Names and faces
Miley Cyrus hosted the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards — two years after she stole the show with a risque but memorable performance with Robin Thicke, and a year after winning the top prize for “Wrecking Ball.” The 22- year- old was in good company: Justin Bieber performed his new single, “What Do You Mean,” and Taylor Swift, the leader with 10 nominations, attended the show. Nicki Minaj opened the show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles — just like she did last year. Kanye West received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for his video career. Presenters included Britney Spears, Rebel Wilson, Kylie Jenner, John Legend, Ice Cube and his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., one of the stars of Straight Outta Compton. Swift’s hit songs “Bad Blood” and “Blank Space” earned her a whopping 10 nominations, including video of the year, best female video, pop video, song of summer and more. Minaj, who had one of the most viewed videos of the year with “Anaconda,” is not up for the top prize, and she expressed her anger with the snub when the nominees were announced in July. She tweeted that slim women easily earn top nominations and later said black female entertainers don’t get enough credit for their influence on pop culture. Swift thought the rapper was referring to her and they traded words online. Swift later apologized. Minaj was nominated for three awards, including best female video and hiphop video for “Anaconda.”
Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts has been ordered to pe r form community service after a judge refused to buy her apologies to Los Angeles police she’d accused of racial profiling. Watts and her boyfriend, Brian Lucas, were sentenced Wednesday to 15 hours of community labor. Last September, police questioned the couple while investigating reports of people having sex in a car. Watts, who’s black, and Lucas, who’s white, claimed they were profiled. The couple later pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace and was told to write apology letters. The Los Angeles Times says in her initial letter, Watts called a police sergeant sarcastic and dismissive. The judge said: try again. This week, Watts apologized for what she called lack of emotional control. But the judge called the apologies insincere.