Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.
First of all, let it be known that Janet Jackson is one of my favorite artists and dancers of ALL TIME. I've listened to Design of a Decade weekly since it came out. There isn't a Janet Jackson song or video I don't know and love. Janet's tribute to Michael Jackson at the 2009 VMAs was one of the greatest acts of artistry I've ever seen in my life. But you know what WASN'T one of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life? The outfit Janet wore for her American Music Awards performance last night. Janet's performance was great -- She did "If"!!! She channeled Michael! But OMG the outfit!?!?
Janet's AMA outfit was part naughty Pocahontas, kinda Robin Hood, and a little California gold rush. Janet's pants looked like army-issue Hammer pants, and the whole ensemble felt kinda like Shrek but with better cleavage.
But there are still a few things you might not know about the 2009 MTV VMAs. Like...
+ How a shocked Taylor Swift got from Radio City to the New York City train for her performance.
+ How Madonna slipped into a VMA rehearsal undetected DURING LUNCH!
+ How Pink's performance of "Sober" required not just her amazing acrobatics but some amazing camerawork.
+ Who took Jay-Z's place before the show.
+ How Green Day turned fire into fans...
And more!
Watch "What You Didn't Know" to get an insider's look at Green Day's and Pink's VMA performances:
And after the jump, find out more about Madonna's speech, Russell Brand's comedy club workshop, and Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind" performance. Read more...
Watch Janet Jackson and her crew of top dancers and choreographers -- Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Tina Landon, Jeri Slaughter, Travis Payne, Brian Friedman, Cris Judd, Dave Scott, Mia Michaels, Laurie Ann Gibson and Wade Robson -- rehearse and get physically and emotionally prepared to pay homage to Michael Jackson at the VMAs.
Plus, see Janet Jackson's dancers share heartfelt memories about working with Michael Jackson -- Wade Robson wears costume pieces Michael Jackson gave him on the "Bad" video set, get a fly-on-the-wall look at the performance details -- the shoes were custom-designed by Christian Louboutin, Janet reminds the dancers to stretch their eyes open during "Thriller," remembering that Michael gave his dancers the same tip -- and experience Janet's raw emotion as she steps onto the Radio City Music Hall stage to practice and finally perform the "Scream" choreography which she hadn't performed since she and Michael shot the video in 1995.
Watch all eight behind-the-scenes videos of Janet Jackson and her now-legendary fleet of choreographers picked to pay tribute to Michael Jackson at the 2009 VMAs.
After Madonna's sobering, heartfelt eulogy to the late, great Michael Jackson opened the 2009 MTV VMAs, Janet Jackson, along with some of the top dancers and choreographers in the world, paid tribute to her late brother in a way that made the most sense: a room-shaking, mind-bending pop spectacle of theatrics, special effects, and, of course, seemingly superhuman dance. It was an absolutely arresting performance, (I felt overwhelming privileged to be standing stage left watching the performance as the entirety of Radio City screamed as Janet reenacted "Scream"), wrought with power, emotion, and new meaning.
One more time, for one night only, Michael Jackson, whose performances brought sheer, unadulterated, ecstatic joy to his fans, danced again through the power of Janet's love and energy.
Watch Janet Jackson's 2009 VMA performance again, and watch the trailer for the new documentary, Michael Jackson's This Is It, out October 28.
And don't miss the MTV exclusive presentation of "The Making of Janet Jackson's Video Music Awards Tribute Performance," on Saturday, September 19 at 12:30pm.
The 2009 VMAs were packed with OMG moments, some intentional -- Janet Jackson's tribute to Michael Jackson, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" army, Lady Gaga's fake death -- some not -- Kanye's Taylor Swift hijack. But there were lots of VMA moments you may've missed.
Check out 10 moments from the 2009 VMAs that you might've missed.
4.) Jennifer Lopez's face-to-face encounter with her ex! Cris Judd was one of the dancers in Janet's Michael Jackson tribute, and Jennifer Lopez was sitting right in front of the stage.
Just off stage left at Radio City is a tiny closet with a small crawl space off to its side. A poster of Gwen Stefani (Tragic Kingdom era) hangs on the wall, and underneath that sits a few stacks of generic-looking cardboard boxes. Inside those boxes are the silver statues owned by the likes of BritneyBeyonce, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and 25 years worth of MTV artists. Behold, we've located and unboxed the 2009 MTV VMA Moonmen. And they're currently sitting in a tiny production closet in Radio City until they go home with their rightful owners tomorrow night.
The winners' names aren't on the Moonmen. Sorry to disappoint you if you're looking for spoilers. And on that note, that list of VMA winners floating around is NOT REAL. But what is real is how incredibly HEAVY MTV Moonmen are!
When I tried picking up a Moonman (for best blogger??? OMGGGG thanks!! Jk), I went in for a casual one-hand grip. Joke was on me. Turns out a Moonman weighs at least 8 pounds if not more. If the Golden Popcorn's made by the same people who make the Moonman, I now see why Kristen Stewart almost dropped her MTV Movie Award.
Watch the MTV VMas tomorrow night at 9 p.m. EST to see who'll get a Moonman.
Celebrities are good at a lot of things: self-promotion, engaging us in engagement speculation, having MINDBLOWING hair ROBERT PATTINSON. But one thing they can't be depended upon to do is SIT THEIR ASSES DOWN all by themselves. Here's an inside look at the seat cards for the 2009 MTV VMAs, so all of the celebrities and guests know where to sit and the cameras know where to capture that perfect "Oh-seriously-I'm-so-happy-for-you!" face when their competition wins. (Cough cough Gaga versus Beyonce!)
See where Katy Perry, Gaga, Paramore, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, and more VMA guests will sit! (I love how Cobra Starship appears to get one seat for five people, while Death Cab For Cutie gets four separate seats! Also, keep in mind that suprise guests don't usually get seat cards if you catch what I'm saying... )
+ Check out more photos of 2009 VMA seat cards after the jump!
A Janet Jackson appearance is enough to keep you glued to your TV, but Janet Jackson paying tribute to Michael Jackson's memory is going to be simply unmissable.
We'll let you know more once we get to Radio City and give you backstage access to the VMAs all weekend.
But until then, watch Janet and Michael Jackson team up in their epic "Scream" video -- it won three VMAs in 1995 -- and tell us how you think Janet Jackson should open the 2009 MTV VMAs.
+ Happy 1st Birthday to The JoBrosA Little Bit Longer album, which turned out to be a HUGE trending topic in the Twitterverse today. (Twitter)
+ If you had enough money (or assistants) to get multiple hair extensions glued to your head on a daily basis, you would probably take care of them or at the very least brush them once in a while, right? Then tell us WHYYYYYY Britney seems to go out of her way to make her hair extensions look as obvious (and obviously not washed) as possible? If anyone is within reach, would you please just shake her?? Thanks. (The Blemish)
+ Oh -- and in case you're wondering how Britney's looking so good in a bikini (with those tracks covered up by a huge hat), it comes in a box and is delivered to her door/tour bus. And it's not crack. (ICYDK)
+ With a new album on the way, Janet Jackson is ready for another new look (no, it's not a new pair of Juicy Couture sweatpants). The question is, are you ready? (Bossip)
+ Also, did you know Ryan Gosling has a band? Listen to this song off his forthcoming debut album and see what you think. Sounds like Elvis, Jeff Buckley, and Johnny Cash. Kinda? (PopSugar)
