Who Wore What at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards

When the 28^th annual MTV Video Music Awards (the VMAs) returned to the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, August 29^th, one thing was a certainty. At least one memorable thing would happen. It’s the VMAs – the only award show you can count on to really bring the crazy.

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This year, Lady Gaga opened the show dressed in drag as her Jo Calderone, brought a legendary guitarist, Queen’s Brian May, on stage to perform with her and maybe fell off her piano while performing my favorite Gaga song, You and I. Was it shocking? Maybe for some. For me the most shocking part was how normal she looked. Drag or not, appearance by a music industry legend or not, it was a great performance. Say what you want about her style but Gaga can seriously sing and knows how to put on a heck of a show.

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Chris Brown. I don’t know what to say about Chris honestly. The guy can dance and that’s wonderful. He’s got some great music. He also beat up a woman and I’m sorry, but that’s something I have a really hard time letting go of, especially when his violent behavior clearly hasn’t changed. I’m referring to his tantrum in which he threw a chair through a window a few months back, of course. Maybe in a few years when he grows up a little and truly understands what he did wrong, I’ll change my mind. Until then, I can’t enjoy anything he does without thinking about those bruises and cuts he put on his girlfriend’s face. It doesn’t matter though. His fans love and support him. He doesn’t need kind words and adulation from me too.

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The tribute to Amy Winehouse was wonderful. I think Bruno Mars did a great job honoring her and paying homage to her with his performance of Amy’s hit Valerie. Russell Brand’s introduction speech was very fitting and came from a man who knew and loved Amy for the special talent she was. I loved that they included footage of her duet with Tony Bennett as it served as a great reminder that Amy was far more than the deeply troubled soul the press liked to focus on but that she was also profoundly talented.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPYQcvn7ctw

For me, the performance of the night, however, had no gimmicks. There were no props, no flashing lights, no elaborate costumes and no back up dancers. There was a piano and one incredibly, ridiculously talented lady – Adele. Her performance of Someone Like Youwas absolutely beautiful. This is a woman that doesn’t need anything other than that soulful, emotional filled voice. She brought tears to my eyes and chills to my skin just by standing in front of a microphone and singing her heart out. So beautiful and so amazing – there are just no words for how stunning and brilliant this performance was.

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What shocked me most about the VMAs this year is that nothing really shocking actually happened aside from the always surprising VMA fashion statements. There were some big hits, some major misses and some that just confused me. Let’s take a look at who wore what to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

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While Lady Gaga was dressed fairly normally for Lady Gaga (drag and all), some other pop stars seemed eager to pick up the slack and went for some pretty crazy red carpet outfits. Nicki Minaj took the award for craziest red carpet get-up wearing… well, something very colorful and uncomfortable looking. Jessie J came in a close second with very decorated tights. The crutches and leg brace somehow seemed to fit in.

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While some seemed to bring the crazy to the red carpet, others chose to show off a sexier side. Demi Lovato was on fire in a cleavage bearing silver dress that fit her beautifully. I’m a big Demi Lovato fan and I’m thrilled she’s showing a sexier, more confident side. She was definitely, in my opinion anyway, the sexiest starlet on the red carpet. A close second would have to be Victoria Justice with Britney Spears and – this shocks me to say – Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi tying for third.

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Let’s take a minute to talk about the cast of Jersey Shore and the fashion statements they made on the red carpet last night. One expects the kids of Jersey Shoreto make a splash, wearing and saying things that are too outrageous to be unplanned. The VMAs were no exception with two cast members making my best dressed lists (one for the men and one for the women) and two cast members making my worst dressed lists (again, one for the men and one for the women).

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Let’s talk about the girls of Jersey Shorefirst. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but there were a few surprises among these girls. Snooki, Sammi and even Jwoww caught me off guard with their choices and Deena… well, I got what I expected with this ‘blast in a glass’.

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Deena Cortese… oh my. There is a fine line between looking sexy and looking trashy. Deena ended up on the wrong side of that line with her rainbow dress. Jennifer ‘Jwoww’ Farley straddled the line but managed to avoid going to far and stayed far closer to the sexier side – as she usually does. For me though, everything was wrong with Deena’s look. The hair was too much. The dress was too much. All in all, exactly what you’d expect from Deena. Samantha ‘Sammi Sweetheart’ Giancola was neither trashy nor sexy and kept things surprisingly (and refreshingly) ladylike in a more demure by Jersey Shore standards one shoulder dress.

