Tag Archives: MTV

2015 MTV VMA nominations: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” dominates the competition

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This year’s MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced today on Beats 1, a major coup for Apple’s infantile Internet radio station. Too bad the station went down during the live feed. Anyway…

No surprise here: Taylor Swift, the artist who pushed Apple to pay royalties to all artists during Apple Music’s free trial period, comes out on top with the most nominations: nine. Her hit single “Bad Blood,” whose music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, earned seven nods total, including Video of the Year. Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé garnered six and five nods, respectively, thanks to their singles “Thinking Out Loud” and “7/11.” Those music videos join T-Swift’s “Bad Blood” in the Video of the Year category along with Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”

The 2015 VMAs airs Sunday, August 30 at 9pm (ET), hosted by Miley Cyrus. Jump after the break for the full list of nominees. Continue reading 2015 MTV VMA nominations: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” dominates the competition →

2013 MTV VMAs: Justin Timberlake scores

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From Miley’s twerk works to Bruno Mars’ pipes, this year’s MTV Video Music Awards had a little something for everybody. But there’s no arguing that the night belonged to the Video Vanguard Award recipient Justin Timberlake. Before accepting the award from a jubilant Jimmy Fallon, JT wowed the crowd and viewers tuning in with a never-ending medley of his greatest hits including a blink-and-you-missed-it NSYNC reunion. The artist proved that he’s a true performer in every sense of the word. And if that wasn’t enough, Timberlake also went home with the most limited edition KAWS Moonmen ; his hit single “Mirrors” won Best Editing and was crowned Video of the Year. “Suit & Tie,” helmed by filmmaker David Fincher, won Best Direction. Add in the golden Vanguard statue and the count lands at four. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who also made new fans that night with a great rendition of their track “Same Love,” came in a close second racking up three trophies.

For the full list of winners, click here.

Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead 2013 VMA nominations

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We’re nearly approaching August and you know what that means: the MTV Video Music Awards is fast approaching. Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead with the most nominations for a Moonman this year with six apiece. JT’s “Mirrors” off his solid comeback album The 20/20 Experience and Macklemore & RL’s catchy “Thrift Shop” are in the running for Video of the Year along with Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” and T. Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Close behind are Bruno Mars with four nods, and artists Pink, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, and Thirty Seconds To Mars managed to pick up three nods each.

For 2013 the VMAs will air live on Sunday, August 25 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. To honor the new host venue, one of the borough’s most influential artists KAWS was asked to redesign for this year only the famous Moonman statue. It features his signature x’s for eyes, crossbones through the head, and puffy gloves for hands. No doubt artists will be clamoring for a win to claim the limited-edition, wickedly awesome trophy pictured above.

To view the full list of nominees, pop after the break. Continue reading Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead 2013 VMA nominations →

2012 MTV VMA winners: Rihanna & One Direction on top

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Last night MTV Video Music Awards was a total bore and the ratings reflect that. Only 6.1 million viewers tuned into the Thursday night telecast; that’s down over a whopping 50% from last year’s show when a record-breaking 12.4 million people watched. Was it host Kevin Hart’s mediocre monologue or the unmemorable performances and acceptance speeches that caused the viewership plunge? Or maybe airing it on a school/work night wasn’t the best idea. No matter the case, it was dull so let’s just skip to the winners.

Rihanna took home the top prize Video of the Year for her Calvin Harris-produced dance track “We Found Love,” but UK boy band One Direction came out most successful with three Moonmen for Best New Artist, and their hit single “What Makes You Beautiful” scored them Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video. Other notable winners include Chris Brown (“Turn Up the Music” won Best Male Video), Nicki Minaj (“Starships” won Best Female Video), and Drake (“HYFR” won Best Hip-Hop Video).

Click here to view the full list of winners.

