Sam Smith is our header for the VMA recap, mostly because I feel bad for him that he walked away empty handed. He lost Best Male Video to Ed Sheeran, which… I’m not sure if I agree with that. Then Smith lost Artist to Watch to… Fifth Harmony? Twitter freaked out. Twitter blamed Fifth Harmony. Y’all… blame Katy Perry. Katy was rubbing her boobs of doom on Sam all night. The Cupcake Boobs jinxed him. It was also pretty funny because Katy pretty much ignored her boyfriend, Diplo Riff Raff.
Anyway, if you’d like the full list of VMA winners, go here. I actually thought this was one of the best VMAs in several years. Possible the best one since… Florence + the Machine performed in 2010. There were so many female-driven performances and even if some of them were questionable, it felt good to see so many women with something to say musically. That being said, can we stop saying Lorde is ROCK? She won Best Rock Video. It’s not ROCK.
I’m including some of the notable performances below but please note, I’m not including every video (no 5 Seconds of Summer, because they are the budget One Direction YES I SAID IT) because some of the performances/fashion choices are getting individual posts. So, don’t yell at me about Beyonce. Beyonce is getting a separate post. SOON.
Here’s the NSFW-ish video of Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nick Minaj’s opening performance. I mean… Minaj’s “Anaconda” performance was MTV’s big attempt for another “Miley moment”. I don’t think they should have put that on first thing, you know? And Ariana’s commitment to only being filmed and photographed on her left side is next-level. Too bad she was focusing so much on LEFT SIDE ONLY and her sad little dancing that her singing was sort of disappointing.
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Jay Pharoah’s Kanye West impression is flat-out amazing. I love how the Jenner girls are laughing hysterically.
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Sam Smith performed “Stay With Me”. I think this was his VMA debut, correct? Probably his debut at a major music awards show too. He did really well! I was feeling with it and it was nice to have a performance that was softer and more gospel-y.
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Nicki Minaj came back to perform with Usher for what I personally think is one of Usher’s best singles in years. The song is “She Came To Give It To You”. Keep watching to see when Usher bangs his head against Minaj’s butt. #whiplash
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Miley Cyrus won Video of the Year and she gave the moment to a homeless youth who made a speech in her place. We’ve come a long way from chicken-butt twerks and gross tongues. I have to give it to her – this was a stunt but it seemed heartfelt and I liked that she gave up her “moment”.
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As I said, Beyonce is getting a separate post. Beyonce definitely jacked #AllTheAttention at the end, which sort of sucks for Nicki Minaj because Minaj probably would have been the most talked-about person from the show otherwise. In the wake of Beyonce, people are like “Anacondawhats that now?” Oh, and WHERE WAS DRAKE?!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I did not watch, but ‘yay’ Miley on the act of kindness.
Yeah that was lovely!
Kaiser,seriously the best MTV Awards in years?I usually agree with you on pretty much everything but it was the WORST one yet.This show use to be a event.Not anymore.Where did the music go?It was B to C List at best.If Bey hadn’t won that Vanguard Award she wouldn’t even have showed up at all.MTV needed at least one big name there to perform.My how the mighty have fallen.
I know. As Buzzfeed said, it was the pans to the audience reaction to performances, etc., that was the best part of the night.
The show was so boring. Not one moment that everyone would be talking about the next day (or week or month).
I’m mad Miley won. I wanted chandelier, or even Drunk in freakin Love. The world has no taste in videos.
omg all the video’s started playing at once, be warned XD
I am a cynical kitten because I just simply said, “Oh, you tellin’ me after canned chicken booty, she wants to go all Marlon Brando on us?” and then I yelled at myself for missing the message the young man had to say.
Is it just me or did Maroon 5’s performance seem more tepid than 2 day old bathwater? I went to make a milkshake when they started. Note: It brought no boys to the yard.
Five Seconds of Summer is to 5ive as One Direction is to *Nsync…right? I had never heard of them before this but I am assured they have a single floating around somewhere. I am also thirty and sleepy so there’s that.
I pointed out that Kim K’s face doesn’t move while she was presenting Sam Smith and my husband and brother acted like I opened the Ark in ‘Indiana Jones’. Pure horror.
I think that both of the Q’s (Monica and QQ) win the internets today!!! But y’all gotta stahp with the comments about people’s long backs and chicken butts. Your making me feel bad for laughing, they can’t help the shape of their behinds and they are two folks that I do not want to feel sympathy for.
I’m with you on the cynicism. It’s great when celebrities bring attention to issues that truly matter. But I’m always paying attention to how the message is delivered. And I don’t think she really “gave up” her moment. Bc even after that young man made his speech all twitter could talk about was how Miley won or how far Miley has come and not about what was said by Jesse.
