HOLLYWOOD—I still find it slightly odd that MTV still promotes the Video Music Awards as some epic event considering they barely show music videos on the network anymore, but I’ll dismiss my rant for what turned out to be quite the interesting show to say the least America. The ceremony was hosted by Katy Perry, and not much talk transpired, until earlier this week, when Taylor Swift herself hinted at her new album “Reputation.” To make things even juicer, the country pop starlet dropped her first single off the new album (slated for release on November 10), “Look What You Made Me Do.” Yeah, that single is taking jabs at someone or more than one person to be particular, and the MTV VMA was the place to be to witness the interesting video from Ms. Swift. It was theatrical to say the least, full of kittens, motorcycles, crashing cars, and her Swift squad back in action yet again, and plenty of Taylor Swifts. I loved that Swift totally poked fun at everything that people have said behind her back; at long last Taylor put her haters on blast. I’ll say it now; it will be one of the most viewed videos within the next 24 hours.

The ceremony kicked off with an energetic performance, full oy flashing lights and breakdancing, and it was without doubt quite political to see individuals dressed in all white set on fire. That performance was followed by another courtesy of Ed Sheeran who entertained the crowd with an acoustic rendition of his hit “Shape Of You.” That song is quite catchy to say the least, and has only help Ed continued his reign of success and a lyrical genius. Ok, this opening intro courtesy of Katy Perry did not deliver a single laugh in my opinion poking fun of space. Perry is seriously in the running as one of the worst host of the MTV VMA in history, most of her jokes fell flat, and it was apparent she was trying too hard. Not everyone is capable of hosting an awards show people!

The first award for the night for Best Pop Video went to Fifth Harmony feat. Gucci Mane for “Down.” Oh by the way, MTV has changed the name from ‘Moonman’ to ‘Moonperson’ to make the ceremony more gender fluid. I was thrilled with that howling speech by Paris Jackson touting the importance of fighting against hatred in America. Julia Michaels hit the stage to prove her vocal capabilities with her single “Issues.”

Lorde took the stage to perform her latest single, with impromptu dancing that was not as dazzling to the audience as she thought it was. Best Dance Video was a victory to Alessia Cara and Zedd for “Stay,” yeah, I wouldn’t really call that a dance video contender. This category has absolutely flopped in recent years in my opinion. After more than an hour into the show, the ceremony finally kicked into gear with a hot and fierce performance by Fifth Harmony; I mean we finally got to see some energy take over The Forum.

The Moonperson for Best Collaboration went to Zayn feat. Taylor Swift for “I Don’t Wanna Live.” Oscar-winner Jared Leto paid tribute to Chester Pennington and Chris Cornell who both died of suicide in recent months. It was nice to finally see a ceremony pay tribute to these rock icons whose lives were cut short. Kendrick Lamar won the prize for Best Hip-Hop Video for “Humble.”

Well, what a surprise America, a much more subdued Miley Cyrus on the VMA stage to perform her new single “Younger Now.” Last time we saw the singer, she was twerkin’ and doing all sorts of crazy things with teddy bears. I always knew Cyrus was an entertainer, but I was pleasantly surprised with her vocal chops on the stage; they were beyond impressive people, and the song had a great message about aging. Can we please talk about Demi Lovato’s performance? That might have been one of my favs of the night live from Las Vegas. Not only was it phenomenal energy on the stage, but that song is catchy as hell people!

It was a fun moment to watch Pink be honored with the Michael Jackson Vanguard award for all her hits from the past 17 years including “Get This Party Started,” “Raise Your Glass,” “So What,” “Blow Me One Last Kiss,” “Just Give Me A Reason” and “F**** Perfect” to name a few. This woman has plenty of hits, and with a new album hitting stores in September, there is no better time to remind the public than taking to the stage It seems the biggest prize of the hour is no longer reserved for the final moments of an awards show except for the Academy Awards. The Moonperson for Artist of the Year went to Ed Sheeran. Alessia Cara took to the stage to perform her unescapable hit “Scars of the Beautiful.”

The ceremony started to drag for me, so I started to lose interest. Other big winners of the night included Best New Artist winner Khalid, Song of the Summer to Lil Uzi Vert “XO Tour Llif3” and all nominees were winners for Best Fight Against The System. Perry who hosted the ceremony also closed things out with her single “Swish Swish” with special guest Nicki Minaj.

All in all the ceremony had a few highs, more political than actual entertainment value. However, let’s hope 2018 doesn’t have a host, and we should already pencil in Taylor Swift in most of the categories.