Katy Perry and Adele Top Winners at VMA

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards were broadcasted live from The Nokia Theater in Los Angeles last night with the entertainment industry’s biggest stars passing through this year’s black carpet.

The show marked the official end of the summer, taking place a bit earlier in the year than usual and honoring some of the year’s most successful music acts. Katy Perry and Adele came out as the top winners of the night, garnering three Moon Men each, including the coveted Video of the Year award for Perry’s single “Firework.”

One of the show’s most draw-dropping moments came before the first Moon Man was awarded. Singer Beyonce Knowles told photographers during the pre-show that she had “a surprise for you guys,” and placed her hands on her stomach—alluding to longstanding rumors that she and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, were with child.

When the R&B diva performed her song, “Love On Top,” she addressed the audience, saying: “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of me.” When she concluded, she unbuttoned her blazer and rubbed her stomach as cameras cut to Jay-Z, arms raised heavenly as the couple was greeted with applause.

Lady Gaga, who took home two awards, kicked off the show with her single “You and I” dressed as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone, in a performance likened to a scene from the movie Grease. Gaga won the awards for “Best Female Video” and the year’s new category, “Best Video with a Message” for her song “Born this Way.”

One of the fieriest performances of the night featured hip hop’s newest duo, Kanye West and Jay-Z, as they showcased the first single “Otis” off their collaboration project, Watch the Throne. The performance was shortly disturbed by a man who ran onstage but was quickly forgotten as the pair, fireworks and pyrotechnics commanded the viewers’ attention.

The night carried on with an array of performances ranging from Pitbull and Ne-Yo’s hit “Give Me Everything” to Adele’s soulful “Someone Like You.”

R&B singer Chris Brown wowed the crowd with his dancing skills and shocked everyone with an eye opening stunt that had the “Yeah x3” singer soaring above the audience. His performance was based on a ‘music through time’ idea in which Brown danced to Wu-tang Clan’s “Protect Ya Neck,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and closed with his own futuristic song “Beautiful People.”

Audience members and viewers alike could not contain their excitement after the performance. Justin Beiber, a close friend, jumped out of his seat and exclaimed “That’s my boy!” as well as Kanye West and Jay-Z clapping for Brown, the symbolic end of a feud over a previous incident with singer Rihanna, who is signed to Jay-Z’s record label.

Another emotional point of the night was the heart-wrenching tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, who died in late July. The legendary Tony Bennett, along with the songstress’ longtime friend Russell Brand and Bruno Mars, took part in the tribute. Bennett released never-before-seen footage of Winehouse’s final performance at a recent recording session at the historic Abbey Road studios of their duet “Body and Soul,” for his upcoming Duets II album. Mars’ performed the fan-favorite “Valerie,” a more upbeat and joyous celebration of Winehouse’s career and life.

The night came to an end when Drake came out to introduce rapper Lil Wayne. The long-haired rapper performed the auto-tune filled “How to Love,” his first single from The Carter IV, which was released digitally following the conclusion of the show, as well as the song “John,” which also appears on the album.

The list of 2011’s winners:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Katy Perry, “Firework”

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”

BEST NEW ARTIST
Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers”

BEST MALE VIDEO
Justin Bieber, “U Smile”

BEST COLLABORATION
Katy Perry featuring Kanye West, “E.T.”

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO
Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass”

BEST ROCK VIDEO
Foo Fighters, “Walk”

BEST POP VIDEO
Britney Spears, “Till the World Ends”

BEST VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE
Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”

BEST DIRECTOR
Adele, “Rolling in the Deep” (Director: Sam Brown)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyoncé, “Run the World (Girls)”