One of the best aspects of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards was host Chelsea Handler, who delivered a handful of funny zingers and performed in a number of sharp pre-recorded segments that highlighted her humor without distracting from the business at hand. In the first segment, Handler walked backstage dressed in a robe getting slaps on the butt from a number of rappers before running into Lindsay Lohan. In the first big surprise of the night, Lohan told Handler that she needed to quit drinking. Handler denied being drunk, but Lohan asked why her ankle bracelet was blinking. "That just means my table at Cheesecake Factory is ready!"
The Lohan gag was great because it was low-key and self-deprecating — an ideal combination for a VMA host. That combination of abilities came through later on when Handler jumped into a hot tub with the cast of "Jersey Shore." After initially resisting, she hopped in with the gang, only to emerge later with a pregnant belly.
But the favorite bit here in the MTV Newsroom was during one of the segments devoted to the Best New Artist category. The clips were set up as though Handler was hosting a meet-and-greet with the nominees, including Justin Bieber, Ke$ha and Jason Derülo. The latter's video was the best, as Handler repeatedly sang Derülo's name back to him with the assistance of a little Auto-Tune (just like Derülo does on "In My Head"). Since everybody here is constantly singing "Jason Derülooooooo!" as a greeting at MTV News HQ, it was a segment that was near and dear to us.
The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.