Here's what we know about Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards: Tony Bennett will honor Amy Winehouse; there's a planned tribute to Britney Spears; and Lady Gaga will perform. And now, we know who will host the show. Absolutely no one! This was confirmed by Billboard, which just interviewed interviewed Amy Doyle, MTV's VP for Music and Talent and executive producer for the show who recently said that the host decision was "going down to the wire."
"Hosting is such a unique element. We feel we got it right by putting new talent on the stage like Chelsea (Handler) and Russell (Brand). We're really challenging ourselves to find the right person so that the show feels complete," Doyle told Billboard before the executive decision to go sans host was made.
Given the challenges of hosting -- you need to be relevant, you need to be funny, you need to keep the show moving -- finding the right person is a truly difficult. Given the fact that Handler, our most recent point of reference, was upstaged by a cut of meatat last year's VMAs, the idea that MTV might take a pass at a host this year makes a ton of sense.
I would like to put it out there that I LOVE the idea of not having a host. Doyle has said that there will be, at minimum, eight musical acts. And somewhere in there, you've got to dole out awards, allow time for acceptance speeches and scandals. The truth of the matter is, there is little time allotted for a host to live up to the expectations of their perceived hilarity and the whole thing often plays out as awkward if they're expected to keep to script in the face of a Kanye moment.
Of course, in terms of planning, Sunday is a long way away, and MTV might change its mind. But should the network stick to its guns and 86 the host -- and should it work -- all awards shows could stand to take note. Maybe this is just the change we need to keep the shows from getting (more) intolerable.
Do you agree, or is there someone you would love to see up on stage?
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