Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Michael Jackson Makes Surprise Appearance At MTV Awards Show

Aired September 07, 2001 - 08:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: Fatboy Slim won six awards. Lady Marmalade won best video of the year, we thought it was an upset. But, Michael Jackson is credited with stealing the show.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Jackson make a surprise appearance at last night's MTV Award Show in the big apple, and here is a quick look at the MTV magic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

N'SYNC MEMBER: You know what?

N'SYNG MEMBER: Then it wouldn't be a surprise.

N'SYNC MEMBER: I'm just going to say, you don't want to miss our performance. That is no lie, you don't want to miss it.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard a rumor he is performing tonight.

GWEN STEFANI, SINGER: Is that true?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know, we don't know.

STEFANI: That would be amazing

USHER, SINGER-ACTOR: N'Sync is just racking up man. They have received 4 awards already.

N'SYNC MEMBER: I think we had no idea we were going to win this.

N'SYNC MEMBER: I think Fatboy Slim was robbed.

DESTINY'S CHILD: And the winner for the best direction video award is: Fatboy Slim!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just won...

ALICIA KEYS: Best new artist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does it feel?

KEYS: It feels wonderful! I'm so happy. (SINGING)

JAIME FOXX, HOST, MTV AWARDS SHOW: Highlights of the night is Alicia Keys most definitely. I think the tribute to Aaliyah was incredible

JANET JACKSON, SINGER: And, as I listened to Aaliyah, I was very touched by her sincerity, by her strength and her love.

MISSY "MISDEMEANOR" ELLIOT, SINGER: We going to keep Aaliyah legacy alive. I didn't write anything, I just felt like I had to come from the heart. I love you Aaliyah, and you're forever missed.

MICK JAGGER, SINGER: The video of the year goes to Lady Marmalade, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink.

LADY MARMALADE GROUP: Moby, featuring Gwen Stefani.

WILL SMITH, ACTOR: And the award goes to, Eve, featuring Gwen Stefani.

BACKSTREET BOYS: LJ!

ESTELLA WARREN, MODEL-ACTRESS: Destiny's Child, "Survivor."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2001 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, to the fabulous U2.

U2: The unwritten rule that we have amongst the four of us is if it ever starts to lose that quality we'll just call it a day. So, I think we're still making our best records. That is why we are still here.

FOXX: That's the show, good night. It is over!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Let's go to Chris Farley, "Time" magazine's music critic, to get the real scoop on what happened last night. Morning, Chris.

CHRISTOPHER FARLEY, TIME MAGAZINE MUSIC CRITIC: Good morning.

LIN: You were there. I hope you got some sleep. But...

FARLEY: Yes, I was there. And Michael Jackson did steal the show, but he stole the show from N'Sync and that's not exactly grand larceny. I mean Latoya Jackson could steal the show from N'Sync.

The big sort of talk of the night what was Britney going to do, what is Britney going to do. There was talk that she was going to put on a show that was too hot for TV, and you know it ended up looking like an off broadway performance of Cats. She had all these cat people running around, and she had a skimpy outfit, and she had a snake, but you know it didn't seem sexy to me. It seemed like a circus performance, and nobody finds Barnam and Bailey sexy. I don't go to the circus and think I'm getting to get turned, and that's what it felt like to me, a circus.

CELLINI: It's angry Christopher this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

FARLEY: But, there were some good moments last night. I think Alicia Keys was quite good. She's a fine young performer. She put on very strong performance, it's someone to watch in future.

I think that U2, those veterans of Irish rock, they came on and did a very strong performance.

And the moment where they honored Aaliyah, that truly was a touching moment because she was terrific young performer, and it was sad to sort of see her passing.

CELLINI: Christopher, you are can blast N'Sync, but yet and still they won four awards, and they have such an amazing, strong following. I mean, you know the critics loving to kill N'Sync, but they just keep on going.

FARLEY: Well, not really. Their album actually has fallen from the top reaches of charts. It's not...

CELLINI: Well, it's compared to their last album, maybe -- as compared to their last CD maybe, but you know it's not moving like the last one. But, I'm saying there still is an audience out there, a hardcore N'Sync audience.

FARLEY: Well they are sort of a business. I think if any business has like a 50 percent drop off from the year before, they are going to wonder what the heck is going on at our business. I think business is not as good as could it be for N'Sync.

I think the public is looking for something new in music. Music sales are down, they down about 10 percent. And I think it is because of the saturation of a lot of these teen pop groups out there. People are looking for something more.

I think Alicia Keys kind of showed them something more, because she's a young performer, she rights her own stuff, she plays the piano, she can sing like nobody's business. Hopefully we'll see more performers like that come along in the near future.

LIN: Chris, tell us what we didn't see on television, because we always hear the sideshow is always way better than what we see on stage.

FARLEY: Well, certainly when you are walking around the halls of an MTV Video Music Awards concert, you keep just bumping into stars. I bumped into Jon Bon Jovi with a cowboy hat on. You get to see Busta Rhyme trying to get his entire posse into the awards, and he had a posse of like four, which is pretty small for a hip hopper. I'm surprise he didn't have at least 20. So, I think Busta needs to that up that posse a little bit.

CELLINI: Yes, but back to N'Sync. No, I'm just kidding! What about...

LIN: And what about the Backstreet Boys, OK?

CELLINI: ... what about Jamie Foxx as the host? Did he do a good job in keeping things moving along?

FARLEY: Jamie Foxx is very good, you know. I thought he was better than the Wayans brothers, not quite as sharp as, say, Chris Rock. But what's good is what you didn't see on camera, like between in the commercial breaks he really kind of kept the crowd going.

After the Aaliyah tribute, I mean you could drop a pin in there, you would have heard it because everyone was sort of sad and down, and it was supposed to be a celebration. He got the crowd back up. He told everyone to sort of celebrate life. Didn't come across as cheesey, and by the time the cameras came back on, everybody was ready to party again.

LIN: Yes, well good thing that there were kind of low expectations for him. I think everybody just wanted to have a good time this year.

FARLEY: Yes, I think people were looking to have a good time this year, and they had it sporadically at the concert.

LIN: All right. Thanks, Chris Farley. You get some sleep.

FARLEY: Thanks for having me.

LIN: All right.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com