[Please excuse the shady wireless connection these pot-head college kids at mtvU have provided us with for the night.]
9:46- It’s over! Lights blare, teenagers “mill about.” Fun is had by all! I’m going to run to the open bar before it’s completely dead and gone, but thanks for joining us in the merriment!
9:44 – The band continues performing, and the guitarist whips windchimes out of his pants and begins jangling them in front of the microphone. I find it sweet, though I gather the effect is meant to be “alternative.” Alternatively charming.
9:35 – Fred Armisen presents the final performence. TV on the Radio! Pleasant enough, the crowd seems very trashed and very happy.
9:32 – Ghostface Killah presents the Woodie of the Year Award. Angels & Airwaves, Atmosphere, Gym Class Heroes, Panic? at the Disco, and The Academy Is… are up for it. Angels & Airwaves wins. The crowd goes moderately wild, though I do see one woman passionately boo. Tom DeLonge hijacks the acceptance speech, and does not thank Jesus once. What has happened to kids these days?
9:30 – It just occurred to me that Gym Class Heroes is the same band responsible for the Snakes on a Plane theme song — they’re up for Woodie of the Year. That’s gotta deserve an award, right?
9:28 – The video from a band called Shiny Toy Guns just started playing. One girl screamed very loudly, presumably the lead singer from said band, and is not flailing about like a massage therapist at Burning Man. I will not lie, however. My foot is lightly tapping.
9:20 – I just learned of a band called Psapp for Best Animated Woodie. No word if they’ll be appearing on NBC’s Smear Factor anytime soon. Ohhh. The Gorillaz won! No sign of Damon Albarn yet, but I do see a John Mayer lookalike in the crowd. A-bee-r-a-bee.
9:17 – Woodie of the Year… oh God, I didn’t realize how many crotch euphemisms I was going to have to put up with. Kim from America’s Next Top Model is presenting. You know what 9:17 means… martini time!
9:15-Ya’ll, Michelle taking over for Alex here. OK, I just walked in and 30 Seconds to Mars is Presenting an award. And I am literally 20 feet away from Jordan Catalano. Douchebag, shmouchebag, I AM FREAKING OUT. It’s the The Good Woodie Environmental Awareness award, and thank god I wore a hemp bodysuit tonight… otherwise how embarassing. System of a Down wins. Judging by their acceptance speech, it’s a surprise the word “syndome” isn’t involved.
9:03 - I understand approximately 7% of Lady Sovereign’s drunken cockney introduction for Gym Class Heroes, who I surprisingly don’t completely hate.
8:54 – Gnarls Barkley, just won the “Left Field Woodie” and I just heard “Crazy” for the 1,003,924th time this year. It doesn’t seem like they’re present to accept this highest of honors, though Lady Sovereign is inexplicably drawing a roomful of attention to herself by dancing around in the crowd. The frat dudes standing in front of her clearly find this to be “awesome”.
8:48 – Sorry for the sporadic posting, the wireless connection here is about as good as most of MTV’s reality programming. Anyway, some band I’ve never heard of called The Subways just won a Woodie for “Best International”. Nobody really seems to care. But the scotch is free! Also, for more coverage of the event, visit the the blogger kids sitting next to me at The Modern Age and Gothamist.
8:33 – Now Beck’s playing “Earthquake Weather” and even though the college-kid packed crowd has this look on their faces like, “I wish Chamillionaire were here”, I’m digging this like a grave.
8:30 – Beck rips into a thumping version of “Nausea”, some dude is jamming out all over the state with a tambourine, and the ickiness of Leto washes away like a bad dream…
8:27 – Great, 30 Seconds to Mars just won a “best video award”. Jared Leto, in all of his high-school goth hair, eyeliner-wearing gloring, is being far too dramatic about winning a big piece of wood on an awards show about 37 people are watching. I need a drink
8:24 – This is your faithful blogger Alex Blagg, about 24 minutes into the mtvU’s “Woodies” award show, recognizing and honoring all the college-radio musical acts you’re not nearly high enough to understand. You haven’t missed much thus far. A very synthesized-voiced (think Cher meets Peter Frampton) performance from Imogen Heap, who looks like Ms. Peackock from Clue. I just met Beck and Ghostface Killah on the red carpet, so in my current post-orgasmic state, none of this seems particularly interesting.
