New York, July 31, 2006 – Do you see the sweeping views of Manhattan in the photo at left? No? That’s funny, because that’s the only possible reason for MTV to have held their VMA press conference at Top of the Rock, the rooftop observation deck at Rockefeller Center. And while the views are truly spectacular, being outdoors 70 stories up is decidedly less fabulous on one of the hottest days of the year. Everyone there was surprised that no one passed out during the press conference.

After Justin Timberlake and rapper T.I. each addressed the crowd, the 100 or so journalists baking under the brutal sun groaned collectively when MTV President Christina Norman introduced Beyonce, but before bringing her out, insisted on first showing us a video montage of highlights of the star’s career on MTV. “You got to wait a minute”, Norman told the sweltering onlookers. Finally, Beyonce left the air-conditioned interior and took the stage for a moment.

Voting for the Video Music Awards categories is open to all, online, for the first time. The 2006 VMAs will be broadcast live on August 31, although the network has not yet selected a host for the show.