Much-needed night of glamour could be emp-TV awards
IT’LL be music to fans’ ears... the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will go-ahead next month but with a scaled down audience due to the pandemic.
The star-studded bash will be the first event held at New York’s 19,000capacity Barclays Center since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, said state governor Andrew Cuomo.
And bosses say it will showcase the ‘strength, spirit and incredible resilience of NYC and its beloved residents’.
But the August 0 ceremony will look very different from previous years, organisers said. Strict social distancing precautions will be in place and only a limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the event.
‘Virtual’ performances by award nominees might also be the order of the day, said show bosses.
‘We’re very excited to once again host this legendary night of music,’ said Oliver Weisberg, the chief executive of the Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets basketball team.
He praised medical experts, government officials and centre staff for ‘working hard to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved’ and vowed to ‘closely follow guidance’ in the build up to and during the event.
He also said the ceremony would give the city a much-needed boost through the creation of local jobs.
New York has been the worst-hit US city during the crisis, with coronavirus claiming 17,666 lives since late-March – which equates to one in seven Covid19 deaths across the entire country.
Last year’s event saw Taylor Swift, 0, win three gongs, including best video for You Need To Calm Down. It meant she became only the second artist to win for a video she co-directed.