Marianas Trench performs during the CFL's 100th Grey Cup game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders at the Rogers Centre on Nov. 25 2012.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The award-show specialists Marianas Trench will continue their trophy-time ubiquity at this summer's MuchMusic Video Awards extravaganza. It was announced Tuesday that the emotive Vancouver quartet had scored six nominations for its Desperate Measures video, a doll-house fantasy directed by Kyle Davison.
Second in the nomination tally is the U.S.-based hip hop star Drake, whose Shoppers Drug Mart-themed vignette for the hit Started From the Bottom earned five nominations (and many, many Optimum Points, no doubt).
The awards presentation and concert (self-billed as the "biggest street party on the planet") happens June 16. Announced performers so far include the starlet-songstress Demi Lovato and Psy, the viral-video sensation whose style is Gangnam. Both those international artists tallied two nominations, as did boy band One Direction, the party-starting popster Pink and the speed-dating Nashvillian Taylor Swift. At Sunday's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, the country-crossover star won eight prizes, including ones for best artist and top Billboard 200 album (Red). She told the crowd: "You are the longest and best relationship I ever had."
At that ceremony, the erratically mannered Justin Bieber was booed when he won the first Milestone Award. During his acceptance speech, the chart-topping, monkey-abandoning teen defended himself. "I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously," he said. "And all this other bull should not be spoken of."
Bieber received two MMVA nominations.
Other artists with multiple nominations include Nova Scotia rapper Classified (in four categories). Sparky punk-rockers Billy Talent, dance-music maestro deadmau5 and singer-songwriter Serena Ryder all have three chances to win awards, while Carly Rae Jepson, Hedley, Metric, Young Empires and the Sheepdogs received two nominations apiece.
Joining Drake and Marianas Trench in the top video category are Classified (for Inner Ninja, featuring Davis Myles), Ryder (for the foot-lifting Stompa) and the enigmatic R&B hero the Weeknd (for Wicked Games).
Brad Wheeler