Adrian Sainz

The change of scenery for the awards, typically held in New York or Los Angeles, helped raise the decadence level at the celebrity-soaked affair, held at the downtown AmericanAirlines Arena.

OutKast’s vivid “Hey Ya!”–_ perhaps best described as the old Ed Sullivan show on acid — won four awards, including video of the year. Jay-Z’s “99 Problems,” the most nominated video with six, also won four. That gritty black-and-white video depicts the singer’s own killing as a metaphor for his much-ballyhooed retirement.

“I felt like I was trying to push the envelope,” Jay-Z, dressed in a dapper white suit and hat, said as he accepted an award _ called a moonman after the channel’s logo _ for best rap video. “That was my punishment and this is my reward.”

Usher won his first moonman as he took best male video for “Yeah!”

“This is my first time coming up here — let me take my time with this,” a beaming Usher said. “I’m so damned happy right now I don’t wanna leave.”

As usual, the awards were an afterthought to explosive performances and surprise cameos.

Alicia Keys gave a dramatic, soulful spin of her hit “If I Ain’t Got You,” and was buoyed by Stevie Wonder on harmonica. Moments later, she joined Wonder and Lenny Kravitz as they sang a classic Wonder hit, “Higher Ground.”

Keys also appeared on stage to honor the late Ray Charles, who died in June.

The daughters of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and President Bush made an appearance _ the Bush daughters on videotape — to urge people to vote. Even the Rev. Al Sharpton made an appearance connected to voting — not for the election, though, but for the viewer’s choice award.

Acclaimed rap newcomer Kanye West staged a dramatic version of “Jesus Walks,” then instead of using a Chaka Khan sample for his hit “Through the Wire,” brought the R&B veteran onstage to sing the real thing.

In a strange stunt, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne appeared on stage enclosed in a big plastic ball pushed by fans on the arena floor. But perhaps the most surreal, and bizarre, performance came from the Polyphonic Spree, the twenty-something member rock choir that performed in multicolored, choirlike robes. They looked like members of a lost cult from the 1970s.

There also was an appearance by uber-twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Mary Kate, who recently was treated for an eating disorder, alluded to her ordeal before introducing Jessica Simpson.

“Thank you to everyone _ you have been very supportive for the last couple of months,” said Mary Kate.

It was one of the few subdued moments during the lavish night.

Usher and Simpson arrived on the red carpet not by car, but by luxury yacht. Simpson, glamorously attired in a white dress with a silver bodice, arrived with husband and “Newlyweds” co-star Nick Lachey in a 68-foot boat.

The biggest entrance, of course, came from P. Diddy. Dressed in a white suit and with a Mohawk haircut, he arrived in a towering yacht along with Ma$e, Naomi Campbell and Bruce Willis.

The scene outside the arena was frenzied before the show. Performers such as Ashlee Simpson and Jadakiss rocked an energetic crowd while stars walked the red carpet, showing off their fashions _ or lack thereof. Lil’ Kim looked anything but, as she almost busted out of the skimpy top of her flowing dress.

The show, held a day before the Republican convention was to kick off in New York City, ended on a patriotic note, as red, white and blue balloons fell from the rafters and fans held “vote” signs during OutKast’s closing performance.

The street also runs near the Clayborn Temple, where King rallied with striking sanitation workers days before he was assassinated by James Earl Ray on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. King also led a march on Linden Avenue during the strike.

The city already had a section of Interstate 240 dedicated to King, but the naming of a prominent street in the city’s tourist district is being seen as a symbol that the city is finally taking steps to heal the wound caused by the assassination

A ceremony is planned for April 4 to honor King and unveil the new street signs. About 900 U.S. cities already have city streets named for King.

“The world was looking at Memphis to make its mark,” said Berlin Boyd, a former city councilman who made the proposal to rename Linden Avenue

The board’s vote is final, but there still may be more work to be done.

Gregory Grant, a member of the National Action Network, said he supported extending King Avenue beyond the nine blocks approved Thursday. Leaders of churches that sit along Linden Avenue east of the nine-block section also support an extension.

“It would be an act on the part of this committee that shows we are healing,” Grant told the board.

A question still remains as to what the street signs will say. There is a concern that “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.” would be too long, and it is possible the name could be truncated to “Dr. M. L. King Jr. Ave.”

The street also runs near the Clayborn Temple, where King rallied with striking sanitation workers days before he was assassinated by James Earl Ray on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. King also led a march on Linden Avenue during the strike.

The city already had a section of Interstate 240 dedicated to King, but the naming of a prominent street in the city’s tourist district is being seen as a symbol that the city is finally taking steps to heal the wound caused by the assassination

A ceremony is planned for April 4 to honor King and unveil the new street signs. About 900 U.S. cities already have city streets named for King.

