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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

MTV puts rockers on top


Singer Kelly Clarkson accepts MTV's best female video award at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

MIAMI – Rock was resplendent at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, as veteran rockers Green Day took home seven moonmen and newcomers The Killers and Fall Out Boy won one each.

Green Day, who arrived at the venue in the vintage green convertible from their gritty “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” video, won best rock video and video of the year for the clip – two of their leading eight nominations.

In previous years, hip-hop or pop acts have dominated the show, especially in the major categories. Not this year: My Chemical Romance and Coldplay were among the showcase performances, while rockers were well represented in the trophy section.

“It’s great to know that rock music still has a place at MTV,” said Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong.

The Killers won for best new artist. Fall Out Boy won the MTV2 award for their song “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” beating out artists like Mike Jones, My Chemical Romance and Daddy Yankee.

But Pete Weintz of Fall Out Boy downplayed the “rock is resurgent” angle. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen organically,” he told the Associated Press backstage. “The return of rock doesn’t mean anything else is going away.”

Before the awards began, MTV dodged two major disasters – one from nature, the other from the barrel of a gun.

The annual bash was briefly overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina, which hit southern Florida on Thursday and killed several people. As the storm passed, a celebratory mood took over the city – until early Sunday morning, when rap mogul Suge Knight was targeted by gunfire at a Kanye West party. Knight was shot in the leg and set to undergo surgery at a Miami hospital.

MTV vowed that neither event would affect the ceremonies – and they didn’t.

“The theme of tonight is, anything can happen,” proclaimed host Diddy, whose entrance included dancers, pyrotechnics and a cascading waterfall – a spectacle that rivaled the show’s actual performances.