Count me in as a cynical one you guyses
I am on the fence with the Miley thing. I support My Friend’s Place, it is an AMAZING organization that helps homeless youth. At the same time, it wasn’t lost on me that Miley sat at on the white balcony, found her light (as they say in stage tech), and appeared to be rapidly blinking like an actor trying to make tears. This momen WAS about her.
Sometimes it is hard for me to find sincerity in her actions. Maybe it is there, but I can’t always find it.
Who would’ve thought we’d be talking about how sweet and selfless Miley was… and how TSwift’s clamarama was eating her Blades of Glory get up? What a strange turn of events.
It was the most boring VMAs I’ve ever watched. I only stuck with it because of waiting for Beyonce, who was on at the very end. Sam was great. I enjoyed Maroon 5. The rest were meh to decent and somewhere in between.
Jessie J is a great singer and doesn’t get enough recognition.
The best thing of the night was the camera catching the audience’s bored reaction to performances. It was priceless. Rita Ora’s face as she was watching Nicki Minaj twerk was hysterical.
Miley was a sweetheart for what she tried to accomplish with the guy going up. She could have gone up and said something first even about him and her cause trying to get some attention before he made his speech, but she made it zero about her. And her tears were heartfelt, I thought, not contrived.
Agreed…Jessie J was awesome!!! The best I saw in the whole show.
I love Sam, he’ll be fine that the “children” didnt recognize/respect
Nicki/her Anaconda/how She Looked last night was amazinnnng (damn her stylist and Tumblr for making me turn around on her)
I cant with the sad babychild Grande (but very petite?) I cant and I wont *insert Rihanna In green bantu knots laughing at her sad little dancings*
Iggy and Jlo sport the same Bob Mackie 90’s Cher Diva Glam Fantasy Collection
Beysus Christ 15 Minute show allocation was Money well spent for that baby alone talking and doing her mama’s “woke up like dis” dance (faux emotion and all!) …as were the Multicameras and reaction shots
Speaking of reactions: LULZ at everyone’s faces during Taylor Swift performance…what a thin reedy Voice…what a long back on the same night we had Amber Rose’s butt and Anaconda!
Skipped Usher and Levine thing cause *shrugs*
Loved to see Snoop and Gwen Opening in Englewood and Looking Bomb!
Jay Pharoah is A Great impersonator but it was cringey watching him last night, Black twitter was equal parts Mortified/Calling him a Cornball/dreading he would dress as Mrs.Doubtfire in some type of misguided Williams Tribute
Laverne Cox was catching her life Dancing to Beyonce, It was so Cute!
Miley is ridiculous so it was great not hearing her speak, so as to not have to punch her mouth, great cause too, so is all good, so she isnt trying to impersonate a black chick anymore?!? GOOD!
My husband (who could give to F’s about any of this) said, “Ugh. Taylor Swift. Isn’t she embarrassed to be on stage with all those REAL performers? I mean – look at Taylor Swift and then look at Usher, Beyonce… I mean, why is she even there?”
omg, I cannot with my own grammar today… *could not give two F’s*
She wrote that song she was singing, unlike most of the others.
She should be a songwriter then… I know she has a following, but I find her cringeworthy. Even my 11 year old daughter passes on her.
More like Taylor Swift “writes” her songs. If you’ve ever looked, the writing credits of T Swift songs are usually several people, which is indicative of a vanity writing credit (see: Perry, Katy and Knowles, Beyonce). “Shake It Off” is a Max Martin song.
She’s written an entire album completely solo. I think that at least proves she writes her material.
Even on her first album she only had a few songs that were solely credited to her. Swift does some writing, but a lot of the singer-songwriter thing is image. You know, “lets take this girl seriously because even though her songs are juvenile and silly, she writes them herself so that makes them better!”
Yeah, everybody’s face during Taylor’s performance said it all lol.
Nicki looked stunning. I like Swifty, awkwardness and all.
Anaconda is the type of song that is made for the VMA’s and her performance definitely complimented that! It was my favorite, slay Onika!
TSwift might be a dud as a performer but she (and Adele) slay everybody in sales and popularity. She’s undefeatable and that’s why she was there. She can do no wrong.
Nicki Minaj looked sooo beatiful when she was holding her outfit tight, was there some malfunction or something on the clothes..?
I think the front popped so she had to hold it closed since you could see she had nothing under it because of the sheer back panel.
Sam can GET IT.
*Miranda Priestly voice* That’s all.
Did anybody see Ariana and Big Sean holding hands in one of the backstage clips? It’s official, I guess.
I am not sure if I’ve ever heard one of Sam’s songs… but he’s putting off a Peewee Herman vibe in all of the photos I see of him.
