This Year’s VMAs To Be More Brit-Tastic Than Ever Before

noah | July 14, 2009 11:00 am

This year’s installment of the MTV Video Music Awards—the channel’s annual attempt to wheeze some life into its outdated identity as something that airs music-related programming—is set to air live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 13. In an effort to help people remember that last year’s telecast was “controversial,” the suits at MTV have decided to book the wild-haired British comedian Russell Brand as host once again, despite his getting in lukewarm water for mocking the Jonas Brothers’ devotion to premarital purity. Two performers have been announced: the omnipresent twangy teen Taylor Swift; and the beloved, bombastic British band Muse, who will perform the lead single from their forthcoming album The Resistance. Muse is something of an interesting “credibility” reach for MTV, who seem to have been into the idea of borrowing one band championed by the rock cognoscenti per year. (Remember when “Young Folks” got those nods back in 2007?) Perhaps the channel will give Muse a retroactive Moonman for its over-the-top “Knights Of Cydonia” clip?

At the very least, if the rumors of this year’s telecast having a West Side Story theme are true, this clip can inspire some excellent fighting-related choreography. 2009 MTV Video Music Awards [MTV] Knights Of Cydonia [YouTube]