I’m still dizzy trying to figure out what I was watching last night.  This year’s MTV Video Music Awards live from The Palms in Las Vegas featured an interactive, techno-savvy presentation that turned a show that should be highlighting the world’s best performers into a confusing, nerve-wracking, mish-mash of television programming.  It’s goal, I gather, was to create a more ‘engaging’ experience for the viewers – who have been dwindling in numbers over the years.

The producers went too far, however.  The broadcast featured a ‘Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’-type event where there were multiple stages and venues mixed with ‘text-to-vote- segments and multiple-panel of mini-video screens crammed onto a TV screen.  Just too confusing.  At points, I even looked at the face of my 15-year-old daughter – one of the core demos for the show – and she looked baffled. 

Ok, what was good about it?  How poorly Britney Spears performed; how well Chris Brown re-introduced himself to the music world at the 21st Century Michael Jackson dance-master; Justin Timberlake popping up at seemingly all the venues, rapping with the most unlikely of cohorts; Kid Rock and Tommy Lee fighting (and why wasn’t that on camera?) and the show only lasted two hours.

You’ve got to applaud the network for engaging its viewers – well, at least that 14 – 25 year-old group – with the ‘vote-for-the-person-or-group-you-think-won’t win’ or something like that. It was so confusing that I don’t think anybody voting knew what they were voting for.  I’m all for integrating mobile marketing into television and print, but that just didn’t work.

What the producers seem to forget is that people watch the show to catch all their favorite performers on the same ’stage’ at the same time – theoretically speaking.  Sure, add some text-to-vote or text-to-win elements, but use them to complement the show, not take away from a ‘live’ performance!  Let the performers perform! It’s a music show!  Let’s see what magic MTV comes up for next year.  How about producing it in 3D and offering viewers special glasses when they purchase a six-pack of Pepsi?!