Comedian Chelsea Handler To Host VMAs

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Comedian Chelsea Handler will host this year's MTV Video Music Awards, the cable network has announced. It's the first time a woman will be hosting the program, slated for September 12th in Los Angeles, since Roseanne Barr did it in 1994 — and only the third time overall, when you count Bette Midler co-hosting the inaugural VMAs with Dan Akroyd in 1984. (Female MTV VJs, including "Downtown" Julie Brown and Martha Quinn, hosted in 1986 and 1987.) "If there's one awards show that I should be hosting, it's probably this one," Handler said in an interview with the New York Times. "My personality probably wouldn't gell with the Emmys or the Golden Globes."

MTV also announced that Justin Bieber and B.o.B will perform at the show, which is moving back to L.A. from New York this year, joining Kanye West and Drake. Ke$ha and Ashley Greene have also signed on as presenters. "It is all still unbelievable," said Bieber, who is nominated for Best New Artist told MTV. "Last year I went for the first time and no one knew who I was." Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon. Already slated to present: Nicki Minaj, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Trey Songz, Selena Gomez and Ne-Yo.

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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