I tweeted this last night but it’s really true: Missy Elliott is truly the most unproblematic fave. No one has a beef with her. She doesn’t have a beef with anyone. She’s one of the most creative and interesting people in music and she’s been a pioneer and icon for decades. She seems like a genuinely nice and low-key person in real life too. So everyone – every single person – was happy that MTV decided to give Missy the Vanguard Award. That meant that Missy got to organize a medley performance and it was… incredible. TRY NOT TO JAM OUT TO THIS. YOU CANNOT.

I almost cried when “The Rain” started. “Work It” and “Get Your Freak On” and everything else. Plus a UFO. Incredible dancing and a dozen costume changes too. This is perfect.

Missy was very emotional for the Vanguard Award presentation. Here’s her speech:

The only “controversy” here is that originally, MTV named this award the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. MTV never officially renamed the award – even given the resurgence of awareness around MJ’s pedophilia – but MTV seemed to drop MJ’s name in all of their promotional stuff around the VMAs. Missy still called the award by its name, saying: “This Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award means everything to me. I have worked diligently for over two decades, and I never thought I’d be standing up here receiving this award. It means so much to me.” I’m… fine with it. Michael Jackson committed those crimes, not Missy Elliott. And she’s obviously the kind of person who can separate the art from the man/predator.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Miley Cyrus has a difficult history with the VMAs. She was perhaps one of the last “MTV artists,” one of the last pop artists who really benefited from MTV, and whose career was shaped by her MTV appearances. But she’s also the woman who twerked on Robin Thicke, couldn’t keep her tongue in her mouth and became a national talking point. Oh, and let’s not forget the time Nicki Minaj called her out at the VMAs (the “WHAT’S GOOD” heard ‘round the world). All in all, Miley needs MTV and MTV needs Miley.

So Miley decided to make her first public appearance, following Liam Hemsworth’s divorce filing, at the VMAs. She didn’t walk the carpet, but she performed. She performed her new song “Slide Away,” which she released as a “it’s all Liam’s fault” argument, something about whiskey and pills. MTV agreed to show the performance in black & white, for artsy reasons. Something nice: her body looks great these days. Something not nice: her hair is a complete tragedy, made worse by the “wet look.”

An okay performance. The set design and the pared-down performance reminded me of some of Rihanna’s Grammy/VMA/AMA performances. After the VMAs, Miley was seen leaving with Kaitlynn Carter. Kaitlynn was apparently there, at the VMAs, backstage during the show.

Miley Cyrus and Kaitlynn Carter coupled up for some post-#VMAs fun! https://t.co/V2cqdrGXM3

— JustJared.com (@JustJared) August 27, 2019

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

YOU GUYS. I love Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes and their love is real and they will be together forever and I don’t want to hear one more word against them. THEY ARE REAL. And they are adorable. While Shawn and Camila didn’t walk the carpet together at the arrival, they did happily pose together backstage after they won a VMA. Camila’s white dress is Balmain – it’s not what I would have chosen for her, but it’s fine.

Shawn Mendes actually got to perform twice – he did a solo performance early in the show, then late into the show, he and Camila did “Senorita.” And it was sexy, damn it! Is it just me or was Shawn Mendes kind of off-key at the beginning of “Senorita”? But it doesn’t matter because they are HOT. I’m not even joking. I love watching their awkward AF chemistry. So performative, so sweet.

Camila and Shawn also picked up VMAs for Best Collaboration and Best Cinematography. I wish MTV gave out VMAs for Best Stunt Couple. I love them.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Hi this is CB not Kaiser! Kaiser will be covering some of the other performances on the MTV VMAs, especially Missy Elliott (OMG!!) and Lizzo (love her). I just want to talk about the closing number, featuring Naughty by Nature, Queen Latifah, Redman, Fetty Wap and Wyclef Jean. This should have been the opener, in my opinion, because I was dancing so hard that I had trouble sleeping afterwards. Also I’m an late 80s/early 90s girl and this is the music I listened to in high school. (I still listen to it, I’ll be honest.)

