The VMAs are sorta like the biggest, most over-the-top prom in the universe: everyone dresses up, occasionally fights break out, and, also like prom, every year has its own theme, except, to my knowledge, there's never been an "Under the Sea" or a "Night to Remember" theme, which is absolutely for the best.
The theme for the 2008 VMAs is "Music. Mayhem. Music." Which is to say that there's two parts music, one part mayhem. And since this year marks the 25th VMA, that theme is sort of a recapitulation of what's always happened at every VMA -- music and mayhem, and, a lot of times, both at the same time. Like when Eminem performed at the VMAs in New York.
The year was 2000, the location was the once-hallowed Radio City Music Hall, and Eminem was at the absolute tippity top of his game.
To kick off his live performance of "The Real Slim Shady," Eminem marched into the venue, ready for battle, all the way from streetside at Sixth Avenue, surrounded by a posse of Emimen lookalikes, complete with he's-in-the-army-now blonde buzz cuts, three-to-a-pack oversized white tees, matching kicks, and baggy jeans with added room for extra crotch-grabbage. Even when the real Slim Shady himself stood up, it was hard to correct ID him. The effect was mesmerizing, and it's a move I imagine Kanye West's probably still bitter he didn't think of first.
Other unbelievable events that went down that evening and kept with this year's theme of "Music. Mayhem. Music." include the following:
+ When he reached into his pocket to pull out his speech to accept his Award for Best Male Video (he won for "The Real Slim Shady" -- watch it at the bottom of this post), Eminem accidentally dumped out a handful of pills. Oopsers! Eminem, consider this a warning: give your personal assistant your stash before accepting televised awards!
+ Eminem also addressed the audience, referring to the big night as "... the one night where you can fit all these people I don't like into one room." Zing!
+ The 2000 VMAs was the also when Rage Against the Machine's Tim Commerford climbed a big-ass fake palm tree behind the podium as Limp Bizkit accepted the award for Best Rock Video. (See who's nominated for 2008 Best Rock Video here.) Egged on the Bizkit (Tim, do you always do everything Fred Durst tells you to?), the audience all was like "Jump!" (soooo Van Halen!), Commerford refused to come down, was arrested, and spent the night in jail. Rock as hell!!!
+ Macy Gray accepted her Best New Artist (see who's nominated for 2008 Best New Artist here) award looking like a tripped-out drunk dinoasaur. What else is new?
+ Justin Timberlake's hair was mayhem in and of itself.
+ For her performance of "Oops!... I Did It Again," Britney stripped down to a flesh-colored body suit. At this point in history/life, that was considered shocking.
The 2008 VMAs -- way better than your prom. Watch the mayhem unfurl this year at the 2008 VMAs, happening live from Hollywood on Sunday, September 7th.
