sMoRTy71.com: MTV VMA Nominees

MTV VMA Nominees
MTV has released the nominees for the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards (which is entering its 21st year). The list, with a few exceptions that I will note later, demonstrates the terrible slump (it's not just slipping, it's slumping) the music industry is in.

Hilary (Damnit, why do I know how to spell her first name?!) Duff, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, No Doubt and Britney Spears are up for Best Pop Video. Yeah, you read that right. Oh, and Jay-Z's shockingly non-shocking "99 Problems" video received the most nominations with 6.

Some of my favorite videos did get nominated: Outkast's "Hey Ya" (Video of the Year), The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (Best Rock Video), Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" (Best Female Video), Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" (MTV2 Award), Franz Ferninand's "Take Me Out" (MTV2 Award) and The White Stripes' "The Hardest Button to Button" (Breakthrough Video).

"The Hardest Button to Button" is also up for editing, special effects and best direction (by the incredible Michel Gondry). To me, that video deserves all of the praise and nominations being heaped on "99 Problems." I generally love Mark Romanek's video work; however, if you take the scene of Jay-Z getting shot out of the video, there is nothing else there (and the shooting scene isn't anything special anyway).