MIAMI — Packing big boats, surprise guests, crowded production numbers and a whole lot of face time for the punk-rock band Green Day, MTV's annual Video Music Awards aired live from Miami on Sunday night with all the super-sized extravagance for which MTV is famous.
Green Day, the California trio leading all VMAs nominees this year with eight, collected seven awards including video of the year, best rock video and best group video — most for the clip accompanying "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," a single from the band's acclaimed, anti-war concept album, "American Idiot." The title track's video won the audience-selected viewer's choice award.
Green Day also opened the telecast by performing "Boulevard." "It's nice to know that rock music still has a place on MTV," Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said during one acceptance speech.
Music video, of course, doesn't have much of a place on MTV Networks' flagship channel. But the oddity of saluting excellence in a form of programming that MTV has all but abandoned was lost in all of Sunday's star power and coordinated hoopla. Arriving by boat at AmericanAirlines Arena for a second straight year, VMA guests walked a carpeted pier along Biscayne Bay and stepped into a massive, floor-to-ceiling soundstage occuping the arena's interior.
Performers included Coldplay, 50 Cent and Ludacris. Missy Elliott won two awards, best hip-hop video and best dance video for "Lose Control," her collaboration with hip-hoppers Ciara and Fat Man Scoop. Rapper Kanye West won best male video for "Jesus Walks." "American Idol" graduate Kelly Clarkson won best female video for "Since U Been Gone."
"My vote was for Gwen (Stefani)," Kelly Clarkson said in her acceptance speech.
The Las Vegas rock band the Killers won best new artist for their single "Mr. Brightside."
