New York, August 31, 2006 – Jennifer Lopez's skullcap was the only questionable fashion choice at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards; a shocking development for a show that in the past has featured Britney Spears in bondage gear and Snoop Dogg walking women on leashes.

The massive red carpet snaking through the Rockefeller Center complex had retail stores closed for business, but open for private parties where lucky attendees got close-up looks at the world’s biggest musical stars.

R&B singer Kelis told us that she’s written a cookbook due out early next year; it does not contain any milkshake recipes. MTV reality-show star Jason Wahler said, “I don’t actually watch MTV at all. I think Laguna Beach and The Hills suck”. (He appears on both shows.)

Backstage in the press room, we explained to a mystified colleague that without caked-on makeup and dirty hair, actor Jared Leto, lead singer of the group 30 Seconds To Mars, is actually quite attractive. However, we couldn’t explain Leto’s arrogance during the Q&A session. A sample:

Reporter A: “Jared, you just worked with Lindsay Lohan on a movie...”

Leto: [Interrupting] “Next question.”

Reporter B: “Jared, can you tell me about the first time you put on makeup? How did that make you feel?”

Leto: “Yeah. I put lipstick on when I was about 4 or 5 and I found my inner self. I’m working on a boob job. I have to go to Tijuana in about a month to cut the rest off. Next question.”

Reporter C: “Can you sing us your favorite Beatles song?” [Following a question about playing Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s murderer, in a movie.]

Leto: “Where you from?”

Reporter C: "Amsterdam".

Leto: “Don’t embarrass your country.”

There was (finally) some excitement toward the end of the show, when someone crashed the stage. Our onstage source gave us this account of the incident “The guy went up on stage while J. Lo was presenting the award, and he grabbed the mic from the band and started spouting off ‘Soylent Green’ kind of bulls--t. And he started talking about his Web site, and how MTV didn’t give him a show that he was supposed to have.” Photographer Patrick McMullan has photos of the crasher here.

Best pop video winner Pink has become an old married lady; she said that after the show, instead of hitting the after parties she was heading home to walk her dogs.

Of the numerous VMA parties that we hit, Virgin Mobile’s was a standout. The Rapture performed songs off their soon-to-be-released new album, Pieces Of The People We Love, and Liv Tyler stepped off the mommy track to catch husband Royston Langdon’s set with his new band Arckid. At 2:30 A.M., host Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley jumped up on stage and did a surprise performance, including his hit, Crazy.