Outdoor parties had to scrapped

Pre-award outdoor parties were scrapped on Thursday and Friday as wind speeds reached 130km/h (80mph) in some areas.

But forecasters expect the skies to clear in time for the ceremony.

The awards will be hosted by rap star Diddy, who was known as P Diddy until last week. US punk-pop band Green Day lead the field with eight nominations.

Weather permitting, Diddy is expected to host at least six lavish parties over the weekend in the Miami Beach area before taking to the stage on Sunday.

'Rock the mike'

MTV President Christina Norman said: "We've had so many different kinds of people hosting the show, and what Diddy brings to it is this incredible sense of party.

"He's a showman, he's a master of ceremonies, his own parties are legendary. He's the one to get on the mike and rock the mike and make sure that everybody has a good time."

Green Day received six nominations for the video for Boulevard of Broken Dreams and two for American Idiot.

Missy Elliot received six nominations while Gwen Stefani, formerly with No Doubt, and U2 collected five each.