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Lil Nas X scores top MTV VMA nominations

Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift also land noms

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7 years ago

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Lil Nas X. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Lil Nas X is among the most-nominated artists for the 2019 MTV Music Video Awards with eight nominations.

The 20-year-old “country trap” artist, who recently came out as gay, received nominations for his breakout hit single “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. The video received nominations for Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Hip Hop, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Art Direction. Lil Nas X also is nominated for the Best New Artist category.

Fellow newcomer Billie Eilish came in with nine nominations for her single “Bad Guy.” Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift were the highest nominated artists with 10 nominations a piece.

The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards will air on MTV on Monday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Check out the list of nominees below.

Video of the Year
21 Savage- “a lot” [ft. J. Cole]
Billie Eilish- “bad guy”
Ariana Grande- thank u, next”
Jonas Brothers- “Sucker”
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down”

Artist of the Year
Cardi B
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Jonas Brothers
Shawn Mendes

Song of the Year
Drake- “In My Feelings”
Ariana Grande- “thank u, next”
Jonas Brothers- “Sucker”
Lady Gaga / Bradley Cooper- “Shallow”
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down”

Best New Artist presented by Taco Bell
Ava Max
Billie Eilish
H.E.R.
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
ROSALÍA

Best Collaboration
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Lady Gaga / Bradley Cooper- “Shallow”
Shawn Mendes / Camila Cabello- “Señorita”
Taylor Swift- “ME!” [ft. ft. Brendon Urie]
Ed Sheeran / Justin Bieber- “I Don’t Care”
BTS- “Boy With Luv” [ft. Halsey]

Push Artist of the Year
Bazzi
CNCO
Billie Eilish
H.E.R.
Lauv
Lizzo

Best Pop
5 Seconds of Summer- “Easier”
Cardi B / Bruno Mars- “Please Me”
Billie Eilish- “bad guy”
Khalid- “Talk”
Ariana Grande- “thank u, next”
Jonas Brothers- “Sucker”
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down”

Best Hip-Hop
2 Chainz- “Rule the World”[ft. Ariana Grande]
21 Savage- “a lot” [ft. J. Cole]
Cardi B- “Money”
DJ Khaled- “Higher” [ft. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend]
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Travis Scott- “SICKO MODE” [ft. Drake]

Best R&B
Anderson .Paak- “Make It Better” [ft. Smokey Robinson]
Childish Gambino- “Feels Like Summer”
H.E.R.- “Could’ve Been” [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Alicia Keys- “Raise a Man”
Ella Mai- “Trip”
Normani- “Waves” [ft. 6LACK]

Best K-Pop
BTS- “Boy With Luv” [ft. Halsey]
BLACKPINK- “Kill This Love”
Monsta X- “Who Do You Love” [ft. French Montana]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER- “Cat & Dog”
NCT 127- “Regular”
EXO- “Tempo”

Best Latin
Anuel AA / Karol G- “Secreto”
Bad Bunny- “MIA” [ft. Drake]
benny blanco / Tainy / Selena Gomez / J Balvin- “I Can’t Get Enough”
Daddy Yankee- “Con Calma” [ft. Snow]
Maluma- “Mala Mía”
ROSALÍA / J Balvin- “Con Altura” [ft. El Guincho]

Best Dance
The Chainsmokers- “Call You Mine” [ft. Bebe Rexha]
Clean Bandit- “Solo” [ft. Demi Lovato]
DJ Snake- “Taki Taki” [ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B]
David Guetta / Bebe Rexha / J Balvin- “Say My Name”
Marshmello / Bastille- “Happier”
Silk City / Dua Lipa- “Electricity”

Best Rock
The 1975- “Love It If We Made It”
Fall Out Boy- “Bishops Knife Trick”
Imagine Dragons- “Natural”
Lenny Kravitz- “Low”
Panic! At the Disco- “High Hopes”
twenty one pilots- “My Blood”

Video for Good
Halsey- “Nightmare”
The Killers- “Land of the Free”
Jamie N Commons / Skylar Grey- “Runaway Train” [ft. Gallant]
John Legend- “Preach”
Lil Dicky- “Earth”
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down”

Best Direction
Billie Eilish- “bad Guy” (dir. Dave Meyers)
FKA twigs- “Cellophane” (dir. Andrew Thomas Huang)
Ariana Grande- “thank u, next” (dir. Hannah Lux Davis)
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus] (dir. Calmatic)
LSD- “No New Friends” (dir. Dano Cerny)
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down” (dir. Drew Kirsch and Taylor Swift)

Best Visual Effects
Billie Eilish- “when the party’s over” (visual effects: Ryan Ross, Andres Jaramillo)
FKA twigs- “Cellophane” (visual effects: Matt Chandler, Fabio Zaveti for Analog)
Ariana Grande- “God is a woman” (visual effects: Fabrice Lagayette, Kristina Prilukova & Rebecca Rice for Mathematic)
DJ Khaled- “Just Us” [ft. SZA] (visual effects: Sergii Mashevskyi)
LSD- “No New Friends” (visual effects: Ethan Chancer)
Taylor Swift- “ME!” [ft. Brendon Urie] (visual effects: Loris Paillier & Lucas Salton for BUF VFX)

Best Editing
Anderson .Paak- “Tints” [ft. Kendrick Lamar] (editing: Elias Talbot)
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (editing: Calmatic)
Billie Eilish- “bad guy” (editing: Billie Eilish)
Ariana Grande- “7 rings” (editing: Hannah Lux Davis & Taylor Walsh)
Solange- “Almeda” (editing: Solange Knowles, Vinnie Hobbs, Jonathon Proctor)
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down” (editing: Jarrett Fijal)

Best Art Direction
BTS- “Boy With Luv” [ft. Halsey] (art direction: JinSil Park, BoNa Kim (MU:E))
Ariana Grande- “7 rings” (art direction: John Richoux)
Lil Nas X- “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus] (art direction: Itaru Dela Vegas)
Shawn Mendes / Camila Cabello- “Señorita” (art direction: Tatiana Van Sauter)
Taylor Swift- “You Need to Calm Down” (art direction: Brittany Porter)
Kanye West / Lil Pump- “I Love It” [ft. Adele Givens] (art direction: Tino Schaedler)

Best Choreography
FKA twigs- “Cellophane” (choreography: Kelly Yvonne)
ROSALÍA / J Balvin- “Con Altura” [ft. El Guincho] (choreography: Charm La’Donna)
LSD- “No New Friends” (choreography: Ryan Heffington)
Shawn Mendes / Camila Cabello- “Señorita” (choreography: Calvit Hodge, Sara Biv)
Solange- “Almeda” (choreography: Maya Taylor, Solange Knowles)
BTS- “Boy With Luv” [ft. Halsey] (choreography: Rie Hata)

Best Cinematography
Anderson .Paak- “Tints” [ft. Kendrick Lamar] (cinematography: Elias Talbot)
Billie Eilish- “hostage” (cinematography: Pau Castejon)
Ariana Grande- “thank u, next” (cinematography: Christopher Probst)
Shawn Mendes / Camila Cabello- “Señorita” (cinematography: Scott Cunningham)
Solange- “Almeda” (cinematography: Chayse Irvin, Ryan Marie Helfant, Justin Hamilton)
Taylor Swift- “ME!” [ft. Brendon Urie] (cinematography: Starr Whitesides)

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar.  We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”  

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

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Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

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'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

2 days ago

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May 11, 2026

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The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip. 

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026 

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

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