Debbie Schlussel: Chock Full O'Criminals: MTV's VMA Awards
By Debbie Schlussel
Besides being a shameless pimp-and-ho show, the MTV Video Music Awards show now rivals the Superbowl for the most criminals performing. (And like the NFL, the criminals weren't advertised in the promotions.)
First there was R. Kelly. Awaiting trial for having sex with and urinating on a 14-year-old girl (while making a porn videotape of it)--and suspected of the same with multiple other under-aged teen-age girls, you'd think he'd be ashamed. And you'd think that MTV's audience might be a little subdued during his performance. But you would be wrong.
R. Kelly's "actions" only enhance his street-cred with the MTV crowd (not to mention those who made his silly 5-part soap opera song CD #1 on the charts).
Then there is Lil' Kim, the sleazy rapper about to go to the big house for lying to a grand jury and obstruction of justice, claiming she didn't know and didn't see close friends of hers involved in a street shooting. Yes, Lil' Kim, a/k/a Kimberly Jones, was a proud "presenter" at MTV's annual slut-and-gangsta fest. Her sojourn to prison was the subject of humor as she announced an MTV award. It was an improvement from her previous performance--on the stand and then, later, defending her lying on the stand--when she compared her experience at the shooting and conviction for lying about it, to the 9/11 attacks (!).
And MTV has learned a lot from the NFL. Besides no embarrassment, it celebrates the criminal "achievements" of its glitterati. Where the NFL has likely multi-murderer Ray Lewis as its sometime-MVP, MTV has Suge Knight, the gangsta king of Death Row Records, who served prison time and is suspected of involvement with several shootings and the like. He was shot during this weekend's MTV festivities.
Great stuff for the kids.
Posted by Debbie on August 29, 2005 09:27 AM to Debbie Schlussel