A Glimpse at The 2010 MTV VMA Awards

Maybe it's because all of the good TIFF stars are here in Toronto, or maybe MTV is losing its edge....but last night's VMA Awards were less than fantastic. Eminem and Rihanna opened the evening with a performance of their hit collaborative duet "Love The Way You Lie" and Rihanna was certainly turning heads in a bubblegum pink ballerina dress with fire red hair. Chelsea Handler was the much anticipated master of ceremonies for the night and her grand entrance consisting of a Lady Gaga imitation - complete with dancers, a big glittery dress, and a house over her head - was amusing, but the monologue and sketches to follow throughout the evening were severely lacklustre. Was she just nervous? It was hard to tell but the fabled 'mean queen' was off her game the whole time and appeared slightly flustered and disoriented at times. After she fumbled an bumbled through an awkward tirade of a monologue, she introduced the first presenter and called her on stage; I think it was the only time that a crowd let out collective sigh of relief for Ellen De Generes to take over.

A pre-show skit featuring Lindsay Lohan had me rolling my eyes before it even had a chance to crash and burn, which it did. Lohan has established a pattern now of using awards shows to parody her trainwreck life. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if it didn't become an annual temporary break from her trainwreck life. It's good to know that LiLo can take a joke and laugh at herself, but I'm pretty sure everyone would rather see her follow through with rehab and court appearances before hitting the stage with tongue in cheek self-deprecation.

The always adorable and manufactured Justin Bieber was there for a performance and to accept a couple of awards. As usual, the choreography was as precise and exact as his hair. For predictability and consistency, well, leave it to Bieber

There was a lot of hype about Taylor Swift performing a song written for Kanye West in response to his interruption of last year's acceptance speech. I was excited to see what she would do, figuring it would be a hilarious parody. However, Swift sat on stage barefoot with her guitar dressed a lot like Judy Garland and poorly plunked out a very soft, emotional, cringe-worthy ballad that had something to do with innocence and forgiveness but was overall irrelevant and anticlimactic. I wish Kanye had interrupted her.

Hayley Williams of Paramore was the best sounding artist of the night who also happened to be dressed as Wilma Flintstone with a big red bun piled on top of her head. She sang "Airplanes", her collaboration with B.O.B and finished with her latest single, "The Only Exception"

Deadmau5 was the DJ all night in between performances and commercial breaks, which was a redeeming quality of the night. Plus, he had a glowing mouse costume.

Finally, Kanye West made a quiet appearance wrapping up the show with a new song that was visually stimulating on stage and appropriately fitting, as the chorus declared "a toast to all the douchebags". I wish Taylor had interrupted him.

The entire night felt disconnected and out of sorts, with a lot of A list celebrities missing. Everyone was on their best behaviour, and maybe that was the problem? What did you think of this year's VMA Awards? Who deserved to win or lose?

Courtney Gilmour
		About the author:
		Courtney is a published writer, stand-up comic, and shameless Internet enthusiast. She holds a double bachelors degree in English Literature and Communication Media Studies, specializing in semiotic theory, however she doesn't get Shakespeare and has never won a game of Scrabble. Currently she lives in Toronto and works as a writer for WOMAN.CA.
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