Green Day Takes Home 7 Moonmen At 2005 MTV Video Music Awards

08/29/2005 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
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It was a rock band, Green Day, that walked off with the most prizes at MTV's 2005 Video Music Awards Sunday (August 28), despite an abundance of performances focusing on hip-hop and R&B. The punk trio was nominated for eight "Moonmen" and won a total of seven, including Video Of The Year, Best Rock Video, and Best Group Video for "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" from its hugely successful American Idiot album.

Although Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong remarked that "there was still a place for rock music on MTV," rock performances and winners were clearly outnumbered by those in the pop, rap and R&B categories. And even though host Diddy promised several times that "anything could happen" on the show, which was broadcast live from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, this year's telecast was surprisingly free of controversy.

Green Day opened the show with "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" amid an impressive display of fire, explosions, and towering columns of water. But Diddy did the band one better, making his entrance with a massive indoor fireworks display and an army of dancers. Diddy was boisterous and loud throughout the show, even giving away his jewel-encrusted watch to one attendee down front.

Other performers included Shakira with Alejandro Sanz, R. Kelly, the Killers, reggaeton stars Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Tego Calderon, Ludacris, Coldplay, Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, My Chemical Romance, 50 Cent and show closer Kelly Clarkson. Some of the highlights were:

Shakira singing her entire number in Spanish while offering up some eye-watering moves with her famously fluid hips;

A surprise "blast from the past" as MC Hammer lip-synched through a speeded-up version of "U Can't Touch This";

The Killers and Mariah Carey performing poolside at nearby hotels;

Coldplay singer Chris Martin bolting into the audience to sing the final section of the band's "Speed Of Sound";

Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx launching his new career as a rap artist by dueting with Kanye West;

Diddy conducting a live orchestra that played along to a video montage of the late Notorious B.I.G. rapping, with Snoop Dogg joining in live and dropping in rhymes perfectly timed to the video;

50 Cent's performance coming to a obscenity-laden climax that saw the F-bomb slip partially through network censors before a quick cut to commercials.

While lacking truly outrageous moments, the show had its share of amusing ones.

R. Kelly turned in a bizarre, lip-synched re-enactment of his mini-opera "Trapped In The Closet," which turned unintentionally hilarious as he tried to act out all the parts and keep up with the taped vocals.

Winners had to walk onstage underneath arcs of water and one of them dipped a bit too low, forcing winner Kelly Clarkson to crawl underneath to get to the stage.

Diddy's antics also included a history of the evolution of his name, from Sean Combs all the way to his current moniker.

It also appeared for a while that the night would be a bust for revealing costumes. Presenter Jessica Simpson's hot pants and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria's skimpy bathing suit, which she wore to introduce Mariah Carey, provided the only hope until presenter Paulina Rubio strolled onstage in a see-through lace number that left almost nothing, not even her thong, to the imagination.

Meanwhile, while some stars arrived in yachts like last year, many more rolled up to MTV's main pre-show area in tricked-out cars. Green Day's vehicle was painted only with faded green primer, while Ludacris had a Louis Vutton print as the interior of his. The most unusual arrival was by My Chemical Romance, who arrived in a Brinks security truck. The biggest surprise was the unexpected appearance of Gwen Stefani, who was rumored to be a no-show and collected only two minor awards for her trouble.

THE GOODIE BAG: This year's VMAs gift bag, given to the stars in attendance, was a denim Gap Weekender designed exclusively for the show and containing more than $27,000 worth of souvenirs. Among the items inside were a Paul Frank orange vinyl Moonman watch, an iPod shuffle with a VMA logo, a 24-karat Shu Uemura eyelash curler, a Sean John T-shirt with gold leaf lettering that reads "Daddy's Rich," a Frederick's of Hollywood bustier, a Nikki Beach platinum card, paid vacations to the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina and the Palms resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands, plus numerous other high-end designer items and accessories.

THE 2005 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS

Video Of The Year: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Male Video: Kanye West - "Jesus Walks"

Best Female Video: Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone"

Best Group Video: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Rock Video: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Pop Video: Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone"

Best Rap Video: Ludacris -- "Number One Spot"

Best Hip Hop Video: Missy Elliott w/Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - "Lose Control"

Best R&B Video: Alicia Keys - "Karma"

Best Dance Video: Missy Elliott w/Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - "Lose Control"

Best New Artist: The Killers - "Mr. Brightside"

Breakthrough Video: Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."

Viewer's Choice Award: Green Day - "American Idiot"

The MTV2 Award: Fall Out Boy - "Sugar, We're Goin' Down"

Best Soundtrack From A Video Game: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme

Best Direction: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Editing: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Cinematography: Green Day - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Art Direction: Gwen Stefani - "What You Waiting For"

Best Choreography: Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl"

Best Special Effects: Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."

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