‘Punk’d’ returns to MTV this Spring with celeb hosts galore

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With Fear Factor back on the air, call it a return to the early naughts with this announcement. Hidden camera reality series Punk’d is making a comeback this March. Original host Ashton Kutcher will not serve as host this time around, however he remains in the background as executive producer. Each episode will be hosted by a different celebrity. So far the list of celeb guests include Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Kellan Lutz, Bam Margera, and Dax Shepard. The Parenthood star, I’m sure you remember, is part of the original Punk’d team. According to Deadline, the reboot “will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the elaborate pranks were put together.” MTV recently aired a preview of what’s in store for unsuspecting stars. Embedded up top you’ll find celeb host Miley Cyrus pranking the eldest Kardashian sister Khloe. It involves a penis and a zipper. Use your imagination and watch it unfold above. Punk’d premieres March 19.

2011 MTV VMAs: Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adele big winners

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Last night the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards was underwhelming without a host, and yet it seemed to get the job done anyhow. Lady Gaga opened the show as her male alter ego Jo Calderone. After a dizzying monologue she finally showed off her mega-pipes and belted out a memorable rendition of “You and I” on the piano with assistance from Queen’s Brian May. Kudos must be handed out to Gaga for managing to keep herself in one dress (and personality) for the entire duration of the show. She totally stole the spotlight away from Britney Spears when the pop queen was presented the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award. Other highlights from the night include… Kanye West and Jay-Z performed a low-key version of their Watch The Throne single “Otis” in front of a cheering crowd; Russell Brand’s tribute to Amy Winehouse was heartfelt in all the right ways, Tony Bennett’s prerecorded duet with the late jazz singer was uplifting, and Bruno Mars’ “Valerie” was full of retro flair and fitting to close out the tribute; Adele’s “Someone Like You” performance was only rivaled by Beyonce’s “Love On Top.” During the pre-show Beyonce announced that she is pregnant with first child; rap king Jay-Z is the baby daddy. Immediately following the entrancing performance (you can’t help but get lost in Beyonce’s glowing face and rockin’ bod), she dropped the mic, unbuttoned her shirt and showed off her slight baby bump. Now that’s a way to walk off the stage. Speaking of walking off the stage, that’s exactly what Lil Wayne should have done before opening his mouth to rap (if you even want to call it that). Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Weezy’s music, but man was that a lousy way to close the VMAs. Over the top auto-tune doesn’t work live, especially if you can’t sing and it hurts when your song contains so many expletives that viewers only hear half the lyrics. Chris Brown’s medley didn’t do it for me either; the crooner can move (hell, he can even fly), but I was expecting him to sing a bit and wearing that headset was just redundant.

But I don’t want to wrap things up on such a sour note. Overall, yes, the show was underwhelming (there was no hostful opening monologue, acceptance speeches were kept to a minimum, the telecast was controversy-free), but it worked because for the most part the performances were solid (I’m thinking about Gaga, The Throne, Adele, Bruno Mars, Beyonce) and the show never felt like it was dragging along (expect maybe the part when Jonah Hill proved that he’s not funny when he’s skinny). Kevin Hart could have made a great host; his mini-monologue and commercial break segments were enjoyable. Maybe next year.

And now let’s turn to the night’s big winners. A geometry-influenced Katy Perry took home the coveted Video of the Year award for “Firework.” (I still can’t believe that beat out the Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise”; oh well.) She also scooped up Best Collaboration and Best Visual Effects for “E.T.” Kanye West was on hand and kept cool to accept the award with Perry. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” won two awards for Best Female Video and Best Video with a Message. Adele won the most awards (4), but they are all in the technical categories so unfortunately she never made it on stage to make an acceptance speech. Other notable winners include: Tyler, The Creator is Best New Artist, Justin Bieber’s “U Smile” somehow nabbed Best Male Video, Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” was Best Hip-Hop Video, Foo Fighters won Best Rock Video with “Walk”, and “Till the World Ends” gave Britney Spears the award for Best Pop Video. Jump after the break for the full list of winners.

