It was a night to remember at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. Taylor Swift wins the top prize, Johnny Depp makes a cameo as a hologram, and Fergie steals the show. Jason Lamphier, senior editor at Entertainment Weekly joins Cheddar News to break it all down.



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helping us break down all the big news and nuggets that came out last night. It's Jason LaPierre, he's a senior entertainment editor over at Entertainment Weekly Jason good to have you here, Jason so happy you're here. Let's talk about Taylor Swift taking home the biggest award of the night for all too well, Taylor's version and she also used the stage to announce her new album, Midnight thoughts on Taylor's big win. And of course the big announcement. Yeah I mean I think I think that video really stands apart from the other nominees. It's it's it's like 10 plus minutes. It's a mini film. Um of course you have Sadie sink from Stranger Things in it, Dylan, Dylan brian. Um you mentioned before um and it's there's a lot of drama and I think people were really really excited to hear her, you know original version of the song and it came with this you know major moment that was a major moment last year and she unveiled that when she unveiled that short film um and then you know the T. V. M A S as you touch them before. It's all about these you know major moments, these shocking moments, the big surprises and we didn't really have a lot of them this year unfortunately. But she came and sort of save the day toward the end of the ceremony when she you know, announced that she did have a new album in the works and that she'd be giving a little bit more information you know at midnight to kind of keep keep the kids up a little longer and and yeah, she looked amazing. She was, you know articulate as always. Uh and yeah, I think it was, I think it was really well earned and it was also just nice to see like some some major star star power. We didn't have as much star power this year. I agree. But you went so interesting Jason. I almost feel like unlike all the other award shows, I think the MTV VMS does really good when it comes to water cooler conversations. Maybe we don't obsess over maybe the categories like we would maybe best best film or best actor like with the Oscars. But I feel like we talk about the V. M. A. Is the next day much differently than any other award show. Absolutely, absolutely. Like, you know when you were starting to talk about the the winners, I actually had to refresh my memory because as you were saying like you you were you remember the winds a lot less than you remember these major moments, You know, live snakes meat dresses. Um and I think I think I found this ceremony a little underwhelming because there really weren't a lot of moments like that. It was, you know, even even Liz so who you know, gave a great performance. She had this very digital backdrop. You have, you know, talent, like Eminem and Snoop. Um I love the big fat joint prop hysterical. Um but then you know, in the metaverse, I think it was kind of cool, but it went on a little long and, and again, I think what sets of VMS, you know, apart are these major live moments, unscripted moments and you know, we didn't, we didn't see a lot of that. It felt a little a little, almost almost robotic at times, which was, I think, which I think was a little disappointing. We have to talk about Nikki and Minaj, of course, she was honored. She performed with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Why do you think this was Nicki's time to win? I mean if it seems like she just surfaced really because she's just sort of always been there, but she's been making music for, you know, a decade, you know, more than a decade at this point, she's had all these, you know, personalities, these characters she's played, she really brings the sex and the humor to her to her music and her videos and I think you gotta hand it to her. She's clearly versatile, she was able to host, she was able to perform a medley of several songs and she was able to also take the stage and give a really, really heartfelt acceptance speech where she shouted out so many icons who've won in the past, who helped her career. I thought it was really, really nice that she um, that she name dropped Michael Jackson Whitney Houston specifically, a lot of people may not realize this, but the video Vanguard award is really the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award is named after him. Um and so for her to, to, to name drop him was I think really touching and really important and powerful and um and and you know, she she took a moment to talk about how we don't maybe take mental health as seriously as we should and, you know, discussing those two icons. And um, so yeah, I think that she brought, she brought sort of everything you want from a star and uh from a major pop artist and I think she's been doing that, you know, for for more than a decade. And, and, and she was just, she was charming. She she didn't have her phone on her, she had to kind of like wing her speech for a second. And again, it was sort of fun, unscripted moments that I think uh that's what's charming about the VMS, she says she's, by the way, never written an acceptance speech in her life. So yesterday was the first one she ever did and she just wrote it on her phone in preparation for it. Either way, it was amazing. Jason, let's go back to what you were talking about with the metaverse performance because we got Snoop Dogg and Eminem performing in the metaverse, The performance sort of live up to the hype because even before that they even gave out an award for best performance in the metaverse and it went to Black Pink, which was also sort of interesting? Yeah, I think it was I who are any of us even still sure what the heck the metaphor. It just felt a little superfluous. I think like look again, you've got these two major stars. They just killed it at the Super Bowl halftime show, right? Like that Super Super Bowl halftime show was amazing. It really reminded us what, you know what musical icons they are. I think we come to the Vienna is for, to take a break from our phones to take a break from the digital landscape from the metaverse. We want live, crazy, bizarre antics and, and major music moments. And so I don't really think we need to be leading on, you know, a digital landscape to, to, to deliver that. Um it was really lovely to see them again. I love, I love that enormous doobie. Um but also a little phoned in. I mean, why, why? Why are snoop and Eminem sitting on a couch getting high? Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? Yes, you got to do the work guys, Jason. I do have to talk to you about johnny Depp baker and I were just, what was that? You might have missed it for people at home. That was at the event last night in the moon person costume. He was just flying above the crowd. Your thoughts here? It was okay. So it had been rumored. So it wasn't that much of a surprise, right? You touched on that earlier be, it felt okay. So what is, what was MTV going for with this? Right? Obviously they wanted, they wanted to create a shocking moment, right? Which is one, a big theme of what we've been talking about. I think it was not only not funny, but too soon and it just, it sort of reeks of desperation really, I don't think they need to lean on that sort of like, you know, stunting, you know, to get eyeballs. I think you've got to bring the stars people want to see and I don't think anybody is ready to see johnny Depp just yet. Um, whatever your, whatever your take on, you know, his, his, his, his court case with Amber heard whatever your take on that is, I think, you know, no one really needs to see him right now. And it was just again, like, like you were saying earlier, he didn't, you know, the jokes were sort of expected. They weren't, they weren't very funny. And uh, it just felt very random and very gratuitous. It could have been anybody. It could have literally been anybody and we would have been like, okay, cool, did you see the moon person? But now we're just like, why, why? It was just weird, Jason Lafayette always good to have you here? Senior? Entertainment editor over at Entertainment Weekly