Girls win big at the MTV VMAs

Katy Perry, Adele and Britney Spears were the top winners at the MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles last Sunday, Aug. 28. And we got to watch the event live over MTV SEA on Aug. 29, Monday morning.

But finding out who would win was not really the reason why fans watched the show. We get the news in the papers or on TV later or in real time from the Net anyway. The real reason why we watch these things is for the musical numbers, the celebrity guests and to find out if anybody will make an ass of himself.

But what do you know, nobody did. The 2011 edition of the MTV VMAs, usually the bastion of the outrageous, turned out to be sweet, even staid with everybody being almost nice and proper and in a jubilant awards night mood. In fact, the biggest news to come out of the VMAs this year was that Beyoncé is preggy and still looks stunning.

Some guests did make an effort to get into the vaunted MTV atmosphere. You know, push the envelope as far as you can. I am a bit lost if this was Miley Cyrus’ intention though. Was she serious trying to look like a ninang sa kasal? Also on Selena, did she really want to look like a young Morticia Adams? And poor Jessie J, who was in the entire show but stayed lost in the scenery. But Katy had a yellow box on her head. Tyler the Creator’s thank-you speech was almost all blipped out. And Lady Gaga whom I was expecting to come in a fish or veggie dress because she wore a meat outfit last year, presented and performed as her male persona Jose Calderon.

The 80-something Tony Bennett got hip and joined in the tribute to Amy Winehouse. Their duet of Body And Soul from his upcoming Duets II album sounds fantastic. Kim Kardashian was the prettiest girl around. Adele was well-coiffed and in a full-skirted dress. Kanye West behaved himself. Nothing like the Taylor Swift episode this year. Chris Brown showed up. No Rihanna beating the night before. The tacky cast of the TV reality show Jersey Shore joined the 70-something Cloris Leachman on stage. And Britney, who would have been game some years ago, refused to kiss Lady Gaga who presented her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Is the VMAs showing its age? Not really, because, the musical numbers, which I believe are really what matters were as exciting and watchable as ever. These were as usual, spectacular. Where else will you get to see Lady Gaga perform with Queen’s Brian May on the guitar? Or see a wired Chris Brown soar through the air and smoothly land on his feet in a magnificent song and dance. How about a rousing duet by Jay Z and Kanye; or Pitbull and Ne-Yo; or Bruno Mars in a retro suit complete with pompadour dishing out Valerie for Winehouse; and of course, Adele, who just stood there and sang and sounded beautiful.

And now the winners list: Video of the Year: Katy Perry, Firework; Best Female Video: Lady Gaga, Born This Way; New Artist of the Year: Tyler, the Creator; Best Male Video: Justin Bieber, U-Smile; Best Pop Video: Britney Spears, Till The World Ends; Best Hip-Hop Video: Nicki Minaj, Super Bass; Best Rock Video: Foo Fighters, Walk; Best Collaboration: Katy Perry and Kanye West, E.T.; Best Direction, Art Direction, Editing and Cinematography: Adele, Rolling In The Deep; Best Choreography, Beyoncé, Run The World Girls; Best Video with a Message: Lady Gaga, Born This Way; and The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award to Britney Spears.