<p>Taylor Swift and Post Malone landed the best collaboration trophy for their pop song "Fortnight" to kick off MTV's annual Video Music Awards on Wednesday.</p><p>Swift, on a break from her record-setting Eras Tour, went into the red-carpet ceremony with the biggest stack of nominations among all artists, with 12.</p><p>Winning the first award of the night, she praised Malone as "ridiculously talented" and "unfailingly polite."</p><p>"It has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma'am," she said next to Malone on stage at the UBS Arena outside New York City.</p>.Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for US President after debate with Donald Trump.<p>Malone returned the compliments, calling megastar Swift "absolutely one of the most kind and talented people I've ever had the honor of knowing."</p><p>The black-and-white "Fortnight" video was released in April to accompany the first single from Swift's album "The Tortured Poets Department." The video shows Swift in a bleak hospital, a setting she said reflected what she was seeing in her head as she wrote the "Tortured Poets" songs.</p><p>Malone said he watched Swift direct the video while she was strapped to an operating room table on the set. "It was pretty bad ass," he said.</p><p>"Fortnight" was competing for the evening's top honor - video of the year - against Billie Eilish's "Lunch," Eminem's "Houdini," SZA's "Snooze" and others.</p><p>Eminem opened the show with "Houdini" before country singer Jelly Roll joined him for their hit collaboration "Somebody Save Me."</p><p>Katy Perry was set to be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her lifetime work. </p>
<p>Taylor Swift and Post Malone landed the best collaboration trophy for their pop song "Fortnight" to kick off MTV's annual Video Music Awards on Wednesday.</p><p>Swift, on a break from her record-setting Eras Tour, went into the red-carpet ceremony with the biggest stack of nominations among all artists, with 12.</p><p>Winning the first award of the night, she praised Malone as "ridiculously talented" and "unfailingly polite."</p><p>"It has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma'am," she said next to Malone on stage at the UBS Arena outside New York City.</p>.Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for US President after debate with Donald Trump.<p>Malone returned the compliments, calling megastar Swift "absolutely one of the most kind and talented people I've ever had the honor of knowing."</p><p>The black-and-white "Fortnight" video was released in April to accompany the first single from Swift's album "The Tortured Poets Department." The video shows Swift in a bleak hospital, a setting she said reflected what she was seeing in her head as she wrote the "Tortured Poets" songs.</p><p>Malone said he watched Swift direct the video while she was strapped to an operating room table on the set. "It was pretty bad ass," he said.</p><p>"Fortnight" was competing for the evening's top honor - video of the year - against Billie Eilish's "Lunch," Eminem's "Houdini," SZA's "Snooze" and others.</p><p>Eminem opened the show with "Houdini" before country singer Jelly Roll joined him for their hit collaboration "Somebody Save Me."</p><p>Katy Perry was set to be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her lifetime work. </p>