The Nominees Are: 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place in Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Comedian Russell Brand will be hosting the event for the second time in a row. On August 4, the nominees were announced. Beyonce and Lady Gaga lead the pack with 9 nominations each, followed by Britney Spears with 7; Coldplay, Eminem, and Kanye West with 4 each.

The following is a breakdown of this year's awards and my picks for who I think will win and who will most likely win:

Nominations

Video of the Year

* Kanye West -- "Love Lockdown"

* Beyonce -- "Single Ladies"

* Eminem -- "We Made You"

* Britney Spears -- "Womanizer"

* Lady GaGa -- "Poker Face"

Prediction: As much as this was the year of Lady GaGa, "Love Lockdown" and "We Made You" are much better videos, and as much as I am a fan of both Eminem and Kanye West, and I have to choose to between the two I would say Love Lockdown wins this award.

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Lady GaGa, "Poker Face" or maybe Britney Spears, but I think MTV mended their fences with Britney by having her win last year.

Best Male Video

* Kanye West -- "Love Lockdown"

* Jay-Z -- "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"

* Eminem -- "We Made You"

* T.I. featuring Rihanna -- "Live Your Life"

* Ne-Yo -- "Miss Independent"

PREDICTION: Seeing as how I chose Love Lockdown for Best Video, I'll choose the ladder for Best Male and pick "We Made You."

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Kanye West or T.I.

Best Female Video

* Taylor Swift -- "You Belong With Me"

* Beyonce -- "Single Ladies"

* Kelly Clarkson -- "My Life Would Suck Without You"

* Pink -- "So What"

* Lady GaGa -- "Poker Face"

* Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold"

PREDICTION: If this award is based on the single's success, "So What" or "Hot N' Cold" would win this award, my pick is "So What."

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Seeing as how the award isn't about that, I would expect Beyonce or Lady GaGa to win.

Best New Artist

* 3OH!3 -- "Don't Trust Me"

* Drake -- "Best I Ever Had"

* Kid Cudi -- "Day 'n' Nite"

* Lady Gaga -- "Poker Face"

* Asher Roth -- "I Love College"

PREDICTION: This is clearly the toughest category to judge. 3OH!3's video is a hilarious video, and the song is highly catchy, based on the other nominees I don't see them winning.

I learned of Drake, through a friend of mine back in California, the song is a like a mix of Kanye and Akon, I would say he is an underdog to win this award.

The favorites for the award has to be Kid Cudi, Asher Roth or Lady Gaga.

I would choose Kid Cudi "Day 'N' Nite" for Best New Artist.

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Odds are very high, that Lady GaGa will win this award.

Best Pop Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

* Cobra Starship (featuring Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl) -- "Good Girls Go Bad"

* Lady Gaga -- "Poker Face"

* Britney Spears -- "Womanizer"

* Wisin & Yandel -- "Abusadora"

PREDICTION: I am honestly not a pop fan, but recently I've seen the Cobra Starship video, and I would have to choose them to win the award.

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: As much I would like to say Beyonce or Lady GaGa, I think MTV will avoid after the resurgent Princess of Pop leave the show without a moon man, so I expect Britney Spears will be awarded with her fourth moon man.

Best Rock Video

* Coldplay -- "Viva la Vida"

* Fall Out Boy -- "I Don't Care"

* Green Day -- "21 Guns"

* Kings of Leon -- "Use Somebody"

* Paramore -- "Decode"

PREDICTION: I would choose the winner for this award again based on the success of the single, so Kings of Leon should take this moon man, but;

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Green Day, "21 Guns"

Best Hip-Hop Video

* Eminem -- "We Made You"

* Flo Rida (featuring Kesha) -- "Right Round"

* Jay-Z -- "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"

* Asher Roth -- "I Love College"

* Kanye West -- "Love Lockdown"

PREDICTION: I would have to choose Kanye for the award, but it is close to call between Kanye and Eminem

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Eminem

Breakthrough Video

* Anjulie -- "Boom"

* Bat for Lashes -- "Daniel"

* Chairlift -- "Evident Utensil"

* Cold War Kids -- "I've Seen Enough"

* Death Cab for Cutie -- "Grapevine Fires"

* Gnarls Barkley -- "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

* Major Lazer -- "Hold the Line"

* Matt and Kim -- "Lessons Learned"

* Passion Pit -- "The Reeling"

* Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- "Heads Will Roll"

PREDICTION: I am basically choosing this one on a whim, and I can really give a who will likely win, because I have not seen any of these videos, so (literally flipping a coin between Gnarls Barkley and Yeah Yeah Yeahs) I would choose Gnarls Barkley to win this award.

