The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Chelsea Handler hosted the event, the first woman in sixteen years – since the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards – to do so.
Being nominated 13 times, Lady Gaga became the most-nominated artist in VMA history for a single year and subsequently became the first female artist to receive two nominations for Video of the Year when both "Bad Romance" and "Telephone" were nominated for the award. She was also the top winner of the night when "Telephone" won Best Collaboration and "Bad Romance" won seven separate awards including Video of the Year, bringing her total number of moonmen to eight. When she accepted her award for Video of the Year, she also announced the title of her second studio album, Born This Way and sang an excerpt from the title track. She accepted the award while wearing a dress complete with a hat, purse, and shoes all made entirely from cuts of raw meat which drew backlash from PETA.
Overall, the show grabbed 11.4 million viewers – the largest audience for a Video Music Awards show since 2002.
Performances
The house artist was Deadmau5. The following performed along with him: Travie McCoy – "Billionaire" Jason Derulo – "Ridin' Solo" Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
Outside in the parking lot there were the following performances: N.E.R.D. and Ciara – "Hot-n-Fun"
Source: Performers
Awards
Winners are in bold text.
Video of the Year
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams) – "Airplanes" Eminem – "Not Afraid" Florence + the Machine – "Dog Days Are Over" Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé) – "Telephone" Thirty Seconds to Mars – "Kings and Queens"
Best Male Video
Eminem – "Not Afraid" B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams) – "Airplanes" Jason Derulo – "In My Head" Drake – "Find Your Love" Usher (featuring will.i.am) – "OMG"
Best Female Video
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) – "Video Phone (Extended Remix)" Kesha – "Tik Tok" Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg) – "California Gurls" Taylor Swift – "Fifteen"
Best New Artist
Justin Bieber (featuring Ludacris) – "Baby" Broken Bells – "The Ghost Inside" Jason Derulo – "In My Head" Kesha – "Tik Tok" Nicki Minaj (featuring Sean Garrett) – "Massive Attack"
Best Pop Video
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) – "Nothin' on You" Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) – "Video Phone (Extended Remix)" Kesha – "Tik Tok" Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg) – "California Gurls"
Best Rock Video
Thirty Seconds to Mars – "Kings and Queens" Florence + the Machine – "Dog Days Are Over" MGMT – "Flash Delirium" Muse – "Uprising" Paramore – "Ignorance"
Best Hip-Hop Video
Eminem – "Not Afraid" B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams) – "Airplanes" Drake (featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem) – "Forever" Jay-Z (featuring Swizz Beatz) – "On to the Next One" Kid Cudi (featuring MGMT and Ratatat) – "Pursuit of Happiness"
Best Dance Music Video
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" Cascada – "Evacuate the Dancefloor" David Guetta (featuring Akon) – "Sexy Chick" Enrique Iglesias (featuring Pitbull) – "I Like It" (Jersey Shore Version) Usher (featuring will.i.am) – "OMG"
Best Collaboration
Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé) – "Telephone" 3OH!3 (featuring Kesha) – "My First Kiss" Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) – "Video Phone (Extended Remix)" B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams) – "Airplanes" Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – "Empire State of Mind"
Breakthrough Video
The Black Keys – "Tighten Up" Dan Black – "Symphonies" Coldplay – "Strawberry Swing" Gorillaz (featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def) – "Stylo"
Best Direction
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" (Director: Francis Lawrence) Eminem – "Not Afraid" (Director: Rich Lee) Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – "Empire State of Mind" (Director: Hype Williams) Pink – "Funhouse" (Director: Dave Meyers) Thirty Seconds to Mars – "Kings and Queens" (Director: Bartholomew Cubbins)
Best Choreography
Lady Gaga – "Bad Romance" (Choreographer: Laurieann Gibson) Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) – "Video Phone (Extended Remix)" (Choreographers: Frank Gatson, Phlex and Bryan Tanaka) Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé) – "Telephone" (Choreographer: Laurieann Gibson) Janelle Monáe (featuring Big Boi) – "Tightrope" (Choreographers: Janelle Monáe and the Memphis Jookin Community) Usher (featuring will.i.am) – "OMG" (Choreographer: Aakomon "AJ" Jones)