MTV Invades the Home of the Opera

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 09, 2099 Source: AP Submitted By: Thursday September 9 1:13 PM ET By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Puff Daddy replaced Pagliacci and the Backstreet Boys elbowed out ``La Boheme'' as pop music's annual excuse for excess, the MTV Video Awards, invaded the Metropolitan Opera House on Thursday. Comedian Chris Rock, dressed as Rigoletto from the Verdi opera in an eye-catching promotional photo, was the host. It's the program where awards are less remembered than wardrobes or attempts to shock the censor. For the record, the rock band Korn had nine nominations, while Ricky Martin, TLC and Will Smith each had six. With the award ceremony's usual home, Radio City Music Hall, under renovation, MTV went uptown for a new venue this year. The clash between high and low culture gave producers a rich vein of material. In the venerable hall's lobby, the display cases stuffed with opera costumes were cleaned out in favor of moments from MTV's past: the hip-hugger pants Madonna wore to the 1995 video awards, Busta Rhymes' red crushed velvet ensemble from his appearance at the podium with Martha Stewart two years ago. MTV posed pop stars as opera characters in a series of promotional portraits. Kid Rock carried Julius Caesar's sword, and David Bowie was Mephistopheles from ``Faust.'' MTV's usually grungy production crew had to follow strict rules of decorum. Forbidden to carry sandwiches or sodas in the hall, they had to go outside to take breaks. Martin, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys were featured prominently in the nominations, as MTV reflected pop music's embrace of Latin rhythms and perky teen-age pop. Korn's ``Freak on a Leash'' video, with its depiction of an animated bullet moving in slow motion through several scenes, was perhaps the most arresting image in a year of slickly produced music clips. It competed for video of the year with Martin's ``Livin' La Vida Loca,'' the Backstreet Boys' ``I Want It That Way,'' Lauryn Hill's ``Doo Wop (That Thing)'' and Smith's ``Wild Wild West.'' Comment on this item. Next Item: Teens Rule In August RIAA Certs Prev Item: Possible Larger Than Life Release Dates