Katy Perry and Adele are Music's Leading Ladies at The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards With Three Moonmen a Piece With Perry's "Fireworks" Taking Home "Video Of The Year"

LADY GAGA ALTER EGO JOE CALDERONE, ADELE, CHRIS BROWN, PITBULL AND BEYONCE BRING DOWN THE HOUSE

KANYE AND JAY-Z SURPRISE VMA AUDIENCE WITH EXPLOSIVE PERFORMANCE

BRITNEY SPEARS HONORED BY LADY GAGA AND AWARDED THE MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The ladies ruled the kingdom at the "2011 MTV Video Music Awards," broadcast live this evening from Nokia Theater L.A. Live, as Katy Perry and Adele each took home three VMA Moonmen and Lady Gaga two. Katy Perry won the biggest prize of the night, "Video of the Year," with her pop anthem, "Fireworks," as well as honors for "Best Collaboration" and "Best Special Effects" for "E.T." featuring Kanye West. Adding to her reign atop the album charts, Adele won VMAs for "Best Art Direction," "Best Cinematography," and "Best Editing." Genre and gender-defying Lady Gaga kicked off the night as her alter ego Joe Calderone with a show-stopping performance of "You and I," and later walked away with two VMAs for "Best Female" and this year's new category, "Best Video with a Message."

The most explosive moment of the night belonged to hip-hop heavyweights Kanye West and Jay-Z. The duo brought funk, flare and the fireworks to the VMA stage with the worldwide television debut performance of "Otis" from their global number one album, Watch The Throne. The kings of hip-hop playfully commandeered the VMA stage with their usual royal swagger through a steady bombastic beat of flames, smoke and pyrotechnics until the patriotic climax as they proudly stood in front of the red, white and blue of a gigantic American flag in a nod to the single's cover.

Another high-octane performance came courtesy of Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Nayer, who transformed the VMAs into a giant dance party with this summer's mega hit "Give Me Everything." The hip-hop trio brought Miami heat to the stage with 60 dancers and a laser light spectacle that brought down the house.

The show took a soulful turn with an unforgettable VMA debut from a hauntingly beautiful Adele who performed the heart-breaking "Someone Like You" with only a piano by her side and the glow of a single spotlight. Introduced by Katy Perry, Adele left the audience breathless as she treated them to one of the most powerful voices of a generation and they responded with a standing ovation.

Chris Brown delivered a show stopper with his high-flying aerial journey through VMA history. It was a visual feast as he flew from stage to stage while performing his smash dance hit "Yeah 3X" into Wu-tang Clan's "Protect Ya Neck" into Nirvana with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and, finally, "Beautiful People."  

An ogling Joe Calderone returned to the stage to present Britney Spears with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. The two together then introduced Beyonce, who, before starting to sing "Love on Top," confirmed pregnancy rumors by saying "I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me." She ended the song by rubbing her belly to reveal her baby bump as a proud and expectant father Jay-Z received congratulations from the audience.

In the midst of performances from global superstar artists, the VMAs continued its legacy of introducing emerging talent. This year, the Awards show featured an explosive VMA debut from Young The Giant, who rocked and body surfed the audience with their hit "My Body," alongside a throng of screaming fans.

The emotional highpoint and poignant moment of the evening was the tribute to the late British songstress Amy Winehouse by the legendary Tony Bennett with a surprise introduction by actor Russell Brand. Bennett unveiled footage of Winehouse's final performance -- his recent recording session with her of their duet "Body and Soul" for his upcoming Duets II album. The tribute continued with Bruno Mars's triumphant performance of Winehouse's hit "Valerie." With his soaring vocals, horn section harmonies, and smooth and syncopated choreography, Mars and his band's performance was a joyous celebration of Winehouse's life and music.

The girls from the "Jersey Shore" presented the "Best Female Video Award" to Lady Gaga and, in an intergenerational twist, was joined by Academy Award®-winning actress Cloris Leachman, who joked that the audience shouldn't confuse her with Betty White.

Throughout the telecast British pop diva Jesse J commanded the House Artist stage as the VMA House Artist, keeping the crowd moving as she belted out her signature hits as well as a selection of other chart toppers.

Closing out the show, hip hop's hottest MC and entrepreneurial Young Money Millionaire, Lil Wayne, closed with the seductive "How to Love," before attacking the stage in full force as the band launched into a Black Sabbath riff and before ripping into "John" from his upcoming album, "The Carter IV," to be released digitally at midnight tonight.

Presenters at the "2011 MTV Video Music Awards" included Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Paul Rudd, Shaun White, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Zoe Saldana, Kevin Hart and Victoria Justice join Jonah Hill, Rick Ross, Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Odd Future, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Lautner, Drake, Joe Jonas and Jared Leto.

Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the "2011 MTV Video Music Awards." Amy Doyle, Garrett English and Dave Sirulnick are Executive Producers. Jen Jones is co-Executive Producer. Joanna Bomberg is Executive in Charge of Music and Talent. Hamish Hamilton is Director. Wendy Plaut is Celebrity Talent Executive.

Official sponsors of the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards are 5® Gum, COVERGIRL, Dove® go fresh Deodorant, Kia Motors America, PacSun, Sharpie®, State Farm®, Taco Bell® and Verizon.

The 2011 "MTV Video Music Awards" was available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.2 billion people via MTV's global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than 640 million households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV's nearly 200 digital media properties around the world.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

SOURCE MTV