Beyoncé, Lady Gaga score nine nods at VMA

It will be hip-hop’s first lady Beyoncé and upstart Lady Gaga, toe to toe, head to head or well-toned arm to well-toned arm in the battle for the most number of Moonman trophies in the forthcoming MTV Video Music Awards. Now on its 26th year, the VMA honors achievements in video production in the music industry. It is also considered the harbinger of what the results of the other music awards in the US would look like early next year.

So maybe the American Music Awards and the Grammys would also be a toss-up between these two talented ladies. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga emerged equal in the VMA prelims with nine nominations each, the most any artist got this year. Beyoncé got hers for the phenomenal Single Ladies, (Put A Ring On It) from I Am... Sasha Pierce while Lady Gaga got hers from several cuts from her debut album, The Fame.

The girls’ closest rival is also female and a VMA favorite, Britney Spears with seven nominations. Kanye West and Eminem lead the boys with four nods each, while Coldplay tops all the other bands with also four nominations.

MTV’s VMA will be held in New York on Sept. 13 at the historic Radio City Music Hall and other venues. This is the Awards’ 14th time in The Big Apple and you know how MTV does these things. With its flair for the unexpected, we might find performers like Green Day or Taylor Swift performing on the subway or atop the Empire State Building during the show.

There is also a new addition among the categories, which should delight artists who missed getting the Moonman in the past. This reminds me of one Academy Awards show wherein they had a number called Here’s To The Losers about great films that did not win the Best Picture Oscar. The list was quite impressive. It is the same thing at the VMA this year. The only difference is these nominees are getting another chance to bring home a trophy.

Here they are. The Best Video That Should Have Won A Moonman: David Lee Roth, California Girls; Foo Fighters, Everlong; U2, Streets Have No Name; George Michael, Freedom; OK Go, Here It Goes Again; Tom Petty, Into The Great Wide Open; Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang; Beastie Boys, Sabotage; Bjork, Human Behavior; and Radiohead, Karma Police.

And now, here are the MTV VMA 2009 nominees: Video of the Year: Beyoncé, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It); Lady Gaga, Poker Face; Eminem, We Made You; Kanye West, Love Lockdown; Britney Spears, Womanizer.

New Artist: Lady Gaga, Poker Face; Drake, Best I Ever Had; 3OH!3, Don’t Trust Me; Kid Cudi, Day ‘N’ Nite; Asher Roth, I Love College.

Male Video: Eminem, We Made You; Ne-Yo, Miss Independent; Kanye West, Love Lockdown; T.I. feat. Rihanna, Live Your Life; Jay-Z, D.O.A.

Female Video: Lady Gaga, Poker Face; Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Katy Perry, Hot ‘N’ Cold; Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me; Pink, So What.

Hip-hop Video: Eminem, We Made You; Flo Rida, Right Round; Kanye West, Love Lockdown; Asher Roth, I Love College; Jay-Z, D.O.A.

Pop Video; Britney Spears, Womanizer; Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Lady Gaga, Poker Face; Wisin y Yandel, Abusadora; Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester, Good Girls Go Bad.

Rock Video: Coldplay, Viva La Vida; Paramore, Decode; Kings Of Leon, Use Somebody; Green Day, 21 Guns; Fall Out Boy, I Don’t Care.

Breakthrough Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Heads Will Roll; Matt and Kim, Lessons Learned; Passion Pit, The Reeling; Bat for Lashes, Daniel; Anjulie, Boom; Cold War Kids, I’ve Seen Enough; Death Cab For Cutie, Grapevine Fires; Gnarls Barkley, Who’s Gonna Save My Soul; Chairlift, Evident Utensil; Major Lazer, Hold The Line.

Choreography: Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Kristinia DeBarge, Goodbye; Britney Spears, Circus; Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake, Love Sex Magic; A.R. Rahman and Pussycat Dolls, feat. Nicole Scherzinger, Jai Ho.

Direction: Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Lady Gaga, Paparazzi; Britney Spears, Circus; Miley Cyrus, 7 Things; Coldplay, Viva La Vida.

Editing: Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Lady Gaga, Paparazzi; Britney Spears, Circus; Miley Cyrus, 7 Things; Coldplay, Viva La Vida.

Special Effects: Gnarls Barkley, Who’s Gonna Save My Soul; Lady Gaga, Paparazzi; Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Eminem, We Made You; Kanye West feat. Mr. Hudson, Paranoid.

Cinematography: Beyoncé, Single Ladies; Lady Gaga, Paparazzi; Britney Spears, Circus; Green Day, 21 Guns; Coldplay, Viva La Vida.

Art Direction: Beyoncé, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It); Lady Gaga, Paparazzi; Britney Spears, Circus; Gnarls Barkley, Who’s Gonna Save My Soul; Coldplay, Viva La Vida.