may never know.

“Four” will be released November 17. Check out the video below:

I’ve enjoyed One Direction since “What Makes You Beautiful,” but only because I understood one hundred percent what they are — a boy band.

The guys were literally thrown together by Simon Cowell and made into superstars. I understand the “1D can do no wrong” mentality their fans have towards their manufactured music because I lived it with Backstreet Boys and Aaron Carter (yeah, I thought “How I Beat Shaq” deserved a Grammy). While I generally listen to more “indie” music, I’ve always appreciated One Direction for their contributions to my “Getting Ready” playlist, or my drunken loud sing-a-longs. All that being said, the guys surprised me with their latest album “Midnight Memories.”

While the band’s past two albums have been more on the pure pop side, “Midnight Memories” has a very obvious rock (mostly 80s) edge to it. “Best Song Ever,” which most obviously bridges the gap between “Take Me Home” and the latest LP, is the pure pop song we’d expect from the quintet. But don’t think people didn’t notice that nod to The Who’s “Baba O’riley” in the opening. The album’s title track “Midnight Memories” seems very influenced by Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” From the deluxe version of the album, “Does He Know?” is clearly an ode to Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” “Little Black Dress” also addresses 80s rock, with a messy and sexy song that sings, “I wanna see the way you move for me baby,” which will surely have 90,000 girls screaming every night on their just announced 2014 “Where We Are” stadium tour.

The band began when the boys were just 16, 17, 18, so now, three years later, it would be pretty sad if their albums didn’t continue to show some growth. Since the guys are still young, (Harry, the youngest at 19) the songs have become very sexually charged, but with some amount of subtlety in their “rock ‘n roll” lyrics. After all, One Direction still has young fans, ones which they don’t want to quickly lose like Miley Cyrus did. The chorus to “Midnight Memories,” sings, “Midnight memories oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.. Baby you and me, stumbling in the street singing, singing, singing, singing. Midnight memories, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Anywhere we go never say no. Just do it, do it, do it.” The “Little White Lies” chorus says, “You say you’re a good girl, but I know you would girl.” However, you’re not fooling anyone over 14 with those lyrics.

While the 80s rock bit might be fun for the parents dragged to the show to listen to, the songs sometimes feel forced. Instead of being rock, it sounds more like “Hey, I’m a rock (pop) star!” This is fine though, because it’s what’s to be expected from a boy band with an “edgier” album. The songs that sounded more genuine were the folky, Mumford and Sons paddle-drum-inspired tracks. The band’s second single, “Story of my Life” is a perfect example. All five of the boys helped co-write the song, which is by far one of the best songs on the album. With the acoustic aspect, the strong writing, and super developed vocals from all five of the boys, this feels like the most natural next step for the group. Following in a similar suit is the Lumineers-esque “Happily” co-written by Harry Styles. The song is very reminiscent of and just as catchy as — if not more so — than “Ho Hey.” “Through the Dark” and “Something Great” also fit in with these songs. If I were to pick the direction (ha) their next album would go, it would be in the style of these four, which by the way, all feature at least one of the members as a co-writer (as do all but three songs on the Deluxe edition).

Other songs on the album are everything you want to have in a One Direction song: a perfect balance of all five guys singing, super catchy choruses, fun up-tempo dance songs, and cute ballads that will make everyone swoon. “Diana” is very infectious, following suite with the more 80s rock influenced. “Don’t Forget Where You Belong,” written by Niall Horan and McFly, is very anthemic, clearly written with a stadium tour in mind. “Why Don’t We Go There” is one of the more “pop” songs on the album, and I have to give credit to Niall who sounds great at the end of the song (really through the entire album, his voice has matured the most). “You and I” and “Half a Heart” will surely bring some tears and aw-ing from the girls, as well as raised cell phones and glow sticks (do they still sell those?). Although, I have to remark on the awkward line in “Half a Heart”: “I’m walking around with just one shoe.” That’s not endearing, go find your other shoe.

While the band had some solid songs that begin to show signs of artistry in some of the members, others are completely unmemorable. Songs like “Strong,” “Better Than Words,” and “Right Now” were among my least favorite, mostly because they felt unnecessary. The songs added nothing to album, and honestly, it took me a few listens to even remember them. “Alive” is another one, but due to the poor songwriting. The beat and melody are catchy, but the song is saying “Yes, go sleep with every girl you see. It’s okay, ‘if it makes you feel alive'” No thanks. These songs, mixed with the more “forced” sounds, and the “almost-there” songs, show how rushed this album was. Three albums in three years? If the lads had taken their time on this album, perhaps had the opportunity to write more songs without co-writers, the album would have felt more like an album, and less like a cluster of singles. Although rumors of a 2014 album have already started, I hope they take their time on the next one.

But hey, most of these songs are catchy beyond belief, and I may or may not be buying tickets to their 2014 stadium tour…so, I think they’re doing something right.

 Score: 3.5/5

Two contestants were sent home last night in another double elimination on X Factor. Again, America failed to give the boot to the appropriate contestants, but at least got it half right this time around.

Khaya Cohen was sent home right at the start. The teen kept her composure after hearing the news, which made me like her even more. It’s a shame she never broke out of her shell, because she had one of the best voices in the competition, and didn’t deserve her fate. But hey, One Direction didn’t win on X Factor either, and speaking of…

DISCLAIMER: Before you keep reading, and hate me for my 1D review, I love One Direction, I SWEAR.

If you’ve kept up with my drinking game for the show, you were probably still drunk last night from Wednesday’s One Direction pimping, and were probably obliterated by the first five minutes of last night’s show when the band was mentioned about 435 times. Host Mario Lopez introduced the guys, and mentioned a new member to replace Liam, “Lie-am.” (Come on Mario, don’t pull a Paulina.) The boys sang their latest single “Story of My Life,” and it was mostly rough. Harry sounded sick, the harmonies were off, Louis was pitchy, but “Lie-am”, Zayn, and especially Niall sounded excellent. I’ll cut them some slack and say it was probably due to jet lag and perhaps a lack of rehearsal? Regardless, the guys looked great (especially compared to their X Factor audition tapes that were shown in the package before the performance. Hello, puberty), and still showed the contestants what could be (but lets be real, nobody can touch the success of One Direction.)

After the guys performed, the bottom two contestants were announced: Tim Olstad and Carlito Olivera. Although the two of them should have been sent home, it’s good to see that America voted slightly better this week. Tim performed Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” (another ballad, shocking), which was boring, but showcased nice vocals. Paulina called him a “multi-facetic” singer. Oh. Carlito sang Labrinth’s “Beneath Your Beautiful.” Carlito brought out the charm that has been missing the past two weeks, and showed more consistent vocals throughout the song. The performance won over all the judges, with Kelly, Demi, and Paulina voting Tim off, leaving Simon the freedom not to make a decision (although we’re sure he would have also ousted Tim.)

One Direction released their latest single, “Story of My Life” on iTunes today. The single, written by Graffiti6 band member Jamie Scott, is currently the number 1 single on the iTunes charts. One Direction has also claimed the number 1 spot on the iTunes top albums chart with the pre-order of their next album, “Midnight Memories.”

“Story of my Life” seems to take on a new less pop, more alternative rock-infused sound. Scott wrote nine of the songs from “Midnight Memories,” so could the entire album take on this new direction (pun not intentional)? 1D star Niall Horan told Capital FM, “It’s up there with the best that we’ve brought out but ‘Story Of My Life’ might just take it. It’s a very passionate song and when you see the video that goes with it, it suits it as well.”

Listen to the new song below.