Monday

2011 MMVAs: Best and worst moments


Who wins and who loses is pretty important for an award show -- but not as important as the shenanigans that take place as we find out the winners and losers. We've compiled some of our favourite moments from this year's MuchMusic Video Awards.

Best Pop Video: Down With Webster

Too many important awards, not enough air-time. It's the perennial quandary most award shows face. The Junos, for example, host an entirely separate, non-televised awards ceremony the day before the prime time event. But if you're the MuchMusic Video Awards, however, you just hurl statuettes at the stars as they're getting out of their chauffeured rides. That's practically what MuchMusic host Sarah Taylor did when she surprised Down With Webster with the Best Pop Video trophy moments after they'd stepped out of the limo. The sextet was speechless, of course.

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Worst surprise: Justin Bieber

Poor Sarah Taylor. It's bad enough that no one could hear a word the official Wal-mart greeter of the 2011 MMVAs said thanks to the throngs of screaming girls that surrounded her, but she got told to step-off by Selena Gomez's handler on live TV. Judging from her unconvincing reaction to Justin Bieber's "surprise" appearance on the red carpet, she was ready to hijack one of those black SUVs and high-tail it outta there. After he shocked no one by arriving at the MTV Movie Awards to accept an award for "Best Jaw-Dropping Moment", the pint-sized pop star predictably turned up at the MMVAs. "What are you doing here?" Taylor said flatly. "No one expected you to be here."

Best Lover Of Canada: Selena Gomez

MMVAs co-host Selena Gomez loooooves Canada. How much does she love it? Enough to not bring her own writers from Los Angeles to script her opening monologue, which was all about how much she loves Canadian clichés. "I love hockey. I play it," she said. "I love back bacon. I ate it backstage and it's just fun to say 'Saskatchewan'. Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan."

Best music video re-creation: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga kicked off the award show broadcast by re-enacting her recently-released "Edge of Glory" music video. Clad in a "Showgirls"-style turquoise bob wig, the singer slithered around a faux fire escape with her backup dancers. Is it us or is Gaga seeming slightly burnt-out these days? Or perhaps we're just confused when she doesn't dream up a completely unique performance concept, choreography routine and outfit for every single public appearance.

International Video: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga showed love to Canada by bringing her "Judas" co-director, Canadian choreographer Laurieann Gibson, on stage with her to accept her award for Best International Video. Wouldn't it be nice if all pop stars actually brought the people who are actually responsible for making their videos on stage to bask under the street lamps along Queen St.?

Best non-Lady Gaga, non-Black Keys performance: Avril Lavigne

The young, blonde and insanely popular female pop singer Avril Lavigne performed her catchy, Max Martin-produced single "What The Hell" in a performance that wasn't particularly special or memorable, but it's a good song and she sounded fine so we're thankful for that.

Best pointless celebrity: Colin Farrell

Actor Colin Farrell is in Toronto filming "Total Recall" so naturally someone decided to Irish up his coffee, toss him into an Escalade and drag him by his annoying little quiff on stage to present the Best International Video By A Canadian Award with Selena Gomez at the 2011 MMVAs. Having dealt with 14 zillion clueless celebrities in my lifetime, I'm willing to bet that he had zero idea where he was going or what he was doing until he found himself standing on a red carpet packed with squealing 12-year-olds trying in vain to answer a reporter's question about his favourite Canadian band of all time.

Worst comedy bit: Selena Gomez and Shawn Desman

Here's one for all the trivia fans out there: who was the most-nominated pop star at the 2011 MMVAs? According to co-host Selena Gomez, Canadian pop/R&B sensation Shawn Desman is the "Avatar" of this year's show. This is probably a bit premature, but less than an hour into the main broadcast we're calling the scripted exchange between Gomez and Desman the worst comedy bit. In the lead up to the presentation of the Best International Video of The Year -- Group (which went to Far East Movement), Gomez pretended to "steal" Desman's song "Electric/Night Like This" and then ran off with his back-up dancers. Please, never return.

Best short male celebrity: Bruno Mars

This was a tough one. There were so many short male celebrities at the MMVAs this year but there could only be one winner. This year's nominees were Bruno Mars, "Degrassi'" star Munro Chambers and David from "Roseanne", but the winner had to be pop star Bruno Mars. Not only is he 5'5" but the classic soul re-arrangement he gave to his No.1 hit single "Just The Way You Are" was far superior to the original.

Best Video Of The Year: Shawn Desman

Shawn Desman won Video Of The Year for "Electric/Night Like This". Was there even a question that someone else would win it? No really, was there?

Best performance by Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga

 We knew something was up when Lady Gaga simply reenacted her "Edge Of Glory" music video for her opening MMVAs performance so when the sexy female voice-over announced that the pop star would return to close the show with an encore performance, we were hopeful. In the end, basically did the usual "Born This Way" routine but mixed it up by wearing matching turquoise armpit and pubic hair. Nice touch.