Best Music Video About A Doomed Relationship
NOMINEES: Rihanna, “We Found Love”; Katy Perry, “The One That Got Away”; Britney Spears, “Criminal”; JoJo, “Disaster”; Lana Del Rey, “Born To Die”
WINNER: The couple in “We Found Love” is the grittiest and most doomed of all. (Well, okay, Lana dies at the end of her video, but Rihanna’s relationship is much more fleshed out in her clip — probably because it was more than likely based on her own experiences.)

Best Music Video Featuring A Mythical Creature
NOMINEES: Lady Gaga as a mermaid in “You & I”; Ke$ha’s fancy unicorns in “Blow”; Katy Perry as an alien in “E.T.”
WINNER: Ke$ha’s “Blow”. We also consider a James Van Der Beek cameo on the same level as a Bigfoot sighting.

Video With Most Blatant Use Of Copyright Infringement
NOMINEES: Rihanna, “S&M”; Rihanna, “You Da One”; Beyonce, “Countdown”
WINNER: Though Beyonce got called out for lifting Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s choreography, we picked Rihanna’s “S&M”, since she actually got sued for cribbing David LaChapelle’s style. (But there’s still plenty of time for photographer Solve Sundsbo to file a lawsuit for her style being copied in “You Da One”.)

Video With Most Blatant Use Of Product Placement
NOMINEES: Britney Spears, “Hold It Against Me”; Jennifer Lopez, “Papi”; Dr. Dre, “I Need A Doctor”; Avril Lavigne, “What The Hell”
WINNER: Jennifer Lopez’s “Papi”, simply because that Fiat wouldn’t stop following J.Lo around.

Best Music Video Somehow Associated With Mick Jagger
NOMINEES: Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, “Moves Like Jagger”, Cher Lloyd, “Swagger Jagger”, will.i.am, “T.H.E.”
WINNER: Maroon 5 and Xtina’s “Moves Like Jagger”, though it’s mostly a win by default.

Best Music Video Featuring People Impersonating Pop Stars
NOMINEES: Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, “Moves Like Jagger”; Kaiser Chiefs, “Kinda Girl You Are”; Weird Al Yankovic, “Perform This Way”; Das Racist, “Michael Jackson”
WINNER: Weird Al Yankovic’s “Perform This Way”. We’re honestly surprised Gaga has yet to wear a beehive full of actual bees.

Best Music Video Focusing On Men’s Crotches
NOMINEES: LMFAO, “Sexy And I Know It”; Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”
WINNER: Though pretty much NSFL, Duck Sauce’s “Big Bad Wolf” made these dudes’ nether regions into actual characters. And man, were they in the mood to party.

Best Reason Not To Attempt Suicide In A Music Video
NOMINEES: Pink, “F**kin’ Perfect”; Eminem, “Space Bound”; Chloe Lattanzi, “Play With Me”
WINNER: Chloe’s “Play With Me”, by a mile. It’s also a good reason not to always encourage your children to follow your footsteps and attempt a singing career.

Best Celebrity Cameo(s) In A Music Video
NOMINEES: Katy Perry, “Last Friday Night (TGIF)” (Hanson, Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Kenny G, Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman, Rebecca Black); Ke$ha, “Blow” (James Van Der Beek); Cee Lo Green, “Cry Baby” (Jaleel White); The Throne, “Otis” (Aziz Ansari); Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise” (every comedian on planet Earth)
WINNER:  Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise”, for sheer volume of celebrities alone.

What were your favorite music videos of 2011? Tell us on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Meanwhile, in May, New York pop/punk/rap act Beastie Boys released their delayed Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. The album spawned the single “Make Some Noise”, the celeb-filled visual for which was nominated for Video Of The Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. (Alas, the Boys’ clip lost out to Katy Perry’s “Firework”.)

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony is set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio next year, on April 14.

