Bobbi Kristina with her aunt, Pat Houston (Ethan Miller/Getty Images via ABC)It was an emotional night for Bobbi Kristina Brown at Sunday's Billboard Awards. The only daughter of the late Whitney Houston broke down in tears during the musical tribute to her mother and fought back emotions as she accepted the Millennium Award on her mother's behalf. It was also a milestone in her relationship with boyfriend Nick Gordon because they attended their first public event together.

There were plenty of tears flowing in the audience as John Legend and Whitney's "Sparkle" costar Jordin Sparks delivered powerful renditions of Houston hits "The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." Bobbi Kristina sat in the audience, with Gordon by her side, openly crying and sometimes singing along. As photos of her mother appeared on a screen, she blotted her eyes with a red handkerchief. When Sparks finished Whitney's "The Bodyguard" chart topper, Bobbi Kristina, in a curve-hugging champagne colored dress, was on her feet clapping her hands above her head.

[Related: Red Carpet Arrivals at the 2012 Billboard Awards]

Gordon escorted Bobbi Kristina to the stage to accept the award, while her aunt Pat Houston, who was Whitney's sister in law and manager, walked behind her. Pat spoke first then turned the microphone over to Bobbi Kristina, introducing her by saying, "The one person who should be accepting this award is the one person Whitney loved most and treasured the most, her daughter Bobbi."

Billboard didn't have a prime-time TV show in 1978 on which to dole out awards to the year's top sellers. If it had, Bee Gees would have gotten a real workout sprinting up to the stage to pick up all their prizes. The brother trio was the year's Top Pop Singles Artist and Top Pop Albums Artist in the magazine's year-end chart recap issue. Saturday Night Fever, which they dominated, was the year's #1 album and #1 soundtrack. Bee Gees were also the year's Top Pop Producers (in conjunction with their colleagues Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson).

Jean Sok (photo: Ethan Miller, Getty Images)It takes quite a distraction to make a TV director barely afford Cee Lo Green any close-ups during his own performance. But what's a camera crew to do when Cee Lo so willingly gives up the spotlight to a breakdancer who's doing all his hoofing on a single leg?

[Related: 2012 Billboard Music Awards Photo Gallery]

Cee Lo was actually doing a lot of sharing at the Billboard Awards, since the performance was by his reunited hip-hop group, Goodie Mob. When they premiered their comeback single, "Fight to Win," on The Voice in April, the primary visual effect was Green's artificially illuminated teeth. But for Sunday night's kudocast, they brought along Jeak Sok, a one-legged dancer who's touring in Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson-themed show.

Sok dressed up as a soldier for the occasion, in what implicitly seemed like a tribute to the armed forces who've had to discover new avenues of physicality after battle-related amputations. But the military theme didn't quite hold through Goodie Mob's entire medley, as "Fight to Win" segued into a cover of the Beastie Boys" "Fight for Your Right to Party," as a tribute to the Boys' late Adam Yauch, or MCA.

Natasha Bedingfield (photo: Kevin Mazur, Getty Images)The Billboard Music Awards managed to incorporate a tribute to the Queen of Disco Donna Summer who died of cancer just days before Sunday's broadcast. Before launching into Summer's 1978 hit "Last Dance," British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield said Summer "inspired so many women including me."

[Related: 2012 Billboard Music Awards Photo Gallery]

Bedingfield's cover wasn't as triumphant as the original but it was respectfully done. However, just as the song's ballad intro faded and the track turned upbeat, the show producers segued into a commercial break.

Some viewers complained online. "Donna Summer was literally the voice of an era! they should have at least let Natasha finish the song," New York's Hot 97 DJ Angie Martinez said via Twitter.

Another Twitter user agreed. "Way to cut it short Billboard," Jamie Sward Tweeted in response to Billboard's post, "Natasha Bedingfield gave her all during her Donna Summer tribute."

Spokespersons for the Billboard Music Awards and ABC have not

You can bet that Donna Summer will be remembered at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday. Summer took the award for Disco Artist of the Year in 1977 when Billboard first had a prime-time TV show on which to honor the year's chart champs. The TV show didn't start up again until the early 1990s, but Billboard's year-end issues document Summer's strength through the years.

Summer was the #1 female artist in combined activity on the Hot 100 and The Billboard 200 album chart for two years running, 1979 and 1980. The two years before that, 1977 and 1978, she was #2 among female artists (behind Linda Ronstadt) in combined singles and albums activity.

Beyonce performing at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards (photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Beyonce was on cloud nine at the Billboard Music Awards last year. Her mother, accompanied by her nephew, presented her with the Billboard Millennium Award as her husband Jay-Z and former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams cheered her on from the audience.

Beyonce received a video introduction that included praises from her parents, sister, and music industry luminaries Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Bono, Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder.

[Related: 2011 Billboard Music Awards Recap]

Beyonce's performance of "Run The World (Girls)." was spectacular. She sang and danced in sync with a digital video presentation that boasted virtual drums, wings and background dancers. The audience was in awe, watching this seemingly never-before-seen technology. A good portion of the audience stood to watch.

Taylor Swift won't have much time for doodling and composing lyrics at her desk this weekend, as she'll no doubt have her mind busy with Sunday's 2012 Billboard Music Awards (she's up for Top Touring Artist and Top Country Artist of the year). However, it seems that her writing elements take on a life of their own--even when she's not around.Taylor Swift

Or, so it would appear from her clever lyric video for "Eyes Open." Swift's Hunger Games tune is given a cute twist in this video treatment--balled-up pieces of paper jump from a wastebasket, post-it notes march across the desk, and markers dance to create a running stream of the song's lyrics. It's all very...enchanted. And, of course, very Swift-like.

Disco dominated the 21st annual Grammys in February 1979. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won for Album of the Year. For their work on the album, Bee Gees won five awards, including Producer of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. A Taste of Honey, which had a #1 smash with "Boogie Oogie Oogie," won for Best New Artist. Donna Summer's "Last Dance" won for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. That last-call anthem, written by Paul Jabara, won for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.

There was just one little problem. Even with 52 categories that year, the Grammys didn't have a category devoted exclusively to disco. Feeling a little bit "out of it," the Trustees ratified a new category, Best Disco Recording, which was introduced at the 22nd annual Grammys in February 1980.