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Chris Pizzello / AP file
Host Chelsea Handler backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2010.
Here's what we know about Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards: Tony Bennett will honor Amy Winehouse; there's a planned tribute to Britney Spears; and Lady Gaga will perform. And now, we know who will host the show. Absolutely no one! This was confirmed by Billboard, which just interviewed interviewed Amy Doyle, MTV's VP for Music and Talent and executive producer for the show who recently said that the host decision was "going down to the wire."
Mike Blake / Reuters file
Lady Gaga accepts the award for video of the year for "Bad Romance" while wearing a meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Hosting is such a unique element. We feel we got it right by putting new talent on the stage like Chelsea (Handler) and Russell (Brand). We're really challenging ourselves to find the right person so that the show feels complete," Doyle told Billboard before the executive decision to go sans host was made.
Given the challenges of hosting -- you need to be relevant, you need to be funny, you need to keep the show moving -- finding the right person is a truly difficult. Given the fact that Handler, our most recent point of reference, was upstaged by a cut of meatat last year's VMAs, the idea that MTV might take a pass at a host this year makes a ton of sense.
I would like to put it out there that I LOVE the idea of not having a host. Doyle has said that there will be, at minimum, eight musical acts. And somewhere in there, you've got to dole out awards, allow time for acceptance speeches and scandals. The truth of the matter is, there is little time allotted for a host to live up to the expectations of their perceived hilarity and the whole thing often plays out as awkward if they're expected to keep to script in the face of a Kanye moment.
Of course, in terms of planning, Sunday is a long way away, and MTV might change its mind. But should the network stick to its guns and 86 the host -- and should it work -- all awards shows could stand to take note. Maybe this is just the change we need to keep the shows from getting (more) intolerable.
Do you agree, or is there someone you would love to see up on stage?
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A "music" channel that plays no music videos, throwing an awards show for the videos it doesn't play, and not having a host to do it. That sounds about right. Now, if they would just get rid of the show altogether, then they would be on to something.
BTW, honoring Amy Winehouse and a tribute to Britney Spears? Now thats comedic entertainment right there! They just need to add a lifetime achievement for Tiffany or Debbie Gibson, and they would have the trifecta.
Why would the host need to be relevant?
The videos aren't and neither is the Channel.
Personally, I would LOVE to see Aziz Ansari do it!
MTV, what happened to you? We need to take you out into the woods and put you down like Old Yellow.
Yeller
Its "Old Yeller", not Yellow.
And now I weep...
I would like to see someone like Kathy Griffin host, she'd do pretty much anything for the attention and she makes me laugh.
And I don't get why people say MTV doesn't play videos? If they actually sat down and watch MTV or their other MTV channels like MTV-U, MTV JAMS, MTV classics MTV2, MTV3, they do play music videos, it's just that they don't like watching videos on tv that's why people complain, and it gets annoying when people jump on the "bag on MTV" band wagon. -__-
Green90, you must obviously been born after our generations that were there when MTV came out. No, MTV and MTV2 do not play videos. The one hour block at 2 in the morning doesn't count. And I don't even bother with MTV-U, MTV James and the rest of their garbage, because...and mark my words, it's only a matter of time until it's all Jersey Shore and The Real World 500.
MTV & MTV2 and all the other channels does play music videos. Just like V-H1 they play the videos in the morning and then everybody's favorite reality shows come on at about 8 or 9! They have MTV videos on demand for free! You should look through the whole MTV shows on the guide to check for yourself.
A tribute to Britney is kind of like they gave Reese Whitherspoon a life time achievement award recently. REALLY??? A LIFETIME???? These people are digging so deep to find someone to honor, they have just lost their ever-lovin mind. Like the rest of you, MTV is such a joke. I'm not an old fogey... but I enjoy watching music videos... I do NOT like watching trash like Jersey Shore and all the rest of their crap.