2014 MTV Video Music Awards to Take Over the Forum on August 24th

Alexander Volz

Last year the Video Music Award’s took place in New York, but this year they are “Going back to Cali”. The 2014 VMA’s will be held at the newly-renovated Fabulous Forum on Sunday, August 24. This will be the first award show hosted at the venue. Last year’s VMA’s featured a “what the hell am I watching?” performance by Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke; this year, Beyonce will give an over the top performance, while Taylor Swift will take the stage again performing her new pop single, “Shake It Off”. Usher and Nicki Minaj will perform both new material, while Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, and 5 Seconds of Summer will be making their first appearances. MTV has decided that this year’s theme will be Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta of Love,” and they even published an article as to why the song “rocks so hard.”

Beyonce leads the pack with eight nominations for numerous singles in the categories Video of the Year, Best Female, and Best Collaboration, while Eminem and Iggy Azalea each have seven. Eminem is nominated for his singles “Berzerk,” “Rap God,” and “Monster” for Best Hip-Hop, Best Male, and Best Collaboration. Azalea’s mega hit “Fancy” has scored her nominations for Video of the Year, Best Female, and Best Pop. Eminem has a total of 11 VMAs while Beyonce has 12, and the two of them look to advance against the all-time winner, Madonna, who has 20, while Lady Gaga in her comparatively short career already has 13. Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and Charli XCX are also among the nominees.

Despite being in the music business for 30 years, Pharrell Williams has never won a VMA and is nominated for four this year, including Video of the Year as the only male artist nominated for Best Pop and two Best Male nominations, a result of being featured on Ed Sheeran’s video “Sing.” Pharrell’s video for “Happy” is a pretty standard music video that features him with his famous friends dancing in the streets of LA; a more impressive video with the same theme is Kiesza’s “Hideaway,” which is nominated for Best Choreography and contains a single tracking shot featuring the singer dancing her way through Brooklyn, all with a broken rib.

The 2014 MTV Video Music Awards will take over the newly renovated Forum on August 24 and air live on MTV.

VMA CATEGORIES AND NOMINATIONS:

Video of the Year
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyoncé ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Sia – “Chandelier”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”

Best Hip Hop Song
Eminem – “Berzerk”
Drake ft. Majid Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”
Childish Gambino – “3005″
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”

Best Male Performance
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
John Legend – “All Of Me”
Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”

Best Female Performance
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyoncé – “Partition”
Lorde – “Royals”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

Best Pop Song
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up”

Best Rock Song
Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Lorde – “Royals”
Linkin Park – “Until It’s Gone”

MTV Artist to Watch
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5 Seconds of Summer -”She Looks So Perfect”
Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
Schoolboy Q – “Man Of The Year”
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”

​Best Collaboration
Beyoncé ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Tyga – “Loyal”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

MTV Clubland Award
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
Calvin Harris – “Summer”
Martin Garrix – “Animal”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”

Best Video with a Social Message
Angel Haze ft. Sia – “Battle Cry”
Avicii – “Hey Brother”
Beyoncé – “Pretty Hurts”
J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
Kelly Rowland – “Dirty Laundry”
David Guetta ft. Mikky Ekko – “One Voice” ​

Best Cinematography
Thirty Seconds to Mars – “City of Angels”
Beyoncé – “Pretty Hurts”
Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Gesaffelstein – “Hate or Glory”
Lana Del Rey – “West Coast”

Best Editing
Eminem – “Rap God”
MGMT – “Your Life is a Lie”
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams -”Stay the Night”
Beyoncé – “Pretty Hurts”
Fitz and The Tantrums – “The Walker”

Best Choreography
Sia – “Chandelier”
Beyoncé – “Partition”
Usher – “Good Kisser”
Michael Jackson ft. Justin Timberlake – “Love Never Felt So Good”
Jason Derulo ft. 2Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Kiesza – “Hideaway”

Best Direction
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
Beyoncé – “Pretty Hurts”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”

Best Art Direction
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
Tyler, The Creator – “Tamale”

Best Visual Effects
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Jack White – “Lazaretto”