The VMAs were held in Newark, New Jersey so they wanted to honor artists from New Jersey. The host was a comic named Sebastian Maniscalco and he was just terrible. I’m not exaggerating. His jokes involved the words triggered, safe space, support animal and participation trophy. He’s a garbage person who is not funny at all. But New Jersey also brought us Naughty by Nature and Queen Latifah, who rode up on a motorcycle! The whole closing act was amazing. I only wish it was longer. You can watch that below and MTV gave us a timestamped list of the artists:

0:03 : Da Rockwilder – Redman
0:25 : O.P.P – Naughty by Nature (w/Slugga The Mascot)
0:47 : Funky Child – -transition- – Da Rockwilder – Redman (w/DoItAll)
1:49 : Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
2:55 : Gone Till November – Wyclef Jean
3:37 : No Woman, No Cry – Wyclef Jean
4:55 : U.N.I.T.Y. – Queen Latifah
6:16 : Hip Hop Hooray – Naughty By Nature (w/Slugga The Mascot)

[From YouTube]

U.N.I.T.Y, O.P.P and Hip Hop Hooray are on my running playlist, from when I used to run. (Did that a couple of years ago, did two 5ks and then decided running is not for me.) Now whenever I hear golden era rap I want to run like the wind. (Or like the newbie runner I was before I gave up.) Whenever I hear Taylor Swift, who opened, I think of how expensive she is. (You’ll know what I’m referring to if you listen to our podcast.) So don’t make us old people wait until the end to see the best artists next time, MTV. We like to go to bed earlier than 11, but thanks for putting the video up.

Here’s Queen Latifah in a Sergio Hudson suit, looking like the boss she is.

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Every few years, Taylor Swift will decide to make the MTV VMAs all about her. At this point, she’s absolutely one of the biggest things in music, so I get it and I don’t even mind it. I prefer Taylor turning the VMAs into The Taylor Show rather than seeing her try to pretend that everything isn’t all about her. Taylor walked the red carpet early in this Versace ensemble, which… is okay, I guess. Taylor’s style theme for Lover is “pantslessness.” She’s going to wear booty shorts for the next two months. Taylor Momsen says hi.

Taylor opened the VMAs, which CB hated in retrospect – CB thinks that Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature’s performance should have been the opener (rather than the closer). I think Taylor pulls rank with MTV – she wants to open the show so she can relax and sit in the audience for the rest of the show. Taylor started with “You Need to Calm Down,” which was awful, and then she transitioned to “Lover,” which I actually liked a lot. Her costume = tragedy.

Taylor also won three VMAs over the course of the evening – Video of the Year (for YNTCD), Video for Good and Visual Effects. Taylor wants us to know that her NEW squad is full of LGBTQ peeps. She also used her platform to promote the Equality Act, so good for her.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The US Open Day 1 was Monday. It felt like the whole day was building up to the first night match: Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova. I’m not sure if they’ve ever had to play each other first round before, and they had never – in all of the years of their “rivalry” played each other at the US Open. Even though Pova returned from her doping suspension in 2017 and Serena returned from maternity leave in early 2018, this was actually the first they’ve played since January 2016 (shortly after which Pova tested positive for meldonium). They were supposed to meet at the French Open last year but Serena pulled out of the match. So… there was a lot of build-up and angst about this being a first-round match.

Do I think that the USTA rigged it so that these two would meet first round? Yes. I do. Pova’s ranking has plummeted because of several injuries and she’s struggled to win matches for the past year. Serena has had injuries too, but she’s still managed to retain a top-ten ranking, and she’s the eighth seed at the US Open.

Anyway, there was angst. I wasn’t worried though – as soon as the draw came out last week, I knew that as soon as Serena saw Pova in the first round, Serena would be super-motivated from the very start. And that’s exactly what happened – Serena was on fire, breaking Pova five times over two sets and wrapping up a 6-1, 6-1 victory in just shy of an hour. Pova wasn’t even playing that poorly (all things considered), but Serena just wouldn’t let her breathe. It was beautiful. What was not beautiful: Chris Evert’s nasty ESPN commentary, where she seemed to promote this idea that Pova and Serena are somehow equal, or that their achievements are somehow equal.

Put this in a museum! Love it. Serena has now beaten Maria Sharapova NINETEEN TIMES IN A ROW. Serena has beaten Pova 20 TIMES overall.

A few more things… I loved Serena’s little mini-catsuit, it was so cute and sleek. Serena’s husband Alexis Ohanian wore a vintage D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) shirt, because Alexis is a petty bitch and that’s why we love him. And after the match, in Serena’s press conference, she pulled an “I don’t know her” about Carlos Ramos, the umpire who inserted himself into last year’s US Open final.