Best Direction in a Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Director: Jake Nava)

* Cobra Starship (featuring Leighton Meester) -- "Good Girls Go Bad" (Director: Kai Regan)

* Green Day -- "21 Guns" (Director: Marc Webb)

* Lady Gaga -- "Paparazzi" (Director: Jonas Ĺkerlund)

* Britney Spears -- "Circus" (Director: Francis Lawrence)

PREDICTION: After seeing Cobra Starship's video, I commend Regan for a well directed video, of course that is my prediction, odds MTV will choose (SEE WHO WILL LIKELY WIN)

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Beyonce or Britney.

Best Choreography in a Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Choreographers: Frank Gatson and JaQuel Knight)

* Ciara (featuring Justin Timberlake) -- "Love Sex Magic" (Choreographers: Jamaica Craft and "Marty")

* Kristinia DeBarge -- "Goodbye" (Choreographer: Jamaica Craft)

* A.R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls (featuring Nicole Scherzinger) -- "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" (Choreographers: Robin Antin and Mikey Minden)

* Britney Spears -- "Circus" (Choreographer: Andre Fuentes)

PREDICTION: Britney Spears, "Circus"

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Britney Spears or Beyonce

Best Special Effects in a Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Special Effects: VFX Effects and Louis Mackall V)

* Eminem -- "We Made You" (Special Effects: Ingenuity Engine)

* Gnarls Barkley -- "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" (Special Effects: Gradient Effects and Image Metrics)

* Lady Gaga -- "Paparazzi" (Special Effects: Chimney Pot)

* Kanye West (featuring Mr Hudson) -- "Paranoid" (Special Effects: Wizardflex)

PREDICTION: Kanye West, "Paranoid"

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Beyonce or Eminem

Best Art Direction in a Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Art Director: Niamh Byrne)

* Coldplay -- "Viva la Vida" (Art Director: Gregory De Maria)

* Gnarls Barkley -- "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" (Art Director: Zach Matthews)

* Lady Gaga -- "Paparazzi" (Art Director: Jason Hamilton)

* Britney Spears -- "Circus" (Art Directors: Laura Fox and Charles Varga)

PREDICTION: Coldplay, "Viva la Vida."

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Yet Again either Britney or Beyonce.

Best Editing in a Video

* Beyoncé Knowles -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Editor: Jarrett Fijal)

* Coldplay -- "Viva la Vida" (Editor: Hype Williams)

* Miley Cyrus -- "7 Things" (Editor: Jarrett Fijal)

* Lady Gaga -- "Paparazzi" (Editors: Danny Tull and Jonas Ĺkerlund)

* Britney Spears -- "Circus" (Editor: Jarrett Fijal)

PREDICTION: Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Britney or Beyonce, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if Lady GaGa or even Hannah Mon, I mean Miley Cyrus wins.

Best Cinematography in a Video

* Beyoncé -- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Director of Photography: Jim Fealy)

* Coldplay -- "Viva la Vida" (Director of Photography: John Perez)

* Green Day -- "21 Guns" (Director of Photography: Jonathan Sela)

* Lady Gaga -- "Paparazzi" (Director of Photography: Eric Broms)

* Britney Spears -- "Circus" (Director of Photography: Thomas Kloss)

PREDICTION: Green Day, "21 Guns"

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Beyonce, Britney or Lady GaGa

To make a long story short, this has clearly been the year for Divas, and seeing as how Beyonce, Britney and Lady Gaga are leading the way with the most nominations, it's clear the divas will take home the most moon men

Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman)

* Beastie Boys -- "Sabotage"

* Björk -- "Human Behaviour"

* Dr. Dre -- "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang"

* Foo Fighters -- "Everlong"

* George Michael -- "Freedom! '90"

* OK Go -- "Here It Goes Again"

* Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- "Into the Great Wide Open"

* Radiohead -- "Karma Police"

* David Lee Roth -- "California Girls"

* U2 -- "Where the Streets Have No Name"

PREDICTION: This may be the coolest award, that MTV has created, it's almost like the Oscars who have recently announced that they will have 10 nominees for the Best Picture category, this award recognizes 10 classic videos who never have won the coveted moon man. I would say the award is narrowed down to 3, between U2, OK Go or Beastie Boys.

I would choose U2 to win the award, a personal favorite though is Tom Petty (how can any fan of classic rock, not choose Tom Petty), but this award may be even tougher to choose than the winner in the Best New Artist category.

WHO WILL LIKELY WIN: Who Knows?