Tune in to the pre-show for the 2011 American Music Awards

The American Music Awards are tonight starting at 8:00pm PT on ABC, but you don’t have to wait that long to tune in. Starting at 2pm PT, you can watch, Coca-Cola Red Carpet Live @ the 2011 AMAs, here on YouTube with hosts Lance Bass, Estelle, Sarah Hyland, Mario, Audrina Patridge, Josh Sussman, and YouTube’s own, Michael Buckley.

The online pre-show will feature 3 hours of live red carpet coverage, and give you the chance through YouTube Moderator to ask questions of the musicians and stars on youtube.com/awardshownetwork. During AMA week and immediately after the show, you can come back to YouTube to watch behind-the-scenes segments, producer blogs and artist interviews.

For the first time in 40 years of AMA history, the show will include a category for “New Media Honorees.” This category recognizes the impact online video has had on the music industry and how fans engage with the artists. There's lots of YouTube love, with the inaugural awards given to DeStorm, Christina Grimmie, and Karmin. Tune in to see them strut the red carpet!