Asked for her feeling about chair umpire Carlos Ramos not being assigned to any of her US Open matches this year, Serena responds with “Yeah, I don’t know who that is”

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 27, 2019

Alexis Ohanian showing up to the match between Serena & Maria Sharapova in a D.A.R.E t shirt is the type of solidarity in pettiness I need from my partner. pic.twitter.com/iH1oBW8djO

— farxiyo (@hausofriya) August 27, 2019

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.

on our way to manchester pride. ??? love u so much. can’t wait to give u all our love. you’re my heart in every way. see u soon. ?

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Aug 25, 2019 at 9:50am PDT

In May 2017, as fans were leaving an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, a terrorist detonated a bomb killing 22 people. More than 800 people were injured. On Sunday, Ariana performed there for the first time since the One Love Manchester benefit concert that she hosted 2 weeks after the attacks:

Ariana Grande told fans she was “overwhelmed” and “so nervous” as she was welcomed back to Manchester for the first time since the 2017 terror attack and subsequent benefit concert.

The crowd chanted her name during her set at Manchester Pride on Sunday.

Armed police patrolled outside the event, which came two years after a suicide bomber killed 22 people after her concert at Manchester Arena.

“Manchester holds a very special place in my heart,” the superstar said.

She told the crowd: “I’m so happy to be with you, so thank you for having me. Sorry, I’m so nervous. I had so much more to say but I’m really very overwhelmed. So thank you.”

The US singer began her 35-minute, nine-song set with No Tears Left To Cry, the first song she released after the bombing, and the night was at times emotional for both the singer and her fans.

[From the BBC]

The BBC article includes quotes from two fans who were at her 2017 concert and were able to attend her show on Sunday. One of them, a woman named Molly, told the BBC that going to the concert “was part of her therapy,” and that it was difficult: “‘One of the things I wanted to do was go to this concert and see how I got on and try and manage my anxiety-related symptoms, which I did, so I’m really proud.’” Ariana has similarly spoken about living with anxiety, and she has addressed crying during some of the shows on her Sweetner World Tour. I’m so glad that Molly was able to follow through with her plan to attend Ariana’s performance and that was she managed her symptoms and is proud of herself. That is huge. Thomas, the other person the BBC spoke to who attended Ariana’s show in 2017 spoke highly of Ariana and her performance: “‘I think she was crying at the start during No Tears Left To Cry, which obviously is heartbreaking. But she’s so strong. She was there for us. She was there for the LGBT community. She was there for Manchester.’” I hope that everyone who went had a great time, especially those who may have been at Ariana’s concert in 2017. The BBC also reported that back in February, Ariana had tweeted:

we are still working on something a little more special for you guys. it takes a while to put these things together but hopefully i can tell you when i see you at pride. i love u. hope that’s alright. ? https://t.co/zSsx57OQDK

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 25, 2019

She didn’t offer any additional details about the “something a little more special.” I hope that she’s able to pull it off, still!
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A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Aug 26, 2019 at 6:33am PDT

We discussed the news last week that Dwayne Johnson was Forbes 2019?s highest paid actor. Forbes released their actress list on Friday. And 2019’s highest paid actress is (drum roll, please) Scarlett Johansson. Oh… that’s not that surprising, she was last year’s highest paid actress too. Thanks, Marvel!

Black Widow’s most lucrative superpower? Her negotiating skills. For the second year in a row, Scarlett Johansson tops Forbes’ list of the highest-paid actresses, earning $56 million.

That includes a lot of Marvel money, like an eight-figure check for her upcoming Black Widow film and an impressive back-end payment of about $35 million for the $2.8 billion-grossing Avengers: Endgame.

Johansson is joined on the list by newcomers Elisabeth Moss and Margot Robbie, as well as returnees like Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon. Together, the world’s ten highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $314.6 million between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019, before fees and taxes. That’s 69% more than last year’s cumulative total, but still far less than the top ten actors’ $588.3 million.

