The MTV Video Music Awards are just a few short days away, and though there is all sorts of buzz surrounding the performances, the parties and the New York-centric stunts that will be happening all this week into Sunday's broadcast, it's important to remember that the reason the biggest stars in music will gather in Radio City Music Hall is to see who wins the coveted Moonman in each of the 15 categories. We'll be taking a look at each of the top categories, continuing today with the Best Rock Video award. The nominees are Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," Fall Out Boy's "I Don't Care," Green Day's "21 Guns," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" and Paramore's "Decode."
Strangely, the Best Rock Video category has only been around since 1997 (in years prior, the top rock clip tended to get lumped into categories like Best Hard Rock, Best Metal, Best Alternative or Best Group Video). Of this year's nominees, only Green Day have taken home this prize before (they scored a Moonman for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in 2005). The punk trio cleaned up in 2005 — they took home seven statuettes total, including Video of the Year and a Viewer's Choice Award. Their career total is eight (including a nod for Best Alternative Video in 1995 for "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)"), and they've also got three performances under their belt, having played in 1994 ("Basket Case"), 1995 ("Stuck With You") and 2005 ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams"). "21 Guns," from their latest album 21st Century Breakdown, has a total of three nominations, bringing Green Day's career total to a whopping 28.
Fall Out Boy did win Best Group in 2007 when Best Rock Video was absent. This is the second consecutive year that the group is nominated for Best Rock Video, as their clip for "Beat It" lost out to Linkin Park's "Shadow of the Day" in 2008. They've already got a pair of Moonmen to their name, having also won in 2006. It's also the second consecutive year that Paramore is nominated in this category, having received a nom last year for "Crushcrushcrush."
Coldplay have brought their career VMA nomination total up to 16 with "Viva la Vida," having won a Moonman in 2002 and three more in 2003 for "Trouble" and "The Scientist." Their nominated video represents the greatest departure for any band on this list, as it was directed by Hype Williams, who normally helms heavily saturated hip-hop videos. It's certainly the most adventurous clip nominated in this category, though it has a much better chance at winning in the Art Direction, Editing or Cinematography categories.
Finally, there's Kings of Leon, whose oft-covered song "Use Somebody" has netted them their first VMA nomination. Given the fact that Kings of Leon's gradual rise has been a narrative that has dominated the rock world over the past year, it seems like "Use Somebody" should be a clear favorite (the fact that it currently sits in fifth place on the Billboard Hot 100 doesn't hurt either). But Paramore does have the "Twilight" juggernaut behind it, so it should be a photo finish.