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FEATURED ARTICLES           Wednesday, September 08, 2010                                Email to a Friend

MMVA Madness: MuchMusic Awards to Take Over Toronto on June 15th

Erin Hipwell

The MuchMusic Video Awards have come a long way since their inception way back in 1990, when the coveted Best Video award went to Cowboy Junkies and the ceremony took place on - get this - a train. It was crazy, it was revolutionary, and it was a great time – but the following year, the festivities moved to the Chum City building in downtown Toronto, where it’s taken place ever since.

With the 2008 MMVAs soon approaching, Campus Life Magazine put a call in to MOD host and resident VJ hottie Matte Babel to get the scoop on the awards, the show, what to expect on June 15th.

CLM: So what do you think about the nominations this year? Any surprises, anything that you’re excited about?

Matte Babel: I just think it’s great to see so many great Canadians acknowledged and rewarded. I mean, a lot of talent stood out so I’m not that surprised. Well, I was a little surprised, considering that Belly’s album has been out for so long, that he got so many nominations. But I mean, so goes it, right? I do wish that Wintersleep got some more nominations – I like them.

CLM: What about IllScarlett? They got tons of nominations. That was a surprise for me, them being this local Mississauga band. You think, ‘wow’. That’s awesome.

Matte Babel: You see, after seeing them at the Junos, and seeing them perform at like, WakeFest and whatnot, I had figured they were going to be nominated for a bunch of awards. They played at the Junos and I’ve seen them grow and do their thing, so I thought they’d get a bunch of nods.

CLM: So, what can viewers expect to see if they tune into the show, or if they manage to get tickets?

Matte Babel: That’s the thing about it – always expect the unexpected! It’s a live environment, and the thing is there’s no delay, and that’s the wicked thing about it. It’s a spectacle, and you can’t really rehearse live stuff because these bands aren’t around for rehearsals – they pretty much just come on and do their thing.

CLM: And it’s grown so much! When I was in high school, it was this little party in the parking lot at Much, and now it’s turned into this huge deal that everyone really looks forward to.

Matte Babel: It’s almost like – well, it’s almost not even like an awards show, it’s like a little festival. There are so many different stages and a live environment, which is such a large part of it. It’s always been an exciting time for us – even the lead up to the awards is great because you have all these bands rehearsing, people stopping by. You just feel the fever. It’s a really fun weekend.

CLM: Are there any artists for videos that you’re particularly rooting for? Any favourites?

Matte Babel: I really like Lupe’s album. I like a lot of artists who are nominated. Kanye’s obviously nominated and I really like him. I find now with videos, people don’t put in the same amount of artistic creativity. But I really like his ‘Flashing Lights’ video. It was really abstract, really different, and it kind of left you wondering, so I like that.

CLM: Kanye doesn’t half-ass anything. He’s all the way, every time.

Matte: Oh yeah, he’s incredible. I agree.

CLM: So do you have a favourite MMVA moment from past shows?

Matte Babel: One of my favourite moments had to be with Rick Campanelli, at the past awards show – he just stripped down to his underwear when Alexisonfire was playing. He’s friends with the guys, so he just ran on stage, almost naked, as a masked bandit. And at the end, someone – I think it was George [of Alexisonfire] – pulled off the mask, and you could sort tell it was him. So that was kind of fun, and you wouldn’t expect it at a typical awards show. It’s a testament to the live environment, that that’s what happens. But as well, Kanye West was great. That was on his cusp! He was just on the cusp of blowing up. And just seeing the madness, you know? People in the trees, people crammed from wall to wall, everyone singing the lyrics. It was incredible. Very cool.

CLM: That’s very cool. So, just one last question – do you have an outfit picked out yet?

Matte Babel: You know, I’m the last minute guy, and I get in a lot of trouble for it! Like, last year, I literally got my outfit like four days before the show. It pretty much came together the day of. But this year I said, you know, I’ll get it down. So actually, just the other day I went and saw a tailor. So I’m just going to wear a suit – I think a navy blue suit, or something.

Check out the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards live on MuchMusic on Sunday, June 15th!

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