The 2008

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

took place on September 7, 2008, live from

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Studios (which, like MTV, is owned by

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

), honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

program '' FNMTV'' after being selected through viewer online voting at MTV.com. The remaining, professional categories were chosen by a panel of music industry professionals and announced via press release on August 27. When the nomination process was first announced, it mentioned a previously-unheard professional category named "Best Story;" however, this award did not come to fruition when the list of professional nominees was revealed the following month. Unlike previous editions of the show, MTV announced the winners to the professional categories three days before the ceremony (September 4) via a press release, rather than on the pre-show or main show. The rest of the winners were announced during the ceremony. Comedian

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

hosted the event. This year's awards were a huge improvement ratings-wise, seeing a 19% rise on last year with 8.4 million viewers. It was also a 23% advance over the 5.76 million who saw the 2006 ceremony. Although ratings improved, this year's video music awards was hosted at its smallest venue of its 25-year history.

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

became the main winner of the night, walking away with her first three Moonmen: Video of the Year, Best Female Video, and Best Pop Video all for " Piece of Me". The Pussycat Dolls received the most nominations (6), followed by

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

and

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

(5).

Awards

Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year

– " Piece of Me" *

– " Forever" *

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...

– " Burnin' Up" * The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" * The Ting Tings – " Shut Up and Let Me Go"

Best Male Video

– " With You" *

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

(featuring T-Pain) – "

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

" * Lil Wayne (featuring Static Major) – " Lollipop" * T.I. – " No Matter What" *

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

(featuring Young Jeezy) – " Love in This Club"

Best Female Video

– " Piece of Me" *

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

– " Touch My Body" *

– " I Kissed a Girl" *

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

– " Take a Bow" * Jordin Sparks (featuring

) – " No Air"

Best New Artist

Tokio Hotel – " Ready, Set, Go!" * Miley Cyrus – " 7 Things" *

– " I Kissed a Girl" * Jordin Sparks (featuring

) – " No Air" * Taylor Swift – " Teardrops on My Guitar"

Best Pop Video

– " Piece of Me" * Danity Kane – "

Damaged Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H. ...

" *

– " Burnin' Up" * Panic at the Disco – " Nine in the Afternoon" * Tokio Hotel – " Ready, Set, Go!"

Best Rock Video

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

– "

Shadow of the Day "Shadow of the Day" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album, ''Minutes to Midnight'', on October 16, 2007. The first public performance of "Shadow of the Day" was durin ...

" *

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

(featuring

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

) – "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson l ...

" *

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

– " The Pretender" *

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...

– " Crushcrushcrush" * Slipknot – " Psychosocial"

Best Hip-Hop Video

Lil Wayne (featuring Static Major) – " Lollipop" * Mary J. Blige – " Just Fine" *

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...

(featuring Matthew Santos) – " Superstar" *

(featuring T-Pain) – "

" * Kanye West (featuring Chris Martin) – " Homecoming"

Best Dancing in a Video

The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" *

– " Forever" * Danity Kane – "

" *

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

(featuring

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

and Timbaland) – "

4 Minutes "4 Minutes" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album ''Hard Candy'' (2008), featuring vocals by American singer Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the album on ...

" * Ne-Yo – " Closer"

Best Direction

Erykah Badu – "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

" (Directors: Erykah Badu and

Mr. Roboto "Mr. Roboto" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, '' Kilroy Was Here'' (1983). It was written by band member Dennis DeYoung. In Canada, it went to #1 on the '' RPM'' national single ...

) *

– "

" (Director: Joe Hahn) * Panic at the Disco – " Nine in the Afternoon" (Director: Shane Drake) * The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" (Director:

Joseph Kahn Joseph Kahn may refer to: *Joseph Kahn (director) (born 1972), a film and music video director *Joseph Kahn (journalist) (born 1964), American journalist * Joseph Kahn (shipping executive) (1916–1979), American businessman See also *Joseph Hahn ...

) *

– " Take a Bow" (Director:

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...

)

Best Choreography

Gnarls Barkley – "

Run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

" (Choreographer: Michael Rooney) * Adele – " Chasing Pavements" (Choreographer: Marguerite Derricks) *

– " Forever" (Choreographers: Tone & Rich) *

(featuring T-Pain) – "

Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss may refer to: Books * ''Kiss Kiss'' (book), a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl Music * Kiss Kiss (band), an American indie rock band * "Kiss Kiss" (Chris Brown song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Kim Hyun-joong song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Ladies' ...

