What Made the VMAs so Enjoyable this Year?
The VMAs open with a bang from Nicki Minaj, Jessie J and Ariana Grande.
September 4, 2014
The Video Music Awards is the most confusing award show on television.
MTV, the network that broadcasts the show, hasn’t aired a primetime music video in decades, and doesn’t even make an exception for the awards. Everyone agrees that MTV isn’t a music authority anymore. The awards go to obvious and/or bizarre winners. True talent is often overlooked.
For me, at least, the show was transfixing and actually stunning. Time was passing slower while I sat staring at the VMAs. I rewatched so many performances to catch every trashy detail. My Twitter timeline was exploding with comments about the awards. I was finally having a good time watching an award show. So why was this year so enjoyable?
The winners meant nothing.
On regular awards shows, everyone has to have seen everything for anything to make sense. Didn’t see 12 Years a Slave? You were in the dark at the Oscars. On the VMAs, the awards are rushed to make space for performances. Should the awards even be taken seriously? Lorde won for best rock video. The VMAs know music, but not that well. Nobody watched to see who won anyway. Sure, Fifth Harmony stole the Artist to Watch award from Charli XCX, but who cares? Maroon 5 played after that! With pyrotechnics!
The ads were crazy and socially aware.
On a serious note, MTV took time to address the protests in Ferguson, Missouri in a very tasteful and respectful way. Throughout the show, commercials promoting #lookdifferent to combat social injustice. A powerful ad showed support for the protesters continuing to rally against police for the death of Michael Brown. Less serious, just as important, self-referential anti-tobacco ads made a powerful message without showing dying people. On the other end of the spectrum, Kia confused the internet with sexualized dancing hamsters. Even the spaces between the madness were amazing.
The show was designed to fall apart perfectly.
The next day, the Primetime Emmy’s highlighted the fact that the VMAs, despite its vapid shell, is a truly fun event. Where the VMA’s shined, the Emmy’s failed with a safe host (Seth Meyers), vanilla writing, and unsurprising winners.
MTV understands that people don’t want to watch any of that. Before the show started, the announcers lost Usher in the crowd, inspiring #wheresusher followed by #theresusher. Becky G asked Twitter to tell her whose selfie to crash, and then she did a very pre-planned photobomb.
During the actual show, entertainment included unofficial host Jay Pharoah as Kanye West and Drake and the announcer that thought he was actually Jay-Z.
Robin Williams was given a touching and deserving tribute the length of a Vine, basically only showing clips of him smiling/laughing. Jimmy Fallon was a Jimmy Fallon character while Cotton Eye Joe played.
The acts were as interesting as the rest of the show. Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, and Nicki Minaj’s wardrobe malfunction took the stage first, followed by Taylor Swift pretending to fall off stage, Sam Smith, Usher, Five Seconds of Summer, Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora, and Maroon Five.
In the most confusing moment of the night, Miley Cyrus actually let a homeless guy accept her award for Video of the Year. The homeless guy is wanted for violating probation, by the way.
Having every pop star in one room led to insanity.
In one gigantic room, Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Taylor Swift, Gwen Stefani, Jason Derulo, and countless more were all competing for attention. What ensued was a beautiful mess. Katy Perry and RiFF RAFF arrived in denim outfit in the best homage of the night. Amber Rose wore diamond floss. There was no focal point in the extremity of the event.
Soon, Perry and Sam Smith formed the power alliance of the night, rolling their eyes at several performances and, of course, Miley Cyrus’ homeless friend. They were not impressed about Fifth Harmony’s win. The crowd reaction cam proved itself to be the best part of the every performance, showing Perry and Smith and many others looking horrified/amused/confused at the antics.
Beyoncé.
Who are we kidding? The VMAs were only about Beyoncé from the beginning. In the last 16 minutes of the show, the audience was electrified with a combination of Queen Bey’s greatest hits. Her performance was what the entire night was building up to show.
Standing proudly in front of a huge screen emblazoned with “FEMINIST,” she commanded the attention of every person watching and the internet en masse. After her set, she was joined by Jay-Z and Blue Ivy on the stage, accepting her Michael Jackson video whatnot award. Blue Ivy basically ensured that the audience was content. Surrounded by her family, Beyoncé thanked her fans and looked incredibly happy – the most fitting ending the VMAs could ever have hoped for.
