New York Post - 27.08.2019

New York Post, Tuesday, August 27, 2019

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The best looks and wildest moments from MTV’s big night

VMAs 2019

By ROB BAILEY-MILLADO

T

he Moon Man — or “Moon

Person,” now updated for to-

day’s PC brigade — landed

Monday at the Prudential

Center in Newark, NJ. Open-

ing act Taylor Swift reminded

pop-music fans why they fell in love

with her in the first place, erasing

years of headlines that threatened

to overshadow her music.

After a bite of “You Need to Calm

Down” — on a candy-colored set

that could’ve been designed by Lisa

Frank — Swift grabbed her guitar

and rode the seductive thump of

her new song “Lover.” The arena

crowd waved its uplifted arms in

unison, and went just as crazy when

she later won Video of the Year.

The typically apolitical pop prin-

cess also urged her fans to sign the

Equal Rights Initiative petition,

which “already has half a million

signatures.”

Equally outspoken was the body-

positive Lizzo, telling everyone

to love themselves, while Camila

Cabello and Shawn Mendes turned

up the sex appeal for a sultry ver-

sion of the new No. 1 song in the

country, “Señorita.” Less effective

was Song of the Year winner Lil Nas

X, who debuted his new “Panini”

backed by dancers who looked right

out of the sci-fi cult classic “Tron.”

The evening’s Video Vanguard

Award recipient did not disappoint.

Missy Elliott whipped out “The

Rain,” “Get Your Freak On” and

“Work It,” providing welcome re-

minders of the funked-up innova-

tion she brought to tired Top 40

music — two decades ago.

The trailblazer dedicated her

award to “the dance community

around the world... You’re not just

props. You’re the icing on the cake,

the beat to the heart,” as a crew of

little boys and girls surrounded her.

Take that, Lara Spencer.



Yeehaw!

DIPLO

dons an

embroidered

cowboy hat,

boots and

suit

embroidered

with frogs

and

’shrooms.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

POWER

OF POP

At Monday’s VMAs,

music’s biggest stars

turned heads for more

than their tunes. From

snakes to sequins to

giant balloon butts,

here are the night’s

top moments



“Money” maker CARDI B

takes home a Moon Person

for best hip-hop video.



Paging KEKE

PALMER! The

“Hustlers” co-

star shines in a

sunny

sequined gown

by Yousef

Aljasmi and an

oversized gold

phone.

TAYLOR

SWIFT, whose

album “Lover”

dropped this week,

won two awards for

her “You Need To

Calm Down”

video.

Song of the Year winner

LIL NAS X is ready to hit

the “Old Town Road” in

cowboy couture: a custom

sequin creation that

designer Christian Cowan

says was inspired by

Prince.

Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Kevin Mazur/WireImage