[From Forbes]

I was joking on Thursday when I said that the lists were spaced so we didn’t note the discrepancy between the actors’ pay and the actresses’ but maybe I wasn’t that far off the mark. Almost $275M difference between the two lists’ totals. Just for reference, Dwayne made $34M more than ScarJo – and unlike ScarJo he hasn’t expressed his willingness to play a tree. To put it even more in perspective, ScarJo’s numbers would put her at number eight on the men’s list. Behind Adam Sandler (but, funnily, knocking Chris Evans out of his spot). No other woman on the top ten list would rank on the men’s. Technically, Sofia Vergara would tie with Will Smith but ScarJo knocked them both off so no, she’d stand alone. The rest of the top earning women are:

1. Scarlett Johansson
2. Sofia Vergara
3. Reese Witherspoon
4. Nicole Kidman
5. Jennifer Aniston
6. Kaley Cuoco
7. Elisabeth Moss
8. Margot Robbie
9. Charlize Theron
10. Ellen Pompeo

What’s also interesting to me is the changeover from last year’s list. Only Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and ScarJo are back again while on the men’s list, all of them are repeats except for Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper (both aided by Marvel). So not only are men making a lot more money, they get to keep making money while the women have to fight for the scraps thrown off the men’s table.

Photo credit: Avalon and WENN Photos

I was so close to Stevie wonder ??? pic.twitter.com/i62vPBTRnx

— Chloe Bucher (@chloembucher) August 26, 2019

On the morning of August 4, a terrorist opened fire at Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton, Ohio. He killed 9 people, including his sister, and wounded 27 before police officers shot and killed him less than a minute after he began his rampage. He carried out his attack less than 24 hours after another terrorist killed 22 people and injured 24 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

In the wake of the shootings, Lady Gaga donated to classrooms in the two communities, as well as to those in Gilroy, California, where a terrorist killed three people at the city’s annual garlic festival at the end of July. Another celebrity who chose to honor the Dayton victims is Ohio native Dave Chappell, who hosted a block party and benefit concert with an incredible line-up on Sunday night:

Dave Chappelle hosted a block party and benefit concert in Dayton, Ohio tonight (August 25) honoring the victims of the recent mass shooting in the city’s Oregon District. Surprise performers included Stevie Wonder, Chance the Rapper, Teyana Taylor, Thundercat, and others. . . .

The free concert—titled the Gem City Shine after Dayton’s nickname—was announced on Facebook, however the lineup was kept a surprise. According to reports by Entertainment Weekly and the Cincinnati Enquirer, Talib Kweli, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart also made appearances onstage.

[From Pitchfork]

People also has a write-up, including some of what Dave and Jon Stewart said to the crowd:

“The best way we can honor our fallen is by getting up better than we were before,” Chappelle told the crowd. “We won’t let those people die in vain.” He later added, “We’re not just doing this for our city, we’re doing this for every victim of every mass shooting in our country.”

Stewart also addressed the crowd, saying, “Dayton, Ohio, you have reclaimed this area.”

The event boasted performances, dining, drinks, and opportunities for people to donate to local organizations assisting businesses with recovery. More than 20,000 people were estimated to be in attendance.

[From People]

That’s such a beautiful gesture by Dave to honor the victims and to also allow Dayton residents to gather together and enjoy themselves at a free concert with an amazing group of performers. People said that Stevie performed “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “I Wish,” and “Superstition.” Pitchfork‘s list included “Higher Ground” (and “Superstitious.” Really?). It’s so fantastic that he was there, too. In early July, Stevie reluctantly went public with his plans to undergo a kidney transplant in September. He’d planned to perform only three more times before the surgery. I guess he’s feeling well, and I’m so happy to hear it. Pitchfork‘s write-up mentioned that Chance the Rapper performed “No Problem,” and Teyana Taylor sang “Gonna Love Me.” Both Pitchfork and People also noted that before the concert, Dave attended Kanye’s “Sunday Service,” which he’d brought to the city. I’d forgotten about that entirely, but I also think that Kanye’s honoring the victims of the shooting was lovely, too. Finally, People also reported that Khalid is hosting a similar concert on September 1 for the residents of El Paso.

#daytonstrong #davechapelle #steviewonder #dayton #gemcityshine

A post shared by Ron Valle (@ronvallephoto) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:45pm PDT

#daytonstrong #dayton #ohio #chancetherapper #gemcityshine #love #greatnightout #community

A post shared by Christina (@cmolten32) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:30pm PDT

@TEYANATAYLOR UR BABY SINGING FOR THE VICTIMS GAVE ME CHILLLLLZ ????? pic.twitter.com/kdZBOPrg6z

— King Bo$$ (@Imkingb0ss) August 26, 2019

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The MTV Video Music Awards are happening tonight. For pop culture students, the VMAs have historically been a major event on the gossip calendar. Those of us from a certain generation grew up on VMAs moments. In the last decade or so, the VMAs make up for two or three sh-t years in a row with a mome…