Last night was the 2014 Video Music Awards – and in the fashion of every pop culture awards show, things got weird. It started off on the red carpet. First being, what was Taylor Swift wearing!? It was a weird Blades of Glory-esque jumpsuit/peacock number that just wasn’t as flattering as her usual red carpet outfits. I was confused.
Also, Katy Perry and RiFF RAFF rolled up in denim on denim; reminiscent of the great power couple of the 90s, Britney and Justin. Are they dating? Are they friends? I’m confused. (See a trend?)
Also, Charlie XCX did a performance of her hit “Boom Clap” (and her whole band was made up of girls!). She followed the girl band Fifth Harmony who sang their winning MTV Artist to Watch song “Miss Movin’ On.” There was so much girl power happening, and it was AWESOME. This year’s VMAs broke the record for the most female performers in their 30-year history, with a total of 9 (13 if you count every Fifth Harmony member).
The show opened with an Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J takeover. Ariana waltzed out of a rocket ship belting her new single “Break Free.” Swingin’ her iconic half pony, she danced and sang her way across the stage. As Ariana was finishing up, the lights went out and Sir Mix-a-Lot blasted through the speakers as a dimly lit Nicki began to rap her new song “Anaconda.” Wearing a high-waisted bikini and crop top that made her look slightly like Poison Ivy from Batman, (AKA my new Halloween costume) Nicki KILLED it. She had backup dancers swinging from the rafters, as well as some on stage with her performing the dance from her record-breaking music video.
Nicki finished and we went straight into Jessie J’s performance of “Bang Bang.” Rocking a slicked back pony and a high slit-dress, she stole the show with her killer, powerhouse vocals. Ariana came back out to sing her verse, and then Nicki emerged. Which was… awkward. Seeming to not hit her costume change in time, Nicki had to hold up her black cutout dress flush to her chest as she rapped her verse. Fashion crisis aside, the performance was amazing and definitely one of the highlights of the night.
Then, the show flat-lined. Something was missing from this year’s VMA’s. Perhaps it’s because both One Direction and Rihanna weren’t there, losing a major draw from the teen audience.
SNL funny-man, Jay Pharaoh, was the gimmick entertainment of the night. He started off fine – but then made some really weird jokes about Ariana being legal… and then it got weird. Later, he came out and impersonated Jay-Z. Sure it was funny, but necessary? No. Later, he did the same thing… as Kanye West. Now reaching overkill, it felt dry and pointless, and started messing up the rhythm of the show.
There were no Miley 2013 moments. No one shocked the crowd. Taylor Swift performed her new song “Shake It Off” and made a joke of not jumping off a giant “1989” and instead ran down the stage.
Fifth Harmony beat out 5 Seconds of Summer for MTV Artist to Watch, shocking a large portion of the teenage viewers.
It was oddly paced, and had a lot of cutaways to obscure C-list celebrities in random places (like the control room) talking about things no one really cares about.
However, Miley Cyrus once again stole the show. After winning her Video of the Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” a young gentleman took the stage in place of her to give a speech. His name was Jesse and he is a homeless youth. Miley used this time to encourage people to help raise awareness for homeless youths in LA, using the organization My Friend’s Place. It was incredibly touching, and brought reality back into Hollywood.
Then the Queen arrived. Miss Sasha Fierce came and saved (or at least tried to save) the show.
Performing hits from her latest album, the show went from the VMAs to the Bey-Mas, as she performed for 18 minutes straight. She accepted her four Moonman awards with Jay-Z and the adorable Blue Ivy on stage beside her.
And then it was over.
All in all, I wasn’t impressed; and the general public consensus is the same. I’m not sure if we reached that point where we have too many award shows, or pop culture has become so mainstream; it’s too easy to digest anymore. Sorry, MTV. Try again next year.