The 1996 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 4, 1996, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1995, to June 14, 1996. The show was hosted by Dennis Miller at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Highlights of the show included a short-lived reunion of the four original members of Van Halen, who had not appeared together at that time for more than a decade (and who have not appeared together afterwards until the Van Halen 2007–2008 North American Tour), presenting the award for Best Male Video, as well as a live interlink with astronauts on the Mir space station. The show also marked Tupac Shakur's final public appearance before being shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada three days later on September 7.
The Smashing Pumpkins led the pack that night with nine nominations and seven wins. Of these, their video for "Tonight, Tonight" earned seven wins out of its eight nominations, including Video of the Year, thus making it the night's most nominated and biggest winning video. Furthermore, their video for "1979" earned the one Moonman it was nominated for: Best Alternative Video.
The next biggest nominee and winner that night was Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, who won three out of her six nominations for her video "Ironic." Tying with her in terms of nominations was Icelandic singer Björk, who also received six; however, her video for "It's Oh So Quiet" only took home one Moonman for Best Choreography. Closely following with five nominations each were Coolio, the Foo Fighters, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Out of these, though, only the former two ended up taking home some Moonmen for their videos. Coolio won three, as "Gangsta's Paradise" won two out of its three nominations, and "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" won one out of its two nominations, while the Foo Fighters' "Big Me" took home one Moonman for Best Group Video. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, meanwhile, went home empty-handed.
Famous quotes containing the words video and/or music:
“I recently learned something quite interesting about video games. Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games. The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.”
—Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)
“The sound of tireless voices is the price we pay for the right to hear the music of our own opinions. But there is also, it seems to me, a moment at which democracy must prove its capacity to act. Every man has a right to be heard; but no man has the right to strangle democracy with a single set of vocal chords.”
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)