MTV EMAs 2015: 5 Big Talking Points – From Bieber Winning The Night To Sheeran Being A Good Sport

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This year’s MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) were always going to struggle to compete with August’s VMAs featuring a crying Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj’s infamous “Miley, what’s good?” zinger and Kanye West announcing that he intends to run for President. But that’s not to say the annual Euro-bash – held tonight (October 25) in Milan, Italy – was entirely without incident and intrigue. Here are some of the biggest talking points from the night.

Justin Bieber’s rehabilitation continues apace

The Bieb won five awards, more than any other artist, and also took to the stage to sing recent chart-topper ‘What Do You Mean?’. Sure, his performance seemed kind of nonchalant, but that’s only because he makes those dance moves look so easy.

Ed Sheeran was a thoroughly good sport

Co-hosting the whole shebang with Orange Is The New Black actress Ruby Rose, Sheeran was surprisingly natural and winningly self-deprecating. Sadly, the skits that the event’s producers devised for him weren’t always very funny, but Sheeran gamely sent up his Suffolk upbringing with a trailer for a fake movie called Straight Outta Framlingham and mocked his reputation as a somewhat unlikely Lothario with this cheesy but amusing banana joke.

Nicki Minaj didn’t show up, but still managed to provide one of the night’s best moments.

In her video acceptance for the Best Hip-Hop award, the ‘Anaconda’ rapper showed off her slick comic timing by telling the audience, “I wish I was in Milan eating some delicious… um, spaghetti.” The giggle that followed suggested she wasn’t really craving a plate of authentic Italian pasta.

Thank u for voting! Love ya😘😘 Thank u #EMA's #BestHipHop 2015

A video posted by Nicki Minaj (@nickiminaj) on

MTV paid its respect to a group of early music video pioneers by giving Duran Duran a lifetime achievement award

The Birmingham band received the first ever ‘Video Visionary Award’ and appeared on stage to give a slightly awkward but brilliantly un-humble acceptance speech. Simon Le Bon told the audience that his band “blazed a trail” with MTV, while John Taylor claimed that the ‘Rio’ hitmakers “got to take part in the invention of a language”. Amazing.

Andrea Bocelli and Rising popstar Tori Kelly teamed up to cover Pink and Nate Ruess’s ‘Just Give Me A Reason’… yes, really

MTV keeps removing videos of this super-unlikely duet from YouTube, so you’ll just have to take our word that it actually happened. Once we stopped WTF?!?!?!ing, we remember thinking that maybe it wasn’t too horrible, after all.