I realised this morning that I'm in danger of falling back into bad old habits and not updating this blog often enough to make it worthwhile.

So, in the hope of warding off a management-shaped bollocking, here I am.

I was initially stuck for something to write about until it occurred to me that, of late, I've been commenting on the news rather than discussing my favourite subject - myself.

Well, I'm more than happy to rectify that and, though I say so myself, September has been an exceptionally interesting month.

In the last four weeks I have interviewed McFly and Avenue, watched Metallica sound check backstage at the 02, met one of my favourite bands, Kings of Leon, and spent time in hotel rooms with Pussycat Dolls and Sugababes.

The word 'surreal' is chronically overused but I've had moments this month when I've wondered if I'd eaten too much cheese before bedtime.

However, I can honestly say the most bizarre experience of the lot was the Will Young gig I went to last night. It was one of those fan-club members and industry tossers affairs (I am only one of these, I hasten to add), and was essentially a showcase for his new album.

I am not La Young's biggest fan but there was no denying his star quality. He's a little overly fond of the ballads for my liking but when he got the funk going with the help of his excellent band, the comparisons with George Michael seemed entirely valid.

So far, so unremarkable. No, what really threw me was the audience. I have never been to a gig with so many middle-aged women sashaying in the aisles. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a great thing, but I couldn't work out his appeal to them. Did they want to mother him? Convert him? Jump him? Not that it matters, of course.

And just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger, I went for a drink after with my friends Traci, Chloe, and Justin - and Justin had the flattest hair of all time. Very odd.

I realise I'm a couple of days late commenting on Noel Gallagher being assaulted on stage in Toronto but something had been bothering me about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. 

If you've not seen it yet, take a look below:

Liam's dead hard whenever there are security in between him and whoever he wants to have a go at, isn't he?

Anyway, after mulling it over for a few days, I realised there is a Rolling Stones connection here (the second in two blog posts).

Back in 1981, Keith Richards showed exactly how you deal with an idiot who jumps on stage. In Keith's immortal words, "he might be a fan or he might be a nutter but he's on my turf and I'm gonna chop the mother down".

Genius.

Hi folks,

James (White) here as your guest blogger to bring you live written coverage of the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards. 

18:24

With less than three hours to go, things are ramping up for this evening's event. The red carpet is laid, no one has thrown up (yet) and everything is in place. Tonight's big questions: how will host Russell Brand go down in America (and on who)? What will Britney be doing, and will we all have to cringe? And will anyone cry? All these and more will be answered...

Join me at 21:00 hours (LA time for any Brits stopping up stupidly late to read this) for full coverage, live from sunny Hollywood. Yes, it's still sunny. Sorry, Blighty.

20:35

The votes have been cast (and counted) and the pre-show festivities are in full swing. The Red Carpet is full of dancers who are competing for awards and, in true American style, the channel has a bloke in a helicopter following the celebs in their limos and... yes... calling them up. Wonder if the Jonas Brothers are worried that they're being stalked.

Dear MTV: you are big liars. These are clearly not live. The pictures on our TV are of sunny, light blue skies and it's dark outside. We want the money we didn't pay to watch this back!

21:00

In the words of a Mr T. Joker of Gotham City, Here... we... go...

And it's Britney to open, with Superbad's Jonah Hill. Thank goodness for the comic timing. Of Jonah, not Brit. Horrible memories of Crossroads (the movie, not the soap) start to rise.

Oh, product placement. They want us to laugh as they're plugging their stuff.

Britney's back, striding on to what looks like an explosion in a crystal and glitter factory. Either that, or Miley Cirus' bedroom with mirrors and giant screen. Spears is a little stilted, but it's still better than her last appearance..

Zombies crossed with Mad Max arrive toting glow sticks and dragging Rhianna in a giant... volcano... thing. She's here to perform Disturbia and is nominated for two awards.

21:08

The stage lights up and revolves to reveal... Russell Brand. He's stalking on to greet the crowd. He's very shouty. Britney looks sort of bored already. "Some of the world's most famous and exciting stars and... me." He's famous in the United Kingdom, he tells the audience.

Now he's begging America to elect Barack Obama. Little bit of politics, ladies and gentlemen... President Bush gets described as a "retarded cowboy fella." Tells it like he sees it. Sarah Palin gag... Topical!

21:12

Republicans as safe sex message? Nice. The giant screens behind him keep flickering with different MTV branding. It's very distracting, like a toddler with the remote control. We have to chuckle at comparing the Jonas Brothers' abstinence pledge  to Superman taking the bus.

21:14

DJ AM and Travis (Barker, not the group) are our house Deejays for the night. We don't actually get to see them. But we're assured they're there and not locked in a tiny room somewhere.

21:15

First presenter is here: Jamie Foxx. He wants everyone to wake up, which can't be a good sign when you're trying to have a show that's lively and cool. The audience needs waking up?

21:17

The first award: Female Video. Fox lets out the first bleeped (or silenced) swear of the evening.

Pause. Has someone missed a cue? But Britney wins it! After 16 nominations and no trophies she's a winner. She seems rather pleased with it.

21:19

Short, simple, much like Jimmy Krankie. Britney thanks God, her family and her kids.

Russell's busy mocking the royals.

Hey, this show is brought to us by Pepsi and Taco Bell. So glad we're getting it from them.

21:26

We're back from "commercial" as they say - you missed some treats. Okay, we're lying. Russell's back to introduce Demi Moore, who will present Best Male Video. And... she doesn't have a microphone. Who's directing this thing? And Demi seems awkward up on stage, which is bad for an actress.

It goes to Chris Brown, dressed in a snappy white suit. He didn't think he deserved the award. He's trying to thank everyone ever. But gets it done quickly. The Oscars should more like this - in terms of speed, anyway.

21:30

Taylor Swift reminds us that Paramount is a famous movie/TV backlot. But what she's really here to do is introduce The Jonas Brothers, who perform on the steps of a building on the studio's New York set. A thousand teenage girls start to feel funny and faint.

21:32

And they decided to let those thousand screaming teenage girls invade the lot. It's a wonder the Brothers weren't killed. If you could bottle this scream-power, you could keep London's lights on for the next year. One of the Brothers goes crowd surfing. If you read his obituary tomorrow, you'll know why. Death by hugging.

21:34

Katy Perry's performing Like A Virgin. The irony is lost on exactly no one. But us poor TV viewers aren't allowed to watch most of it as the adverts are here to sell us stuff.

21:39

We're back with Katy Perry in I Kissed A Girl full flow. Russell's amped up the speed and made a joke about cherry chap stick on his... er... nether regions.

21:40

It's Olympics star Michael Phelps. Why isn't he swimming up to the stage? Surely he's not afraid of all the electrical equipment? Sadly, he doesn't introduce like he swims - he's not exactly a natural.

21:42

Lil' Wayne lives up to his name and is quite tiny. And sweary. You know, as he runs around the theatre, we have to admit it all looks a lot smaller than most big shows we've seen. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

21:46

Russell's back and shouting again. We think he gets the name of the award wrong.  The next award is presented by Lindsay Lohan! Fannypack wins the Dance Crew gong. Apparently they don't warrant a gong.

The next actual award is best Dancing In A Video.  Because what's a video without dancing? Losing My Religion, that's what. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The Pussycat Dolls win it and arrive wearing surprisingly conservative gowns, given what they usually wear on stage. Everyone's very excited. God gets another shout-out again! God is supporting the Pussycats? We don't remember that bit in the Bible. "Thou shalt shake thy booty," anyone?

21:55

Argh! Sharon Osbourne. Fortunately, it's just an advert for her new show.

21:57

Russell encourages the watching audience to vote for... something. And now he's combining Lil' Wayne and masturbation. We're trying to eat here, Brand!

The Twilight leads arrive to stand with Russell. The teenage girls that went mad for the Jonas Brothers go mad Chaos reigns again as the cast get completely off script. And all they had to do was introduce Paramore playing across town at the Whisky A-Go-Go club. 

This is quite possibly the least polished awards show ever - though perhaps it's cooler that way? We're not sure. We're old.

22:08

Russell has one of the Jonas Brothers' purity rings, or so he claims. The visions that run through our head disturb us.

It's Slash and Shia LaBeouf! The new super duo! Best. Team-up. Ever. Okay, not so much. They're introducing Best Music Video. 

Slash laughs as he announces it's Linkin Park for the win. Does this mean he approves, or he's quietly disgusted? Tough call. The Park start it off with a nod to LaBeouf and Transformers. Talk about yet cross-promotion! And it's another short speech!

22:11

Russell Brand confronts Miley Cyrus about her Rock Band addiction. So sad. Miley's trying to shout to overcome Russell's volume. And here's Pink performing her latest.

Pink appears to have borrowed Rhianna's zombies, cleaned them up and squeezed them all into combats. And this performance is quite a production. They're making full use of the studio lot, even if the show itself still seems small.

22:21

The advert breaks just get longer and longer. This thing could be one hour if they'd get a big sponsor.

Pete Wentz and wife Ashely Simpson indulge in some cringe worth mugging. Nobody thought their marriage would last. After that performance, we're not sure we want it to either. But she's pregnant, so now we feel guilty.

Russell introduces the masked lads of Slipknot. Who - naturally arrive with suits and a charming array of face adornments. But there's an imposter! Christopher Mintz-Plasse of Superbad. Who appears to be drunk. Isn't he too young? Slipknot threatens to beat him down and he sobers up quick.

It's time for Best Hip Hop Video. Winner? Lil' Wayne, for Lollipop. He has three thank yous - God (him again?!), his family and "y'all". Thanks, Lil' Wayne.

