What to expect at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards
Published in Entertainment News
NEW YORK — MTV’s Video Music Awards will be handed out Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
While anything can happen at this traditionally wild event, Madonna is slated to perform and could take home a Video of the Year award for “Confessions II – The Film.”
The 68-year-old superstar famously performed “Like a Virgin” in a sexy wedding dress at the first ever VMA presentation in 1984.
She’ll have to beat Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” Gener8ion’s “Storm,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears” and Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” to take home the night’s main Moon Person Award trophy.
Swift, Madonna, Grande, Mars and Carpenter are also nominated for Artist of the Year along with country singer Morgan Wallen.
Swifties will also get a look at an early favorite to win the 2027 award when the 30-time VMA winner debuts her new video, “Patient Zero,” during the award ceremony. It features appearances from movie stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, Swift won’t go home empty-handed. MTV is honoring the 36-year-old hitmaker with its inaugural VMA Artist Director Honors. That award celebrates “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling.”
Swift has directed at least 15 of her music videos, starting in 2019 with “The Man.”
But will the newlywed attend the awards night dateless? Her husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has a Sunday afternoon game in Miami, so his attendance is very unlikely.
Snoop Dogg is hosting Sunday’s live show, which airs at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. It will include performances by Sienna Spiro, Shaboozey and Gener8ion with Yung Lean. Fan voting for major award categories began Sept. 21.
While the VMA stage will host the aforementioned veteran performers, the big night will award a Best New Artist, too. Nominees in that category are Bella Kay, Cortis, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty.
Of course videos aren’t everything. The night’s Best Album category includes Mars’ “The Romantic,” “Iceman” by Drake, “Dandelion” by Ella Langley “Kiss All the Time. Disco Occasionally” by Harry Styles, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love” by Olivia Rodrigo and “The Art of Loving” by Olivia Dean.
Swift, Madonna and Carpenter also have albums nominated for that prize.
Madonna, who hasn’t won a VMA in 27 years, appears likely to break that dry spell. She’s nominated for 13 awards including Best Long Form Award for “Confessions II – The Film.”
She could be the first artist to win that category twice. Her first victory was for 1991’s “The Immaculate Collection.”
Past VMA’s have included no shortage of memorable moments.
Britney Spears performed with a live python in 2001. In 2003, she and Madonna shared a big kiss.
Swift famously had her 2009 VMA acceptance speech interrupted by the singer formerly known as Kanye West. The embattled performer, who’s since fallen out of fashion with mainstream audiences, charged the stage to state that he thought Beyonce should’ve been awarded the Best Female Video award won by Swift. No one has taken home more VMAs than the “Welcome to New York” singer.
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