Stars in Edinburgh for MTV extravaganza

THE stars have begun to arrive in the Capital on the eve of Scotland’s most glamorous music event.

The Black-Eyed Peas, the Darkness, Kylie Minogue and Vin Diesel have all touched down in Edinburgh ahead of tomorrow’s star-studded MTV extravaganza. Other stars due to arrive today include Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake.

Touts are cashing in on tickets to the official awards ceremony and related events, with passes for the ceremony and the free MTV in the Gardens concert changing hands for hundreds of pounds.

The touts have also been selling tickets for the official after-show parties at the Corn Exchange and Zinc Bar Grill at Ocean Terminal.

Just over 24 hours before the Leith ceremony, several tickets were being sold on internet auction site Ebay - the most expensive single brief being offered at £430.

The £34 MTV Europe Music Awards tickets on sale to the public sold out in 14 minutes last month and Scottish music fans desperate to see stars like Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé Knowles are paying through the nose.

More than a hundred people queued through the night on Princes Street to be first in line for the final batch of tickets for MTV in the Gardens.

They are being issued to fans at the Footlocker store today and tomorrow.

Stewart Duncan, manager of the store, said they expected a huge turnout for the tickets.

He said: "We will sell the last 50 tickets for the awards ceremony today and then for those not lucky enough to get one, there will be 150 garden party passes issued to fans between 2pm and 4pm."

Around 8000 free tickets were given away last week for the gig in the Gardens where Jane’s Addiction, The Chemical Brothers and The Flaming Lips will perform.

But now the free tickets are selling at more than £200 each - prompting fears music fans are being priced out of the awards.

An MTV spokeswoman said: "The only thing that we can say is that all the tickets we have been distributing free of charge to the people of Edinburgh have been given away in good faith," she said.

"Once we have distributed them things are a little bit out of our hands but we would urge people not to buy the tickets.

"Instead we would strongly advise staying at home and watching the event on MTV because you will have a great view of things."

Kylie Minogue arrived in the Capital yesterday and greeted fans at the Ocean Terminal complex in Leith.

Hollywood star Vin Diesel, who is making a guest appearance for fans at the Princes Street Gardens concert, was also spotted around the streets of Edinburgh.

It is understood he visited Geoffrey (Tailor) Kiltmakers with his mother to have a kilt fitted for tomorrow night.