“The world was looking at Memphis to make its mark,” said Berlin Boyd, a former city councilman who made the proposal to rename Linden Avenue

The board’s vote is final, but there still may be more work to be done.

Gregory Grant, a member of the National Action Network, said he supported extending King Avenue beyond the nine blocks approved Thursday. Leaders of churches that sit along Linden Avenue east of the nine-block section also support an extension.

“It would be an act on the part of this committee that shows we are healing,” Grant told the board.

A question still remains as to what the street signs will say. There is a concern that “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.” would be too long, and it is possible the name could be truncated to “Dr. M. L. King Jr. Ave.”

Berlin Boyd, a former city councilman, came up with the proposal earlier this year while still in office and it easily passed. He predicts it will pass the land use board, with a naming ceremony expected to take place on April 4. The board has final say unless an appeal is filed within 10 days.

The street re-naming is being seen by many Memphians as a symbol that the city is taking steps to heal the wound caused by the assassination.

“”It was something that had a place in my heart for some time,” Boyd told The Associated Press. “Here is a city where Martin Luther King’s blood cries from the streets, and we don’t have anything to pay tribute to him.”

King came to Memphis to support a sanitation workers strike in 1968 in what became his final act as a civil rights leader. The National Civil Rights Museum is built at the site of the former Lorraine Motel, where King stayed while supporting the sanitation workers. A wreath marks the spot on the balcony where King was shot.

The Rev. James Netters, who marched with King and the sanitation workers as a city councilman, said he proposed naming a street for King in the early 1970s, but the City Council voted to dedicate a stretch of Interstate 240 to him instead.

Supporters say renaming Linden Avenue for King is more significant than the dedication of the interstate because the avenue is in the heart of the city’s downtown and residents will have to use the avenue’s name to give directions. They also say that new businesses along it — including two hotels set for construction — will use the King address, giving the street more importance and visibility.

Netters, 84, said he does not know why another proposal did not appear before now, a sentiment echoed by many others.

“Memphis can’t do enough,” Netters said. “Any honor that we dedicate to him is very, very critical.”

Kenneth Whalum, a school board member and Memphis native who was 12 years old when King was killed, said no street has been named after King because Memphis has been in a state of denial and depression over the assassination.

“Just as when you lose any loved one, you get depressed,” Whalum said. “For the last 43 years we’ve hoped that the incident didn’t happen. We wished it would disappear and go away.”

Boyd chose Linden Avenue because he saw a sign with the street’s name in a photo taken of a rally led by King. The avenue runs in front of the Clayborn Temple — where King rallied with members of the civil rights movement — and the FedExForum, the arena where the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies play their home games.

It runs parallel to Beale Street, the famous Memphis tourist drag, and is near the offices of the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that King came to Memphis to defend.

One of the advantages of choosing Linden Avenue is that no businesses will have to change their address with the name change, according to the land use board’s report on the street re-naming.

The report, which recommends approval, notes that Linden Avenue is not named after a real person, so no one will be offended that their family name is being stripped from the downtown avenue. The name honors Under the Linden Trees Boulevard, over which the Brandenburg Gate was built in Berlin, Germany.

Should the proposal pass, Memphis would be added to the long list of cities, both big and small, that honor King with a street name. About 75 percent of the roughly 900 cities are found in 10 Southern states, with Georgia leading the way, said Derek Alderman, an East Carolina University geography professor who penned a 2006 study, “Naming Streets for Martin Luther King Jr.: No Easy Road.”

Next in line are Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama.

Alderman says cities have endured heated debates over naming streets after King: A common dispute centers on whether to select a street that is in a predominantly black neighborhood, or one that cuts across racial boundaries and “embodies the message that King was preaching when he was alive.”

Alderman also notes that naming a street after King is an appropriate way to honor him because African-Americans looked to movement and transportation as ways of challenging and changing the racial status quo and creating racial equality. The Underground Railroad, the Freedom Riders and King’s protest marches and leadership of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott are good examples, he said in his study.

“Street naming can be a pretty powerful way of honoring somebody when you consider the way streets connect people,” Alderman said. “A significant amount of the actual mechanics of protest and the mechanics of carrying out the civil rights movement was actually carried out in street level protests and marches.”

Renaming Linden Avenue for King may change the way residents give directions, but it also may help Memphis live down any shame and embarrassment that comes with being the city where King was assassinated.

Boyd said acknowledging King with his own street may be a symbol that Memphis is making strides in eliminating racial tensions and is finally dealing with King’s death.

“We have to start embracing the heritage of our city,” Boyd said. “Until we understand who we are as a city, we will always be left behind.”