Nelly Furtado, Miranda Cosgrove and Leighton Meester will be presenters at September 13 show.
By James Montgomery

Jay-Z


Photo: Jared Milgrim/FilmMagic

It was already shaping up to be a pretty huge night, but now, the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards have gotten even bigger. Or at least grittier and glammier.

That’s because Jay-Z and Lady Gaga have been booked to perform at the VMAs, joining an already impressive list that includes Taylor Swift, Green Day, Pink and Muse.

Jay — whose gnarly “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” is up for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Male Video — will perform a song from his hotly anticipated The Blueprint 3 album, due September 11. The glittery Gaga — who, along with Beyoncé, leads everyone with nine VMA nods — will perform a single from her breakthrough The Fame album.

“I’m simply gutted to be both a performer and nominee at the 2009 VMAs,” Gaga said. “In fact, I’m so happy, I could die.”

In addition to the performers, there are some big-name presenters to add to the show too. Nelly Furtado, Miranda Cosgrove and “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester — who is up for Best Pop Video and Best Direction for Cobra Starship’s “Good Girls Go Bad” — will be on hand to, well, hand out the awards. They join Katy Perry, Ne-Yo and Chace Crawford, who have already been announced as VMA presenters.

But who will they be presenting the awards to? Well, that’s up to you. Voting for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards is under way over at VMA.MTV.com. Verizon Wireless subscribers can also vote by texting VMA to 97979.

The VMAs will broadcast live from New York on September 13 at 9 p.m. Russell Brand will once again serve as host for the evening. Trust us: It’s going to be a night you just can’t miss.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Nominees, celebrity presenters and additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

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Despite having never released an album, will Drizzy make the cut?
By Shaheem Reid

Drake


Photo: Rahman Dukes/MTV News

Since we published our poll asking fans their picks for 2009’s Hottest MC in the Game, over 100,000 people have taken notice, voted and chimed in. (Editor’s note: The poll is meant to spark conversation, and it has no bearing on the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust’s list of the 10 Hottest MCs.) One of the names that fans continue to bring up is Drake’s. The young Canadian’s fans say he squashes the competition — but Drizzy still feels he has a long way to go.

“What a lot of people don’t understand … people may be like, I may be one of the best MCs — not yet,” he told us recently. “I’m 22. I got a lot of growth.”

Which brings up an interesting point: Drake hasn’t even dropped an album. Yes, he’s building up a string of stellar guest spots — like on Young Money’s “Every Girl” and Fabolous’ “Throw It in the Bag” remix — and his mixtape, So Far Gone, is a certified classic on the underground circuit, spawning radio hits “Successful” and “Best I Ever Had.” But with only 10 slots on the Hip-Hop Brain Trust’s list, should a person with no LP under his belt make the cut over somebody who has not only had singles in rotation but put product out in stores?

Even if Drake doesn’t make the Hottest MCs list, he said even being considered is “an honor.”

The debate over who is the hottest MC of 2009 is on! Cast your vote now — series begins August 17, with the top MC being revealed on the August 24 episode of “Making His Band” at 10:00 p.m. ET!

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Before he takes the stage on September 13, we remember Hov’s other big VMA appearances.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Jay-Z performs at the 2001 VMAs


Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are back in New York this year, and no one represents the Big Apple quite like Jay-Z. So, it only makes sense for the Brooklyn rap icon to perform during the festivities. When the show airs live on September 13 at 9 p.m. ET, Jay will take to the stage to perform a track from his upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, which will drop just days prior to the big show.

It won’t be his first time appearing at the VMAs, although it’ll definitely be one of his most eagerly anticipated. Here MTV News recaps five other memorable times Hov graced our stage in the past 10 years.

	Jay-Z’s Greatest VMA Moments

1999: Run This Town
Jay-Z made his VMA performance debut in a big way at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Joined by Ja Rule and Amil, Jigga took to the stage to perform his breakout hit “Can I Get A …”  along with a medley of tracks from his best-selling Vol 2…Hard Knock Life. His 2009 performance has a lot to live up to in order to top this one.

2001: Classic
Just days before he released one of his most celebrated albums, The Blueprint, Jay-Z was already basking in the success of the project. The legendary lyricist donned a number 23 Chicago Bulls jersey with Carter emblazoned on the back as he performed “Izzo (H.O.V.A).” The message was clear: This was his year in hip-hop. Everyone agreed.

2003: Meet the Carters
Madonna’s kiss with Britney may have had tongues wagging, but the real steam came when Jay-Z joined Beyoncé for their hit “Crazy in Love.” B cozied up to Jay and put some extra oomph into her moves when she walked past her man. Jay might not have been onstage for long, but sparks were flying during his screen time.

2004: And The Winner Is … Hov!
The Roc boy was definitely in the house on this night. Jay-Z tied with Outkast for the most Moonmen at the 2004 VMAs held in Miami. His gritty, artistic and authentic clip for “99 Problems” scored the Roc-A-Fella boss wins for Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. He did say he would not lose.

2006: King of New York
You guys thought Mayor Bloomberg oversaw the city? Think again. Jay-Z introduced the 2006 VMAs perched 70 stories atop the famed GE Building in Rockefeller Plaza. The show was back in New York after two consecutive years in Miami. With one simple line and gesture, he made us feel like we never left. “Welcome home,” Jay said as he put on his trademark Yankee hat.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Additional celebrity presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

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Black Francis treated a packed house to several stripped-down, acoustic Pixies songs at his intimate solo show at The Mint in Los Angeles last night (August 11).

Neil Young has been named the 2010 MusiCares Person Of The Year, and will be honoured at an event taking place in January.

Bruce Springsteen has added a number of shows to his tour of the US, with dates added in Baltimore, MD, Buffalo, NY and Des Moines, IA.

The Raveonettes have announced details for their new album ‘In And Out Of Control’.

Blood Red Shoes and Wild Beasts are set to play at the Leeds Festival on the day before the first official day of billed musical action (August 27).

The countries and overseas territories/communities that have newly reported their first pandemic (H1N1) 2009 confirmed case(s) since the last web update (No. 60) as of 6 August 2009 are:

Timore-Leste, Pakistan, Kirabati, Maldives, French Guiana, Falkland Islands (UKOT), Wallis and Futuna (FOC)

It takes approximately five to six months for the first supplies of approved vaccine to become available once a new strain of influenza virus with pandemic potential is identified and isolated. These months are needed because the process of producing a new vaccine involves many sequential steps, and each of these steps requires a certain amount of time to complete. The vaccine development process from start (obtaining a virus sample) to end (availability of vaccine for use) is summarized below.