Madonna opened the awards show, paying tribute to the late Michael Jackson. “He was a king, but he was also a human being. … Long live the king,” she said of the King of Pop.

Following Madonna’s words, dancers stormed the stage to perform to a montage of Michael’s hits. Janet Jackson followed that performance up with her own tribute, singing the song “Scream,” a duet she recorded with her brother.

Taylor Swift then went up onstage to accept the award for Best Female Music Video from Taylor Lautner and Shakira, but her speech was cut short when Kanye West grabbed the microphone from her, declaring that Beyonce Knowles had one of the best music videos of all time.

Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Pink, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Green Day and Taylor Swift were a few of the performers of the night. Kid Cudi dedicated his performance to the late Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein.

The show debut the new trailer of Michael Jackson’s upcoming film, “This is It.” featuring the “King of Pop” preparing for his final tour. There was also the new ‘New Moon’ trailer introduced by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.