What should viewers expect?

The MTV president won't promise anything.
NEW YORK (AP) -- In the 21-year history of MTV's Video Music Awards, viewers have been treated to some eye-popping moments -- Prince's bare buttocks, Lil' Kim's sequined pasty, Britney and Madonna's steamy kiss last year.
But after the firestorm over the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show, in which Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Janet Jackson's costume to reveal her bare breast, might we see tamer VMAs when they air tonight?
MTV President Van Toffler isn't promising any flesh-baring moments. But he's also not promising a Nickelodeon-friendly affair.
"You never know what they're going to do or say," Toffler said of the various artists who will converge at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, where the awards will be held for the first time. "Our audience has come to expect of MTV, and this event, very unpredictable, compelling television. That is not going to change, regardless of the Super Bowl or the kiss."
Still, there's talk of using a video delay for the first time on the live broadcast (it's had an audio delay for years).
"It simply happens when you put musicians and artists together: They don't always do want you want them to do," Toffler told The Associated Press in an interview.
Expect the unexpected
That's usually the best part of the show, however. Few watch because of the awards -- who can even remember last year's top winner for video of the year? (In case you forgot, it was Missy Elliott's surreal "Work It.") Instead, people watch to see Eminem threaten a sock puppet, Diana Ross fondle Lil' Kim's breast or Michael Jackson kiss then-wife Lisa Marie Presley.
"It's always a fun time, a time to relax and let loose," said Jessica Simpson, one of the performers slated for tonight.
Traditionally, the show has been held in New York; occasionally, in Los Angeles. But for the first time, it's being held outside those two cities, in Miami. The network plans to take advantage of the beach town -- celebrities will be ferried to the red carpet on luxury yachts.
"Everybody's on a vacation mind-set. It's going to be more of a party this time," Simpson said. "It will be nice to lay out at the pool before I perform."
Other differences
There will be other changes too. There's no host, and it will be held on a Sunday, instead of the traditional Thursday night.
"There's just so much going on this summer with the conventions and the Olympics," Toffler explained.
Simpson says her performance will include a "pretty cool entrance."
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.