MTV ALERT: VMA Winners

The winners of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards are:

• VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Panic! At The Disco "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
• BEST DIRECTION IN A VIDEO: Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" — Robert Hales, director
• BEST MALE VIDEO: James Blunt "You're Beautiful"
• BEST FEMALE VIDEO: Kelly Clarkson "Because of You"
• BEST GROUP VIDEO: The All-American Rejects "Move Along"
• BEST RAP VIDEO: Chamillionaire "Ridin' "
• BEST R&B VIDEO: Beyonce f/ Slim Thug "Check on It"
• BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO: Black Eyed Peas "My Humps"
• BEST DANCE VIDEO: Pussycat Dolls f/ Snoop Dogg "Buttons"
• BEST ROCK VIDEO: AFI "Miss Murder"
• BEST POP VIDEO: Pink "Stupid Girls"
• BEST NEW ARTIST IN A VIDEO: Avenged Sevenfold "Bat Country"
• VIEWER'S CHOICE: Fall Out Boy "Dance, Dance"
• BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Shakira f/ Wyclef Jean "Hips Don't Lie" — Sho-tyme, choreographer
• BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS: Missy Elliott "We Run This" — Louis Mackall, special effects
• BEST ART DIRECTION: Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California" — Justin Dragonis, art director
• BEST EDITING: Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" — Ken Mowe, editor
• BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: James Blunt "You're Beautiful" — Robbie Ryan, DP
• BEST VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK: "Mark Ecko's Getting Up" — Atari
• BEST VIDEO GAME SCORE: "Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion" — Jeremy Soule, composer/producer
• RINGTONE OF THE YEAR: Fort Minor "Where'd You Go"
• VIDEO VANGUARD: Hype Williams

IN DEPTH: IV Thieves "You Can't Love What You Don't Understand"

Imagine it's your first video. You're shooting in the area around the notorious Salton Sea in Southern California. It's July. It's so hot that the cameras have to be placed in a cooler every two minutes just to keep them working.

That's the situation described by photographer/director Brantley Gutierrez in this commentary for the IV Thieves — a group with a story as interesting as the video. If embedded player does not appear, visit YouTube

IV Thieves
"You Can't Love What You Don't Understand" (New West)
Brantley Gutierrez, director/DP

MTV ALERT: VMAS Tonight - Reader Poll Results

As you may have heard, the MTV Video Music Awards are being broadcast live tonight from Radio City Music Hall. Watch em live on TV, or check out the bonus content at Overdrive.

Those keeping score at home can compare/contrast the predictions of the Video Static readership with the actual winners. These predictions were horribly wrong last year, so don't start calling your entertainment bookie. Most categories were horribly close — those without a decisive favorite  have been omitted — and the sample size of our poll is small enough that we should assume the margin of error to be +/- 100. In other words, this was a pointless endeavor. Aren't Video Static polls fun?

• Video of the Year: Madonna "Hung Up" and Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California" each got 25% of your vote. Shakira feat. Wyclef got 20%. In other words, you have no idea.
• Best Male Video: predicted to be Kanye West f/ Jamie Foxx "Gold Digger"
• Best Female Video: predicted to be Christina Aguilera "Ain't No Other Man"
• Best Group Video: predicted to be Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"
• Best Hip Hop Video: predicted to be Kanye West f/ Jamie Foxx "Gold Digger"
• Best Dance Video: predicted to be Madonna "Hung Up"
• Best Direction: predicted to be Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" — Robert Hales, director
• Special Effects: predicted to be Beck "Hell Yes" — Hammer & Tongs, special effects

Remember, these are the opinions according to those who filled out the VMA poll and do not reflect Video Static's own opinion. Video Static has no opinion.

BOOKED: Paris Hilton - Scott Speer, director

artist: Paris Hilton
song: "Nothing In This World"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Scott Speer
production co: HSI

SHOT: Beyonce - Matthew Rolston, director

In support of  the upcoming feature film adapatation of Dreamgirls, starring Beyonce and Jamie Foxx.

artist: Beyonce 
song: "Listen" 
label: Columbia
director(s): Matthew Rolston
production co: Venus Ent./HSI

SHOT: Pete Yorn - Robert Hales, director

artist: Pete Yorn   
song: "For Us"
label: Columbia
director(s): Robert Hales
production co: HSI

NEW RELEASE: DJ Khaled "Grammy Family"

DJ Khaled featuring Consequence, Kanye West & John Legend
"Grammy Family" (GOOD/Terror Squad/Koch)
Bernard Gourley, director/editor | Jeffrey Brown , producer | Immigrant Film, production co | Joe Maxwell, DP | Description: Despite the plethora of music award shows these days, nothing impresses mom like a good ol' Grammy award — which despite a few notorious missteps (Milli Vanilli: Best New Artist?) is still considered the ultimate indication that a recording artist has truly made it. Terror Squad super-producer DJ Khaled rounds up Grammy kingpins Kanye West and John Legend, plus well-respected cohorts Common and Consequence for a celebration of criticially-acclaimed stardom. The classy b&w video mixes plain studio shots with footage of the performers on and around Hollywood Boulevard. -- watch "Grammy Family" in Real or Windows Media

PHOTO: On the set of Rocco DeLuca "Colorful"

Director Frank Borin ruins your masturbatory fantasies by strategically placing a miniature green screen over the model in this production still from the upcoming Rocco DeLuca and The Burden video "Colorful." The shot on the right shows the same model in front of a massive projection of DeLuca.

BOOKED: Paula Deanda - Ray Kay, director

artist: Paula Deanda feat. The Dey
song: "Walk Away"
label: Arista/J Records
director(s): Ray Kay
production co: Rockhard Films
rep: Robin Frank Management

SHOT: Young Buck - Syndrome, directors

artist: Young Buck feat. Jazze Pha
song: "If You Want Some"
label: G Unit/Interscope
director(s): Syndrome
production co: Robot Films
rep: Robin Frank Management