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The highlight of the cast for me on the girl’s side though, was a shockingly well dressed Snooki. While it was a fairly revealing dress with a bold print, it really flattered her increasingly shrinking frame. It’s pretty clear the time she’s spending in the gym is playing off. In addition to a nice fit for the dress, the colors really worked on her. It was a stark contrast to Deena’s too-loud rainbow frock. Overall, I’d have to say Snooki was one of the best dressed girls on the red carpet arrivals.

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Moving on over to the boys, I have to admit that first, I was a little shocked to see Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino was absent. It’s not really like him to miss out on free publicity. Second, I was surprised at how well these men were dressed. The only outfit I wasn’t really crazy over was RonnieOrtiz-Magro’s shiny black suit. It was a little too much for my liking. He looked good but the shiny sort of fabric took away from the overall look. I loved the pairing of the bright shirt with the dark suit but it would’ve worked better with a more traditional fabric.

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Before I get to Pauly D, I want to talk about Vinny Guadagnino. Vinny looked perfectly fine in his suit and I liked the fact that he kept it a little casual by leaving the top buttons of his checkered shirt unbuttoned, but in all honesty, I felt it was all a little bland, especially when compared to the style standout for me, Pauly D. Pauly D wasn’t only the best dressed male Jersey Shore cast member, he was the best dressed male of the evening for me. Suave and sophisticated, he made black on black look exciting.

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Katy Perry gets a section all to her own because, quite frankly, she confused me a little bit. I liked her look on the red carpet. I liked the theme she had going on and she just looked flat out adorable. I liked the lavender hair. I liked the pale blue dress and I liked the parasol. Later in the evening when she hit the stage to accept her award for “Video of the Year” for Firework, I couldn’t help wondering what happened. The entire outfit was a mess. Either way, it got people talking and I suppose that was the point.

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Choosing a best dressed girl on the red carpet is impossible. The majority of the girls really brought their a-game. I have to mention Katie Holmes here specifically because the girl looked better than I’ve seen her look in a long time. The dress fit her beautifully, I loved the hair and I loved the shoes. Another serious bright spot was Britney Spears. She looked positively stunning. I loved Selena Gomez’s gothic inspired black dress and Vanessa Hudgens’ throwback silver gown.

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For all the fashion hits last night though, there were definitely some misses. Miley Cyrus was the biggest miss of the night for me. I’m not really a big fan of Miley’s music or acting, but she always seems to hit all the right notes on the red carpet – until last night that is. I didn’t get this dress. She almost looked like a little girl playing dress up in her mother’s ‘fancy’ clothes. The dress just didn’t seem to fit her in the least and the print wasn’t the least bit flattering.

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Kim Kardashian was another fashion miss for me last night. The dress she chose, like the dress Miley chose, just didn’t seem to compliment her in anyway and seemed to be awkward fitting. Normally Kim is a fashion powerhouse but last night she fell flat. I’m going to cut her some slack as she just got married. I’m sure she was more focused on the wedding and honeymoon than picking out a dress, but still, I was fairly disappointed. Kim normally hits it out of the park and this one didn’t even make it to the fence.

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The couples also had a pretty good night at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. I’m not entirely sure Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas are a couple again (I find it hard to keep up with the goings on of Hollywood’s youngens) but they looked pretty cute together in the above picture. Justin Trawick and Britney Spears also looked lovely together as did Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

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My favorite celebrity couple of the night also happens to be my favorite celebrity couple of the moment – Katy Perry and Russell Brand. These two are just too cute together. I love Russell’s style and always have. I love even more that he isn’t trying to change that style to keep up with his fashion forward wife. At the same time, I also love that Katy isn’t willing to tone down her outrageous style. They work perfectly together. I hope this is a couple that goes the distance.

So, that’s what I think but I want to know what you think? Who was the best dressed lady at the show? Who was the best dressed gent? Who was your favorite couple? Missed some of the fashion? I’ve got you covered. Check out the gallery below (click any thumbnail to see the full image) and then sound off in the comments section at the end of the article. Finally, are you missing Man Candy? It’ll be back next week with the winner of last week’s poll, Robert Pattinson. If you can’t wait, check out last Monday’s Man Candy, Jason Momoa.