It was hot, hot, hot last Sunday night when the Mtv Video Music Awards moved from classy New York City to spicy Miami. The night was filled with amazing musical performances, touching acceptance speeches, and of course, a whole lot of stars. This year the guests had the choice of arriving by car or by boat, which P. Diddy took full advantage of when he sailed in on a spectacular yacht. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony also arrived by boat in one of their first public appearances together since their wedding.
The show began with an amazing performance from Usher, Ludacris and Lil Jon and the excitement did not end there.
The rest of the event was filled with musical guests like Jessica Simpson and Alicia Keyes featuring Stevie Wonder and Kanye West. One of the best performances of the night was a trio of rock bands that included Jet,
Yellowcard and Hoobastank. Yellowcard also had one of the best speeches of the night when they won the Mtv2 award and Jet picked up an award for Best Rock Video.
Jay-Z was the big winner of the night, walking away with four moon men including Best Rap Video. Video of the Year went to Outkast for “Hey Ya.” No Doubt won for the Best Pop Video and Alicia Keys left with the award for Best R & B Video. Other big winners of the night were Maroon 5 for Best New Artist, Usher for Best Dance Video and Best Male Video and Beyonce for Best Female Video.
The steamy weather in Miami definitely had an affect on the fashion at the awards. Skin was in and stars were not afraid to show it. Beyonce, obviously channeling her Foxy Cleopatra character, came in a very low-cut gold top with matching hot pants.
Gwen Stefani arrived in a tasteful blue tube top and knee-length red skirt and Jessica Simpson was glowing in a gorgeous white dress with silver trim that accentuated her most well-known assets.
The women were not the only ones in style that night. Always in fashion, P. Diddy was low-key in a white suit and black tie which complemented his buddy Nas who wore a black suit and white tie.
There were a few things about the night that did not sit correctly. First was the fact that Dave Chapelle was billed to host the show but only appeared on stage twice.
Second was the extremely bizarre performance by Polyphonic Spree which included brightly colored robes that made the group look like a wacky religious cult.
Finally, were the always horrible scripts the presenters were forced to read. These monologues make even the most seasoned actor look like a student trying out for a high school play.
Other than that the awards were a success. Hopefully in the future Mtv will continue to pack their award shows with the same kind of talent that blew away the audience at this year’s Video Music Awards.