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Kanye West Crashes Taylor Swift's Speech, Gets A Tongue Lashing From iJustine

Posted 9/13/09 10:49 pm EST by in VMAs


The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Preshow featured groundbreaking Twitter coverage care of iJustine, who tracked the trends and read live reactions to all the big stories that were unfolding in front of Radio City Music Hall. Of course, because she's hooked in 24/7, she didn't stop her connection to the online world once the show started. Rather, she decided to kick it up a notch by recording a video blog while inside Radio City Music Hall.

In fact, she recorded it just after Kanye West created the craziest moment of the night so far. After Taylor Swift won the award for Best Female Video, West stormed the stage, grabbed the microphone from Swift (during what was becoming a very heartfelt acceptance speech) and ranted about how much better Beyoncé's video was. "She made one of the best videos of all time!" he said from the stage. He was met with a chorus of boos, and a disoriented Swift was escorted off the stage. Everybody immediately turned on West, including iJustine, who declared the act uncool during her video blog.

She also asked that viewers keep tweeting throughout the night and gave a shout out to Lady Gaga, who had just wrapped her theatrical performance of "Paparazzi."

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We're Live Blogging From The 2009 VMAs Red Carpet!

Posted 9/13/09 6:39 pm EST by in VMAs


After weeks of anticipation, the time has come to get the party started off right. Welcome to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards! We'll begin by live-blogging the preshow, giving you the inside scoop on all the big arrivals, awesome fashion and unpredictable moments that are bound to flood the red carpet outside Radio City Music Hall. So join MTV correspondents Jocelyn Vena, James Montgomery, Shaheem Reid and Tamar Anitai, get your refresh button ready and let the Newsroom take you through what will be an unforgettable night.

8:59 - That's enough out of us. To keep following along, head on over to the VMA live blog over at Buzzworthy. And stay tuned for the post-show!

8:57 - Sway hands out the award for Best Video That Should Have Won a Moonman. The prize goes to the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." A deserving win. Get well soon, MCA.

8:55 - Beyoncé makes a splash on the carpet with her hair done curly and wearing red ruffles. Her interview with Tim Kash is nearly hijacked by her security. Beyoncé is looking forward to Lady Gaga and the Michael Jackson tribute.

8:53 - According to Jim Cantiello, Joe Jackson is the biggest celebrity in the room, and a bunch of celebs have come up to him to pay their respects.

8:51 - Moment of the night: Buzz Aldrin busting a rhyme on the red carpet and saying he likes rap. He also met Swizz Beatz, and they discussed art.

8:50 - J.Lo is here in a beige strapless dress and leopard shoes. She's also wearing a ton of bling, including hot earrings.

8:48 - From Hayley Williams' Twitter: "Radio City!! I remember when 'NSYNC and Britney performed here around school desks and killed it."

8:47 - According to iJustine, Shakira and Pink are wearing the same dress. So speak out, commenters: Who wore it better?

8:46 - Wale and the house band are starting, and Radio City just went from "intense" to "on fire." Wale says, "We gonna burn this motherf----- down."

8:45 - Jermaine Jackson says even he doesn't know what the tribute is going to look like. Earlier, Joe Jackson walked very soberly into Radio City.

8:39 - Cobra Starship pull up in a double-decker bus and declare that they want to make Taylor Swift "go bad." Good luck with that.

8:37 - Kristin Cavallari says she's presenting with Nelly Furtado tonight. Excellent combination!

8:34 - Adam Brody walks up next, tailed by a beefy-looking Timbaland.

8:33 - Alicia Keys promises to "burn the place down" during her performance with Jay-Z tonight. Here's hoping Pink's fire truck stuck around!

8:31 - Currently taking their seats in the house: Hayley Williams (who is stopping to chat with Pete Wentz) and Patrick Stump. On his way in, Wentz took a deep swig from Kanye's bottle of Hennessey as — no kidding — Kelly Clarkson's lyric "Sweetheart put the bottle down" (from "I Do Not Hook Up") blared over the PA.
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Katy Perry, Diddy, Taylor Swift Start Tweeting About VMAs

Posted 9/13/09 5:46 pm EST by in VMAs


We're still a few hours before the 2009 Video Music Awards begin, but plenty of superstars are already getting ready for tonight's show, which airs live from Radio City Music Hall at 9 p.m. (with the preshow, featuring all the awesome arrivals and fashion, starting at 8). How do we know? They're already tweeting about it. Diddy just announced a few minutes ago that "Dirty money has started getting dressed for the vma's."

Elsewhere in the Twittersphere, a bond has already started between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Perry tweeted, "I hear ur dressing room is next door to me! Just know if you need to borrow a cup o' sugar, I'm your girl. Good luck 2day doll." Swift was flattered by the shout out, so she tweeted back to Perry, "I'm gonna come say hi as soon as I get back there. I love you like I love sparkly dresses."

