I'M HOT AND YOU'RE NOT- A 2005 VMA COMMENTARY
It's that time of the year again when you know summer is fading and fall is-a-coming. That can only mean one thing- no, not the start of the new school term. It's the MTV Video Music Awards, the definitive award show for music videos and the only event where celebrities are expected to behave badly. But please, do notice the videos.
STEFANI: 'IT' girl of the year.
The annual MTV Video Music Awards are not about videos anymore. Yeah, some of the nominees announced recently were the best visuals to have graced MTV, VH1, Channel V and the like these past 12 months, but it has become more like a blatant showcase for the most popular acts of the year.
Yes, sometimes the most popular acts are also the critically best for the year. But frankly my dear, I don't give a ham on who's popular when it comes to videos. Videos should be about videos- a visual and aural feast of the senses that brightens up your day.
The Video of the Year category is like a row-call for the biggest-sellers for 2005: Green Day has won Grammys and earned big bucks for their album 'American Idiot'. Coldplay's record shot straight to the top of Billboard's 200 Album charts and is still hovering around the top ten. Snoop Dogg is experiencing a musical renaissance, thanks to his own coolness, but also due to collaborations with Justin Timberlake, the Neptunes and gang. And Gwen Stefani? Honey, there is no other woman in 2005 besides her. The fifth nominee Kanya West is in the category because he won all those Grammys earlier this year.
Talking about Grammy awards, gone are the days when the VMAs (that's what you call the award show now) would feature totally different nominees from the Grammy nominees.
Though one or two nominees would be the same, now, you can even have all the Video of the Year nominees in Grammy's Record of the Year category.
No biggie, lah, just making an observation.
Kesimpulannya, you will see half of the VMA nominees in next year's Grammys. The other half were already nominated for Grammys this year (i.e Green Day, Kanye West)
Looking through the list this year reminds me of 1998, when you knew someone would be nominated for a video, but instead THE OTHER video from that artist gets nominated. (I had my money on Madonna's 'Frozen' but instead 'Ray of Light' was nominated and it fucking won the bloody moonman. Instead of hating MTV, I just learned to like the video- and it worked!)
The year's 'IT' girl Gwen Stefani is up for the night's top award for her 'FUCK YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW THE REAL ME' song Hollaback Girl.
The song was a number one hit on Billboard, the video is hot, reminded me of Britney's "Baby One More Time"- all colourful and high-school-ey.
But really, the better Stefani video was 'What You Waiting For?" directed by the brilliant Francis Lawrence and featured Gwen as an Alice in Wonderland high on speed.
It was fun to watch and such a visual extravaganza. Please slap me if the video does not win the technical awards it is up for!
Snoop Dog's "Drop It Like It's Hot" was pretty much a shoe-in. There hasn't been a slicker monochrome video in a while, with hot girls and ice dropping into glasses.
As for Coldplay, what can I say, no other British band has caused such a commotion in a long time. Rolling Stone reserved the top of its chart page for Coldplay's X&Y release last month. The band has been on the up and up since its debut in 2000 with its depressingly delicious 'Yellow'. The Americans only took notice a year later, but hey who cares now?
Kanye West performed 'Jesus walks' in this year's Grammys and the audience reacted with a standing ovation. More power to him!
With Green Day, it was a matter of "Which video would MTV nominate?" And journalists who make up the bulk of nominators went for the sublime 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'. Great song. Great video. I swear to God the whole punk-rock image is just a disguise- these guys are closeted balladeers. Expect the song to be nominated for a Grammy next year.
The other VMA nominees are also a testament to the year's best. Mariah Cary's 'We Belong Together' is up for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video. Carey, the Comeback Kid of The Year, is the only threat to Stefani's dominance during the award show on Aug 28.
The Best Rock Video category is also one of my favourites. The Foo Fighters are there with 'Best of Me'- one kick ass video. Green Day is there of course. Weezer too, with their tribute to Hugh Hefner in 'Beverly Hills'. But it is the two new bands that spice up the category. The Killer's 80s infused 'Mr Brightside' and My Chemical Romance's 'Helena' will battle it out with the big boys that night. Who will win? I love Mr Brightside, but does it have the power and presence to win the moonman statuette, especially since what lead singer Brandon Flowers has been saying about a rival band? That could be used against them.
My Chemical Romance and The Killers will also square off in the new Artist category together with John Legend, Ciara and The Game.
With all the bickering and all that is at stake, no wonder the VMAs are no longer about the videos. But in the words of the original MTV during the 80s....
I WANT MY MTV!!!!!
********************
The 2005 Ramblinging Video Music Awards (a.k.a. those who should have been nominated).....
BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
What You Waiting For?- Gwen Stefani
Lonely No More- Rob Thomas
Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day
Drop It Like It's Hot- Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrel Williams
Best of Me- Foo Fighters
BEST FEMALE VIDEO:
What You Waiting For?- Gwen Stefani
I Believe in You- Kylie Minogue
We Belong Together- Mariah Carey
Since U've Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
BEST MALE VIDEO:
Lonely No More- Rob Thomas
BEST NEW ARTISTE IN A VIDEO:
Mr Brightside- The Killers
Shadow- Ashlee Simpson
Supa Dupa Love- Joss Stone
BEST ROCK VIDEO:
Disappear- Hoobastank
Best of Me- Foo Fighters
Beverly Hills- Weezer
It's that time of the year again when you know summer is fading and fall is-a-coming. That can only mean one thing- no, not the start of the new school term. It's the MTV Video Music Awards, the definitive award show for music videos and the only event where celebrities are expected to behave badly. But please, do notice the videos.
