As virtual awards shows go, I thought the VMAs looked pretty good. All the obvious lip synching by people who do not need to do it — Miley can wail live as well as anyone, for example — was a bit of a bummer, but at least they found a way to deliver some safe showmanship. And the set, which made it look like this was all done on a rooftop, was really nifty. To be honest, even with the weird sponsored commercial-style music videos peppered throughout, I thought it was better than the last several traditional VMAs telecasts. Or is this Stockholm Syndrome talking?

[Photos: Getty]