Pete Wentz already arrived and gave a shout out to the huge crowd of fans still gathering outside Radio City Music Hall. "The crowd outside Radio City is awesome. Thanks guys!" He even posted a photo of said crowd.

Meanwhile, a handful of artists are using Twitter to solicit last-minute votes for their friends in the Best New Artist race. Perry struck again, tweeting, "It's the final hour ppl!!!! Go vote for 3oh3 one last time. lezzz do this." Justin Bieber had a different endorsement. "Vote RIGHT NOW for my friend and labelmate ASHER ROTH on the VMAs 2nite for BEST NEW ARTIST. See you guys 2nite!!" he tweeted.

We'll be bringing you more Twitter updates throughout the evening, and be sure to check out MTV Twitter correspondent iJustine during the preshow to track all of the hot activity across the Twitterverse tonight.

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Will Taylor Swift Arrive At The VMAs On A Parade Float?

Posted 9/13/09 4:52 pm EST by in VMAs


We're only a handful of hours away from the start of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and we're even closer to the start of the VMA preshow, which will beam to you live from the Radio City Music Hall red carpet starting at 8 p.m. ET. (You can also follow the live blog right here at the Newsroom blog.) At last year's Video Music Awards (which were live from Hollywood), a handful of superstar acts made grand entrances (Tokio Hotel in a monster truck, T-Pain on an elephant), and there have been rumblings all week that another group of big stars would be kicking it up a notch again this year and showing up to the red carpet in grand fashion.

But how will everybody enter? The folks over at Buzzworthy got the inside scoop on a few of the big arrivals, and needless to say, it's an impressive and mind-blowing list. We still don't know exactly which stars will arrive in which ways, but we do know that Taylor Swift, Pink, Leighton Meester and the All-American Rejects will all make big arrivals via fire truck, Jaguar convertible, parade float and horse and carriage. But which artist will match up with which arrival? The idea of Taylor Swift on a parade float (after all, she does seem like America's favorite beauty queen) or the All-American Rejects on a fire truck (because they're hot!) is pretty enticing. But no matter what, it's going to make for a series of interesting and memorable moments to start the evening off right.

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Drake, Lady Gaga, 3OH!3 Vie For Best New Artist Moonman: Better Know A Category

Posted 9/13/09 3:53 pm EST by in VMAs


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. Today, we conclude our look at each of the top categories with a look at the Best New Artist award. The nominees are 3OH!3's "Don't Trust Me," Asher Roth's "I Love College," Drake's "Best I Ever Had," Kid Cudi's "Day n' Night" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." In this category, the winner is entirely determined by fan voting, and you can continue to vote for your favorite until the moment the presenter walks onstage to read the names.

Each of the Best New Artist nominees has something working in their favor. Lady Gaga is the biggest commercial success by far, and her unusual fashion sense and penchant for theatrics has made her an instantly-recognizable icon. But that doesn't mean she's necessarily running away with it. After all, last year's Best New Artist, Tokio Hotel, beat out a handful of sales juggernauts like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Asher Roth's "I Love College" was huge among actual college students, who are more likely to rally around their computers and cast votes. (Roth seems pretty nonchalant about the awards, though.) Drake and Kid Cudi both have incredible buzz surrounding them and have been immediately embraced by the hip-hop community. (Need proof? They're both on The Blueprint 3.) And 3OH!3 have gone out of their way to campaign for votes, with a push so intense that they managed to make 3OH!3 a trending topic on Twitter.

Who will walk away with Best New Artist? It seems like 3OH!3 want it the most, though it may be impossible to defeat Lady Gaga (who could easily take a series of Moonmen in a landslide tonight). It could be a big coup for whoever the winner is, as many Best New Artists (Alicia Keys, 50 Cent, Maroon 5, the Killers, Eminem and Nirvana among them) have gone on to become superstars and VMA regulars.

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iJustine's Busy Day Of VMA Preparation

Posted 9/12/09 10:34 pm EST by in VMAs


By iJustine

Hey everyone! I'm iJustine, MTV News' Twitter Analyst for Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards Preshow.

I've been up since 7 a.m. and enjoyed some delicious room service: an egg white veggie omelette and an entire pot of coffee all to myself.

After that I ventured over to makeup and wardrobe. I chose a really cute outfit that wasn't exactly weather appropriate — it's been raining and freezing here in NYC! While walking around the city from the MTV offices to Radio City Music Hall, I heard people laughing at me while it poured down rain.

After a full day of script readings and rehearsals, I'm hanging out here up on top of the marquee of Radio City. There is an amazing view of the red-carpet construction that you guys can actually watch live.

It's starting to get a little chilly up here and I am definitely looking forward to some nice weather during the show tomorrow. I also can't wait to check out all of the tweets you guys will be sending me!

See you tomorrow!

