Rain or Shine, Celebrities Hit Miami for MTV Awards

Aug. 26, 2005 — -- Hurricane Katrina has washed out some pre-award festivities, but it may have a tough time dampening the star power expected at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards.

The festivities begin with a two-hour pre-show at 6 p.m. ET, where Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani and actress Eva Longoria are expected to strut down the white carpet in the latest fashions. Organizers expect the show to go as planned, despite having canceled some of the weeklong pre-awards festivities on Thursday and Friday when Katrina hit the region.

Among the expected highlights will be a performance by Mariah Carey, who's currently celebrating her return to the top of the charts. She made a solid comeback with her "The Emancipation of Mimi" earlier this year. Other performances are expected from rapper Kanye West, pop star Kelly Clarkson and punk veterans Green Day, who lead the nominations with prospects in eight categories.

The awards will be handed out from an elaborate set featuring five stages, a water show and a host who has conquered both the music and fashion industries -- achieving the kind of staying power most award show nominees only dream of.

Sean "Diddy" Combs returns to his musical roots and will act as ringleader for the show he's been promoting in ads as his biggest party yet. Apparently, it's such a big deal, he's using the occasion to unveil his new name after dropping the first initial "P" from his ever-changing moniker.

Glitz, glamour and plunging necklines clearly take priority over keeping track of the winners and losers at this event.

Most people would be hard-pressed to name last year's best rap video. But when asked who Britney Spears kissed during a previous awards show, the name Madonna would be an easy answer. This year, more fans may have an appreciation for the actual videos that the event honors. After years of losing airtime to original programs on MTV, the Internet is giving these clips a boost.

"A great video now can still reach a mass audience," said Entertainment Weekly music correspondent Michael Endelman. "A lot of people get their videos streaming online … it's definitely a destination for fans who want to see new videos. And I think in terms of image-making they're still really important."

And plenty of musicians agree. Rapper Kanye West was so committed to his video for "Jesus Walks," Endelman said the rising star threw in some of his own money to make three different videos for the song. One version earned him three nominations, including Video of the Year.