Of course, Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette actress Dunst first got the music video bug 12 years ago when she first appeared in this one:

Savage Garden — “I Knew I Loved You”

Below is a list of some other recent music videos that feature cameos by famous faces. We stuck to the last few years in order to keep this roundup from becoming the length of a novel. But surely we forgot some? Help us out by mentioning others that pop to mind in the comments below!

1. Katy Perry — “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
For the video for her fifth Teenage Dream single, Katy enlisted the star power of some Glee cast members (Darren Criss, Kevin McHale), some ’80s icons (Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman), a viral video star (Rebecca Black) and a few retro-fave musicians (Kenny G, Hanson). The results: one addictive clip, and her fifth #1 hit on the Hot 100.

2. Beastie Boys — “Make Some Noise”
The veteran NYC rappers’ 2011 MTV VMA Video Of The Year-nominated clip boasts Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride as the Boys themselves in an epic vid that also features the likes of (take a deep breath) Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny, Orlando Bloom, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black — not to mention Kirsten Dunst!

3. Lady Gaga — “Paparazzi”
In the video for Gaga’s fourth single off her debut album, Alexander Skarsgard plays the untrustworthy, snake-in-the-grass love interest of the our heroine — which, come to think of it, doesn’t sound too different from his role as “Eric” on True Blood. The Swedish actor’s next pop star encounter — the action film Battleship, which also stars Rihanna — hits the silver screen next year.

4. Lady Gaga — “Judas”
Mother Monster cast Norman Reedus, who plays trashy redneck with a heart — maybe —Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead, as double-crossing Jesus disciple Judas Iscariot in the clip for her second Born This Way single.

5. Willow Smith — “21st Century Girl”
Who better than Cicely Tyson, the iconic star of such films as Sounder, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Help and Diary Of A Mad Black Woman to play the wise old sage in young poplet Willow’s futuristic video for her second single?

6. Bob Dylan — “When The Deal Goes Down”
Speaking of iconic, Scarlett Johansson never looked so radiant as when she got dolled up in 1950s-era frocks and posed for faux home movie footage in this emotional and beautifully-shot video for Dylan’s Modern Times single.

7. Ke$ha — “Blow”
“Well, well, well — if it isn’t James Van Der Douche.”

8. Eminem feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”
The fire and the fury of Em and RiRi’s own respective relationship demons from the past were vividly brought to life by Meghan Fox and Dominic Monaghan in this violent clip, which helped the song secure both its place at #1 on the Hot 100 and wins at the People’s Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.

What did we forget? Let us know below!

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise”
Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
Katy Perry, “Firework”
Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers”

THOUGHTS ON THE NOMINEES: We simply can’t skip commenting on what is either the ironic twist or MTV’s naughty sense of humor with having both Bruno Mars and Tyler, The Creator up for Video Of The Year — mainly because in Tyler’s “Yonkers,” the Odd Future MC angrily declares, among other things, that he’ll “stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus.” Geez — let’s at least hope those two aren’t sitting near each other on Sunday. And keep Tyler away from the catering cutlery, MTV!

At any rate, both of the above-mentioned gents’ respective videos are pretty torturous: Bruno is left pulling a piano behind him while walking across Los Angeles, and Tyler swallows a giant creepy crawler, vomits, gets a bloody nose and then hangs himself.

Katy Perry’s “Firework,” which was shot last fall in Budapest, is far more upbeat with its message of tolerance and inner strength, while Beastie Boys left no celeb un-cameo’d in their “Make Some Noise” clip (Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride play the boys in an epic NYC-set video that also features the likes of Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, Orlando Bloom, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black.)

And then there’s Adele’s juggernaut hit “Rolling In The Deep,” which, regardless of whether you’ve actually ever watched the chaotic, fine China-shattering video or not, has been inescapable this year.

WILL WIN: It’s a toss-up between Beastie Boys, who have a long and storied history of their quirky music videos finding a comfy home at MTV, and undeniable-in-2011 Adele. We’re betting that MTV will go with honoring the year’s best-selling artist  this time around.

