Justin Timberlake stole the show with his medley of his greatest hits plus a mini-*NSYNC reunion. Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)
By: Jacob Elyachar
30 years ago, MTV Video Music Awards aired its first installment.
For the first two decades, this show delivered incredible moments that ranged from Madonna in a slutty wedding dress to Michael Jackson performing a medley of his greatest hits.
Recently, there were also some wild moments as well including Britney and her python, Beyonce’s pregnancy announcement and the introduction of Lady Gaga’s alter ego Jo Calderone.
So what happened tonight? Read on to find out…
Mother Monster kicked off the night with her new song: “Applause.” Gaga managed to quick change into four different outfits that started out in a white nun-like costume and ended with a mini-Ariel outfit (minus the tail). After the “Born This Way” singer left the stage, the Barclay Center exploded as One Direction took the stage to present Best Pop Video. When the British boy band announced that it was Selena Gomez, the “Come and Get It” singer hugged her friend megastar Taylor Swift, competitor Bruno Mars and her sister before collecting her first Moonman.
As Katy Perry exited the building for her finale performance in Brooklyn, former Disney queen Miley Cyrus emerged from a giant stuffed bear to perform her single: “We Can’t Stop.” Dozens of dancers were dressed as teddy bears and helped Miley twerk on stage. She even showed off some moves on Robin Thicke as they exchanged a mini-duet of “Blurred Lines.”
Rappers Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz joined Robin Thicke plus dozens of Thicke girls with their hit “Give It 2 U” as they rocked the Barclay Center. Meanwhile, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea joined Brooklyn native Lil’ Kim to present Best Hip-Hop Video to Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Ray Dalton for their summer smash: “Can’t Hold Us.”
Comedian Kevin Hart returned to the MTV Video Music Awards. After, he delivered some insight about the first half of the show… that turned into a rant. He ended by reminding the audience to vote for the Artist to Watch Award. 30 Seconds to Mars front man and actor Jared Leto introduced MTV favorite and new dad Kanye West, who performed his latest single: “Black Skinhead.” He performed a la MJ as he performed in front of a huge screen with only his silhouette.
After previewing their new music video, “Lose Yourself to Dance,” Daft Punk reunited with their favorite collaborators Pharrell Williams and music legend Nile Rodgers to present the Best Female Video Award to Taylor Swift. The “I Knew You Were Trouble” singer told Pharrell that she was “such a huge fan of your work” and thanked the fans and the person who inspired her during her acceptance speech. (Note: the VMA cameras went after Harry Styles, who looked uncomfortable after Swift’s victory).
Ed Sheeran took the stage to present the Best Video with a Social Message Award. For the second time tonight, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took the stage and brought “Same Love” singer Mary Lambert to accept their second Moonman. Macklemore stated that this award was “the most important record out of all of them” due to both gay and human rights, which received some praise from audience members Lady Gaga and Will Smith.
Future late night king Jimmy Fallon introduced the night’s most anticipated performance of the night: Justin Timberlake’s acceptance of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He performed a medley of classic and new hits that included “Take Back the Night,” “Sexyback,” “Rock Your Body” and “Cry Me A River.”
But one of the biggest highlights of the set was the emergence of four male silhouettes: Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and JC Chasez! *NSNYC returned onto the scene to perform two songs: “Girlfriend” and “Bye Bye Bye.” JT concluded the set with “Suit & Tie” and led a sing along of “Mirrors.” In his acceptance speech, Justin thanked all of his previous directors, his parents, manager Johnny Wright and stated that he shared this award with his former bandmates.
Vampire Weekend presented the Best Song of the Summer Award to One Direction, who thanked their fans for their massive voting. After they left the stage, NBA star Jason Collins and rapper ASAP Rocky introduced Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert and special guest Jennifer Hudson, who performed a poignant cover of “Same Love.”
Adam Lambert and British songstress Emeli Sande teamed up to present the Artist to Watch. After hours of last-minute voting, MTV fans decided to hand out this Moonman to Austin Mahone. TLC surviving members T-Boz and Chilli introduced Drake, who delivered an f-bombed laced “Started from the Bottom.”
Taylor Swift presented the Best Male Video Award to Bruno Mars, who won his first Moonman in his career. After he took the award, Bruno returned to the stage to perform his hit “Gorilla” from his sophomore album: Unorthodox Jukebox.
Actor Joseph Gordon Levitt closed out the award portion of the ceremony by giving out the 2013 Video of the Year Award to…Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors.” The whole room stood up as he received the award. He thanked his grandparents for the inspiration behind the video.
Katy Perry ended the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in style as she performed “Roar” at the Brooklyn Bridge in front of a crowd of hundreds of fans.
