VMAs Hit Sin City

Yes, I watched the MTV Video Music Awards and YES, Britney Spears was the train wreck that everyone is saying she was. The tradition of watching the video awards goes back to when Madonna was young nubile and writhing around the stage in a wedding dress. I’ve seen the highs and the lows over the years. It’s always entertaining but it just dawned on me that I may be getting too old for the awards ceremony or MTV has run out of tricks. Or maybe a combination of the two. Just like they seem to have run out of music programming, which Justin Timberlake pointed out several times last night, they might have run out of clever interesting ways to present the Video Music Awards.

It was a stroke of marketing genius for The Palms to offer their hotel. You can’t buy that kind of exposure. Between MTV and E!’s The Girls Next Door, The Palms has established itself as the cool place to stay in Las Vegas. It was also smart to move the VMAs to Sin City, which has its own built in atmosphere and hype. However, the awards call for a bigger stage and better blocked performance.

This year, MTV tried to sell us on the idea of private VIP parties. Great. BUT, we only caught snippets of performances, bad audio and even worse camera work trying to catch all the action. It was like being inside a mosh pit. The best performances of the night were with the Foo Fighters unfortunately, we only caught a few minutes of performance. I really wanted to see their rendition of the Prince gem Darling Nikki with Cee-Lo.

Here’s a quick look at my picks for best and worse moments:

Not Ready for Primetime Player

Poor Brit Brit sleepwalked through her so-so performance. I’ve never seen her energy so low during a performance. I expected an over-the-top extravaganza with lots of dancers, animals and fireworks. She barely moved hips or her lips to the track. If this was her great comeback, it failed miserably.

I Still Don’t Get Here

I know Sara Silverman is extremely popular and seen as provocative but I don’t get her humor when it comes to individuals. She’s funny on topics but when she rips into a person, it’s uncomfortable and nasty. Beyond my usual snarky seal of approval. Her little bit went sour the minute she started calling Britney’s kids mistakes. Ouch!!

Best Non-Televised Event

I sure as hell have to find the Kid Rock/Tommy Lee brawl on the internet. I love it and I love the fact that it wasn’t two rappers. It’s no secret why they were fighting. I just want to see it personally. How rock n’ roll.

Guilty Pleasure

The Mark Ronson interludes were inspiring but my favorite was Adam Levine. The man whore continues to be my not so secret guilty pleasure. I love his voice, phrasing and vibe. Wipe off the slimey coat and I would have dated him in my 20s.

Best Dancer

Watch out Usher and JT. There’s a young buck nipping at your heels. Chris Brown gave the most explosive dance performance of the night. I was disappointed that he didn’t sing live, he always does but his footwork was impeccable. I actually expected (or hoped) that Michael Jackson would come out when the strands of Billie Jean started playing.

What did you love or hate at the VMAs?