The MTV Video Music Awards will never be the Oscars or the Grammys in terms of importance to the entertainment industry. But they make up for it in the outrageous, buzzworthy performances that have been a staple of the show ever since the channel played music videos, instead of "Jackass" or "Jersey Shore".
This year, at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the prize for outrageousness went to Miley Cyrus. She shocked America by performing her hit single "We Can't Stop" with giant teddy bears, followed by her duet with Robin Thicke on "Blurred Lines" (which has been topping every music chart this summer). Uh, make that she performed an onstage simulated sex act with Thicke that wasn't exactly family-friendly. If nothing else, Cyrus introduced a new word to our vocabulary: "Twerking".
This history-making performance puts Cyrus in the same league with other women who have previously made their mark on the VMA's: Madonna sings "Like a Virgin" in a wedding dress. Britney Spears performs "I'm a Slave 4 U" with a giant snake. Madonna and Britney lock lips. Lady Gaga wears a meat dress.
Anyone who was shocked by Cyrus' performance at the VMAs, which some have knocked as either racist or further evidence of the downfall of American civilization, hasn't been paying attention. Desperate to break free of the role that made her a star as a teenager, the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" (which ran from 2006-11), Cyrus started taking on more adult acting roles and more mature content in her music. If you believe the tabloids, some of her reported antics depict her as a wild child.
Apparently, Cyrus wants to emulate Madonna, Britney and Gaga, who sell out concerts and downloads of their music because they push the sexual envelope in their acts. She should know that there are many female artists who found success by NOT wagging their tongues and suggestively taking a penis to the rear onstage. But that's not what sells today, is it?
We don't know what kind of long-term impact Miley Cyrus' new good-girl-gone-bad image will have on her fans and her record sales. She has clearly left Hannah Montana behind as she moves into the adult part of her life, turning 21 in November and is engaged to be married. But fame is fleeting. As long as MTV still has its Video Music Awards, there will always be someone who makes a name for his/herself with a performance that blurs the line. A line Elvis Presley stepped up to more than a half century ago.
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