I’m not a fan of singer/songwriter stuff but his voice is so incredible. It’s just really beautiful and special.
I’ll have to give it a listen. I’m all for beautiful voices 🙂
If Riff and Katy were paying tribute to JT/BS denim get-up and Taylor gave Blades of Glory realness then I guess Rita Ora was paying homage to Rihanna.
I mentioned this on the other post with Nicki but Casper has been choreographing all of Nicki’s stuff lately so the reports of him not having a job are false.
Drake wasn’t there because he’s on tour with Lil Wayne right now.
I found the award show really short and honestly kind of bland (except from Beyoncé and Nicki’s performandes) and I didn’t think Jay Pharoah was funny at all. Luckily he was barely on stage. I did really like how they included ferguson in their show and commercials. MTV has really been stepping up lately when it comes to social justice
I agree with you about the show.It was bland and just plain awful.The one thing I will disagree with you on was the Ferguson issue.Yes I know all about social injustice.I am bi-racial,but there is a time and place for things and this was not one of them.Just my thoughts.
I read that Caspar was there with Jennifer Lopez. There’s a photo of them on the Daily Mail . He wasn’t sitting next to her, but the photo shows them interacting. I still think she’s seeing him behind the scenes.
I am glad I do not listen to mainstream radio/pop stations and I am proud to say I have no idea who several of these people are and that I really dislike awards shows. Rock on.
Yup. +1 to all of this.
Me too girls.Rock and Roll!
Me too. I caught a bit last night and thought I was watching a high end stripper show.
Now get off my lawn! 😉
Sam Smith is WHITE? What?
Usher and JT have been vying to be the “next” Michael Jackson for years…and it’s tired. Firstly, while I actually enjoy both of them as musicians and performers, Michael they are not. Regardless of his personal life, he was magic on stage. They’re good, but they’re not THAT good. Also, Usher usually uses more backing vocals…he should go back to that. His voice isn’t as good live as it was 15 years ago. The song itself was boring. I only watched half of it.
I couldn’t see the Ariana Grande video.
I actually caught the end of Sam Smith’s performance. The crowd really seemed into it, but I think it must have sounded better in person than it did on camera. Good for him, though.
I had a hard time putting my finger on what bugged me about Grande’s performance, but “sad little dancing” hits that nail on the head. And the effort really takes away from her singing, so why do it?
I thought Ariana sounded lovely and looked great on stage. I swear, it’s like we’re watching totally different shows when it comes to this girl on this site sometimes.
Usher was dissapointing. He seemed out of breff
The VMAs have always been a big concert, and the awards have always gone to whoever the tweens wanted. Always. I mean, Drake won best hip hop and he barely qualifies as a rapper. The VMAs have been exactly like this since their conception. Don’t go nostalgic on my ass on this.
I think I’m the only person in the world who does not like Sam Smith. He’s got a great voice, but whoever produces his shit should retire imo. And the fact I’m hearing him EVERYWHERE isn’t helping.
I’m glad Fifth Harmony won, because AtW is the voting category and I was sure it was going to the Aussie Jonas Brothers. I discovered them yesterday and I was already tired within 3 minutes. Never heard their music but the FH girls at least look cute and… showered.
I feel the same about Lorde as you do about Sam Smith – nice enough voice, but the music itself is so dreadful and uninteresting.
I give the VMA’s a C+,before Beyonce “shut it down” I would rate it a D-
Boring .
Performances mediocre
Speeches boring
Hardly any watercooler moments
I didn’t know Sam, he was amazing! But since you mentioned Katy being all over him, isn’t it that typical her? You know, to cling on to the closest gay guy she can find, as if he was some accessory.
I was shocked to read that Sam Smith is not even 25, he really Looks at least 10 years older.
That said, i like his Songs, well not all of them but some. He should watch out, that he doesn’t turn to Stone after the unmovable eyes of KimK looked at him, yeesh that woman.
LORDE IS NOT ROCK, F##k it, not even Close. I like her but she is not singing rock.
Miss Minaj certainly looks whaaaayyyy better this year, than as in her pink Phase.
Queen Bey and Usher are both yay for me.
Oh and THANK YOU!!! Taylor Swift for showing your REAL TALENT to the world,my 11 year old Girl was really disappointed. Maybe, in the hopefully near future i don’t have to listen to that voice anymore in my house.
These 5 summer seconds remind me, like the Direction Boys of the time when i was a teen, cute Boys, fun Songs, decent voices ( we all thought of course they were perfect) worldwide touring, biggest acts ever (teen/tween Opinion, ofc.) and THEN WE ALL GOT OLDER, the boybands of our youth only memories when an old song is played in the Radio.
Thank g*d, they are now only a Memory, when i am listening now, i can’t believe i loved These cheesy stuff.