" (Choreographer: Flii Stylz) * The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" (Choreographers: Robin Antin and Mikey Minden)

Best Special Effects

Kanye West (featuring T-Pain) – " Good Life" (Special Effects:

SoMe Some may refer to: *''some'', an English word used as a determiner and pronoun; see use of ''some'' *The term associated with the existential quantifier *"Some", a song by Built to Spill from their 1994 album ''There's Nothing Wrong with Love'' *S ...

, Jonas & François) * Erykah Badu – "

" (Special Effects: X1 FX) * Coldplay – " Violet Hill" (Special Effects:

Asa Mader Asa Mader (born February 20, 1975)De Haiden, Moritz (2003) ''Venice Biennale: Cinematographic Art - 60th International Exhibition'', Mondadori Electa, is an American film director, screenwriter and visual artist. History Asa Mader studied cine ...

) *

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

– " Ching-a-Ling/ Shake Your Pom Pom" (Special Effects: Les Umberger) *

– "

Bleed It Out "Bleed It Out" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as the second single from their third studio album, ''Minutes to Midnight''. The single was released on August 17, 2007. On July 30, 2007, the music video was s ...

" (Special Effects: David Lebensfeld and Adam Catino)

Best Art Direction

Gnarls Barkley – "

" (Art Directors: Happy Massee and Kells Jesse) *

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

– " Electric Feel" (Art Director: Sophie Kosofsky) *

– " I Kissed a Girl" (Art Director: Benji Bamps) * The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" (Art Director: Marcelle Gravel) * The White Stripes – " Conquest" (Art Director: David Fitzpatrick)

Best Editing

Death Cab for Cutie – " I Will Possess Your Heart" (Editors: Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Jeff Buchanan) * Erykah Badu – "

" (Editor: T. David Binns) * Ne-Yo – " Closer" (Editor: Clark Eddy) *

– " I Kissed a Girl" (Editor: Tom Lindsay) * Weezer – " Pork and Beans" (Editors: Jeff Consiglio and Colin Woods)

Best Cinematography

The White Stripes – " Conquest" (Director of Photography: Wyatt Troll) * Erykah Badu – "

" (Director of Photography: Karsten "Crash" Gopinath) * Death Cab for Cutie – " I Will Possess Your Heart" (Directors of Photography: Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Shawn Kim) *

– " I Kissed a Girl" (Director of Photography: Simon Thirlaway) * The Pussycat Dolls – " When I Grow Up" (Director of Photography: Christopher Probst)

Best UK Video

The Ting Tings – " Shut Up and Let Me Go" * Coldplay – " Violet Hill" *

Duffy Duffy may refer to: People *Duffy (surname), people with the surname Duffy or Duffey *Duffy (nickname) *Duffy (singer) (born 1984), Welsh singer, born Aimee Ann Duffy Places *Duffy, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Duffy, Ohio ...

– " Warwick Avenue" * Estelle (featuring Kanye West) – " American Boy" * Leona Lewis – " Bleeding Love"

Performances

Pre-show

* ''Dance-off'':

Fanny Pak Fanny Pak is a ten-member contemporary, hip-hop and jazz-trained dance crew from Los Angeles, California that gained popularity after appearing on the second season of MTV's ''America's Best Dance Crew'' (ABDC). Often while performing, the crew ...

vs. Kaba Modern (winner, as chosen by the audience via online voting, got $25,000 for charity and the opportunity of presenting the award for Best Dancing in a Video during the main show)

Main stage

– " Disturbia"/" Seven Nation Army" * Lil Wayne (featuring Leona Lewis and T-Pain) – "DontGetIt"/"Misunderstood"/"

A Milli "A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne. The song was released February 13, 2008, as the second official single from his sixth album ''Tha Carter III''. Background The original version leaked earl ...

"/" Got Money" *

– " Misery Business" * Christina Aguilera – " Genie 2.0"/" Keeps Gettin' Better" *

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...

(featuring Lil Wayne) – " All Summer Long" * Kanye West – " Love Lockdown"

Back lot (off stage)

– " Lovebug" * Pink – "

So What So What may refer to: Law *Demurrer, colloquially called a "So what?" pleading Music Albums * ''So What'' (Anti-Nowhere League album) or the 1981 title song (see below), 2000 * '' So What?: Early Demos and Live Abuse'', by Anti-Nowhere League, ...

