The 49th annual (or something like that) MTV Video Music Awards are happening Sunday night. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. locally -- or, for those of us with Tivo, at about 10:45, giving us enough time to fast-forward through the actual awards acceptance speeches and be in bed by 11:30. Here are the most noteworthy things to watch for:
1. Kanye on the rebound. All the pre-VMA hubbub is over Kanye West, and whether or not he will be in a kiss-and-make-up skit or poke fun at his capital-Dumb self for crashing Taylor Swift's acceptance speech last year. Personally, I'm more eager to see what Kanye is going to do musically. The most annoying thing about lst year's "incident" was how it made people forget he's still one of the most electrifying performers out there (unlike the stiff Ms. Swift). 2. Who'll be more outrageous: Lady Gaga or Cheslea Handler? My money is very much on Handler, the host. Gaga's shock value is waning. She would have to be wearing the kitchen sink from my own personal kitchen before I'd be surprised by anything she wears. Or a simple pair of jeans might do it, too. 3. Who's gonna hook up? Last year's love connection between Katy Perry and Russell Brand at the awards show earned so much attention, you can bet that two other celebs more desperate for publicity will try to make a repeat splash this year. Cross your fingers it's Justin Bieber and one of those "Jersey Shore" bimbos. 4. Why did 30 Seconds to Mars need 7 days off? Last week, Jared Leto's band abruptly canceled its First Ave scheduled for next week, citing the ever-vague "scheduling conflicts" and insisting that "Our fans are the most important thing to us." Clearly, that's not the case. But then, you can see how these pre-fab rockers would suspect they weren't even getting invited to the VMAs and booked a tour instead. 5. Florence & the Machine. Slated to deliver "Dog Days Are Over," my money is on British howler Florence Welch giving the night's best performance.
