Rock and raunch awards

ALL EYES ON EVA: Lady Gaga sweeps the boards but sexy host Longoria steals the show with 13 costume changes at the MTV Europe Music Awards

Celia Paul

Lady Gaga was the big winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards on a night dominated by revealing costumes and antics as much as the music.

The eccentric singer, who had been nominated for five awards, won Best Song for her hit single Bad Romance, as well as Best Pop and Best Female.

She was unable to pick up her gongs in person at the Madrid ceremony last night, but thanked fans from the stage during a concert in Budapest.

The 24-year-old told MTV viewers: "I hate that I'm not there, but I'm working so hard."

Katy Perry, also nominated for five awards, took Best Video for her song California Gurls, while Justin Bieber won Best Male and Best Push Artist.

The awards, held at Madrid's Caja Magica, were hosted by Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.

Longoria, who replaced Katy Perry, host of the 2008 and 2009 ceremonies, stunned audiences with 13 costume changes.

Jackass

They included an array of glamorous mini-dresses, lingerie, a pair of hot pants and an outfit shaped like a giant Spanish ham, which was presumably a take on Lady Gaga's meat outfit worn in LA last September.

She appeared on stage with Perry to ask the I Kissed A Girl singer, known for her eccentric sartorial style, for presenting tips.

Perry said: "As you know, I've hosted the show before a couple of times," before stripping away Longoria's demure prom-style black dress to reveal the actress wearing just a tiny corset.

Miley Cyrus performed on stage in a lingerie-style leotard, but the scantiest-clad celebrity of the evening was Jackass star Jason Acuna, known as Wee-Man, who stripped down to a pair of shorts before a tussle with his co-stars resulted in a moment of on-stage nudity.

The awards opened in style with a medley from Shakira, and included performances from acts as diverse as Plan B, Kid Rock, Rihanna and Linkin Park. Kesha admitted she was "about to pee her pants" when she won the Best Newcomer award, while Thirty Seconds To Mars thanked their devoted fan-base, known as 'the Echelon' after beating Muse and Kings of Leon to Best Rock.

Lead singer Jared Leto said: "I would like to say thank you to the most wonderful family in the entire world -- they are known as the Echelon and they aren't just fans, they really are everything we could hope and dream for."

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Linkin Park beat Muse and Kings of Leon to the award for Best Live Act, while punk-rock act Paramore triumphed in the Best Alternative category.

Bon Jovi, who closed the ceremony with a medley of their hit songs including It's My Life and You Give Love A Bad Name, were honoured with the first MTV Global Icon Award.

Jon Bon Jovi said: "Thank you, thanks I guess for making us icons.

"I want to thank everybody at MTV for this unbelievable ride over a quarter of a century -- we're still doing what we do and doing it well."

The MTV EMAs are broadcast live to millions of fans around Europe, with more than 46 million votes being cast for this year's awards.

THE TOP ACTS

Best song: Lady Gaga for ‘Bad Romance

Best live act: Linkin Park

Best European act: Marco Mengoni

Best new act: KE$HA

Best female: Lady Gaga

Best male: Justin Bieber

Best push artist: Justin Bieber

Best pop act: Lady Gaga

Best rock act: Thirty Seconds to Mars

Best alternative: Paramore

Best Spanish singer: Enrique Iglesias

Best video: Katy Perry for ‘California Gurls;

Best hip hop: Eminem

MTV global icon: Bon Jovi

World stage act: Tokio Hotel

hnews@herald.ie