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.

The Video Makes a Comeback?

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.

Endelman expects Kanye to pick up the award for Best Male Video, while favoring Green Day for Best Rock Video, for its song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Another shoo-in this year is Gwen Stefani -- whose entrance as a solo artist found the No Doubt lead singer switching from a skate-punk look to a red drum majorette uniform in the nominated video "Hollaback Girl."

Endelman thinks she will have no trouble marching past Clarkson, Shakira, Carey and Amerie in the best female video category.

"You have to go with Gwen Stefani just because that song has become such a hit and she's become such a fashion icon," said Endelman. "Probably the most important thing is how successful the act is … It's a mix of artistic merit and popular success."

But if you want to have a hit pop video, applying for TV and film work might also do the trick. In an odd pairing of stars, Stefani shares her Best Pop Video nomination with actress Lindsay Lohan; pop princess and reality TV star Ashlee Simpson; Jesse McCartney, who appears on the WB's "Summerland;" and former "American Idol" contestant Clarkson.

"These days TV is just a huge entrance point for the music industry, and that's how so many stars get their start," said Endelman. "In the pop category, that's probably the most true because it's the most youth-heavy category … that are probably going to be more interested in TV."

Veteran rockers U2 are up for five awards, but Endelman is doubtful the Irish quartet will take any prizes home. "I love U2, but I feel like for the MTV audience, U2 is less important than it is, say, for the Grammy audience," said Endelman. "It's a younger crowd and a lot of people watching don't even remember 'The Joshua Tree.'"