Update: The numbers are in. This year’s Video Music Awards drew 12.4 million total viewers, making it MTV’s most-watched telecast ever. That’s up 8% from last year’s show which attracted 11.4 viewers. See what happens when MTV airs music-related content? Craziness!

Continue reading 2011 MTV VMAs: Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adele big winners →

Comic Con 2011: ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ (“Holy Cornholio” clip inside!)

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The biggest idiots to hit the airwaves after the cast of The Jersey Shore are back. After being offered to make a sequel to Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, creator Mike Judge (King of the Hill) ultimately decided it’d be best to bring back the characters in their true form–made for TV. Here’s the highlights from the panel that was moderated by beer-sippin’ Jackass star Johnny Knoxville:

  • On why he quit the show in 1997 and then decided to bring it back Judge said, “I quit because I was getting a little burnt out. I kept writing ideas down and kept thinking about doing a movie. King of the Hill was done and they came to me. And I thought this would be pretty fun to do. I guess the answer is: I like doing it. Also, I like to feel like they’re kinda timeless.” Man, was he right. After screening never-before-scene clips from the upcoming season, fans in attendance didn’t hold back their affection for the show; the cheers were deafening, and I was part of it.
  • Rather than screen an entire episode, Judge previewed scenes from the upcoming season. In a clip titled “Werewolves of Highland” Beavis and Butt-Head are on the hunt for girls; Judge says that the boys still haven’t scored with the ladies yet. After gaining inspiration from watching Twilight they decide they want to become vampires to help them score. They encounter a “werewolf” on the street (a hairy homeless man) and make him bite them. After the “transformation is complete” the idiots proclaim, “let’s go get some girls.” Moments later they are diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
  • Next the boys were back on the couch watching TV, ready to satirize (what else?) reality TV. Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Teen Cribs were all featured here. All of these shows are ripe for B&B satirizing, and Judge nails it. The crowd loved it. Judge promises that the show will also poke fun at UFC fights, YouTube videos, and of course, music videos.
  • In another extended scene screened, Judge resurrects Beavis’ alter-ego Cornholio. In “Holy Cornholio” Beavis screws a plastic doll into his hand and has to go to the hospital. A series of events leads the entire town worshiping him as the Messiah. Watch the clip after the break.
  • When asked if a new B&B video game will release following the TV revival, Judge said that one might be coming soon. I remember playing the B&B game for Sega Game Gear and it was a ton of fun. Glad to hear a new one’s being conceptualized. And here’s a fun fact: a B&B ride was once in the works; it involved Butt-Head driving a cab and running things over, but unfortunately it never came into existence.
  • Overall the panel was one helleva nostalgic ride. It really feels like the idiot duo never left us. The crude animation style is virtually the same, and the boys’ attitude towards all the crap out there today carries over from the their past life. The material screen at the panel was genuinely funny, and I am genuinely excited for the long-awaited return Beavis and Butt-Head.

See shots from the Beavis and Butt-Head panel below.

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Continue reading Comic Con 2011: ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ (“Holy Cornholio” clip inside!) →

2011 MTV VMA nominees announced, Katy Perry leads the way with 9 nods

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With the MTV Video Music Awards airing exactly one month from today, now’s the best time to read up the 2011 nominees list. As revealed in the post title, Katy Perry leads the pack with nine nominations. Perry’s sensational single “E.T.” is up for Best SFX, Best Editing, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Collaboration (with Kanye West). “Teenage Dream” is up for Best Cinematography, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” might be the Best Female Video, and “Firework” is vying against Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise,”Bruno Mars, “Grenade,” and Tyler, The Creator’s “Yonkers” for the coveted Video of the Year. Adele and Kanye West managed to score seven nominations each; “Rolling in the Deep” and “All of the Lights” are fan favorites. West’s “Power” scored two nominations for Best Art Direction and Best SFX. Check out the full breakdown of nominees organized by category after the break. MTV announced that Adele, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown will perform at the ceremony this year; expect more artists to make the cut before the show airs live on Sunday, August 28 at 9PM.

