Peter Gabriel Effort Chosen As Video Of The Year
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) _ Peter Gabriel’s hyperkinetic ″Sledgehammer″ took top honors and eight other awards Friday as it swept the fourth annual Music Television Awards.
The ″Sledgehammer″ video, which uses a jerky stop-image of Gabriel singing the Motown-flavored tune amid a swarm of animated images, won best video of the year, best male video, best concept video, and best overall performance in a video.
It also won best special effects in a video, best art direction in a video, best editing, best direction and most experimental video.
The only other multiple winners was the Talking Heads video ″Wild Wild Life,″ which won two awards.
″I think it was successful because it was hopeful, because it showed people a side of the artist that people wanted to see,″ said ″Sledgehammer″ director Stephen Johnson, who accepted the awards.
Also winners in the 3-hour, 50 minute broadcast shown live on the MTV cable channel were the Australian-New Zealander band Crowded House, taking the best new artist in a video award for ″Don’t Dream It’s Over,″ while heavy metal rockers Bon Jovi took the best stage performance video for their ″Livin’ On A Prayer.″
″Between the four of us, I don’t think we’ve ever won anything in our lives,″ said Crowded House leader Neil Finn. ″Our award came first, so I’m glad we didn’t have to wait long.″
Janet Jackson’s ″Nasty″ video won the best choreography award, with the statue going to choreographer Paula Abdul.
Madonna won best female video for her controversial ″Papa Don’t Preach″ video about a pregnant unwed girl who decides to keep her baby.
The best new video from a film went to Talking Heads for ″Wild, Wild Life,″ and the video also won best group video.
Robbie Nevil’s ″C’est La Vie″ won best video cinematography.
Gabriel, a singer, songwriter, musician and performer, had the most nominations going into the evening with 11. He was not present at the awards show. Johnson said he was in Germany on a European tour.
The only two of the 11 awards that Gabriel didn’t win were in categories where he had two nominations - best concept vido and best special effects. In each case, his ″Sledgehammer″ beat out anothr Gabriel video, ″Big Time,″ as well as other nominees.
A founding member of the British group Genesis, Gabriel departed the mainstream group for a solo career as an avant-garde rocker.
But last year’s hit ″So″ album, which includes ″Sledgehammer,″ brought Gabriel back as a popular artist.
Among those performing during the show from the Universal Ampitheater were Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Los Lobos, Bryan Adams, The Bangles, The Cars, Crowded House, Run-DMC appearing with Aerosmith, and Whitesnake. Appearing by satellite were David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston and Madonna.
Presenters included Sandra Bernhard, Lisa Bonet, Cher, Bobcat Goldthwait, Steve Guttenberg, Robin Leach, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Howie Mandel, Eddie Money, Robbie Nevil, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, Poison, Tina Turner and Vanna White.
″When they first asked me to come here, I felt a little bit like I was being asked to a foreign country,″ said Miss White, the letter-turner on the syndicated ″Wheel of Fortune″ game show. ″I know I have this all-American image ... but I am enjoying this,″ she said backstage, where she followed the heavy metal group Whitesnake to meet reporters.
The video candidates for the awards were selected from among 644 acquired and exhibited on MTV between May 2, 1986 and May 1, 1987.
Candidates were selected during a series of votes, beginning with balloting by select members of the music video profession to narrow the field.
The 1,800-member Video Music Academy voted for both nominees and winners in the professional, or technical categories, while the general category winners were selected by the general public through ballots placed in USA Today.
The awards show originally was produced in New York, and last year was split between New York and Universal City. This year, it’s all on the West Coast.
Music videos have been on shaky ground for the past two years with drop- offs in ratings for MTV, which the network has disputed, and budget cutbacks by major record labels.
But music videos still play a big role in getting songs off the ground, and the industry responded with its top recording artists for the awards show.
″The industry, artists and managers have certainly been supportive. This is a great vote of confidence for us,″ said Lee Masters, senior vice president and general manager of MTV.
