As far as award shows go, the MTV Movie & TV Awards tends to get lost in the shuffle - it doesn't have the same prestige or drama as the MTV Video Music Awards, which airs later in the summer. Still, the show typically has its fair share of oddities.
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2019: The best and worst moments
By Emily Yahr
Washington Post·
9 mins to read
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MTV Movie and TV Awards host Zachary Levi. Photo / AP
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Anyway, Pinkett Smith admitted that at first, she wasn't sure she deserved the "trailblazer" title, until she realized that the word can have many meanings. "Often we applaud the trails people blaze in the external world that we can see, but very rarely do we applaud the trails that are blazed in the hidden rooms of the mind that are full of uncertainty, false beliefs and pain," she told the crowd. "It's these internal obstacles that must be challenged in order to muster the courage to forge new paths that we can see in the world."
Brie Larson applauding her stunt doubles.
In one hilarious (while much-deserved) instance, the "best fight" category included "Ruth Bader Ginsburg versus inequality" from the RBG documentary... though unfortunately, it didn't stand a chance next to the fight sequences in movies such as Captain Marvel, which won the prize. Onstage, Larson quickly turned the attention to her stunt doubles, Joanna Bennett and Renae Moneymaker. "They are the living embodiment of Captain Marvel," she said, before giving both women the chance to make a speech of their own.
The Rock's speech.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got a bit emotional as he accepted the Generation Award, presented to an actor "whose diverse contributions to both film and television have turned them into household names in the industry," as MTV put it.
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"The most powerful thing that we can be is ourselves," Johnson urged the audience. "When I first got to Hollywood, they didn't know what the hell to do with me. I mean, I was this half-black, half-Samoan, 6-foot-4, 275-pound pro wrestler."
Johnson, who arrived onstage accompanied by a Samoan dance performance to Queen's We Will Rock You, said he decided to ignore his critics' questionable advice to lose weight, stop working out and not use a nickname like "The Rock." Looks like it worked out pretty well! "I wasn't gonna conform to Hollywood," he said. "Hollywood was gonna conform to me."
Sandra Bullock's ode to family.
Bullock picked up the trophy for Most Frightened Performance for her role in Netflix's Bird Box, in which a mother navigates her children through a world where you literally can't open your eyes or you will immediately die. After Bullock thanked Netflix for "allowing us to make an educational video on the horrors of parenting," she explained that she took the role because her kids asked why she never made any movies for them.
"When I finished the film, I went to my babies and I said, 'Here, Mommy made this for you.' And even though you can't see it until you're 21, because apparently a movie about being a mommy is a horror film, you will know when you see it that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you," said Bullock, who has two adopted children. "I wanted you to see what being a family looks like. Sometimes you are born into a family and sometimes you need to go find it. Sometimes it finds you. But no matter how it comes together, but when it does, family is what you fight for." (Of course, she joked, her son later explained that what he really meant was he wished she would star in a superhero movie.)
Noah Centineo's candid speech.
Netflix had a great night with multiple awards, including two for the much-lauded rom-com To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Stars Noah Centineo and Lana Condor were adorable as they accepted the trophy for Best Kiss together; later, Centineo also won Breakthrough Performance for playing the Internet's New Favorite Fictional Boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky.
In a surprisingly candid speech, the 23-year-old revealed a lesson that he's already learned from Hollywood: "External things don't actually make you happy." Centineo admitted that during his breakout role on Freeform's The Fosters, he was actually miserable. "The show is an amazing show," he quickly added. "I just wasn't happy with all of these things outside of myself. And I found that truly, the thing that made me happy, the thing that actually fulfilled me was not having a successful career; it was doing what I love and giving back to other people." The audience loved it.
WORST
Zachary Levi's Ray J joke.
Levi, host of the show and the star of Shazam!, promptly earned some awkward silence during his monologue when he referenced R&B star Ray J, who was in the audience to promote VH1′s "Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood."
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"I'm sure some of you are more familiar with his work as a cameraman," Levi cracked, a reference to the infamous sex tape with Kim Kardashian from many years ago. Ray J sat expressionless while his wife, Princess, held up two middle fingers in response.