[Via EW-MusicMix 1, 2] Continue reading 2011 MTV VMA nominees announced, Katy Perry leads the way with 9 nods →

2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed

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Last night the MTV Video Music Awards made big winners out of Lady Gaga and Eminem.  Gaga, who was nominated for a record-breaking 13 moon mans, was awarded Best Female, Pop, and Dance video for “Bad Romance” and Best Collaboration for “Telephone” (featuring Beyonce).  Eminem took home Best Male and Hip Hop awards for “Not Afraid.”  Video of the Year–you guessed it–went to Gaga for–right, again–“Bad Romance.”  When she accepted the top prize (covered in meat, mind you), Gaga announced the name of her second record (it’s called Born This Way) and she even recited a line from a new song: “God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track baby. I was born this way.”  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

11.4 million viewers tuned into this year’s VMAs making it the third most-watched telecast in MTV history.  See MTV?  People want music videos, not crap reality shows.  The over-the-top performances really made the show worth watching.  Eminem started things off with a bang by performing his smash hit “Not Afraid” followed by “Love the Way You Lie” with a surprise guest appearence by a red-headed Rihanna.  The Bieb followed with “Baby”, “Somebody to Love”, and a drum solo.  Next his mentor Usher lit up the stage (literally) with an amazing dance routine for “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” and “OMG.”  I really didn’t mind that he dropped most of his vocals from the performance; he is a dance god.  And that light up floor was beyond cool.  Florence + the Machine performed “Dog Days Are Over”, proving to be a huge contender in the music industry.  That Florence Welch can sing.  A bit later young miss Taylor Swift took the stage barefooted to sing her song about the Kanye West incident that happened last year.  The song was introduced by a brief video recap of the incident; without that you might not have been able to tell it was even about the controversial night.  I will have to scan the lyrics to find clues; anywho, let’s all move on from that fateful night, shall we?  Swift looked great and the performance was classy, per usual.  Drake, Mary J. Blige, and Swizz Beatz did “Fancy”, and boy did they sound great together.  This marked Drake’s first time performing at the VMAs, and he proved he can work the crowd.  I’m looking forward to what he’s got in store for next year.  Linkin Park nailed it with a fun performance right outside the Griffith Observatory.  And then came Mr. West.

Comedian Aziz Ansari hopped onto stage to give a hilarious introduction to the main (and closing) event.  Anticipation built as Kanye walked onto stage donned in a red suit to meet his sampler.  As ballarinas began to flutter around the stage, Kanye dropped the heavy beat to a never-before-heard track called “Runaway”.  And the chorus goes: “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags, Let’s have a toast for the assholes, Let’s have a toast for the scumbags, Every one of them that I know/Let’s have a toast to the jerkoffs, That’ll never take work off/ Baby, I got a plan, Run away fast as you can.”  With “Runaway” Kanye acknowledges his past mistakes in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, but at the same time retains his comeback stature.  In other words, it was a runaway success.  Can’t forget to mention fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Pusha T who added a worthy verse to the mix.  Any “booos” that might have lingered before the epic performance had quickly turned into “Kanye, Kanye, Kanye” cheers by the time the song was over.  Jump after the break to watch the performance, complete with Aziz’s intro.

A few more highlights.. Host Chelsea Handler did a great job (when she came out wearing that house I was in stitches, plus seeing Chuy there was a nice treat); house DJ Deadmau5 looked freakin’ sweet in his LED mouse head piece; Nicki Minaj’s pre-show performance (featuring will.i.am) was a ton of fun; and how amazing did MTV do up LA’s Nokia Theatre? Continue reading 2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed →

Chelsea Handler to host the VMAs

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Last night comedian Chelsea Handler announced on her E! late night show Chelsea Lately that she will be the host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.  But why Handler?  She explains, “This has been a huge year for hip-hop and rap, and it is well-known that I have the closest ties with these communities — musically and sexually.  I am to rap and hippity-hop, what Warren Buffet is to finance, minus the sex.”  Yup, that’s Chelsea.  Fun fact: She is first female to host the awards show since 1994.  With expected performances from Kanye West, Justin Bieber (eh), Drake, Jay Sean, B.o.B, and Florence + The Machine, this year’s VMAs should be memorable in just the right way.  The VMAs airs live from the Nokia Theatre in LA September 12.  Check out this year’s nominees!  Look after the break to watch Chelsea make the exciting announcement.