STEFANI: 'IT' girl of the year.
The annual MTV Video Music Awards are not about videos anymore. Yeah, some of the nominees announced recently were the best visuals to have graced MTV, VH1, Channel V and the like these past 12 months, but it has become more like a blatant showcase for the most popular acts of the year.
Yes, sometimes the most popular acts are also the critically best for the year. But frankly my dear, I don't give a ham on who's popular when it comes to videos. Videos should be about videos- a visual and aural feast of the senses that brightens up your day.
The Video of the Year category is like a row-call for the biggest-sellers for 2005: Green Day has won Grammys and earned big bucks for their album 'American Idiot'. Coldplay's record shot straight to the top of Billboard's 200 Album charts and is still hovering around the top ten. Snoop Dogg is experiencing a musical renaissance, thanks to his own coolness, but also due to collaborations with Justin Timberlake, the Neptunes and gang. And Gwen Stefani? Honey, there is no other woman in 2005 besides her. The fifth nominee Kanya West is in the category because he won all those Grammys earlier this year.
Talking about Grammy awards, gone are the days when the VMAs (that's what you call the award show now) would feature totally different nominees from the Grammy nominees.
Though one or two nominees would be the same, now, you can even have all the Video of the Year nominees in Grammy's Record of the Year category.
No biggie, lah, just making an observation.
Kesimpulannya, you will see half of the VMA nominees in next year's Grammys. The other half were already nominated for Grammys this year (i.e Green Day, Kanye West)
Looking through the list this year reminds me of 1998, when you knew someone would be nominated for a video, but instead THE OTHER video from that artist gets nominated. (I had my money on Madonna's 'Frozen' but instead 'Ray of Light' was nominated and it fucking won the bloody moonman. Instead of hating MTV, I just learned to like the video- and it worked!)
The year's 'IT' girl Gwen Stefani is up for the night's top award for her 'FUCK YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW THE REAL ME' song Hollaback Girl.
The song was a number one hit on Billboard, the video is hot, reminded me of Britney's "Baby One More Time"- all colourful and high-school-ey.
But really, the better Stefani video was 'What You Waiting For?" directed by the brilliant Francis Lawrence and featured Gwen as an Alice in Wonderland high on speed.
It was fun to watch and such a visual extravaganza. Please slap me if the video does not win the technical awards it is up for!
Snoop Dog's "Drop It Like It's Hot" was pretty much a shoe-in. There hasn't been a slicker monochrome video in a while, with hot girls and ice dropping into glasses.
As for Coldplay, what can I say, no other British band has caused such a commotion in a long time. Rolling Stone reserved the top of its chart page for Coldplay's X&Y release last month. The band has been on the up and up since its debut in 2000 with its depressingly delicious 'Yellow'. The Americans only took notice a year later, but hey who cares now?
Kanye West performed 'Jesus walks' in this year's Grammys and the audience reacted with a standing ovation. More power to him!
With Green Day, it was a matter of "Which video would MTV nominate?" And journalists who make up the bulk of nominators went for the sublime 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'. Great song. Great video. I swear to God the whole punk-rock image is just a disguise- these guys are closeted balladeers. Expect the song to be nominated for a Grammy next year.
The other VMA nominees are also a testament to the year's best. Mariah Cary's 'We Belong Together' is up for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video. Carey, the Comeback Kid of The Year, is the only threat to Stefani's dominance during the award show on Aug 28.
The Best Rock Video category is also one of my favourites. The Foo Fighters are there with 'Best of Me'- one kick ass video. Green Day is there of course. Weezer too, with their tribute to Hugh Hefner in 'Beverly Hills'. But it is the two new bands that spice up the category. The Killer's 80s infused 'Mr Brightside' and My Chemical Romance's 'Helena' will battle it out with the big boys that night. Who will win? I love Mr Brightside, but does it have the power and presence to win the moonman statuette, especially since what lead singer Brandon Flowers has been saying about a rival band? That could be used against them.
My Chemical Romance and The Killers will also square off in the new Artist category together with John Legend, Ciara and The Game.
With all the bickering and all that is at stake, no wonder the VMAs are no longer about the videos. But in the words of the original MTV during the 80s....
I WANT MY MTV!!!!!
********************
The 2005 Ramblinging Video Music Awards (a.k.a. those who should have been nominated).....
BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
What You Waiting For?- Gwen Stefani
Lonely No More- Rob Thomas
Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day
Drop It Like It's Hot- Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrel Williams
Best of Me- Foo Fighters
BEST FEMALE VIDEO:
What You Waiting For?- Gwen Stefani
I Believe in You- Kylie Minogue
We Belong Together- Mariah Carey
Since U've Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
BEST MALE VIDEO:
Lonely No More- Rob Thomas
BEST NEW ARTISTE IN A VIDEO:
Mr Brightside- The Killers
Shadow- Ashlee Simpson
Supa Dupa Love- Joss Stone
BEST ROCK VIDEO:
Disappear- Hoobastank
Best of Me- Foo Fighters
Beverly Hills- Weezer
Comments