Review Revue: The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards

Robbie Daw | August 29, 2011 3:47 pm

If you sat through last night’s MTV Music Video Awards, then you’ve likely got an opinion on how well the show played. (We went ahead and listed the six moments we felt were upbeat highlights.) Regardless of which artists won moon men or lost out, we couldn’t help wondering what the Internet at large thought of the awards gig itself, and so we rounded up an assortment of comments from other sites. Read on! :: Entertainment Weekly‘s Music Mix pointed out, “Lady Gaga’s male alter ego took the MTV VMA stage a second time to present the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award to Britney Spears, and for a man who opened the show complaining about the constant spotlight on Lady Gaga, he seemingly could not stop hogging it for himself.”

:: Rolling Stone went right for the jugular: “Traditionally, the Video Music Awards bash is the one night a year when MTV gives it up to music fans. This was not the case last night. MTV has never looked so hilariously embarrassed by what’s left of its own music programming… Even on the big VMAs weekend, MTV took a grudging let’s-get-this-over-with approach – instead of hyping the franchise, they devoted the weekend to a Teen Mom marathon, a Jersey Shore marathon and the 2002 Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds.”

:: The Washington Post was equally unkind: “This year, the VMAs actually got classy a couple of times (see Adele, Bruno Mars’s tribute to Amy Winehouse). They got awkward on more than a few occasions… (Seriously, what does it take to make Justin Bieber stop looking so freaking nonplussed? Aren’t you the guy who sings ‘U Smile, I Smile’?) And yes, there were a few moments that fell into the VMAs tastelessness of hall of fame.”

:: The Huffington Post just didn’t get Brit’s bit: “Britney Spears was awarded the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, the VMA’s lifetime achievement award, at the show Sunday night, but you wouldn’t know it from watching. The vision behind Britney’s big tribute was so poorly conceived, it bordered on surreal, like much of the night.”

:: The Baltimore Sun quipped, “When we look back at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, we will remember two things: 1) This Jessie J thing is not going to happen, America, but it wasn’t for lack of effort, and 2) Beyonce and Jay-Z are having a baby.”

:: The Daily Mail turned their eyes toward the night’s youngest couple: “Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are clearly done with the cloak and dagger antics from the start of their relationship. The cute couple are out and proud – maybe a little too much, judging by Bieber’s PDA performance while his girlfriend was attempting to co-host a pre-show at the MTV Video Music Awards tonight.”

:: USA Today observed, “Even though Adele lost best pop video to Spears, the British soul singer captivated the audience with her powerful performance of ‘Someone Like You’.”

:: Global Grind zeroed in on the backstage drama between Kreayshawn and Rick Ross: “Up and comer Kreayshawn is new to the rap game, but she’s already well versed in one of its most important aspects: emcee beef.”

:: Speaking of beef, CNN seemed to be longing for the days of the meat dress: “This time around, Lady Gaga didn’t shock viewers with blood-spattered lingerie, or a hat that wouldn’t make it past airport security. Instead, Gaga donned a pair of black slacks and a white T-Shirt as her musical alter ego, Jo Calderone. Ironically, it was the most street-friendly outfit we’ve seen her sport.”

:: Even more to the point, the Chicago Sun-Times thought Gaga was a total drag: “She’s a singer and musician, and she didn’t praise her own singing or musicianship. Welcome to Music Television, kids!”

What did you think of last night’s Video Music Awards? Let us know below!