Amsterdam (AFP) – U.S. pop sensationalist Miley Cyrus took her publicity-seeking further still on Sunday by smoking a cannabis joint as she received her award for Best Video at the MTV European Music Awards in Amsterdam on Sunday.
The evening’s biggest winner was hip-hop icon Eminem who took home two awards, but Cyrus, 20, kept the spotlight firmly on herself after kicking off the show by twerking with a latex-clad dwarf called Little Britney.
Thanking the director of her hit single “Wrecking Ball” for the award, Cyrus took to the stage in a tight white body suit and platform heels and said: “I don’t have room for the award in my bag but I did find this …”
She then took what appeared to be a half-smoked joint out of her Chanel bag and lit it up at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, where you can buy cannabis in the city’s coffee shops and where Cyrus had been photographed earlier with Dutch DJ Afrojack.
“I’d like to thank Terry Richardson for putting this together,” said Cyrus, a self-confessed weed smoker.
The world’s pop glitterati descended on Amsterdam for the event, with Eminem putting in a surprise performance by stepping out of a giant boombox after winning the Global Icon and Hip Hop awards.
Canada’s Justin Bieber won the Best Male award for the fourth year running, and thanked his fans in a pre-recorded video message.
The UK’s One Direction won the award for Best Pop, and American singer Beyonce won Best Live, with both also saying a cursory thanks in a pre-recorded video.
Norwegian Internet sensation and comedy duo Ylvis performed their hit “The Fox” (What Does the Fox Say?), which has clocked over 200 million views on YouTube in the last two months, wearing matching fox outfits with long tails on an otherwise galactic-themed night.
China’s Chris Lee (Li Yuchun) won the ward for Worldwide Act, the third year that an Asian artist has won the award.
Talent show winner Lee thanked the audience and “all the people who love Chinese music” as she accepted the award, wearing thigh-length leather boots and beating off competition from the likes of South Korea’s Exo and Morocco’s Ahmed Soultan.
American actor and singer Jared Leto attempted a moment’s silence in memory of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which may have killed over 10,000 people over the weekend, but was overwhelmed by whistles and screaming.
The evening’s MC Redfoo hailed Eminem as “truly an icon,” who has sold over 80 million albums and won 11 MTV video music awards and 13 Grammies since 1999.
“Wow, this is crazy. Thank you to everybody for everything over the years, I love award, I love award, I love math,” Eminem said.
“I was just sitting back there sipping champagne looking at all those amazing artists, thinking how am I gonna win?” American singer Katy Perry said after winning the award for Best Female.
The event held a “satellite” party with DJ Afrojack at famed Amsterdam venue the Melkweg, featuring a special guest performance by hip-hop veteran Snoop Dogg, rapping through a glove-shaped diamante-encrusted microphone.
Organizers said that the show at the Ziggo Dome required at least 30 liters of body paint, 20 liters of liquid latex and 20 kilos of glitter.
The MTV Europe Awards are held each year in a different European city, with past hosts including Frankfurt in 2012, Belfast in 2011 and Madrid in 2010.
Next year’s event will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
