Green Day wins video of the year, 6 other awards at VMAs
By Sean Piccoli
Pop Music Writer
Important: This article was last updated on August 29, 2005. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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See larger image (AFP, Getty Images/ Stan Honda) Aug 29, 2005
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Packing big boats, surprise guests, crowded production numbers and a whole lot of face time for the punk-rock band Green Day, MTV's annual Video Music Awards aired live from Miami on Sunday night with all the super-sized extravagance for which MTV is famous.
Green Day, the California trio leading all VMAs nominees this year with eight, collected seven awards including video of the year, best rock video and best group video -- most for the clip accompanying Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a single from the band's acclaimed, anti-war concept album, American Idiot. The title track's video won the audience-selected viewer's choice award.
Green Day also opened the telecast by performing Boulevard. "It's nice to know that rock music still has a place on MTV," Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said during one acceptance speech.
Music video, of course, doesn't have much of a place on MTV Networks' flagship channel. But the oddity of saluting excellence in a form of programming that MTV has all but abandoned was lost in all of Sunday's star power and coordinated hoopla. Arriving by boat at AmericanAirlines Arena for a second straight year, VMA guests walked a carpeted pier along Biscayne Bay and stepped into a massive, floor-to-ceiling soundstage occuping the arena's interior.
Rap entrepreneur Diddy hosted the 22nd VMAs, whose official theme -- water -- had become awkwardly apt last week when Hurricane Katrina briefly threatened to scuttle the show. In the end only a few pre-show events in Miami Beach were canceled, and the A-list showed up in force on Sunday. Trouble-prone r&b star R. Kelly, in his VMA debut, delivered a one-man, lip-synching pantomime of Trapped in the Closet, his soap-operatic song cycle. Colombian pop singer Shakira delivered the first live VMA performance to be sung entirely in Spanish. Later came a showcase for the emerging Latin-rap genre called reggaeton, with short, hand-off performances by Don Omar, Tego Calderon and VMA nominee Daddy Yankee.
A few of yesteryear's A-list showed up, too: There was an unannounced performance by rapper M.C. Hammer, a darling of MTV in the days when it aired video, and a cameo by rap pioneer Grandmaster Flash. Among the presenters and introducers were Lindsay Lohan, Fat Joe, Johnny Knoxville, jail-bound rapper Lil Kim, Miami Heat stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, and sisters Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, now sporting matching blond hairdos.
Performers included Coldplay, 50 Cent and Ludacris. Missy Elliott won two awards, best hip-hop video and best dance video for Lose Control, her collaboration with hip-hoppers Ciara and Fat Man Scoop. Rapper Kanye West won best male video for Jesus Walks. American Idol graduate Kelly Clarkson won best female video for Since U Been Gone.
"My vote was for Gwen [Stefani]," Clarkson said in her acceptance speech.
The Las Vegas rock band the Killers won best new artist for their single Mr. Brightside.
Sean Piccoli can be reached at spiccoli@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4832.
Green Day, the California trio leading all VMAs nominees this year with eight, collected seven awards including video of the year, best rock video and best group video -- most for the clip accompanying Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a single from the band's acclaimed, anti-war concept album, American Idiot. The title track's video won the audience-selected viewer's choice award.
Green Day also opened the telecast by performing Boulevard. "It's nice to know that rock music still has a place on MTV," Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said during one acceptance speech.
Music video, of course, doesn't have much of a place on MTV Networks' flagship channel. But the oddity of saluting excellence in a form of programming that MTV has all but abandoned was lost in all of Sunday's star power and coordinated hoopla. Arriving by boat at AmericanAirlines Arena for a second straight year, VMA guests walked a carpeted pier along Biscayne Bay and stepped into a massive, floor-to-ceiling soundstage occuping the arena's interior.
Rap entrepreneur Diddy hosted the 22nd VMAs, whose official theme -- water -- had become awkwardly apt last week when Hurricane Katrina briefly threatened to scuttle the show. In the end only a few pre-show events in Miami Beach were canceled, and the A-list showed up in force on Sunday. Trouble-prone r&b star R. Kelly, in his VMA debut, delivered a one-man, lip-synching pantomime of Trapped in the Closet, his soap-operatic song cycle. Colombian pop singer Shakira delivered the first live VMA performance to be sung entirely in Spanish. Later came a showcase for the emerging Latin-rap genre called reggaeton, with short, hand-off performances by Don Omar, Tego Calderon and VMA nominee Daddy Yankee.
A few of yesteryear's A-list showed up, too: There was an unannounced performance by rapper M.C. Hammer, a darling of MTV in the days when it aired video, and a cameo by rap pioneer Grandmaster Flash. Among the presenters and introducers were Lindsay Lohan, Fat Joe, Johnny Knoxville, jail-bound rapper Lil Kim, Miami Heat stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, and sisters Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, now sporting matching blond hairdos.
Performers included Coldplay, 50 Cent and Ludacris. Missy Elliott won two awards, best hip-hop video and best dance video for Lose Control, her collaboration with hip-hoppers Ciara and Fat Man Scoop. Rapper Kanye West won best male video for Jesus Walks. American Idol graduate Kelly Clarkson won best female video for Since U Been Gone.
"My vote was for Gwen [Stefani]," Clarkson said in her acceptance speech.
The Las Vegas rock band the Killers won best new artist for their single Mr. Brightside.
Sean Piccoli can be reached at spiccoli@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4832.