Is It Live? Or Is It MTV?

The MTV Video Music Awards used to be one of the most anticipated events on TV. Whether it was Madonna in a wedding dress performing "Like a Virgin", Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley proving that they really were married, or Madonna and Britney Spears sharing an intimate moment, you could usually count on the VMAs to be outrageous.

Now? The last time I paid any attention to MTV was when "Daria", "Beavis and Butt-head" and "The Osbournes" were still on the air. The videos that initially dominated the channel have given way to reality shows like "The Real World". I used to watch that for awhile before it got too ridiculous for me, and before they ran out of hip places. What is it now--"The Real World: Boise"?

This year's VMAs were broadcast from some Las Vegas hotel, taking a page from the Golden Globe Awards. It was advertised as a live telecast. But in September, the sun doesn't set at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. So why were there helicopter shots of Las Vegas after dark?

Everybody else has weighed in on how awful Britney Spears was while lip-syncing her new hit single "Gimme More". Granted, she's not the greatest performer in the world. Not even close. But she's had a lot on her mind lately, such as keeping the kids away from K-Fed and remembering to wear panties. Wandering aimlessly wearing what looked like lingerie and trying to remember the lyrics doesn't help matters. But she didn't deserve those tasteless comments made by Sarah Silverman.

Alicia Keys, on the other hand, was a class act in her performance. She doesn't need some rap star of the moment disrupting the mood in the middle of a song, causing some people to change stations (this means you, Amy Winehouse and Mariah Carey). Keys is much too talented to resort to that.

Not all rappers succeed by horning in on other people's songs. Kanye West, Eminem and 50 Cent, among others, have had hits by flying solo. But "collaborations" by So and So featuring What's His Name and a Host of Others tend to confuse the listener if they don't know who these people are.

But back to the real purpose of the show, which is to honor achievement in music videos. This year's Video of the Year went to Rihanna's "Umbrella", a song that's been all over the radio this past summer. Since most of us did not see this, or any, of the nominated videos (unless you were up at 3 a.m.), it was hard to figure out why she deserved the award. Even Justin Timberlake, who won two awards, exhorted MTV to play more videos during his acceptance speeches.

Because they now prefer showing "My Super Sweet 16" instead of the latest Beyonce' video, MTV has become increasingly irrelevant in the age of YouTube and My Space. And it's their own damn fault.

One more thing: I watched Tony Bennett on PBS' "American Masters". This man has more talent at the age of 80 than any of the musical acts on the VMAs (except for Keys) combined. Wasn't he an MTV star once?