" * T.I. (featuring

) – " Whatever You Like" (back lot)/" Live Your Life" (main stage)

DJ AM and Travis Barker performances

DJ AM and Travis Barker performed small interludes consisting of remixes of past hits throughout the show, as well as teaming up with

, The Ting Tings and

to perform their own singles and

classics from the past 25 years. *

– " Like a Virgin"/" I Kissed a Girl" * The Ting Tings – " Shut Up and Let Me Go" *

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

– " Going Back to Cali" *

(featuring Matthew Santos) – " Superstar"

Remixes

DJ AM and Travis Barker also played remixes of the following songs in the lead-up to or return from commercial breaks. *

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

– " Wonderwall" *

a-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

– " Take On Me" * M.I.A. – "

Bucky Done Gun "Bucky Done Gun" is the third single from musician M.I.A.'s album ''Arular''. The song was composed in London in 2004 as one of the last compositions for her debut album and credited to Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Carol Conners, Bill Conti, W ...

" * Rage Against the Machine – " Killing in the Name"

Presenters

– opened the show and welcomed the audience * Jonah Hill – appeared in Spears's opening sketch * Jamie Foxx – presented Best Female Video * Pete Wentz, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt – introduced Best New Artist voting * Demi Moore – presented Best Male Video * Taylor Swift – introduced the

. Co-hosted the pre-show. * Michael Phelps – introduced Lil' Wayne * Ciara,

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

and

– introduced winner of dance-off (Lohan and Ciara) and presented Best Dancing in a Video * Pete Wentz and Danity Kane – introduced Best New Artist voting *

Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the 1 ...

Cam Gigandet Cameron Joslin Gigandet (; born August 16, 1982) is an American actor whose credits include a recurring role on ''The O.C.'' and appearances in feature films ''Twilight'', ''Pandorum'', ''Never Back Down'', '' Burlesque'', ''Easy A'', ''Priest'' ...

, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart – introduced

* Slash and Shia LaBeouf – presented Best Rock Video * Miley Cyrus – introduced Pink * Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson – introduced Best New Artist voting * Slipknot (

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...

, Jim Root and Shawn "Clown" Crahan) and

Christopher Mintz-Plasse Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse (; born June 20, 1989) is an American actor and comedian. He has performed roles such as Fogell (McLovin) in '' Superbad'' (2007), Augie Farcques in '' Role Models'' (2008), and Chris D'Amico in '' Kick-Ass'' (20 ...

– presented Best Hip-Hop Video * John Legend and Jordin Sparks – introduced T.I. and

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...

, Vanessa Hudgens,

Ashley Tisdale Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer. During her childhood, she was featured in over 100 advertisements and had minor roles in television and theatre. She achieved mainstream success as Maddie Fitzpatr ...

and Corbin Bleu – introduced Christina Aguilera *

Lauren Conrad Lauren Katherine Conrad (born February 1, 1986)) is an American television personality, fashion designer and author. In September 2004, as an 18-year-old, Conrad came to prominence after being cast in the reality television series '' Laguna Beac ...

and

Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...

– presented Best New Artist in a Video * Paris Hilton – presented Best Pop Video * Drake Bell and Josh Peck – introduced

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

– presented Video of the Year

Controversy

One of host Brand's jokes during the night centered around purity rings, specifically those worn by the

. Jordin Sparks, who also wears a purity ring, began her introduction of T.I. and

by saying, "It's not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut." Sparks was criticized for implying that those who do not wear purity rings or do not abstain are promiscuous. Brand later described the experience, and aftermath, during his 2009 comedy special 'Scandalous - Live At The O2'.

Censorship

In repeat airings all references to

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

and George W. Bush were removed from Russell Brand's opening monologue.

Promotion

Several Promos were made that featured host

and MTV regulars

, Pete Wentz, and

. Britney Spears' promos were given a lot of attention. The promos featured Spears and Brand in a Paramount lot ad-libbing while an elephant was positioned in the background, reference to "the elephant in the room", rumored to be her criticized 2007 VMA performance, which they refrained from discussing in the commercials.Hollywood Britney spears with Russel brand
/ref> There was also a promotion that appeared on Nickelodeon, featuring the cast of ''

iCarly ''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...

''. During the program, the MTV networks

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

, MTV Hits, and MTV Jams did not air their usual programming at all, instead displaying full-screen cards guiding viewers to watch the ceremony on MTV, with VH1 using a rotating "billboard" of sponsors to promote 'sneak peeks' of the live ceremony which appeared in the top-left corner with false crowd noise in the background. During the VMA commercial breaks, VH1 also carried regular advertising.

Notes and references

External links

2008 MTV Video Music Awards website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008 MTV Video Music Awards

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

MTV Video Music

2008 in Los Angeles