Anitta made history as the first Brazilian woman to win a VMA, which is cool. However, the VMAs telecast also featured: a category called “Music Video For Good,” the meaning of which even the winner Lizzo admitted on-stage she didn’t totally understand; intentionally blurry camera shots of Khalid and Marshmello’s performance; a “Song of Summer” category that had no fewer than 16 nominees; Johnny Depp mumbling while hanging from the sky dressed as a Moonman (he was not actually there, but added via augmented reality, I think?); Nicki Minaj reading her Video Vanguard acceptance speech off an iPhone (although that is actually fairly relatable) and repeatedly saying things like, “I wrote this down and I don’t know why,” before reading different pieces (also relatable); and Eminem and Snoop doing a bit whose plot was that they got so high that they… turned into NFTs?!?!? I feel like MTV needs to go to a silent retreat and really meditate on itself. (Also, boneheads, why are we still tape-delaying live awards events on the West Coast? What is the POINT? Rethink THAT too, please.)
