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WE WANT OUR VMAS
MTV's Amy Doyle Offers Snappy Answers to Our Stupid Questions as the 30th Annual VMAs Loom
August 22, 2013
MTV’s 30th Annual Video Music Awards are upon us, airing for the first time from Brooklyn (The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, to be precise) on Sunday night (8/25). Scheduled performers include Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Drake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Kanye West and many more. Austin Mahone and Ariana Grande will perform at a pre-show event.
Timberlake and Macklemore/Lewis lead the field with six Moon Man nominations apiece. Mars has four nods, while P!nk, Cyrus, Thicke and Thirty Seconds to Mars have three apiece. A complete list of nominees can be found here.
Given how many classic moments the VMAs have given us over the years, we’re champing at the bit for this benchmark show. So we decided to pester MTV Executive Vice President, Music & Talent Strategy Amy Doyle just as she was trying to get everything ready.
Apart from Brooklyn, what’s different this year?
Every year is different and a reinvention. Some highlights for this year: twerking on the stage for the first time, a 60-foot Moon Man and two new awards: Artist to Watch and Song of the Summer.
MTV President Stephen Friedman has called Brooklyn a “cultural capital.” But what’s the real reason for doing the VMAs there? Is it that one bakery with the bacon cronuts?
That would be a good enough reason for me! But it's really because Brooklyn has become a hub for artists and creativity and is going through a renaissance in music, pop culture, sports and art. So it feels like the right time for the VMAs, a show that really embodies the moment, to cast a spotlight.
Have you settled on a host?
With the abundance of great artists and performers, we've decided to forgo a formal host and crank up the sound.
There’s a lot of buzz about the performances by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry can you give us an idea of what kind of spectacles to expect? What cut of meat, if any, will Gaga likely be wearing?
I'll give you this: Animals will play a prominent role in more than one performance, and there's no shortage of jaw-dropping wardrobe selections. Each of the performers really wants to own the night and will be bringing everything they have to the stage. No one is looking to repeat themselves.
What’s the most challenging thing about putting a show like this together, apart from fielding annoying questions like this one?
Besides being too busy to watch Shark Week, the biggest challenge—and, ultimately, the biggest reward—for my team is to take all of the amazing and creative ideas that we develop with artists and their teams and somehow bring them to life.
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