Jordin Sparks wants to pimp purity rings, because "not everyone wants to be a slut." T.I.'s performance begs to differ. It's another sprawling moment, moving from the lot to the awards venue. Zombie-wrangler Rhianna returns, dressed this time like Five Star meets bondage.

22:31

LL Cool J just turned up in an advert for US department chain Sears. How the edgy have fallen!

22:37

The High School Musical cast are here. Yes, they all get something to say. How nice... And they're introducing Christina Christina Aguilera, who leads off with a quick video tour of her past appearances. Plus, she appears to be dressed as Batgirl. A Batgirl who has lady accountants for back-up dancers. And now she has an entire troupe of both male and female dancers.  Maybe the Oscars could use this lot to introduce the boring accountant firm that counts and stores the votes for that show.

22:42

Russell apologies for making light of purity and promise rings. And yes, it's a golden shower joke. Feels like he's lost the audience. And how we get an actor from Gossip Girl and that bird out of The Hills.

The Best New Artist votes (which have been counted through the show so far) lead to Tokyo Hotel winning. The lead singer came dressed as a Hanna Barbera cartoon character. They don't want to thank the record company, and God gets shut out. They thank their fans.

22:50

LL Cool J is performing. We can't take him seriously after the Sears thing. Still, he manages some decent banter with Russell. Paris Hilton strides on the stage. Cut to Chris Mintz-Plasse looking like he'll fall asleep.

Paris misses her cue, continuing the theme of the evening. She's looking at the wrong camera.

Time for best Pop Video. Britney takes a second Moonman! The comeback might actually have started, provided she can stay sane. She's thanking God (we're going to have words soon), her family and fans again.

22:56

It's nearly 11pm  Losing... will... to... live. Talking of losing things, Russell is losing his voice. If only he didn't shout so much!

23:00

Kid Rock's here to perform. Someone should really tell him that his hair looks ridiculous.

23:10

It's Kobe Bryant, recent Gold Medal Winner, who has somehow managed to rejuvinate his public profile enough to warrant presenting Best Video. We're guessing it has something to do with the aforementioned video.

23:11

Britney scoops the triple! Will she thank God yet again? We wait in breathless anticipation. Nope, the big guy gets cut out.

Russell wraps it up by getting Britney out of the show on a golf cart. He's kidnapping her! Can he keep her.

Kanye West closes things down.

Russell's back for one last little, very quick speech. If we had to sum up his performance in one word, we'll stick with "shouty". We don't think it'll it'll exactly help him crack America, but who knows?

That's all, folks! Thanks for reading.

James White

Looks like Britney is back with a vengeance! Our MSN insider got their hands on some behind-the-scenes footage which shows her rehearsing with dancers. Is she practising for a tour, or maybe the VMAs?  

     
Video: Britney's Back!

Hello folks, my name is James and I'll be your guest blogger for this year's MTV Video Music Awards. No, I'm not the regular James playing a cruel trick on you all, I'm better known as James White, contributor to MSN Music's sister site, MSN Movies. Yes, the one with the snarky blogs and Are We Excited columns.

I live here in sunny Hell-Ay and will be observing the action from an exclusive vantage point no other journalist in the city has access too. Which is definitely not my apartment's couch. Oh, no.

Okay, it is. But it's exclusive! Stand by for blogging action this weekend.

Isn't technology wonderful? It seems like only yesterday that the only way to see a top band live was to pay for a ticket, queue up at some venue or other, wonder whether it was worth queuing up again to put your jacket in the cloakroom, pay for an overpriced, watered down drink, and fight your way as close to the front as you could physically bear.

Don't be so 20th century, daddio!

Now, thanks to the magic of something called Silverlight, you can watch the marvelous Groove Armada live in concert from London's SeOne Club from 9pm tonight!

For more details, either click here or the link above or the picture below.

* I wasn't paid to write this blog post. In fact, if anything, I paid. With a little bit of my soul.

The new Oasis video, for forthcoming single The Shock Of The Lightning, arrived in the office this morning. The NME have gone into hyperbolic overdrive about it, calling it their finest tune for 10 years.

Strangely, I can't actually decide if this is true or not. I mean, it might be but that doesn't mean it's any good. It's just, you know, business as usual; a pleasant enough sub-Beatles melody, guitars turned up to 11, and a truly appalling set of faux-profound lyrics. 

What's that, Noel? Love is a time machine, you say? Of course it is. A magical mystery tour? Aha, see what you did there. That's the name of a song by... oh what are they called? The Beatles! That's it. Loving the obscure reference. Loving the mad juxtaposition of nonsensical phrases. It's, like, psychedelic. Or something.

Still, credit where it's due - they're not just ripping off the Beatles these days, they are ripping off the Stones too.

Below is the opening shot of the video.

...and this is the cover of Hot Rocks, a Stones best of collection originally released in 1971.

It obviously isn't a coincidence. What I can't work out is whether these, ahem, 'borrowings' of other people's musical, lyrical, and visual ideas are meant to be noticed or not.

Ultimately though, I don't suppose it makes any difference.