VMAs: Rihanna tops shortlist but Britney Spears and Gaga snubbed - The Week UK

RIHANNA and Drake dominate this year's MTV Video Music Awards nominations - but fans are outraged that Britney Spears and Lady Gaga have been overlooked.
 
Rihanna received five nods, including two for the prestigious video of the year award for her single We Found Love and for her collaboration with Drake, Take Care. Drake was also nominated for five awards, including the best male video and best hip-hop video.
 
But within hours of the nominations being announced, the phrases 'VMA's Are Nothing Without Britney' and 'VMA's Are Nothing Without Gaga' were trending worldwide on Twitter.
 
Lady Gaga has won 13 VMAs in total and broke the record for most nominated artist in a single show in 2010 with 13 nods - but neither of her recent videos Marry the Night and You and I made it onto the final shortlist.
 
Spears, who has won six awards in total, was last year given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, equivalent to a lifetime achievement award in honour of a person who "made a profound effect on the MTV culture". While the 30-year-old’s most recent video Criminal drew comparisons to Rihanna's We Found Love when they were both released in October 2011, it failed to attract a single nomination.
 
Last year the televised awards ceremony, which featured Lady Gaga as a performer and presenter, attracted 12.4 million viewers. But today, furious fans threatened to boycott the awards.
 
"Britney and Gaga are both the Queens of this ceremony. What's wrong with MTV?" asked one Twitter user. Another insisted that Spears's performance at the 2001 VMAs, in which she kissed Madonna, was "more iconic than entire careers" of other artists.
 
One Gaga fan pointed out that "for three straight years she was the highlight of the show", recalling the times she appeared on stage covered in blood, wore her famous 'meat dress' and spent one awards evening dressed as a man.
 
Fans of Katy Perry, however, will have cause to celebrate after she received four nominations, while Justin Bieber, Gotye and Beyonce received two each.
 
One Direction received their first VMA nominations for best new artist and best pop video for What Makes You Beautiful.
 
The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards are due to take place on 6 September at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
 
Full list of nominations:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Katy Perry, Wide Awake
Gotye, Somebody That I Used To Know
Rihanna, We Found Love
Drake feat. Rihanna, Take Care
M.I.A., Bad Girls
 
BEST NEW ARTIST
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, We Are Young
Carly Rae Jepsen, Call Me Maybe
Frank Ocean, Swim Good
One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful
The Wanted, Glad You Came
 
BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO
Childish Gambino, Heartbeat
Drake feat. Lil Wayne, HYFR
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, Mercy
Watch the Throne, Paris
Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, Beez in the Trap
 
BEST MALE VIDEO
Justin Bieber, Boyfriend
Frank Ocean, Swim Good
Drake feat. Rihanna, Take Care
Chris Brown, Turn Up the Music
Usher, Climax
 
BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Rihanna, We Found Love
Katy Perry, Part of Me
Beyonce, Love on Top
Nicki Minaj, Starships
Selena Gomez & The Scene, Love You Like a Love Song
 
BEST POP VIDEO
One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, We Are Young
Rihanna, We Found Love
Justin Bieber, Boyfriend
Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, Payphone
 
BEST ROCK VIDEO
Coldplay, Paradise
The Black Keys, Lonely Boy
Linkin Park, BURN IT DOWN
Jack White, Sixteen Saltines
Imagine Dragons, It's Time
 
BEST ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC VIDEO
Duck Sauce, Big Bad Wolf
Calvin Harris, Feel So Close
Skrillex, First of the Year (Equinox)
Martin Solveig, The Night Out
Avicii, Le7els
 
BEST VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE
Demi Lovato, Skyscraper
Rise Against, Ballad of Hollis Brown
Kelly Clarkson, Dark Side
Gym Class Heroes, The Fighter
K'Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, Is Anybody Out There?
Lil Wayne, How to Love
 
BEST ART DIRECTION
Katy Perry, Wide Awake
Drake feat. Rihanna, Take Care
Lana Del Rey, Born to Die
Regina Spektor, All the Rowboats
Of Monsters & Men, Little Talks
 
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Chris Brown, Turn Up the Music
Rihanna, Where Have You Been
Beyonce, Countdown
Avicii, Le7els
Jennifer Lopez f/Pitbull, Dance Again
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
M.I.A., Bad Girls
Adele, Someone Like You
Drake feat. Rihanna, Take Care
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, Princess of China
Lana Del Rey, Born to Die
 
BEST DIRECTION
M.I.A., Bad Girls
Duck Sauce, Big Bad Wolf
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, Princess of China
Frank Ocean, Swim Good
Watch the Throne, Otis
 
BEST EDITING
Beyonce, Countdown
A$AP Rocky, Goldie
Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know
Watch the Throne, Paris
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, Mercy
 
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Katy Perry, Wide Awake
Rihanna, Where Have You Been
David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, Turn Me On
Linkin Park, BURN IT DOWN ·