The BET Awards went down last night. BET switched plans at the 11th hour to make the entire evening a tribute to Michael Jackson, either because they love him so much or because it was a shoo-in for ratings. Some artists came through, despite the short notice. Others simply phoned it in. BET CEO Debra Lee described the show as the “perfect tribute” and host Jamie Foxx, who was clearly inebriated, dubbed it “fantastic.” If Michael Jackson was still alive, he would’ve definitely moon-walked and hee-hee’d all over the entire show.

Proceed for the best and worst moments of the 2009 BET Awards show (with commentary and video evidence).

The 7 Worst Moments from the BET Awards

7. New Edition – Jackson 5 Tribute

New Edition set the standard for the show very low, and it stayed there for much of the night. Crappy sounds, choppy vocals, and a half-assed choreography. Michael deserved a better tribute than this.

6. Young Money/Cash Money Showcase (Drake, Lil Wayne, Baby etc)

Drake really needs to step his live game up. Why was he sitting anyway? (I’ve been informed that Drake remained confined to his chair because he tore his ACL). It didn’t help that Birdman flubbed his lyrics. The entire set was lousy.

5. Ne-Yo with Jamie Foxx and Fabulous – “She Got Her Own.”

I’m posting the Def Jam party, pre-BET award performance because I couldn’t find the real one. Fabolous needed to drink an energy drink before that lackadaisical performance. Oh, and this video had a whopping 1 view before I posted it. I rest my case.

4. Keri Hilson – “Turning Me On”/Knock You Down

Keri was writhing around the stage so much you’d think she was tripping off acid.

3. Jeremih – “Birthday Sex”

This song is weak sauce, so it’s no surprise that his first TV performance sucked ass cheeks.

2. Jamie Foxx – “Blame It”

Blame it on the Au-au-auto-tune because performing vocally manipulated songs live is still a female dog.

1. Soulja Boy – “Turn My Swag On”

At every award show, there’s usually one or two performances that serve as nothing more than cue for bathroom break. Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On” was this year’s bathroom break cue. I did manage to catch the re-up on YouTube and it was worse than I expected.

The 7 Best Moments from the 2009 BET Awards

7. Skank Robbers Trailer

Wow, this movie really needs to come to fruition.

6. Beyonce’s Performance

It takes some gut to perform “Ave Marie” at the BET Awards 5 minutes after “Turn My Swag On.” Bey, you make H-Town proud.

5. Jay-Z – “Death of Auto-Tune”

Jay-Z added a Drake shoutout (”I might send this to Drake and Weezy) to his “Death of Auto-Tune” performance. I wonder if this is his way of fueling those Drake collaboration rumors.

4. Ne-Yo – Michael Jackson Tribute (”The Lady in My Life”)

The first decent performance of the night came from Ne-Yo. Who woulda thunk it? Ne-Yo’s not the best vocalist in the world, but he gave his best shot during the Michael Jackson tributes.

3. Eddie was dancing and sh*t

Hey, at least he lightened up and otherwise dull show. “My name is Eddie and this is what I do” is in the running for Line of the Year.

2. Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”

Jamie Foxx was begging to be cuffed by the Pause Police when he said that Maxwell made him moist. The set was well-executed. Maxwell kept it classy. And boy did this thing need plenty of classy?

1. Janet’s speech + Jamie Foxx x Ne-Yo – “I’ll Be There” (Michael Jackson Tribute)

They saved the best for last. This is also here because of Janet Jackson’s speech, which was brief and compelling. Also, Jamie Foxx redeemed himself, even though I can think of 5 other male R&B artists who could’ve done a better job. Also, something has to be said for Ne-Yo’s performance. When I interviewed Ne-Yo years ago, he credited Michael Jackson and Prince as his two biggest influences. No wonder he approached the tribute in a solemn manner. He was graceful on both MJ tributes.

[Major Props to Yardie, Jose, and everyone else who uploaded videos during the show]