Chelsea Handler to host VMAs

A NEW MORNING FOR CHELSEA: In a major surprise, Chelsea Handler, the star of the E! series Chelsea Lately, has been tapped to host the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12. She’s the first woman to do so since 1994, when the network dared to bring in Roseanne Barr. “If there’s one awards show that I should be hosting, it’s probably this one,” Handler told the N.Y. Times. “My personality probably wouldn’t jell with the Emmys or the Golden Globes.” Handler came into the public eye with her bawdy best-selling memoirs, including Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea and Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. MTV GM Stephen Friedman acknowledged that she’s “an unexpected choice. And yet, you look at her following from our audience and it makes sense... There is a sweet spot that loves her. Her college fan base, for us, really made the point that she will appeal more broadly.” (8/19a)