Maybe MTV will be able to make next year's Video Music Awards even more disjoint and off-putting because, apparently, that's what America wants. This year's show, much like last year's Britney-fueled debacle, was a ratings winner, according to the network.
The show landed an 8.1 rating among the cherished 12-to-34 demographic, up 26 percent from last year and 37 percent higher than the 2006 show, with about 23 million tuning in at some point Sunday night. The VMAs also funneled 18 percent more visitors to MTV.com compared to last year's event.
Perhaps the strategy of telling how many minutes were left to the next performance and Russell Brand's ongoing recap of what had just happened were exactly what intermittent viewers wanted, even though those who stuck with/were forced to watch the show all the way through found that annoying. The bait-and-switch with the Britney Spears opening, however, will probably not work again next year. Or will it?
PHOTO: Russell Brand by MTV.