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You can fool some of the people, but not all the time.

Early reports indicate that the ratings for the MTV Video Music Awards were just 2.1 million, down FIFTY percent from last year, the lowest ever.

Numbers tomorrow may show improvement based on the preceding NFL game, which was a nail biter. (Wow, to say the least.)

Fans were incensed online that Madonna, who’s 68, won 7 awards for a dance album that was not a hit or relevant to them.

They were also not pleased about the adoration of Taylor Swift, who dropped a video that can only be seen for a fee. She also didn’t even mention her new husband in any of her speeches.

It was clear to the most oblivious viewer that the only people won were those in attendance — and the only ones in attendance knew what they’d won in advance.

The whole show looked arranged and paid for by the winners.

Social media engagement: YouTube videos of various performances and speeches were all less than 400,000 — except for one– Lisa of BLACKPINK. That video of her acceptance speech for Bet Pop (pop what? not defined) has garnered 1 million views since last night.

Also, a closer look at Madonna’s performance indicates either she wasn’t up to the physical challenge (who could blame her?) or had celebrated backstage before not surprisingly winning her awards. She could barely form a coherent sentence.

The whole show was miserable. Imagine the CBS viewer who thought “60 Minutes” followed the football game only to find Madonna and naked dancers writhing, kissing, carrying on to a pre-taped disco nightmare. If they didn’t change channels then, they most surely did soon thereafter.

The VMAs were never a class act. They aren’t the Grammys, to be sure. MTV itself doesn’t exist anymore. No one knows where to see the videos that were nominated. But then to have KPop videos the audience has never seen win awards — come on, no one believed it for a minute.

To make matters worse, a really incoherent Snoop Dogg was not even a host — he was more like a wise cracking usher. He was no guide for the evening, and seemed as out of it as the performers. (Was he high?)

As for sales, Swift still has the top four singles on iTunes. But the album — which all the fans already own — has dropped to number 2. Has Taylor jumped the shark? We’ll see soon.

Flower Power: Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Dolly Parton, George Harrison, More Blossom in Jill Brooke’s Stunning Holiday Book, “Genius of Flowers”