MTV News offers inside view of VMAs

MTV News once again takes the red carpet to new heights by giving the audience unprecedented access inside the VMAs during the “2009 VMA Preshow” on Sunday, September 13 at 8pm ET/PT.

MTV News reporters Sway & Tim Kash along with our celebrity guest fashion correspondent, Twilight’s Ashley Greene, will bring fans all the red carpet action from right outside New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall.

Inside the iconic venue, reporter Jim Cantiello & Kim Stolz will scour the backstage areas to track down all the VMA secrets and show last minute, behind the scenes prep.

MTV has also tapped popular video blogger iJustine (Justine Ezarik) to be our "Twitter Correspondent" during this year’s VMA Weekend and red carpet pre-show. iJustine (twitter.com/iJustine) has a following of more than 600,000 on twitter. Justine will be analyzing worldwide Twitter responses as participants in the VMAs hit the red carpet through a new, engaging, real-time Twitter visualization experience provided by design firm Stamen (http://stamen.com/) and social media monitoring company Radian6 (http://www.radian6.com).

Additionally, viewers tuning into the preshow will also get a first-look at the video for the highly anticipated movie “Fame.”

Also, MTV will team up with LiveU (www.LiveU.com) in producing live remote interviews with celebrities as they get dressed in their hotel rooms and make their way to the red carpet. LiveU's state of the art system will enable MTV News to transmit via cellular broadband technology without the use of satellites, microwaves or cable.

To get viewers ready for the big night, MTV will air a special VMA episode of “America's Best Dance Crew” directly before the VMA pre-show at 7pm ET/PT. To pay tribute, the remaining four crews will collaborate and perform routines to the best all-time Video Music Awards musical performances.

As previously announced, comedian Russell Brand will host the show, and Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Green Day, P!nk, Taylor Swift and Muse are confirmed to perform. In addition, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Nelly Furtado, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and Miranda Cosgrove are confirmed presenters. Wale and the legendary go go band UCB are the official VMAs house band and will collaborate with artists including The All-American Rejects, Pitbull and 3OH!3. The “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” will air live on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 9PM (Live ET/Tape delayed PT) and on Sunday, September 20 at 5pm ET with Spanish subtitles on MTV Tr3́s.

MTV is recognizing 50 young volunteers from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, City Year and YouthBuild USA for getting involved in their local communities by bringing them to the MTV VMA Awards to catch all of the night’s action. Young people can find a wide range of ways to get active in their local communities with Serve.MTV.com, MTV’s new platform recently launched in response to surging youth interest in volunteerism and the President’s call for Americans to become more involved in service. Find out more online at Serve.MTV.com, on Facebook or on MySpace.

MTV News and V CAST from Verizon Wireless are giving customers an All Access video pass to the 2009 VMAs, with an unprecedented inside look at the making of the biggest music event of the year. Verizon Wireless customers can sign up for VMA text alerts by texting VIP to 8911 to receive VMA news insider reports delivered directly to their Verizon Wireless phones.
Viewers can vote for the "Best New Artist" category throughout the show, live on September 13 by visiting vma.mtv.com.

MTV, Pepsi and Rock Band™ have created a new category at this year's VMAs, "Best Performance in a Pepsi Rock Band Video" that allows fans, for the first time, to win their very own Moonman. This summer, contestants entered their original Rock Band™ music videos, which fans will then vote on to select the ultimate winner. Viewers can help decide which band will travel to the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards,” walk the red carpet, receive their Moonman, and be featured in an MTV produced promotional spot airing the night of the show by logging on to www.PepsiRockBand.com from August 8 - September 1.

Shugoll Research and Telescope are the Official Business Advisors of the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” Nominee and Winner Voting periods.

Dave Sirulnick is Executive Producer. Ryan Kroft is Producer. Jonathan Mussman is Executive in Charge of Production. Steve Paley is Director. Whitney-Gayle Benta is Director of Talent.

Official sponsors of the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” are 5 ® Gum, Febreze, Pepsi, Rhapsody ®, Sears, Taco Bell ®, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless.

The “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” will be available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.2 billion people via MTV's global network of 68 channels reaching 577 million households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming & content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV's more than 200 digital media properties around the world.