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One "Ring" to Rule MTV Awards 
Jun 3, 2002 http://www.eonline.com


The MTV Movie Awards is not the kind of place to celebrate A Beautiful Mind. Heck, Seann William Scott winning a trophy proved that. 

But thankfully, that's what sets it apart from the Oscars, as the 2002 edition honored fan fave The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as the year's Best Movie, named Denzel Washington Best Villain rather than Best Actor for his corrupt cop in Training Day--and hosted Kelly Osbourne's singing debut with a cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." 

All told, Peter Jackson's Hobbit tale and Baz Luhrmann's dizzying musical Moulin Rouge led the way Saturday with two golden popcorn trophies apiece. 

In addition to Best Movie, Lord scored a Breakthrough Male Performance honor for elvin hunk Orlando Bloom, while Moulin Rouge gave Nicole Kidman a Best Female Performance trophy and an award for Best Musical Sequence, along with crooning costar Ewan McGregor. 

"I'm really bummed we didn't get Best Kiss," Kidman told the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. "We should have rehearsed more, we needed to kiss more, Ewan." 

Sorry, Nicole: Best Kiss honors instead went to Seann William Scott and Jason Biggs for their lip-lock in American Pie 2. 

Oscar also-ran Will Smith picked up Best Male Performance for his beefed-up role as the Champ in Ali. "I'm a baaaaad man!" he proclaimed upon receiving the honor. 

And A Walk to Remember may not have been a movie to remember, but MTV viewers still gave teeny-popper Mandy Moore points for the crossover attempt, naming her Breakthrough Female actress. 

Other big winners Saturday: Reese Witherspoon scoring Best Comedic Performance for Legally Blonde (despite admitting that her daughter thought Donkey from Shrek was funnier), Vin Diesel and Paul Walker grabbing Best On-Screen Team for The Fast and the Furious and the attack scene in Pearl Harbor getting the award for Best Action Sequence. In an oddly serious moment for the MTV Awards, director Michael Bay dedicated his golden popcorn to those who lost their lives in the real-life attack. 

The 11th annual MTV Awards were chosen by the viewers themselves, nearly 8 million of whom voted online for their faves. The taped ceremony also featured performances by Osbourne, the White Stripes and Eminem, and will air on MTV Thursday at 9 p.m. 

Here's a complete list of the winners: 


Best Movie: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 
Best Male Performance: Will Smith, Ali 
Best Female Performance: Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge 
Breakthrough Performance, Male: Orlando Bloom, Lord of the Rings 
Breakthrough Performance, Female: Mandy Moore, A Walk to Remember 
Best Villain: Denzel Washington, Training Day 
Best Comedic Performance: Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde 
Best On-Screen Team: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, The Fast and the Furious 
Best Kiss: Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott, American Pie 2 
Best Action Sequence: Attack scene, Pearl Harbor 
Best Fight: Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan versus a Hong Kong gang, Rush Hour 2 
Best Musical Sequence: Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge