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"INGLEWOOD, California \u2014 In a night that was itself a bit of a wreck, Miley Cyrus won top honors at the MTV Video Music Awards \u2014 Video of the Year \u2014 for \"Wrecking Ball.\" But Beyonc\u00E9 saved the VMAs from a total teardown.\nSunday night's show started strong, wasting no time getting to the performances everyone wanted to see: Ariana Grande opened with \"Break Free,\" the first of a three-piece medley that continued with Nicki Minaj doing a slinky, jungle-themed \"Anaconda\" \u2014 and wrapped up with costume-changed Grande and Minaj joining Jesse J for a rousing first-set closer \"Bang Bang.\"\nSEE ALSO: Complete Winner's List From the MTV Video Music Awards\n\nTaylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards.Image: Kevin WinterThen, one commercial break later, Taylor Swift came out for her debut live performance of \"Shake It Off.\" Not 20 minutes into the show, the VMAs had us wondering what there'd be left to see ... and for the better part of 90\u00A0meandering minutes, we kept on wondering.\nIt was worth it to stick around.\nBeyonc\u00E9 closed the show in dazzling, forceful fashion, appearing to actually sing much of \"Drunk in Love\" decked out in a bejeweled once-piece. A couple of weeks shy of her 33rd birthday, Beyonc\u00E9 was in absolute peak form; with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy watching nearby (and appearing often on the giant screen behind her), Beyonc\u00E9 blazed brightly through her entire set, concluding with \"XO\" and a warm laugh as crowd, stunned in genuflection, roared its approval.\nBut the moment was just beginning.\n\nImage: Jason LaVerisWith the cameras still live, Jay-Z brought Blue Ivy onstage, cradling her in one arm as\u00A0he turned to his wife, who was wiping away sweat and tears. Calling her \"the greatest living entertainer,\" he handed her the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, which might as well have been the MTV Thanks For Saving Our Awards Show award.\n\"I have nothing to say, but I am full of so much gratitude,\" Beyonc\u00E9 said. \"Blue I love you, my beloved I love you, MTV I love you, my fans I love you ... goodnight!\"\nIt was a\u00A0touching, goosebump-raising closer\u00A0to what was otherwise a dud of a show. The VMAs,\u00A0known for daring, out-there performances and other jaw-dropping moments failed to produce much fodder for the watercooler; there was no twerking, no meat-dress, nothing to fire up the Monday-morning moral outrage machine.\nEven Miley Cyrus' version of a twist was pretty tame \u2014 to shed light on the problem of homeless teens, she brought one as her date, then had him accept her award on her behalf. Cyrus beat out Beyonc\u00E9, Iggy Azalea, Sia and Pharrell Williams \u2014 the other odds-on favorite \u2014 for the award.\nFifth Harmony was the night's biggest surprise winner, taking Artist to Watch over Sam Smith, Charli XCX, 5 Seconds of Summer and Schoolboy Q. Even the singing group seemed shocked by their own win \u2014 and had trouble finding their way off the stage. As they did, Robin Williams' face popped up onscreen for what looked like would be a tribute \u2014 but it lasted all of 5 seconds, with Coldplay's \"A Sky Full of Stars\" not even reaching a full verse before the telecast went to commercial.\n\nNiki Minaj at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.Image: Kevin WinterIt was one of many puzzling, awkward (and frankly, boring) moments that included a handful of technical glitches and an apparent wardrobe malfunction that forced Minaj to physically hold her tiny top together \u2014 but failed to produce any pixilating. \"We ran out of time to get the dress zipped up,\" she later said in the press room, appearing unfazed.\nKaty Perry won the night's first onstage award for Best Female video with \"Dark Horse\" (ft. Juicy J): \"That's a nice way to start out the night, getting a moon man!\" said Perry, who had just rolled up on the show not 5 minutes before in a sparkling copper Lamborghini Aventador.\nIn between awards presentations, Saturday Night Live impersonator extraordinaire Jay Pharoah lit up Jay-Z and Kanye West, to the apparent delight of Kim Kardashian West and kid sister Kendall Jenner, who were front-and-center in the audience.\nEarlier in the night, as music's biggest stars hit the red carpet with one daring fashion statement after another, a dark cloud was hanging \u2014 the overnight shooting at Chris Brown's pre-party in West Hollywood, where rap mogul Suge Knight and two others were wounded. While Knight and the two other victims recovered at Cedars Sinai, the show went on 10 miles directly south at the Forum, the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers.\nBefore the show began, the red carpet hosted a parade of nominees, performers and other VIPs. One after another they showed up in varying degrees of music glam, from Amber Rose's slinky chains to Charli XCX's yellow tiger-print.\n\nCharlie XCX at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.Image: Mark Ralston/AFPBeyonc\u00E9 actually had the most shots at a moon man trophy with eight, including \"Drunk in Love,\" which was beaten out for Video of the Year; she picked up trophies for best collaboration (\"Drunk In Love\"); best video with a social message and cinematography (\"Pretty Hurts\"). Iggy Azalea and Eminem, right behind her with seven nominations, were shut out.\nThe night's first moon-man was technically handed out to 5 Seconds of Summer for \"Best Lyric Video,\" an all-new category at this year's ceremony, as Mashable first reported. The Australian pop punk band picked up their trophy on the red carpet, before the show began.\n\nTaylor Swift on her way into the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.Image: Larry Busacca\n// "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/08/24/mtv-video-music-awards-vmas-winners/>