MTV Video Music Awards splash down in Miami

MIAMI -- MTV dodged two major disasters -- one from nature, the other from the barrel of a gun -- as the Video Music Awards unfolded Sunday night with flashy performances, over-the-top bling and a few blasts from the past.

The annual bash was briefly overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina, which hit southern Florida on Thursday and killed several people. As the storm passed, a celebratory mood took over the city -- until early Sunday morning, when rap mogul Suge Knight was targeted by gunfire at a Kanye West party.

MTV vowed that neither event would affect the ceremonies -- and they didn't.

"The theme of tonight is, anything can happen," proclaimed host Diddy, whose entrance included dancers, pyrotechnics and a cascading waterfall -- a spectacle that rivaled the show's actual performances.

West and Kelly Clarkson were among the early winners. Clarkson won for best female video for "Since U Been Gone," while West won for "Jesus Walks."

Green Day, who arrived in the vintage green convertible from their "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video, won best rock video for the clip -- one of the eight awards they were nominated for, making them the most nominated act of the year.

The awards typically snowball into a weeklong party with decadent A-list bashes, but Hurricane Katrina forced the cancellation of some events. Several stars, like West, were late arriving to Miami because of the weather.

Knight, the Death Row Records founder who has been at the center of some of hip-hop's most violent moments, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning at a star-studded party thrown by West. His injuries were not life-threatening; no arrests were made.