{"id":10716,"date":"2020-09-10T02:48:06","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T02:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/?p=10716"},"modified":"2020-09-10T02:48:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T02:48:06","slug":"keke-palmer-makes-history-at-the-mtv-video-music-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2020\/09\/10\/keke-palmer-makes-history-at-the-mtv-video-music-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"KeKe Palmer makes history at the MTV Video Music Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Halle Coleman
\nStaff Writer\/MC 301 Student<\/p>\n

Keke Palmer made history on Aug. 30 by becoming the first black woman to host the Video Music Awards in 33 years. The last woman of color to host the show was “Downtown” Julie Brown and her fellow MTV VJs when they emceed the awards in 1986 and 1987. Palmer was also the first-ever to take on solo hosting duties.<\/p>\n

Palmer has made a name for herself as a prominent and well-respected entertainer in the industry over time. Her career began as a child and her resume encompasses multiple albums and over 35 acting appearances including \u201cAkeelah and the Bee, \u201cJump In!\u201d, \u201cJoyful Noise\u201d, and \u201cScream Queens\u201d. Palmer paid tribute to her Nickelodeon debut \u201cTrue Jackson VP\u201d, by remixing the well-known theme song to promote the VMA\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Deja Johnson, a freshman biology major from New Orleans, La., expressed her anticipation for Palmer\u2019s new gig stating, \u201cI am excited to see KeKe Palmer on such a big stage. Her good energy and personality is exactly what we need right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s award show was slightly different due to the ongoing pandemic the country is still in. However, Palmer herself was still excited for the opportunity stating during the opening of the show, \u201cThis is incredible. I can\u2019t believe MTV asked me to host. I don\u2019t know if I was their first choice or the only one brave enough to do it during COVID, either way, I got the job!\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Forbes, Palmer had to take multiple COVID-19 tests, constantly testing every two days. Other safety precautions included having rehearsals held over Zoom and her glam team wearing masks and clear face shields.<\/p>\n

Palmer pre-taped segments all over New York City, including in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx in preparation. The actual award show was fully outdoors with little to no audience members.<\/p>\n

In addition to the virus, there have also been many racial injustices occurring in the world on top of the recent death of Chadwick Boseman. Palmer made sure to reference race, culture, and perseverance throughout the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs rough as it\u2019s been, there have been incredible moments of inspiration that have given my generation hope,\u201d she stated. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen heroes going above and beyond, whether they drive a delivery truck, work at a grocery store, or serve on the front lines in a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with the Black Lives Matter movement, we\u2019ve seen our generation step up, take to the streets, and make sure our voices will be heard. Enough is enough!\u201d she continued. \u201cWe can never tolerate police brutality. Or any injustice. We must continue the fight to end systemic racism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore we get into the music tonight, we need to talk about the devastating loss of Chadwick Boseman, an actor whose talent and passion is a true inspiration to all the fans he touched and everyone he encountered,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cWe dedicate tonight\u2019s show to a man whose spirit touched so many. He is a true hero. Not just onscreen but in everything he did. His impact lives forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the night went on, many artists hit the stage virtually and in person.<\/p>\n

Palmer\u2019s performance as host was well received by watchers. In addition to her ability to keep the show moving and entertaining, Palmer also gave a high-energy performance of her single \u201cSnack\u201d, which was released in July for her new EP \u201cVirgo Tendencies Part I\u201d <\/em>on an outdoor stage set up near the waterfront in Brooklyn\u2019s Greenpoint neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Stephen Mackey, a sophomore computer engineering major from Clarksville, Tenn., was impressed at Palmer\u2019s ability to do it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Keke Palmer was a good host. I remember her from my childhood in movies and TV shows so I am glad to see she is still working and doing well,\u201d Mackey said.<\/p>\n

Hopefully viewers will see Palmer back on the VMA stage next year. As a reference to a running joke within the black community, she is known to keep a job!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Halle Coleman Staff Writer\/MC 301 Student Keke Palmer made history on Aug. 30 by becoming the first black woman to host the Video Music Awards in 33 years. The last woman of color to host the show was “Downtown” Julie Brown and her fellow MTV VJs when they emceed the awards in 1986 and 1987. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-variety"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}