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Eye-popping design puts mid-century architecture ‘through the prism of 2010,’ says show’s executive producer. By James Montgomery The VMA stage during Usher’s rehearsal Photo: Ciel VanderVeen/MTV LOS ANGELES — Sure, stars like Lady Gaga, Eminem, Kanye West and Justin Bieber are getting top billing at the Video Music Awards. But all of that might change the minute the show goes live on Sunday (September 12), because there’s a much bigger star waiting to steal their thunder: the VMA set itself. Custom-made in New York and Los Angeles, assembled over the course of two (very long) weeks inside the Nokia Theatre and drawing inspiration from the sleek mid-century designs of Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, the set is a massive, all-encompassing thing, swooping and soaring (like, really high ) and practically swallowing up the entirety of the theatre itself. It’s so impressive, in fact, that you don’t have to be an architecture enthusiast to appreciate it. “Everyone who walks in and sees it is like, ‘Aaah!’ ” Dave Sirulnick, VMA executive producer, told MTV News. ” Rick Ross came in and said, ‘It’s like Pandora.’ ” Without revealing too many details — mostly because details don’t really do it justice — the VMA set is a multi-tiered, multi-layered design that stretches more than 70 feet out into the theatre seats, and just as high in the air. There are portions made out of tightly stretched fabric, giving the set a living, organic feel. A giant panoramic video screen stretches behind the entirety of the thing. There are LED lights everywhere . And, of course, there’s . Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal. “What we wanted to do is to use this black box — which is what the Nokia is — in a kind of different way. We tried to create a more intimate space, and that’s one of the reason why we created a kind of center stage and brought it much closer to the audience,” production designer Florian Wieder said. “What I tried to do was create a kind of three-dimensional space, where the entire space is part of the show. We use it all … the whole ceiling, the floor, the walls. It’s really an impressive thing.” And while the design is based on the sort of classic mid-century architecture that defines Los Angeles, the set, much like the show itself, is far from stodgy. Quite the opposite, in fact. “It’s based on mid-century architecture, only put through the prism of 2010,” Sirulnick said. “It’s classic design that reaches through the eras, just like the music itself.” Like we said … you have to see this thing. Sure, Gaga and all the stars are great, but the set is really something too. Tune in and see for yourself. Tune in tonight for the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles! The party starts with MTV News’ VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET/PT. You can still vote for Best New Artist at VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if you’re a Verizon subscriber). Related Videos VMA 2010 Exposed Related Photos VMA 2010: Rehearsals

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Eminem, Other Performers Find Fitting Home In VMA Set