Sunday night played host to the night on the high school calendar, the Video Music Awards. Although the network has not taken my suggestion to air the show on a non-school night, thereby catering to its key demographic and making sure no one sleeps through Algebra II, the show was a hit as per usual. We at Las F are quite surprised that a somewhat facetious award show on a cable network has garnered the kind of media and industry attention equalling, or even surpassing, the Grammys, including in viewership. This being the case, it merits our attention.

The big winners at this year's VMAs, of course, were Green Day, as I'm sure you've all heard. I would hate to sound derivative, but they do deserve some mention, if only because they have completely revolutionized rock. They have grown from an immature band making music about unmentionable topics to a group that is not only socially conscious, but musically conscious as well. Every new release surprises us with its depth and relevance, and for that reason they deserved what they received at the big dance.

That being said, however, the age of the sweep must now die. There were a lot of artists who also accomplished great things that went unrecognized because Green Day took it all. I know it makes great television when a band takes everything like that, but some artists were just as amazing and deserving of their moment. Gwen Stefani, for example, did garner two awards for two of her videos, but they were for Art Direction and Choreography, two categories that generally go unnoticed by the general public. While I admit she wasn't Video of the Year-worthy, she should have gotten a more prominent moon man.

I was pleased, however, that the Gorillaz took home a couple of prizes, for Special Effects and Breakthrough Video. I think they were the most deserving group of the night, considering they are little more than drawings on paper and are still that musically impressive. Of course, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't be, since they are the product of the combination of a few great bands from the 90s (Cibo Matto, Blur). They were the best of the best, now rolled in one. I noticed that the Killers did not take anything home that night, which left me stymied. It's as if I was forced to listen to Mr. Brightside 8 times a day on local radio fruitlessly. Actually, that's exactly what happened. Nevertheless, it was another surprising and entertaining show, and you can be sure I'll watch next year.