Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

VMAs: Always a sight to be seen

Sarah Title, titlese@muohio.edu

If you've been itching for something dramatic, wild and memorable to surface from the Hollywood community, your eyes should have been peeled to MTV Sunday night when, according to mtv.com, 11.4 million people tuned in to the Video Music Awards (VMAs). This is the highest number of viewers since the 2002 show, perhaps because the VMAs have recently become the forum for celebrities to sport outrageous clothing and engage in uninhibited behavior.  

This year this celebrity circus was hosted by late night TV personality Chelsea Handler. There couldn't have been a more appropriate host for the occasion. At the start of the show, Chelsea encouraged the audience to hold true to the show's reputation by shouting to them, "Be on your worst behavior tonight!"  

Many celebs were willing to make fun of their images portrayed in the media with Handler. The show opened with Lindsay Lohan acknowledging her drug abuse and later Kim Kardashian mocked her obsession with Justin Bieber by announcing his performance right outside his dressing room. Justin Bieber attempted to make himself seem "mature" by dancing with people smaller and younger than him. Little did we know those kinds of people actually existed.  

The white carpet seemed to inspire a black and white trend among celebrities on Sunday, but fear not, there was still an abundance of jaw-dropping styles.

Katy Perry came solo to the show, but her husband was still there in spirit. If when you say spirit you mean on her nails. Yes, Perry's manicure featured Russell Brand's face on all of her fingernails. Boy do I feel sorry for that nail artist. Please ladies, don't try that at home unless you want the boot from your significant other. If you're taken aback by that style alone, take a breath because I haven't even touched on Lady Gaga yet.  

You have to give the girl props. She shows up dressed as a peacock by Alexander McQueen and claims the prestigious Video of the Year prize dressed in … butcher meat. According to mtv.com, over 50 pounds of meat were used in the making of this dress with the use of no preservatives. Gaga was apparently trying to make a statement that we shouldn't be treated like meat. Oh, Gaga, then why did you show up to the awards show wearing it? I guess you showed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that you're not limited to wearing fur. I'm sure they're impressed with your creativity. 

Don't worry, the awards show did not go five minutes without, as Handler put it, addressing Kanye West as, "the big, black elephant in the room." Handler taught potential winners how to ward off an invader during their acceptance speech, which poked fun at West's onstage outburst when Taylor Swift won Best Female Video in 2009.  

Swift hardly got revenge with her over-the-top ballad. Here are a few lyrics from her below-average song: "Thirty-two and still growing up now; who you are is not what you did." It sounds more like she's sympathizing with West versus laying down the law. Tay, you don't have to be so understanding. You should have taken Chelsea's advice and instead written a "Forever and Always" revenge-style song. We'd all be a little more entertained.

Kanye West closed the show with a song in which he condemned himself for last year's events, talked about his decline in pop culture and toasted to "all the scumbags." At least he knows nobody respects him. That's admirable, isn't it?  

Whether it's the outrageous stunts that people talk about for months after or over-the-top outfits that are continuously referenced, the VMAs never cease to amaze me. From Britney, Christina and Madonna all locking lips to Kanye ruining the dreams of a 19-year-old country artist and this year's raw meat, this awards show is one that raises eyebrows and creates controversy. What will they have in store for us next year? We can only fathom what these senseless and crazy celebrities will do next.


Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter