Article: Near-irrelevance dulls edge of MTV awards; MTV AWARD NOMINATIONS Here are the nominees for the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, which air at 7 p.m. Wednesday on MTV: VIDEO OF THE YEAR Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: "Tha Crossroads." Director: Michael Martin Foo Fighters: "Big Me." Director: Jesse Peretz Alanis Morissette: "Ironic." Director: Stephane Sednaoui The Smashing Pumpkins: "Tonight, Tonight." Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris MALE VIDEO Bryan Adams: "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You." Director: Matthew Rolston Beck: "Where It's At." Director: Steven Hanft Coolio: "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)." Director: David Dobkins R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley: "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)." Director: Hype Williams and R. Kelly Seal: "Don't Cry." Director: Wayne Isham FEMALE VIDEO Bjork: "It's Oh So Quiet." Director: Spike Jonze Tracy Chapman: "Give Me One Reason." Director: Julie Dash Jewel: "Who Will Save Your Soul." Director: Geoff Moore Alanis Morissette: "Ironic." GROUP VIDEO Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: "Tha Crossroads." Foo Fighters: "Big Me." Fugees: "Killing Me Softly." Director: Aswad Ayinde Hootie & The Blowfish: "Only Wanna Be With You." Director: Frank Sacramento RAP VIDEO 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre: "California Love (Mad Max Version)." Director: Hype Williams Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: "Tha Crossroads." Coolio featuring LV: "Gangsta's Paradise (Dangerous Minds)." Director: Antoine Fuqua LL Cool J: "Doin' It." Director: Hype Williams DANCE VIDEO Coolio: "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)." Everything But The Girl: "Missing." Director: Alex Szaszy La Bouche: "Be My Lover." Director: Andras Mahr George Michael: "Fastlove." Director: Vaughan & Anthea HARD ROCK VIDEO Alice In Chains: "Again." Director: George Vale Marilyn Manson: "Sweet Dreams." Director: Dean Karr Metallica: "Until It Sleeps." Director: Samuel Bayer Rage Against The Machine: "Bulls On Parade." Director: Peter Christopherson ALTERNATIVE MUSIC VIDEO Bush: "Glycerine." Director: Kevin Kerslake Everclear: "Santa Monica." Director: Mark Gerard Foo Fighters: "Big Me." Smashing Pumpkins: "1979." Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris R&B VIDEO Toni Braxton: "You're Makin' Me High." Director: Bille Woodruff Mariah Carey featuring Boyz II Men: "One Sweet Day." Director: Larry Jordan D'Angelo: "Brown Sugar." Director: Brett Ratner Fugees: "Killing Me Softly." NEW ARTIST IN A VIDEO Tracy Bonham: "Mother Mother." Director: Jake Scott Garbage: "Stupid Girl." Director: Samuel Bayer Jewel: "Who Will Save Your Soul." Director: Geoff Moore Alanis Morissette: "Ironic." VIDEO FROM A FILM Brandy: "Sittin' Up In My Room (Waiting to Exhale)." Director: Hype Williams Bush: "Machinehead (Fear)." Director: Shawn Mortensen Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen: "Mission: Impossible (Mission: Impossible)." Director: Kevin Godley Coolio featuring LV: "Gangsta's Paradise (Dangerous Minds)." DIRECTION Bjork: "It's Oh So Quiet." Director: Spike Jonze Foo Fighters: "Big Me." Director: Jesse Peretz Alanis Morisset

I don't know about you, but for me, the defining moment in the MTV Movie Awards last June came when a ham-and-cheese from "Smoke" beat out a turkey club from "Four Rooms" in the award for Best Sandwich.

Crammed to the gills with gag categories, film spoofs, cheesy skits and hilarious speeches, the MTV Movie Awards were everything the MTV Video Music Awards haven't been lately. Fun. Goofy. Irreverent. Fun.

That said, the MTV music awards are gearing up to give it another go at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The theme of the 13th annual show, broadcast live from New York's Radio City Music Hall, is "Mysteries of the Unexplained." In a puzzling statement, the station said the theme was chosen to ...

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