Why did the VMAs feel like they DRAGGED so much? As Jess pointed out, we might have been less cranky about the length of the show, had we not tuned in at 3:30 for the pre-show, been knee-deep in photos while watching the audience cam and waiting for the ACTUAL telecast to be available in L.A. at 8 p.m., and then consuming THAT to make sure we hadn’t missed anything. Eight hours of VMAs is too much, FOR SURE, and that makes it hard to tell if we were also correct that it would have been drudgery at 3 hours and 10 minutes. It’s not like the musical acts were inept, although I do think I’d have edited out… Shawn Mendes for sure (in fact I just realized he’s also not in this slideshow! EDIT ACHIEVED). And Camila Cabello, because her energy was a total crash right after Lenny Kravitz and Quavo on their guitars. Basically, the balance between awards and performances felt off; it was badly paced from the jump. Although I’d have watched three hours of Chappell Roan sword-fighting. Do that next time.

[Photos: Christopher Polk, Arturo Holmes, Michael Loccisano, Noam Galai, Dimitrios Kambouris, Kristina Bumphrey, Roy Rochlin, Kevin Mazur, Jeff Kravitz, Noam Galai/Getty Images, TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images]