SHOULD WIN: This is Adele’s year. Was the video for “Rolling In The Deep” all that epic? No. But the London powerhouse truly deserves any accolades for pretty much lifting slumping album sales out of the red in 2011.

Now have your say by voting in our Video Of The Year poll in the right sidebar, and by letting us know your thoughts below! We’ll post the results of the poll tomorrow.

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”

Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise”

Bruno Mars, “Grenade”

Katy Perry, “Firework”

Tyler, The Creator “Yonkers”

After reviewing the finalists, who do you think should win?

The video utilizes the likenesses of the Beastie Boys, as well as featured singer Santigold, as action figures, putting on a show in a snowy setting. However, a simple concert suddenly becomes a fight to the death, as assassins and zombies attempt to stop the B-Boys. (Don’t worry – it all works out for the trip in the end, as well as their Yeti friend.)

Beastie Boys feat. Santigold – “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win”

This is basically the most deranged Saturday morning kids show we’ve ever seen. We love it.

If you need more Beastie Boys music played over childhood imagery, check out this well-made mash-up of the group’s “Sure Shot” as lip-dubbed by the cast of Sesame Street (via Jezebel):

Sesame Street breaks it down from Wonderful Creative on Vimeo.

Just behind 21, Beastie Boys see their eighth album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two go in at #2 (128,000), while the Now 38 compilation debuts at #3 and Sub Pop act Fleet Foxes hop in at #4 with sophomore effort Helplessness Blues.

This leaves American Idol’s resident diva at large Jennifer Lopez to take up the #5 position (83,000) in her first week out with Love? It’s a rather ho-hum slot for her, given her weekly prime time exposure and the success of her dance-pop hit “On The Floor.” Still, at least J.Lo’s record out-performed Billboard’s initial sales prediction.

Stevie Nicks lands at #6 with In Your Dreams (52,000), her first studio album in 10 years. The Welsh Witch is followed by Sade’s double-disc hits set The Ultimate Collection (#7, 38,000), Musiq Soulchild’s MusiqInTheMagiq (#8, 35,000) and Sixx:A.M.’s This Is Gonna Hurt (#10, 30,000).

Other than Adele, the only artist to hang in the Top 10 this week is Mumford & Sons, whose Sigh No More tumbles from #3 to #9.

The Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 chart:

1. Adele, 21 *7 weeks*
2.  Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two *new*
3. Various, NOW 38 *new*
4. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues *new*
5. Jennifer Lopez, Love? *new*
6. Stevie Nicks, In Your Dreams *new*
7. Sade, The Ultimate Collection *new*
8. Musiq Soulchild, MusiqInTheMagiq *new*
9. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
10. Sixx:A.M., This Is Gonna Hurt *new*

Fight For Your Right (Revisited)

:: E!’s Awful Truth reports that Paul McDonald, American Idol’s most soft-spoken contestant, is dating Twilight’s Nikki Reed after a chance encounter on the red carpet at the Red Riding Hood premiere. That should keep him on the show for a long, long time if the Twihards have anything to say about it. [E! Online]

:: Kelly Clarkson heads to South Africa for some charity work. [Prophet Blog]

:: A bunch of animated Transformers do the “Thriller” dance. More entertaining than the last two Transformers movies. [Vulture]

:: Emile Hirsch tries his hand at directing, shoots a video for Daft Punk’s “Alive”. [Just Jared]

After the jump, find out which music acts are performing on the tube today.

Music On TV:
:: Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) — Far East Movement
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — Britney Spears
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) — Saigon
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) — Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea

Fight For Your Right Revisited

So who’s in this movie? Well, pretty much everyone you like — Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jack Black, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Chloë Sevigny, Will Arnett, Kirsten Dunst, Martin Starr, Laura Dern, David Cross, and Zach Galifianakis.

The full vid is set to premiere “soon”. In the meantime, go ahead and listen to the Beastie Boys’ new song “Make Some Noise” streaming over at their official site.

[EW Music Mix]