It’s that time of year again, when everyone moans and laments the demise of MTV and its emphasis on the art of the music video… though bands keep making them, and MTV keeps putting on the awards, even though it doesn’t play videos. Much.

I will say that MTV does know how to throw a party. MTV I think has become more of a “lifestyle network” network than a “music network,” and that does come out in the VMAs. You get a very interesting cross-section of stars from the entertainment and music industries, plus various stunts, sights, and sounds that make (hopefully) must-see television. However, I think that because of the sheer number of irons MTV has in the cultural fire, it puts them out of touch with the very thing around which they center the VMAs.

This is my opinion, and maybe it will come off as sour grapes, or the rantings of an unhappy fan, but I like to think of it just as as disillusioned fan of music videos and of music in general.

Being that MTV has severely limited its scope as far as music videos (and even actual music programming) go, they pick and choose the artists they want to get behind. Then, to the detriment and exclusion of any others, they proceed to saturate the already meager share given to music and videos with those artists. Call them “darlings,” call them what you will, but if you aren’t one of MTV’s chosen, for whatever reason, better luck next time, and why not try that red-headed stepchild MTV2 down the hallway, whose award doesn’t even merit a mention on the big show, even though it was simulcast on both networks?

Yes, so let’s talk about the elephant in the room, because I know many of you (especially those who know me) think this is really about 30 Seconds To Mars. You win; it is in many ways. I’ll address simply those 30STM fans who are crushed that all their voting for “The Kill” in the Best Rock Video category seemed to be in vain. Here is my take on it: I don’t think all the votes in the world would have won 30 Seconds To Mars that Best Rock Video award. The inclusion of “The Kill” in this category was a huge thing. It was a great honor, and an acknowledgement (belated as it was) by MTV that the MTV2 juggernaut that was blowing up the charts in every Rock outlet in the US and helping catapult A Beautiful Lie to gold and creating a buzz that gave 30 Seconds To Mars the legitimacy that mainstream media seemed determined to deny them could no longer be ignored. To be placed alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day was also an amazing thing. But the fact that the video’s technical merits were completely ignored seemed odd. The nomination was a small gesture; granted, it is a small gesture that can translate into huge dividends if played correctly, but in the end it was just that. A gesture.

While fans were told they were given input into the results of the main VMA categories, the decision was always going to rest in the hands of MTV. And would MTV give the award to a band they all but ignored for the majority of the year, until “The Kill” got so big and dominated MTV2 so much that it couldn’t be ignored, thus acknowledging that they had yet again missed the boat when it came to the cutting edge of pop culture that they claim to be on? No. It was always going to go to one of the bands that MTV has openly supported, and it did. Just as any radio or television station programs for their own benefit and promotion, so does MTV. There is no independent Academy to oversee these awards. They are MTV’s awards, and MTV gives the awards to who will benefit MTV the most.

The MTV2 award, I am willing to believe is a different beast. It seems MTV2 is run with a different philosophy, and while politics exist in entertainment no matter where you go, it seems MTV2 in general is more democratic and more organic as far as what is popular on the street-level. You see the newest and greatest here, you see what “everyone is talking about,” rather than the song that is so ubiquitous that you don’t even hear it any more when it plays again. So that one was open. That was was always touted as for the fans, by the fans, just as the Viewer’s Choice award was. What I’m wondering is why the award didn’t even merit an acknowledgement on the main telecast? Or even a mention on the 3-hour “extra” Overdrive simulcast? They cut to a short clip from 30 Seconds To Mars talking in the press room, but there was no information as to what they were talking about. Even the two “Video Game VMAs” got acknowledgement on Overdrive. The Ringtone of the Year award got airtime.

I think this, if anything, shines a glaring light on MTV’s priorities and practices, and was far more disappointing to me as a fan than any loss. Maybe this isn’t news to anyone. For a brief moment, however, I thought that perhaps with these VMAs we might see a bit of a shake-up of the status quo. However, as far as the awards themselves go, there were no real surprises, and nothing that truly moved me.

That’s not to say I wasn’t moved or entertained by the show at all. I watched it on the online simulcast, and then watched highlight clips of what I didn’t see on that simulcast. I was truly happy for Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and The All-American Rejects — all bands that I really enjoy, and I loved all of their videos that were nominated. I also think Fall Out Boy deserves the “best dressed” award for the night. Very classy stuff, and fun. Really, though, the only reason to truly watch the VMAs are the live performances. MTV has a history of putting together odd couples and truly memorable live performances, and this year was no different. Having the Raconteurs and various guests play through the night was inspired. I enjoyed AAR, as I always do. Panic! At The Disco’s performance was a feast for the eyes, and The Killers put on an amazing cap to the show. The two performance highlights for me were OK Go’s treadmill-dance (my cynicism toward MTV was apparent when I actually pondered to a friend how on earth this got on MTV to begin with, it was so fresh and different), and then the pre-show unveiling of The Black Parade to the world.

I am so excited about this new direction for My Chemical Romance. As a big fan of prog rock and concept albums in general, I have been curious about it since I started reading interviews where the band talked about the album and the project. Then when I heard about their “secret show” where they played as The Black Parade, my interest reached fever pitch. Their live performance did not disappoint. The music was reminiscent of Queen and The Who, and it was beautiful and melancholy and soaring and pure. It’s a direction that bands like 30 Seconds To Mars have gone in, and I think that My Chemical Romance are just taking it to another level. I can’t wait to hear this whole album. I quipped that this was going to be Sgt. Pepper for the emo generation… but maybe that isn’t so far off. And maybe that isn’t a bad thing.

Musicians are such creative people. They express themselves not only through their writing and music, but visually, through choreography, art, humor, acting… Videos allow them to incorporate these things into their music and give it dimension and scope that perhaps hadn’t even been conceptualized when it was created. Music videos need to be seen, and trying to insist that it is a trendsetter and the pulse of the music world when it conveniently ignores whatever isn’t on its carefully controlled and coiffed playlist will put MTV in line for cultural irrelevance. It’s already a joke to many music afficianados, who only stop rolling their eyes at MTV long enough to support a band they feel very strongly about if they thought it could really help them reach the next level of success. This, dear 30 Seconds To Mars fans, is where I think all those thousands of votes you logged with the Best Rock Video effort were not in vain. Even if the award was out of reach to begin with, you made your voice heard. It’s been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and the ardent and vocal support given this campaign can only be a good thing. As the rest of the world has found out before, MTV knows you are there, they know your power, and they know where your loyalties lie. It’s now up to MTV to decide what it is going to do with that potential audience — if anything. This is why I voted my ass off just like everyone else, and never felt like I was wasting my time.

It could be that MTV chooses to continue to willfully ignore the cries of those of us who agree with Lou Reed and the countless others who are begging for more variety, more originality, more music on MTV. If that’s the case, then the people who are putting their eyes, ears, and money into entertainment will go elswhere to find what they need and want. Maybe in a few years we will all be glued to the YouTube awards.

It’s not that the VMAs are meaningless, or that those who won them did so undeservedly. I just believe that to entertain for even a moment that the VMAs are subjective or even representative of music video as a whole is laughable. I would love to see the Video Music Awards once again be a true mirror of the art of the music video and the creativity and hard work of musicians, rather than a self-congratulatory back-slapping orgy for MTV.