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3OH!3 Campaign For VMA Votes On UStream

Posted 9/12/09 9:17 pm EST by in VMAs


One of the unique aspects of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards is that the winner of the Moonman for Best New Artist will be decided entirely by fan voting. No matter who wins — be it Drake, Kid Cudi, Lady Gaga, 3OH!3 or Asher Roth — the victor will be the one who receives the most votes online. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, the polls will remain open up until the moment that the presenter walks on stage with the trophy in hand.

3OH!3 have taken this campaign very seriously. Earlier today, they held a press conference that was streamed online via UStream, which allowed them to directly interact with fans and answer questions sent to them via Twitter. The whole event was set up like a real campaign, with the Colorado flag (their home state) hanging behind them as they campaigned for votes.

The gimmick may have paid off, as by the end of the press conference, "vote30h3" had become one of the top trending tags on Twitter (that may have had something to do with the fact that Nat did the press conference sans pants).

So did 3OH!3 convince you to vote for them, or are they destined to fall to Roth, Cudi, Drake or Gaga (who even Sean and Nat admit is probably their stiffest competition)? You can keep voting all the way through the start of the show at the official voting site, and then tune in tomorrow night to see if the candidate you backed is the one doing a victory dance on the Radio City Music Hall stage!

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Go Inside Beyonce's Video Music Awards Dressing Room

Posted 9/12/09 6:51 pm EST by in VMAs


The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards kick off in a little more than 24 hours, coming live from Radio City Music Hall in the heart of midtown Manhattan. The venue, which hosted the very first VMAs back in 1984, has a long tradition of providing the stage for high-profile performances, but it is probably known best for the annual "Radio City Christmas Spectacular," which features dancing care of the iconic Rockettes. Their spacious dressing rooms backstage at Radio City are currently empty (which will make Jim Cantiello's quest to find Russell Brand a "rock cat" a little difficult), so we were able to sneak into the bowels of the theater and check out the room that will house Beyoncé during the big show.

As you can see, it's a pretty spacious, fantastically clean white room with plenty of lights, mirrors and comfortable-looking couches. It may seem pretty large, but it's a worthy room for somebody with as much star power as Beyoncé. Now that we know where she will be, we can move on to speculating about more pressing things, like what she'll be wearing and what surprises she might have in store during her performance of "Sweet Dreams." But perhaps most importantly, will she need all that counter space in the dressing room to line up her Moonmen for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"? She has the potential to win nine at tomorrow night's show — but even if she sweeps, there should still be enough room for Jay-Z to put any of the statuettes he might win for "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)." But the only way to see who truly comes out on top is to tune in for the show, which kicks off with the preshow at 8 p.m.

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The Video Music Awards Red Carpet: Watch It Being Built!

Posted 9/12/09 4:42 pm EST by in VMAs


Radio City Music Hall is one of the most famous theaters in the world, and certainly a suitably glamorous setting for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. One of the greatest aspects of it is the fact that, like many great New York venues, it seamlessly blends into the midtown neighborhood. That's why it takes a pretty heavy construction job to erect an exterior staging area for red carpet arrivals and preshow interviews. The construction is happening right now, and MTV is streaming the process live online, which you can watch below.

It's a pretty big undertaking, as MTV is essentially shutting down the entire area around the theater (the city of New York even benevolently allowed MTV to close off two lanes of traffic on the always-busy Sixth Avenue). As you can tell from the video, it's a pretty loud event, with plenty of drilling, hammering and forklift operation happening. According to one of the production managers, there are over 100 people on hand taking part in the construction, which includes several stages as well as the giant red carpet. As you can see, it's currently raining in New York City, which is creating a minor flooding issue. But nothing — not even Mother Nature — can stand in the way of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, so the work will continue until the entire edifice is built. You can track the building right up until the last screw is in place, and then enjoy the completed product beginning Sunday night at 8 p.m. when the VMA preshow will kick off.

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The 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Trailer: The First Tease!

Posted 9/12/09 3:30 pm EST by in VMAs


The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will feature a number of huge performances from the likes of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Green Day. The show will also feature a number of premieres, including new trailers for "New Moon" and "Fame," as well as the first trailer for one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the year: "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the movie that documents the construction of what would have been Michael Jackson's final series of performances at London's O2 Arena. The film, which opens on October 28 and will run for a limited two-week engagement, will include some of Michael Jackson's last performances recorded on film, and the first trailer will premiere during Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards. But you don't have to wait until then to take in the first frames of the trailer — you can just click below to see some select scenes.

The premiere of the "Michael Jackson's This Is It" trailer won't be the only nod to the King of Pop at Sunday night's show. As MTV News previously announced, Janet Jackson will kick off the show with a tribute to her late brother. It's a performance that will be a collaboration between Janet and some of the world's top choreographers, and is sure to kick the show off on a bittersweet but wildly entertaining note.

What other surprises will follow? What other footage will be included in the "Michael Jackson's This Is It" trailer? Who else will pay tribute to Michael Jackson over the course of the evening? The answers to all these questions will be revealed on Sunday.

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