Lady Gaga received the award for Best Video of the Year for “Bad Romance” at the Video Music Awards on MTV Sunday evening. Not only did Gaga steal the show, but she revealed the anticipated title of her next album, “Born This Way.”
Chelsea Handler, the first female host of the VMAs in 16 years, opened the show with a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” where she sported a quintessential Gaga outfit, donning a house on the top of her head and a dove flying out from under her costume.
Eminem began the show with a performance of “Not Afraid,” and was joined by Rihanna to perform their duet, “Love the Way You Lie.” Eminem walked away with awards for Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video for “Not Afraid.”
Justin Bieber performed two of his hit songs, “Baby” and “Somebody to Love.” He demonstrated his numerous talents beyond his vocal chords. Bieber performed with his crisp dance moves and impressive drum solo. These skills helped illustrate why he won the coveted award for Best New Artist.
Taylor Swift gave an emotional performance of a new song, “Innocent,” from her album “Speak Now,” due out Oct. 25. The performance showed a different side of the young artist, and the somber song was a reaction to her VMA acceptance speech last year when Kanye West interrupted her moment in the spotlight.
Quinnipiac junior Sacha Kaufer enjoyed this performance the most.
“It felt a lot more natural than the other performances, as if it was more focused on the music, not the special effects,” Kaufer said.
Other performances included Usher, Deadmau5, Florence and The Machine, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Bruno Mars, B.O.B, Hayley Williams from Paramore, Linkin Park, and a closing performance from Kanye West.
The attention-seeking cast of the hit reality show “Jersey Shore” made a memorable appearance while they were on stage in their infamous jacuzzi. After a night filled with sarcastic remarks, Handler commented on their risqué behaviors but ended up joining them in the hot tub as a “Jersey girl” herself.
To Handler’s disappointment, everyone was on their best behavior. While there was no scandalous kiss between Madonna and Britney or a shocking disturbance by Kanye, it was an entertaining evening, overall.
For a full list of winners visit QUChronicle.com
