MTV Video Music Awards 2009 - Winners

Here are the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) nominees and winners:

Video of the Year

Winner: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Directed by Jake Nava

Take a catchy hook with a female empowerment theme, add Beyoncé in a butt-hugging leotard, then toss in some intricate choreography and you have a strong VOTY contender.

Nominees:
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Eminem, "We Made You"
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
Britney Spears, "Womanizer"

Best Female Video

Winner: Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me"
Directed by Roman White

It's a classic love story as old as the She's All That storyline. The school nerd, but closet beauty, is in love with her best guy friend, but he’s in love with the popular girl. OMG! What's a talented country music star to do?

Nominees:
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Beyonce, "Single Ladies"
Katy Perry, "Hot n Cold"
Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You"
Pink, "So What"

Best Male Video

Winner: T.I. feat. Rihanna, "Live Your Life"
Directed by Anthony Mandler

The entire video for "Live Your Life" is shot in a Memento-like reverse chronological order. If that doesn’t hold your attention, T.I.'s hot co-star Rihanna will.

Nominees:
Eminem, "We Made You"
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
Jay-Z, "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
Ne-Yo, "Miss Independent"

Best Pop Video

Winner: Britney Spears, "Womanizer"
Directed by Joseph Kahn

The music video for "Womanizer" gives you a chance to see what it's like to be in a sauna with a naked Britney Spears. Yes, it's worth it.

Nominees:
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Beyonce, "Single Ladies"
Cobra Starship, "Good Girls Go Bad"
Wisin Y Yandel, "Abusadora"

Best New Artist

Winner: Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Directed by Ray Kay

The newest queen of the charts turned out this bass-bumping follow-up to "Just Dance." We're not bluffing when we say the Lady is hot in this video.

Nominees:
Drake, "Best I Ever Had"
Kid Cudi, "Day N' Night"
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
3OH!3, "Don't Trust Me"

Best Rock Video

Winner: Green Day, "21 Guns"
Directed by Marc Webb

Green Day shows that a barrage of gunfire is enough to make any lovers quarrel seem minor by comparison in their video for "21 Guns."

Nominees:
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Fall Out Boy, "I Don’t Care"
Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
Paramore, "Decode"

Best Hip Hop Video

Winner: Eminem, "We Made You"
Directed by Joseph Kahn

Eminem doesn't pull any punches—or shy away from impersonations—when it comes to slamming Hollywood stars in his videos. This is no exception.

Nominees:
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
Jay-Z, "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
Flo Rida, "Right Round"

Breakthrough Video

Winner: Matt And Kim, "Lessons Learned"
Directed by Taylor Cohen & Otto Arsenault

The video for "Lessons Learned" opens with Matt and Kim calmly getting out of a van in the middle of Times Square in New York City. Then they go streaking.

Nominees:
Death Cab For Cutie, "Grapevine Fires"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who’s Gonna Save My Soul"
Anjulie, "Boom"
Cold War Kids, "I’ve Seen Enough"
Chairlift, "Evident Utensil"
Bat For Lashes, "Daniel"
Major Lazer, "Hold The Line"
Passion Pit, "The Reeling"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Heads Will Roll"

Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman)

Winner: Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Directed by Spike Jonze

Listen, all of y'all. It's Sabotage! The throwback video that parodied 1970s TV crime dramas was denied its glory in 1994.

Nominees:
Bjork, "Human Nature"
David Lee Roth, "California Girls"
Dr. Dre, "Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang"
Foo Fighters, "Everlong"
George Michael, "Freedom"
OK Go, "Here It Goes Again"
Radiohead, "Karma Police"
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, "Into the Great Wide Open"
U2, "The Streets Have No Name"

Best Art Direction

Winner: Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Art Direction by Jason Hamilton

Every opulent detail of a starlet's rise and fall is present in Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" video. Right down to the gold-plated forearm crutches.

Nominees:
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

Best Choreography

Winner: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Choreography by Jaquel Knight & Frank Gatson Jr.

It's the clip that had everyone—including Justin Timberlake and a Jonas Brother—trying to shake it like this not-so-single lady did in her vid.

Nominees:
A.R. Rahman & Pussycat Dolls feat. Nicole Scherzinger, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake, "Love Sex Magic"
Kristinia DeBarge, "Goodbye"

Best Cinematography

Winner: Green Day, "21 Guns"
Cinematography by Jonathan Sela

A grimy apartment, lit only by the light coming through bullet hole-filled walls, is the perfect image for the disillusioned ballad "21 Guns."

Nominees:
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"

Best Direction

Winner: Green Day, "21 Guns"
Directed by Marc Webb

Green Day is under attack in their video for "21 Guns." Who knew rocking out in a dingy apartment was so dangerous?

Nominees:
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Cobra Starship, "Good Girls Go Bad (Featuring Leighton Meester)"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"

Best Editing

Winner: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Edited by Jarrett Fijal

The intricate choreography seems to go on and on, thanks to the slick editing that transformed those sexy moves into a single sequence. Leaves you out of breath just watching!

Nominees:
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Miley Cyrus, "7 Things"

Best Special Effects

Winner: Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Special Effects by Chimney Pot

Don't worry. Lady Gaga only looks like she is being thrown several stories from a balcony by her lover in the "Paparazzi" music video. Her dancing a couple of scenes later proves it.

Nominees:
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Eminem, "We Made You"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Kanye West feat. Mr. Hudson, "Paranoid"