Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift set for MTV VMAs
By MESFIN FEKADU, Associated Press
Aug 30, 2015 10:23 AM CDT
FILE - In this July 4, 2015 file photo, U.S rapper Kendrick Lamar performs on the main stage at Wireless festival in Finsbury Park, in London. The 32nd annual MTV Video Music Awards hosted by Miley Cyrus will be presented Sunday night, Aug. 30, broadcast live on MTV from 9-11 p.m. ET from the Microsoft...   (Associated Press)

The M in MTV will stand for Miley on Sunday night.

Miley Cyrus is set to host the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards — two years after she stole the show with a risque, but memorable performance with Robin Thicke, and a year after winning the top prize for "Wrecking Ball."

The 22-year-old will be in good company: Justin Bieber will perform his new single, "What Do You Mean," and Taylor Swift, the leader with 10 nominations, will attend the show. Nicki Minaj will open the show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles — just like she did last year.

Kanye West will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for his illustrious video career, and Pharrell, the Weeknd, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Demi Lovato will hit the stage during the two-hour show, which kicks off at 8 p.m. EST.

Presenters include Britney Spears, Rebel Wilson, Kylie Jenner, John Legend, Ice Cube and his son, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., one of the stars of "Straight Outta Compton." Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Nick Jonas and Fifth Harmony will attend the show.

Swift will debut her music video for her next single, "Wildest Dreams," during the VMA pre-show. Her hit songs "Bad Blood" and "Blank Space" earned her a whopping 10 nominations, including video of the year, best female video, pop video, song of summer and more.

"Bad Blood" will compete with Beyonce's "7/11," Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Ronson's "Uptown Funk" for video of the year.

Minaj, who had one of the most viewed videos of the year with "Anaconda," is not up for the top prize, and she expressed her anger with the snub when the nominees were announced in July. She tweeted that slim women easily earn top nominations and later said black female entertainers don't get enough credit for their influence on pop culture. Swift thought the rapper was referring to her and they traded words online. Swift later apologized.

Minaj is nominated for three awards, including best female video and hip-hop video for "Anaconda." Beyonce, Sia and Ellie Goulding will battle Minaj and Swift for best female video.

Best male video nominees include the Weeknd, Lamar, Sheeran, Ronson and Jonas.

A$AP Rocky, Tori Kelly and Twenty One Pilots will also perform during the live show.

___

Online:

http://vma.mtv.com

See 9 more photos