When it came to awkward jokes, host of the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Kevin Hart delivered them with ease. For a first-time host he was funny and kept the show fresh.

In classic Kevin Hart style, he joked during his opening monologue about Chris Brown’s ongoing feud with Drake, which allegedly started as a nightclub brawl over singer Rihanna.

“You guys are arguing over a mistake,” he said. “You guys are arguing over a bottle thrown in the club.” He told the two musicians to “nip it in the bud” and move on.

The room cheered when he mentioned R&B singer Frank Ocean, who recently came out as gay.

“I think what Frank Ocean did was very brave… and for that I commend you, I salute you sir,” he said.

Best Hip-Hop Video went to Drake featuring Lil Wayne, for the song “HYFR”.

During his acceptance speech, Drake reflected on being made fun of as a kid because he was black and Jewish. He dedicated the award to “any kid that has ever had a long walk home by themselves.”

Other winners were predictable, with One Direction beating out Fun in multiple categories such as “Best New Artist” and “Best Pop Video.”

Crowd favorites Justin Bieber, Frank Ocean, and Carly Rae Jepsen did not bring home any awards.

The performances were entertaining but, for the most part, unsurprising.

Show opener Rihanna wore a flowing red dress with a sheer midriff and started off singing on a throne from a raised life-sized snakehead. The snake-themed stage design with golden hues and animal prints helped her pop out from the crowd of dancers and flashing lights around her.

But stages full of impeccable dancers, large props, and strobe lights are nothing new to the VMAs and made it less memorable.

Pink dazzled the crowd with a taste of her air acrobatics again, first performing on a smaller stage, then being lifted to the larger stage dozens of feet in the air without a harness. Set to “Blow me (One Last Kiss),” her background performers wore large red lips over their entire upper bodies similar to that of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

However, we’ve seen Pink defy gravity many times before and though the large dancing mouths were entertaining, it wasn’t one of her most memorable performances.

Alicia Keys surprised the crowd by bringing Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas on stage to do gymnastic maneuvers while Keys performed “Girl on Fire” alongside Nicki Minaj. With a song like that, having Douglas on stage was fitting.

Hilarious moments came with the presentation of the awards. When Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg introduced the nominees of “Best Rap Video” the duo attempted to rap too.

“I resent my parents for enabling my confidence and never giving me a chance to be a woman. YOLO,” Jones said.

Watching them try to rap was awkward already, and the fact they tried to make it even more awkward on top of that made it hysterical.

The night’s fashion was typically entertaining for the VMAs, with some attendees playing it safe and others getting a bit creative.

Katy Perry wore a black gown with pink and blue accents that was sheer from the hip down. She dyed her hair back to her classic jet black and was one of the most elegant nominees of the night.

Attendees like Pauly D. of “Jersey Shore” and Chris Brown stuck to regular suits and ties.

Amber Rose, Kesha, and Nicki Minaj wore lace-inspired dresses.

Rose’s was a sleek floor-length maternity dress. Her fiancé Wiz Khalifa used their red carpet moment as a time to reveal they are expecting a child.

But Kesha and Minaj were looking to make a statement.

“I wanted to look naked with lace on my bits,” Kesha said on the red carpet. But a spunky outfit like this on Kesha is something she would normally wear, so it wasn’t too surprising.

Minaj’s lace inspired black dress had red accents and was coupled with bright yellow and pink hair. In short, color coordination was not her top priority for this award show, but that didn’t stop her from having one of the most memorable looks of the night.

The VMAs this year was definitely a good watch. Hart’s jokes didn’t disappoint and enjoying the Fierce 5 together again outside of the Olympics was a treat. Even though the performances were nothing special, you can never hear Pink sing iterations of “Get the Party Started” too many times. The fashion statements this year were not as dramatic as Lady Gaga’s 2010 meat dress, but it’s always fun to see how Katy Perry will design her hair next. If you were looking to watch the VMAs for some regular weeknight entertainment, you got it.

 

Vanessa Walker can be reached at: [email protected]