The 2006 (18th annual) World Music Awards were held in London, England and hosted by Lindsay Lohan on 15 November 2006.[1]
Performances included a "Thriller" recreation by Chris Brown and a children's chorus rendition of "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson. The latter would end up being Jackson's final live performance (in fact, it was more a participation).[2] Other performers included Andrea Bocelli, Beyoncé, Bob Sinclar, Dima Bilan, Elissa, Enya, Faithless, Katie Melua, Nelly Furtado, Rihanna, Tokio Hotel, and Suleman Mirza.
Presenters included Pamela Anderson, Natalie Imbruglia, Donatella Versace, Sugababes, Nicole Richie, Denise Richards and Brian McFadden.[2]
The World Music Awards ceremony was televised in 160 countries including the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Middle East. In the United Kingdom it was broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 November 2006.[2] In the U.S., ABC is the traditional home of the World Music Awards, but in recent years they have moved to MyNetworkTV, which rebroadcast the 2006 show on 1 July 2009, due to that show's tributes to the recently deceased Michael Jackson.[3]
The Diamond Award honors those recording-artists who have sold over 100 million albums during their career. Past recipients include Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Bon Jovi. This year's recipient was Michael Jackson (awarded by Beyoncé). His most popular album, "Thriller" has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide since its release in 1982 - making it the best-selling album of all time.[2]