For starters, the network’s flagship award show, the VMAs, is getting a big makeover. ”Our plan was to put a stick of dynamite in it, light the fuse, and blow it up,” says Norman. ”I think we were sort of getting a little stuck in tradition, which seemed odd. Music is changing constantly.” Last year’s telecast saw a troubling 50 percent drop in viewers from its 2002 high. The Sept. 9 telecast will film at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas (site of both the infamously raunchy Real World season and the recent cast reunion) with Timbaland as its so-called music ”maestro.”
(A source close to the network confirms that Britney Spears plans to make an appearance.) And after years of endlessly repeating the ceremony — and likely diluting its viewership — the show will air just once. The traditional auditorium setup has also been scrapped. Performances and award handouts will now be captured by cameras located throughout the Palms. Executive producer Jesse Ignjatovic says the overhaul allows artists to ”do things that they wouldn’t do on any other show.” Well, he is copying one show: The booze will flow as freely as at the Golden Globes.
Source: EW.
---------------------------------------
New photo