[Via EW-Popwatch] Continue reading Chelsea Handler to host the VMAs →

Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting”

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Tonight MTV premiered the music video painting for Kanye West’s new single “Power.”  Kanye started to hype the one minute forty-three second video/painting hybrid yesterday on his blog and Twitter account.  He constantly made sure to specifiy that the final product would not be a music video but instead a “painting”.  The video begins with a close-up of Kanye’s face with two lines of parallel pillars behind him.  As the track plays, the camera slowly pans outward to reveal scantily-clad women donning horns, canes, and wings.  Almost immediately you realize that this is not a traditional music video but instead a slow moving painting taking place in the clouds among angels and demons.  After only one verse the video draws to its conclusion when the camera starts to sporatically dart around the scene.  Then the mystical creatures disappear, two men fly through the air with swords aimed for Kanye’s head (and another one dangling above him through a halo ring), and the letters P-O-W-E-R filled with images from the video take over the screen.

Artist Marco Brambilla directed the video; he successfully invokes Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel, his source for inspiration, by placing historical characters and creatures in the neoclassical scenery.  Kanye approaced Brambilla after watching his tremendous specticle “Civilization.”  Click here for a brief behind-the-scenes look at the making of the “Power” video.  (NSFW warning: It does contain minor instances of nudity.)

I have one word to describe what Kanye has done here: interesting.  It’s definitely a bold risk for a music video for two obvious reasons.  One, it’s not really a music video, it’s a “painting”; and two, it does not encompass the entire song.  That said, the art direction is spectacular and the featured goddesses are a nice treat.  I also like the way it was filmed; the slow panning, the quick darting shots, and the awesome illusion on the eyes that made it look like Kanye was moving ever-so-slightly towards us all made for a high value viewing.  I am disappointed that “Power” will not be getting a standard music video that it so rightfully deserves.  I’d almost rather purchase an enlarged poster of this living portrait than watch it in video form.  But this is what Kanye wanted, and Kanye gets what Kanye wants.  Unconventional as it may be, the “painting” proves to be stylistically impressive and easy on the eyes.

P.S. – That poster idea got me thinking.  Watch the video in HD, take a screen cap of your favorite part, and now you have an groovy background image for your computer.  You’re welcome. Continue reading Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting” →

MTV VMA nominees announced, Lady Gaga nabs record-breaking 13 nods

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The MTV Video Music Awards is just a month away, so it’s time to peruse the nominees list.  Lady Gaga swept the boards with a record-breaking 13 nominations, two of which include Best Pop Video and Best Female Video.  Not only does she now hold the record for most VMA nods in a single show, but she is also the first female artist to be nominated for two different videos in the Video of the Year category (“Bad Romance” and “Telephone”).  Eminem’s hit single “Not Afraid” helped him received 8 nods.  First-time nominees include Ke$ha, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Florence + The Machine.  B.o.B’s “Airplanes”, Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”, Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope”, 30 Seconds To Mars’ “King & Queens”, and Dan Black’s “Symphonies” also made the cut.  Check out the full breakdown of nominees organized by category after the break.  The VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12 at 9PM on MTV.  According to recent whispers Kanye West will be in the building to perform a song off his upcoming album, so you don’t want to miss a potential “Imma let you finish but…” moment!

[Via EW-MusicMix] Continue reading MTV VMA nominees announced, Lady Gaga nabs record-breaking 13 nods →