Here are the nominations:
Best Video Of The Year: Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer;″ Genesis, ″Land of Confusion;″ Paul Simon, ″Boy in the Bubble;″ Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love;″ U2, ″With or Without You.″
Best Male Video: David Bowie, ″Day In, Day Out;″ Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer;″ Robert Palmer, ″I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On;″ Paul Simon, ″You Can Call Me Al,″ concept version; Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love.″
Best Female Video: Kate Bush, ″Big Sky;″ Janet Jackson, ″Nasty;″ Cyndi Lauper, ″True Colors;″ Madonna, ″Papa Don’t Preach;″ Madonna, ″Open Your Heart.″
Best Concept Video: Eurythmics, ″Missionary Man;″ Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer;″ Peter Gabriel, ″Big Time;″ Genesis, ″Land of Confusion;″ Talking Heads, ″Wild Wild Life.″
Best Group Video: Bangles, ″Walk Like an Egyptian;″ Crowded House, ″Don’t Dream It’s Over;″ Eurythmics, ″Missionary Man;″ Talking Heads, ″Wild Wild Life;″ U2, ″With or Without You.″
Best Stage Performance In A Video: Bon Jovi, ″You Give Love a Bad Name;″ Bon Jovi, ″Livin’ on a Prayer;″ Run D.M.C., ″Walk This Way;″ Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, ″War;″ Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, ″Born to Run.″
Best New Artist In A Video: The Robert Cray Band, ″Smoking Gun;″ Crowded House, ″Don’t Dream It’s Over;″ Georgia Satellites, ″Keep Your Hands to Yourself;″ Bruce Hornsby & the Range, ″The Way It Is;″ Timbuk 3, ″The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.″
Best Overall Performance In A Video: Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer;″ Janet Jackson, ″Nasty;″ Madonna, ″Papa Don’t Preach;″ Run D.M.C., ″Walk This Way;″ U2, ″With or Without You.″
Best New Video From A Film: Eric Clapton, ″It’s in the Way That You Use It;″ Rodney Dangerfield, ″Twist and Shout;″ Aretha Franklin, ″Jumpin’ Jack Flash;″ Ben E. King, ″Stand by Me;″ Talking Heads, ″Wild Wild Life.″
Best Special Effects In A Video: Eurythmics, ″Missionary Man,″ Willy Smax; Peter Gabriel, ″Big Time,″ Peter Wallach; Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer,″ Peter Lord; Genesis, ″Land of Confusion,″ Jim Yukich and John Lloyd; Paul Simon, ″Boy in the Bubble,″ Jim Blashfield.
Best Art Direction In A Video: Breakfast Club, ″Right on Track,″ Allie Willis and Bryan Jones; Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer,″ Stephen Quay and Tim Quay; Genesis, ″Land of Confusion,″ John Lloyd, Jim Yukich and Stephen Bendelach; Madonna, ″Open Your Heart,″ Mike Hanan; Paul Simon, ″Boy in the Bubble,″ Jim Blashfield.
Best Editing In A Video: Bon Jovi, ″Wanted Dead or Alive,″ Lisa Hendricks; Eurythmics, ″Missionary Man,″ John Carroll; Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer,″ Colin Green; Robbie Nevil, ″C’est La Vie,″ Rick Elgood; U2, ″With or Without You,″ Meiert Avis; Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love,″ Peter Kagan, Laura Israel and Glen Lazzarro.
Best Cinematography In A Video: Cyndi Lauper, ″What’s Going On,″ Juan Ruiz-Anchia; Madonna, ″Papa Don’t Preach,″ Michael Balhaus; Robbie Nevil, ″C’est La Vie,″ Mark Plummer; U2, ″With or Without You,″ Daniel Pearl and Matt Mahurin; Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love,″ Peter Kagan.
Best Choreography In A Video: Bangles, ″Walk Like an Egyptian,″ Wendy Biller; Janet Jackson, ″Nasty,″ Paula Abdul; Janet Jackson, ″When I Think of You,″ Paula Abdul and Michael Kidd; Madonna, ″Open Your Heart,″ Brad Jeffries; Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love,″ Ed Love.
Best Direction In A Video: Crowded House, ″Don’t Dream It’s Over,″ Alex Proyas; Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer,″ Stephen Johnson; Genesis, ″Land of Confusion,″ Jim Yukich and John Lloyd; U2, ″With or Without You,″ Meiert Avis; Steve Winwood, ″Higher Love,″ Peter Kagan and Paula Greif.
Most Experimental Video: Eurythmics, ″Missionary Man,″ Willy Smax; Peter Gabriel, ″Sledgehammer,″ Stephen Johnson and Peter Gabriel; Genesis, ″Land of Confusion,″ Jim Yukich and John Lloyd; Huey Lewis and the News, ″Hip to Be Square,″ Kevin Godley and Lol Creme; Paul Simon, ″Boy in the Bubble,″ Jim Blashfield.