Those unnecessarily lengthy parodies of Us and Game of Thrones.
Not to pile on Levi, but why did these largely unfunny skits take so long when there could have been other performances or awards handed out?
The tease of a "power quintet" table and then... nothing.
Early in the show, Levi pointed out that Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock and singer Lizzo were all sitting together, which we assumed was setting up some sort of bit. Except then it wasn't! Moss, Haddish and McCarthy (co-stars in the upcoming drama "The Kitchen") eventually introduced Lizzo's performance, but who wouldn't have wanted to overhear the conversations at that table?
The lack of airtime for the Most Meme-able Moment award.
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Obviously, this iconic TV moment beat all the others in that category. Why did Colton Underwood (who was in attendance) not accept his award onstage or, better yet, recreate this incredible and extremely viral gif?
Winners and nominees
Most Frightened Performance
Alex Wolff, Hereditary
Linda Cardellini, The Curse of La Llorona
Rhian Rees, Halloween
Sandra Bullock, Bird Box (Netflix) - winner
Victoria Pedretti, The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)
Best Host
Gayle King, CBS This Morning
Nick Cannon, Wild 'n Out (MTV) - winner
Nick Cannon, The Masked Singer (Fox)
RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race (Logo)
Trevor Noah, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Reality Royalty
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Jersey Shore: Family Vacation (MTV)
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (VH1)- winner
The Bachelor (ABC)
The Challenge (MTV)
Vanderpump Rules (Bravo)
Best Fight
Avengers: Endgame: Captain America vs. Thanos
Captain Marvel: Captain Marvel vs. Minn-Erva - winner
Game of Thrones (HBO): Arya Stark vs. the White Walkers
RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg vs. Inequality
WWE Wrestlemania: Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair
Best Performance in a Movie
Amandla Stenberg, The Hate U Give
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born - winner
Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Sandra Bullock, Bird Box
Best Kiss
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Camila Mendes and Charles Melton, Riverdale (CW)
Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, Aquaman
Ncuti Gatwa and Connor Swindells, Sex Education (Netflix)
Noah Centineo and Lana Condor, To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Netflix) - winner
Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams, Venom
Best Documentary
At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal
McQueen
Minding the Gap
RBG
Surviving R. Kelly - winner
Best Performance in a Show
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu) - winner
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin (CW)
Kiernan Shipka, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)
Breakthrough Performance
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Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians
Haley Lu Richardson, Five Feet Apart
Mj Rodriguez, Pose (FX)
Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education (Netflix)
Noah Centineo, To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Netflix) - winner
Best Comedic Performance
Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians
Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek (Pop TV) - winner
John Mulaney, Big Mouth (Netflix)
Marsai Martin, Little
Zachary Levi, Shazam!
Best Movie
Avengers: Endgame - winner
BlacKkKlansman
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Us
Best Show
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Big Mouth (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO) - winner
Riverdale (CW)
Schitt's Creek (Pop TV)
The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)
Best Hero
Brie Larson, Captain Marvel
John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Robert Downey Jr., Avengers: Endgame - winner
Zachary Levi, Shazam!
Best Villain
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America)
Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Josh Brolin, Avengers: Endgame - winner
Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Penn Badgley, You (Lifetime)
Best Real Life Hero
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Alex Honnold, Free Solo
Hannah Gadsby, Nanette
Roman Reigns, WWE SmackDown
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG - winner
Serena Williams, Being Serena
Most Meme-able Moment
Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club (MTV): The Lilo Dance
Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood (VH1): Ray J's Hat
RBG: The Notorious RBG
RuPaul's Drag Race (Logo): Asia O'Hara's butterfly finale fail
The Bachelor (ABC): Colton Underwood jumps the fence - winner
Best Musical Moment
A Star is Born: Shallow - winner
Bohemian Rhapsody: Live Aid Concert
Captain Marvel: Just a Girl
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix): Masquerade
On My Block (Netflix): Look at that Butt
Riverdale (CW): Seventeen
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Sunflower
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix): I Think We're Alone Now
