Hips Don't Lie: MTV Adds Black Humor to Video Music Awards

August 29, 2006 — -- As MTV celebrates its 25th year as the ultimate barometer of youth culture, the network that revolutionized TV viewing is at a crossroads, besieged by such new media "it darlings" as MySpace.com, YouTube and the ubiquitous iPod.

"I am Jables, hear me roar," says 34-year-old host Jack Black, using his nickname. "Prepare yourself for a ripsnortin' humdinger."

Through the years, artists like Duran Duran, Madonna and the King of Pop became global superstars, thanks to the medium and the marriage of sound and vision, which changed the music industry forever.

Today, although music is no longer front and center and videos are no longer a groundbreaking novelty, MTV's annual Video Music Awards, or VMAs, are undoubtedly the network's version of the Super Bowl.

Shakira, a multiple nominee, will be shaking her hips, and she's part of an impressive lineup of performers that includes Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, the Killers, Ludacris w/Pharrell, the All-American Rejects, Panic! at the Disco, T.I., the Raconteurs and OK Go.

Presenting duties will be handled by the ubiquitous Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Axl Rose, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Pussycat Dolls, LL Cool J, Diddy, 50 Cent and Sarah Silverman, with the not-so-sedate Black serving as ringmaster of this wild circus.

Unlike the Grammys, the VMAs are the ultimate popularity contest. This year's VMAs, at Radio City Music Hall on August 31, will be one heck of an end-of-summer fest featuring some of the most popular acts of the moment.

Leading the field in the VMA nominations is "Hips Don't Lie" -- Shakira's ode to her anatomy -- and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' rock history flashback "Dani California," with seven nominations each, while veteran VMA momma Madonna and rock newcomer Panic! at the Disco scored five nominations apiece. The tamed-down Christina Aguilera nabbed four.

Videos from all five acts are competing for the all-important Video of the Year honor. Below is a list of the most buzzed about categories, and here's how the competition shapes up:

Christina Aguilera -- "Ain't No Other Man"
Panic! at the Disco -- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
Madonna -- "Hung Up"
Red Hot Chili Peppers -- "Dani California"
Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean -- "Hips Don't Lie"

The nominations are a microcosm of what's hot and happening in pop culture right now, and as much as Madonna revolutionized the video format and the Chili Peppers scored the ultimate comeback of the year, the winner here is Shakira, whose "Hips" has become the most played and downloaded song this year. She'll be "shaking away" from her peers a couple of Moonmen on Thursday night.