Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are having a great day. Both artists received a slew of MTV VMA Nominations. They are joined by Ed Sheeran, who has also received multiple nominations.
Beyoncé’s video for “ 7/11 ” earned nominations for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, and Best Choreography. The video for “ 7/11 ” was described as “savvy superficiality” by the Guardian .
“She’s pop’s Benny Hill! She’s also its savviest businesswoman, and – for all the goofing around – the 7/11 clip is as steely an insistence as ever that she is the world’s biggest pop star.”
Taylor Swift, the only other pop star more popular than Beyoncé now, received multiple nods for the video for “Bad Blood,” which include Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Collaboration (with Kendrick Lamar), Best Cinematography, and some others.
Surprisingly, Madonna, who is largely responsible for the existence of MTV, was completely snubbed. Though the video for “Ghosttown” is a fan favorite, it is believed that the video for “ B***h I’m Madonna ” was the one submitted for consideration. The video, which has received more than 60 million views since its release last month, is Madonna’s biggest hit in years.
“B***h I’m Madonna” has received wildly mixed reviews. Her critics consider the video desperate, while her fans, for the most part, think the video is just ironic fun, where Madonna is completely in on the joke. Jason Lipshitz from Billboard thinks Madonna’s latest is one of the best this year.
“Forget the all-star cameos by Katy Perry, Kanye West, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus — no jammed-in cameos can steal the spotlight from Madonna’s unhinged party scene, which includes booty-shaking, shot-taking, a bathtub make-out, and Madge crowd-surfing like a wild teenager.”
The Daily Beast , however, thought Madonna’s video was just plain sad.
“For all of the talk of these megawatt celebrity appearances, Madonna, who filmed the video at the bar at the top of the Standard Hotel, couldn’t even get most of them to show up on location to shoot with her.”
Beyoncé is one of the stars in Madonna’s video. Last year, not only did Beyoncé earn the Video Vanguard Award, but she performed a medley of hits and was widely praised for her performance. MTV thought Beyoncé’s video was flawless .
“On Sunday night (August 25), she took viewers on an emotional journey with a well-orchestrated medley from her recent, self-titled album, that ended with tears as she accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award from her husband, Jay-Z,” noted the review.
The 2015 MTV VMAs will be hosted by Miley Cyrus. However, it’s quite possible that Beyoncé will be the one to truly rule the show.
[Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times ]