Is it just me, or do the VMAs seem to get worse every year? The show's heyday is over, with its cultural relevance sinking lower and lower, and with declining ratings year after year.
But moreover, the awards seem to be more and more pointless, as celebrities receive nominations for their names rather than for the quality of their work. And with such simple settings, the VMAs end up appearing like a makeshift awards show that a couple of kids set up in their own backyard. (I was so confused when watching the beginning of the show by the simplicity of the stage and arena that I forgot where the show was taking place - at Paramount Studios). I felt no magic as I watched. Rather, I felt cheap, the victim of a show generated entirely for entertainment value rather than to celebrate artistry as real awards shows do.
This feeling was not helped by Britney Spears' "opening" of the show. Her dialogue with Jonah Hill lacked any personality, and she lacked stage presence in her big kick-off - which consisted of her talking for a few seconds. Host Russell Brand fared far worse. His humor was mostly amiss; he wasn't quite ready for an American audience. He did have a few good hits - like Madonna's sexual attraction to A-Rod having to do with his baseball bat. But choosing to target most of his banter at little boys and their virginity (the Jonas Brothers' promise rings) left not only audience members uncomfortable but viewers across the country shocked rather than laughing.
The queen of the show was, without a doubt, P!nk, who I feel is an underrated performer. Maybe she has brought this upon herself, as despite her rough outside, she tries to appeal to a mainstream audience. But her performance offered what the others didn't - it had an intense and vibrant artistic vision, perfectly matching performance with song lyric - the tale of a rocker trying to reinvent herself, a life-like bio of sorts. P!nk took advantage of the studio setting, starting her performance by smashing a mirror in her bedroom on the second story of a building and jumping down with the aid of a rope. Violence and explosion ensued, all capped off in a head-banging performance as fans invaded the streets of the studio set to the front of a band-clad stage.
As for the awards show - it was a clean sweep for Britney, who won her first three. The night that virtually killed her career a year ago seemed to be MTV's love letter to her - a scripted show set to shed light on her sad life. Call me crazy, but as Spears thanked God, I just didn't believe her. And, the video just wasn't that good. Another year, another set of trash.
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