Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comThe MTV Video Music Awards have had their share of controversial moments in the past, from Madonna's "Like a Virgin" performance to the Material Girl/Britney kiss to Kanye's "Imma let you finish"-ing of Taylor Swift. But compared to what goes on at the MTV European Music Awards, all those incidents are about as contentious as a Disney movie. Case in point: At last night's MTV EMAs in Belfast, a male streaker ran out on stage while Hayden Panettiere was about to present the award for Best Song.
It was a scripted skit (according to Reuters, and anyone who's seen these kind of planned awards-show moments of spontaneity) with the actress doing her best to act surprised, the EMA audience and those watching at home were provided with an extended moment of uncensored, full-frontal male nudity.
Once the streaker reached the front of the stage where Pannetierre was standing, he made awkward conversation with the actress while covering his private parts. "So," he said through a very thick Irish brogue, "You're on that show 'Heroes' yeah?" They discussed hanging out at the post-party, but unfortunately the streaker didn't have his cell phone to take down Panettiere's number. Once he'd exited the stage, Hayden quipped: "Well, that was different." (The Amp emailed MTV for comment about the incident.)
If this ever happened in the States, the FCC would come to MTV's Times Square headquarters with a battering ram and a multimillion dollar fine -- especially given the number of young Bieber fans that were watching -- but this kind of behavior is perfectly acceptable across the Atlantic. You can watch the very-NSFW clip at Gawker if you dare, but here are some less explicit highlights from MTV's European awards:
In non-streaking-related news, Gaga left her annoying Jo Calderone alter ego back in the U.S. for the EMAs as she performed her latest single "Marry the Night." Dressed as a giant blue Frisbee or a downed satellite, Gaga sang the track atop a large half-moon, which limited her dance moves as she tried to balance on the lunar surface. "Marry the Night" had as many pyrotechnics as a Kiss concert, but it was a fairly low-key routine for the Fame Monster. (We don't want to tell award show directors how to do their job, but a stationary, faraway shot is not the best way to capture a Gaga performance.)
Gaga was also the big winner at the EMAs, scooping up four awards, including all the top prizes: Best Song and Best Video for "Born This Way," plus the Best Female and Biggest Fans trophy. Justin Bieber, who was probably happy to flee the U.S. for a few days, finished the night with two EMAs, Best Pop Act and Best Male Singer. "There's been a lot of crap talked about me lately, but I've pulled through," Bieber told the crowd after accepting his second award, Reuters reports. Bieb's girlfriend Selena Gomez hosted the EMAs, and while rumors of a rift between the two have surfaced, the pair seemed to be in good spirits through their time in Ireland. Here's Justin singing "Under the Mistletoe" and "Never Say Never" at the EMAs:
The show also featured performance by Red Hot Chili Peppers, LMFAO, Coldplay and, since this is a European award show, Snow Patrol. Queen were also on hand to accept the Global Icon prize. (The Amp understands that Gomez is just reading a teleprompter, but "one of the world's greatest rock bands" is not a phrase that should describe Queen three decades after the group's prime.) The band recruited Adam Lambert -- he's still big in Europe! -- to fill in for Freddie Mercury, and the former Idol runner-up does a great job in the role. He should think about joining Queen full time, it'd be beneficial for both acts:
Lady Gaga and Brian May were in the same building at the same time, and they didn't play "You and I" together? Seems like a squandered opportunity.
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Elsewhere on Yahoo! Music:
Oasis' Noel Gallagher Talks About His Brother, Twitter and Stage Frighte
Radiohead Sticking to the Red States for New Tour Dates
Adam Lambert Joins Queen for MTV EMAs Performance
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