MTV Video Music Awards reward the best in this year's music entertainment

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's), hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, took place on Sept. 6 in sunny Los Angeles at the Staples Center. The night featured performances from Rihanna, Taylor Swift, One Direction and Lil Wayne among others, some better than others.

The two-hour live show kicked off with a two-song performance from Rihanna who started with her song “Cockiness (Love It)” then segued into her hit song “We Found Love.” Rapper Aesop Rocky joined her on stage during “We Found Love” to help remix the song. Rihanna really set the tone for the night with her high energy, fun and flawless performance. Rihanna won Video of the Year for her hit “We Found Love.”

Playing the U.S. presidential anthem “Hail to the Chief,” Hart made his way to the stage with an entourage of “little” security after Rihanna’s performance.  “Kevin Hart for President” was a trending topic on Twitter minutes later. He opened the night with jokes about Chris Brown, Drake, Frank Ocean, Snookie and Kristen Stewart. He poked fun at people, but kept it classy which is different from the typical VMA host who rudely makes fun of the stars in the audience for a laugh. He amped up the crowd by making them laugh and set the bar high for the rest of the evening.

Musical powerhouse Katy Perry was the first presenter of the night. According to Billboard.com, Perry is the only artist to spend over 60 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 list, . Perry presented the band One Direction with their first VMA for Best Pop Video. The band also took home awards for Best New Artist and Most Share-Worthy Video for their song “What Makes You Beautiful.”

Nicki Minaj, Coldplay and electronic producer Calvin Harris were also included in the winner list. Minaj took home Best Female Video for her song “Starships.” Minaj announced she will be releasing a new album entitled “Pink Friday Roman Reloaded: The Re-Up,” while on the red carpet during the preshow.

Coldplay won Best Rock Video for their song “Paradise” while electronic Harris won Best Electronic Dance Video for his song “Feel So Close.” Harris was also the house DJ for the night at the VMAs. Harris has written and produced records for artists including Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ke$ha and most notably Rihanna for the international chart topper “We Found Love.” He is set to release his third studio album in October.

Two of the best performances of the night came from R&B singer Frank Ocean and pop artist P!nk. Ocean performed his single “Thinking About You” against a wilderness-influenced background with stars and grass surrounding him and fire behind him. His performance was all talent. He didn’t need a flashy background or dancers to carry him. His voice was powerful yet poignant and soulful.

P!nk opened her performance with a few lyrics from her hit song “Get the Party Started,” but she quickly segued into her new song “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” after she completed a small acrobatic routine to the stage. Her performance was fun and lighthearted as dancers with giant lips over their heads spewed confetti into the crowd.

The evening closed with Taylor Swift performing her latest breakup anthem “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Swift’s performance was charming as usual as the crowd sang along with her. Swift’s new album “Red” is set to drop Oct. 22.

 Overall the night was as predictable as the last five years at the VMAs. The performances this year, for the most part, were mediocre. A performance by rappers 2 chainz and Lil Wayne was outright terrible. But no matter how boring and predictable the VMAs become each year, audiences will always tune in to see what MTV might have up its sleeve.