Russell Brand, the Jo Bros and sex at the VMAs

Russell Brand is a bad, bad boy. Thank the punk rock saints for that! As the English comic and sole male inheritor of Amy Winehouse's hairstyle laid waste to good taste as the host of Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, somewhere in heaven's dark alley, Joey Ramone and Sid Vicious shared a laugh.

Brand's banter, overflowing with outré political statements (such as calling George Bush a "retarded cowboy"), juvenile sex jokes and relentless mockery of the well-groomed pop stars surrounding him, was totally, deliriously in the spirit of transgressive rock and roll. In fact, it was mild by comparison to the Sex Pistols showering British television host Bill Grundy with obscenities in 1976, or the Ramones recording the anti-Reagan "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" nearly a decade later. That's the funny thing about the razzing Brand is currently receiving all over the blogosphere -- nobody seems to remember when rockers were supposed to rattle the jewelry of the folks who attend glittery galas.

But subversive rockers are out of favor right now, with hip-hop and R&B a more reliable source of edginess. Artists in those genres enjoy the insider perks of commercial success -- T-Pain rode the VMAs' red carpet on an elephant, for goodness sake, and Lil' Wayne, who's recorded anti-Bush raps in the past, celebrated his Top 40 triumph with unlikely collaborations -- first he was paired with bland songbird Leona Lewis, and then joined Kid Rock for "Summertime," a song partially based on the unofficial Confederate anthem "Sweet Home Alabama." (Why has no one picked up on the weird compromise of Weezy, a black Southerner, doing that?)

At one point during the Sunday night broadcast of the 25th annual MTV Music Awards, the action apparently switched from Paramount Pictures to the Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip, where the rock band Paramore's performance was inciting a riot. Not really, though: Singer Hayley Williams and her boys were ripping it up in a simulated nightclub directly adjacent to the award ceremony's main stage. "Nothing is as it seems," said the night's host, the comic Russell Brand. Get it? Just like in the movies!

This gimmick at this most unrepentantly contrived of awards shows was to play up the artifice of the screen image, whether of the blockbuster film variety or more like something seen on a cellphone. Holding the event at a film studio allowed for this approach – though the move could also be viewed as a cost-saving measure, given that MTV and Paramount are both properties of the Viacom media conglomerate.

Throughout the evening, stars played their hits on sets that morphed as the music progressed. The Jonas brothers sat on a New York City stoop to play an acoustic version of "Lovebug," then jumped up as the row houses came apart around them and went electric, surrounded by screaming fans. Pink smashed some windows, action-heroine style, during her turn. T.I. took his lady shopping on a fake Rodeo Drive before joining Rihanna back on the main stage to perform their hot new duet, "Livin' My Life."

Read more of Ann Powers' "MTV VMAs keep the pop machine fed." For more VMA coverage, including Todd Martens' scorecard of VMA performances, visit The Envelope.

Photo from Wire Image

Two truths could be gleaned from last night's eight BMI Urban Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Theatre. One, it's T-Pain's world, at least for now. And two, Michael Jackson is still an inescapable presence in pop, even when he's a physical no-show. But his brothers made their contributions too.

This annual event honors the most performed songs on urban radio -- the R&B and hip-hop hits with the most juice. T-Pain wasn't the only songwriter pulled up onstage to receive a prize numerous times: Producer Polow da Don could barely get off the podium, and Patrick "j. Que" Smith and Ezekiel Lewis from hit-making Atlanta crew the Clutch warmed it up some too.

But the man who's turned Auto-Tune into a virtuoso instrument ruled the night, not only taking away the songwriter of the year prize, but also adding some infectious verve to an otherwise less-than-thrilling parade of industry types holding up placards and getting their photos snapped.

MTV VMAs keep the pop machine fed

At one point during the Sunday night broadcast of the 25th annual MTV Music Awards, the action apparently switched from Paramount Pictures to the Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip, where the rock band Paramore's performance was inciting a riot. Not really, though: Singer Hayley Williams and her boys were ripping it up in a simulated nightclub directly adjacent to the award ceremony's main stage. "Nothing is as it seems," said the night's host, the comic Russell Brand. Get it? Just like in the movies!

This gimmick at this most unrepentantly contrived of awards shows was to play up the artifice of the screen image, whether of the blockbuster film variety or more like something seen on a cellphone. Holding the event at a film studio allowed for this approach – though the move could also be viewed as a cost-saving measure, given that MTV and Paramount are both properties of the Viacom media conglomerate.

Throughout the evening, stars played their hits on sets that morphed as the music progressed. The Jonas brothers sat on a New York City stoop to play an acoustic version of "Lovebug," then jumped up as the row houses came apart around them and went electric, surrounded by screaming fans. Pink smashed some windows, action-heroine style, during her turn. T.I. took his lady shopping on a fake Rodeo Drive before joining Rihanna back on the main stage to perform their hot new duet, "Livin' My Life."

Read more of Ann Powers' "MTV VMAs keep the pop machine fed." For more VMA coverage, including Todd Martens' scorecard of VMA performances, visit The Envelope.

Photo from Wire Image

Two truths could be gleaned from last night's eight BMI Urban Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Theatre. One, it's T-Pain's world, at least for now. And two, Michael Jackson is still an inescapable presence in pop, even when he's a physical no-show. But his brothers made their contributions too.

This annual event honors the most performed songs on urban radio -- the R&B and hip-hop hits with the most juice. T-Pain wasn't the only songwriter pulled up onstage to receive a prize numerous times: Producer Polow da Don could barely get off the podium, and Patrick "j. Que" Smith and Ezekiel Lewis from hit-making Atlanta crew the Clutch warmed it up some too.

But the man who's turned Auto-Tune into a virtuoso instrument ruled the night, not only taking away the songwriter of the year prize, but also adding some infectious verve to an otherwise less-than-thrilling parade of industry types holding up placards and getting their photos snapped.

BMI Urban Awards: No Michael Jackson, much T-Pain

Two truths could be gleaned from last night's eight BMI Urban Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Theatre. One, it's T-Pain's world, at least for now. And two, Michael Jackson is still an inescapable presence in pop, even when he's a physical no-show. But his brothers made their contributions too.

This annual event honors the most performed songs on urban radio -- the R&B and hip-hop hits with the most juice. T-Pain wasn't the only songwriter pulled up onstage to receive a prize numerous times: Producer Polow da Don could barely get off the podium, and Patrick "j. Que" Smith and Ezekiel Lewis from hit-making Atlanta crew the Clutch warmed it up some too.

But the man who's turned Auto-Tune into a virtuoso instrument ruled the night, not only taking away the songwriter of the year prize, but also adding some infectious verve to an otherwise less-than-thrilling parade of industry types holding up placards and getting their photos snapped.