HOLLYWOOD—Get ready, for an exciting show coming up. The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards will be held on Monday, August 26, at the Prudential Center in Newark. It will be the first VMA ceremony to be held in New Jersey. The host will be none other than my favorite Italian comedian, Sebastian Maniscalco that will host the 36th annual ceremony.
The popular comedian has previously been named the Comedian of the Year by Billboard and had sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall. Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift both led the nominations with 10 nods each. They will be duking it out for honors including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop. Billie Eilish scored the second-most nominations with nine, while Lil Nas X came in third place with eight nominations. Additionally, artists will be competing in two new categories this year: Best K Pop and Video for Good. The VMAs are always fun to watch, and you’ll never know what could happen.
The Jonas Brothers are back with a vengeance, they will do a remote performance-their first in more than a decade. While Taylor Swift, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, J Balvin, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Rosalía, Bad Bunny, A$AP Ferg, Big Sean, H.E.R., Normani and Ozuna will also perform. Additionally, Missy Elliott, this year’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award winner, is also set to take the stage.
Presenting will include stars Bebe Rexha, Billy Ray Cyrus and French Montana are set to present. Hailee Steinfeld, Ice-T, John Travolta, Jonathan Van Ness, Keke Palmer, Lenny Kravitz, Megan Thee Stallion, Rick Ross and Salt-N-Pepa will also present awards. Athletes are set to be represented well too, with Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, NJ Devils player P.K. Subban, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, and Victor Cruz, a Super Bowl champion, are all set to hand out awards.
Voting has already closed for most of the categories, fans have up until the time of the broadcast to cast their vote for Best New Artist. This year’s nominees in the highly anticipated category are Ava Max, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Lil Nas X, Lizzo and ROSALÍA. Additionally, fans can still vote in the Best Group, Best Power Anthem and Song of the Summer categories on Instagram Stories at specific times leading up to the broadcast. Learn all about how and when to vote here.
One of the most memorable moments in the history of the VMA’s was the the 2003 MTV VMAs, when Britney Spears infamously kissed Madonna and spawned an entire generation of gay men. Christina Aguilera, another queen of pop, was also there and also kissed Madonna—but MTV panned to Justin Timberlake’s face during her kiss, so she missed her moment. (Remember, J.T. and Britney had just broken up, and MTV was clearly trying to cash in on that drama.)
Mary J. Blige closed out the iconic performance with a few lines from her song “Work It”—another thing that’s grossly overlooked. Who could forget the celebrities in the audience whose reactions to that performance deserve to be hung in the Louvre. If only we were a fly in the wall at Radio City Music Hall that night. Beyoncé’s adorable clap when Britney first hits the stage. Bey is a notable big Brit fan. We love legends supporting legends. Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osbourne’s less-than-enthused faces. Madonna’s daughter, Lola, was one of the flower girls at the beginning of the performance. Lourdes Leon, daughter of Madonna dressed in a flower girl dress onstage during the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards that night.
Rose’s Scoop: Sebastian Maniscalco is currently on his “Stay Hungry Stand-Up Comedy Tour” 2019.
