On the Scene: The MTV Movie and TV Awards Red Carpet

“Annabelle is on the carpet.  Annabelle is on the carpet.”

A production assistant’s walkie-talkie squawked the news as the press settled in for the red carpet at the 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards.  And while one could mistake a single name reference for a big pop star or celebrity, “Annabelle” referred to the central creepy doll in “Annabelle Comes Home.”  But apparently, before trekking home, she trekked to the red carpet with the assistance of two handlers.

The MTV red carpets have long been a place for unique moments, whether be fashion or marketing ploys.  Under the sounds of the Santa Monica airport, amongst the shadows of giant golden popcorn tins, and with the flashes of Becky Lynch’s WWE belt and Tana Mongeau’s shiny dollar bill dress, this year was no exception.

The red carpet quickly turned into a red hot affair under the direct sun.  Even in the heat, cast member and start of “Wild N Out” Rip Michaels showed off his black velvet jacket.  Despite his assurance that he was ok, Michaels noted, “I’m burning up, I think this was the wrong choice. It looked good when I was in New York.”  Speaking of red hot, Michaels is responsible for Nick Cannons’ red hot Wild N’Out Tour, a spin off of “Nick Cannon Presents Wild N’Out.” The show was nominated for an award this evening.  On the heels of that success, Michaels is continuing to work on new content, “I worked with Cardi B on this show ‘Off The Rip’ and we’re super excited about that. This whole project is going to be amazing.  So many stars came on the show and became a part of the huge melting pot of comedy.” While the red carpet may be, well, melting, Michaels is grateful to participate in these awards in new ways. “I started MTV as a warm up person.  I used to do the warm up for these shows so to be on the other side of it is great. Doing the warm up for the VMAs so many years and to finally get on the other side of it in terms of producing and acting now. It’s a great feeling.”

On that side of the carpet, the quest for the golden popcorn has gone on for 27 years.  The year was 1992, and the network premiered another small little show: The Real World.  The MTV staple changed reality television forever and ran for 32 seasons. Now, the show has returned with Facebook Watch, bringing a new sense of community and an international focus.  “The Challenge’s” Johnny Bananas, after going bananas and doing a “carpet angel” by dancing on the ground, welcomed the Real World group into the reality royalty family on the carpet.

The Real World is not the only MTV show to get a 2019 reboot: The Hills, version 2.0, is headed to television 10 years after the original as The Hills: New Beginnings.  Spencer and Heidi’s son, Gunner, matched his dad on the red carpet. Frankie Delgado will also be returning, with his family, to the show. “We have our kids in it. We have a lot of drama again, that doesn’t end.  And everybody’s got their wives and their significant others,” Frankie shared. As for his return to the red carpet, Frankie said it was unbelievable. “It’s so amazing to be a part of this again, to be able to walk this red carpet next to big stars,” Delgado said.

Among the big stars Delgado noticed was Shazam himself, Zachary Levi, host for the evening’s festivities.  One of his young co-stars, Faith Herman, was looking forward to the opening sketch, a parody of Us filmed with Shazam himself.  “It was really fun and it’s nice I got to do this. You guys are going to love it,” Herman gushed. Faith noted that her team for the film was like “a big family,” and would have made a prime nomination for a “Best Group” nomination if MTV were open to considering new award categories.  When asked who she was most excited to see this evening, Faith did not hesitate: The Rock. “He’s done really amazing work and I love the movies he’s done,” she said. As Faith walked away, “We Will Rock You” rocked the inside of the hanger, a fitting end to a conversation about the evening and the amazingness of the Rock.

The MTV Awards were filmed on Saturday June 16th at the Barker Hanger and aired on Monday June 18th.