Apparently, all the Chris Daughtry fans were just biding their time, while those Carrie Underwood fans just won’t quit. The gravelly-voiced rocker’s eponymous band and the burgeoning country superstar won a leading three pointy prism trophies apiece Sunday at the 2007 American Music Awards, which for the first time in the show’s history left the voting process entirely up to fans, who could choose favorites online.

Daughtry collected Favorite Pop/Rock Album honors for its self-titled debut, as well as awards for Favorite Breakthrough Artist and, beating out Norah Jones and John Mayer, Adult Contemporary Artist—not bad for a guy who finished fourth on American Idol.

“Before I go anywhere with this, none of this would be possible for us without the fans,” Chris said. “We realize no matter how good our music may be, you guys make us who we are and we thank you for that.”

While fans picked the winners, nominees are chosen based on album sales and radio play. Needless to say, Daughtry will be remembered in 2007 for both. As will Underwood, whose fans, it turns out, are all thumbs.

The 24-year-old Idol and Grammy winner also tripled her pleasure, scooping up awards for Favorite Country Album for the long-legged Some Hearts and Female Country Artist, as well as the T-Mobile Text-In Award, which not only means that she is the fans’ overall favorite artist of the year, but that she’ll probably be getting a free phone, as well.

Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake did almost as well and he didn’t even need to show up, accepting AMAs for Favorite Male Rock/Pop Artist and Soul/R&B Album for FutureSex/LoveSounds via satellite from Australia.

Also an absentee two-timer was T.I., on house arrest in Atlanta while awaiting trial on gun-possession charges. His felony status didn’t seem to matter to his fans, though, who still named him their Favorite Male Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and named T.I. vs. T.I.P. their favorite album in the genre.

Host Jimmy Kimmel, without a union-sanctioned monologue because of the writers strike, held his own as far as his opening remarks went—”Welcome to the 94th annual American Music Awards. This is my fourth time hosting the show and my first time hosting it drunk”—but then became the 1 millionth person to make a mockery of Kellie Pickler this year by pulling her and reigning Idol champ Jordin Sparks onstage to join him in the YouTube favorite “Soulja Dance.”

(A nicer, albeit obvious touch, one that didn’t require much dialog: Kid Rock pretending to slug Kimmel when he caught him sitting next to Celine Dion. Alicia Keys was later able to sing “No One” uninterrupted.)

The performance-packed ceremony, actually only in its 35th year, took place at the recently opened Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles and aired live on ABC.

Fergie opened the three-hour show with a “Fergalicious”-”Clumsy”-”Big Girls Don’t Cry” medley, which segued into Will.i.am p- p- performing “Heartbreaker” and then teaming up with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger on their single “Baby Love.”

Fergie also ended up closing the show with her receipt of the AMA for Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist (Kimmel also thanked Promises for letting so many stars out tonight), but it’s possible that she wasn’t supposed to, considering several major awards hadn’t been handed out by Cinderella time.

At about the midway point, when the audiences’ energy could have been flagging, Chris Brown followed up his table-topping performance at the MTV Video Music Awards with another attention-grabbing appearance, this time featuring the 18-year-old and his backup dancers clad head to toe in black track suits and beanies trimmed with glow-in-the-dark stripes—accoutrements that especially came in handy once three dancers were suspended from the ceiling and surrounded by laser lights.

The lasers returned to perk things up Duran Duran took to the stage to perform “Falling Down” off their new album, followed by a rather anemic rendition of “Hungry Like the Wolf.”

Beyoncé, who earlier in the evening teamed up with country duo Sugarland for a bluegrass version of “Irreplaceable” (they all did their best), became only the sixth recipient of the International Artist Award, joining fellow luminaries Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, the Bee Gees and Aerosmith, and former luminary Michael Jackson.

“I’m so blessed to wake up every morning and do what I love,” the Dreamgirls star said. “I don’t take it for granted—I’m so grateful, I’m so honored, I’m so humbled by this award.”

Here’s the complete list of winners from the 2007 American Music Awards:

Pop/Rock

• Male Artist: Justin Timberlake   • Female Artist: Fergie   • Band, Duo or Group: Nickelback   • Album: Daughtry, Daughtry

Country

• Male Artist: Tim McGraw   • Female Artist: Carrie Underwood   • Band, Duo or Group: Rascal Flatts   • Album: Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood

Soul/R&B

• Male Artist: Akon   • Female Artist: Rihanna   • Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake

Rap/Hip-Hop

• Band, Duo or Group: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony   • Male Artist: T.I.   • Album: T.I. vs. T.I.P., T.I.

Miscellaneous:

• Adult Contemporary Artist: Daughtry   • Latin Artist: Jennifer Lopez   • Contemporary Inspirational Artist: Casting Crowns   • Soundtrack: High School Musical 2   • Breakthrough Artist: Daughtry   • T-Mobile Text-In Award: Carrie Underwood   • International Artist Award: Beyoncé