SouthFlorida.com | City Link Magazine

For a television network that prides itself on setting trends and influencing pop culture, MTV is stuck slightly in the past with its list of nominees for the 2005 Video Music Awards. The biggest winner at Sunday's awards ceremony in Miami may not be a single video or artist but rather the year 2004. The majority of the nominated videos were for songs taken from albums released last year, including Green Day's American Idiot, U2's How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Kanye West's The College Dropout and Gwen Stefani's Love Angel Music Baby. In fact, only one Video of the Year nominee is for a song released in 2005: Coldplay's "Speed of Sound." To be fair, most of these songs were released after the 2004 VMAs were held. But still, do "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" deserve even another second of airplay? Shouldn't a video be disqualified from a VMA nomination upon its 4 millionth broadcast? We're just sayin' �

All quibbling aside, this year's nominees are an iPod-worthy selection of pop, punk, hip-hop, R&B and Latin chart toppers from artists we'll likely never tire of listening to or watching. Well, except for Lindsay Lohan. And Jennifer Lopez. And Simple Plan. And The Bravery. But that's it. We swear.

Video of the Year
"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
Our pick: "Jesus Walks"

Best Male Video
"Candy Shop" by 50 Cent
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West
"E-Pro" by Beck
"Caught Up" by Usher
"Ordinary People" by John Legend
Our pick: "E-Pro"

Best Female Video
"1 Thing" by Amerie
"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
"La Tortura" by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz
"Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
Our pick: "Hollaback Girl"

Best Group Video
"Don't Phunk With My Heart" by The Black Eyed Peas
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
"Soldier" by Destiny's Child featuring T.I. and Lil' Wayne
"Vertigo" by U2
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
Our pick: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

Best Rap Video
"Just Lose It" by Eminem
"U Don't Know Me" by T.I.
"Hate It or Love It" by The Game and 50 Cent
"Wait (The Whisper Song)" by Ying Yang Twins
"Number One Spot" by Ludacris
Our pick: "Just Lose It"

Best R&B Video
"Karma" by Alicia Keys
"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
"Oh" by Ciara featuring Ludacris
"My Boo" by Usher and Alicia Keys
"Ordinary People" by John Legend
Our pick: "Ordinary People"

Best Hip-Hop Video
"Go" by Common
"Bridging the Gap" by Nas featuring Olu Dara
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West
"Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
Our pick: "Bridging the Gap"

Best Dance Video
"One, Two Step" by Ciara
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
"Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child
"La Tortura" by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz
"Get Right" by Jennifer Lopez
Our pick: "Lose Control"

Best Rock Video
"Best of You" by Foo Fighters
"Helena" by My Chemical Romance
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Beverly Hills" by Weezer
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
Our pick: "Beverly Hills"

Best Pop Video
"Pieces of Me" by Ashlee Simpson
"Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Rumors" by Lindsay Lohan
"Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney
Our pick: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

Best New Artist in a Video
"One, Two Step" by Ciara
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
"Dreams" by The Game
"Helena" by My Chemical Romance
"Ordinary People" by John Legend
Our pick: "Mr. Brightside"

MTV2 Award
"Locked Up" by Akon featuring Styles P.
"Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy
"An Honest Mistake" by The Bravery
"Still Tippin' " by Mike Jones featuring Slim Thug and Paul Wall
"Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee
"Helena" by My Chemical Romance
Our pick: "An Honest Mistake"

Breakthrough Video
"Mosh" by Eminem
"World on Fire" by Sarah McLachlan
"Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz
"Vertigo" by U2
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
Our pick: "Mosh"

Best Video Game Soundtrack
Def Jam: Fight for N.Y.
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Madden 2005
Our pick: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme

Best Direction in a Video
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes
"Get Right" by Jennifer Lopez
"Vertigo" by U2
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
Our pick: "Blue Orchid"

Best Choreography in a Video
"1 Thing" by Amerie
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
"Helena" by My Chemical Romance
"Get Right" by Jennifer Lopez
Our pick: "Hollaback Girl"

Best Special Effects in a Video
"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay
"The Widow" by The Mars Volta
"Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz
"Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
"Number One Spot" by Ludacris
"Vertigo" by U2
Our pick: "The Widow"

Best Art Direction in a Video
"American Idiot" by Green Day
"B.Y.O.B." by System of a Down
"What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani
"Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
Our pick: "What You Waiting For?"

Best Editing in a Video
"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay
"What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani
"Best of You" by Foo Fighters
"Get Right" by Jennifer Lopez
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Untitled" by Simple Plan
Our pick: "Speed of Sound"

Best Cinematography in a Video
"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay
"Untitled" by Simple Plan
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Vertigo" by U2
"Ocean Breathes Salty" by Modest Mouse
"Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes
Our pick: "Ocean Breathes Salty"