Rolling out the red carpet

Jesse Ignjatovic compares it to a giant Rubik's Cube, an elaborate, celebrity-stoked head scratcher that he has been trying to wrap his brain around for months now.

He's getting close.

As executive producer of the MTV Video Music Awards, Ignjatovic is mounting his most ambitious production today at the Palms, where the awards will be broadcast from throughout the property -- from svelte concert hall The Pearl to a handful of Fantasy Suites to nightclub Rain -- beginning at 9 p.m. on the East Coast. (The actual taping of the show begins at 6 p.m. locally and will be shown here with a three-hour tape delay.)

"A typical awards show is in a room, and everything happens on that stage for the most part," Ignjatovic says. "This time, half of the show is in that room, and half of the show is in these other rooms 26 stories away. With live television, you need more than one truck, you need to figure out how you're routing everything between all these different rooms. It's mathematical, such a big thing to try and figure out how to make it all work."

The MTV Video Music Awards will have a substantial presence at the Palms today, with owner George Maloof saying that 500 slot machines and 12 table games will be moved to accommodate the production. The red carpet will run from the resort's main entrance through the casino floor to the entrance of The Pearl.

"When we said we were taking over the Palms, I think that's been proven to be true," Ignjatovic says with a chuckle. "It's massive."

And so is the show's lineup, with the Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown, Nelly Furtado and others set to perform along with a special appearance by Britney Spears, and a list of presenters that includes Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx and Pamela Anderson.

The awards show is not a ticketed event and is closed to the public, though the Palms will be open for business as usual with the sports book, movie theaters and other attractions maintaining their normal hours.

This means the place will be swamped, and anyone hoping to show up and star gaze as Beyoncé or Kanye West enters the building will face daunting crowds.

"Unless you're really patient and eager to be there in person, I think it's going to be a real tough one to even get to the hotel," Ignjatovic says. "I'm just so happy I'm in the hotel and not going anywhere."

Ignjatovic has his work cut out for him regardless.

In addition to putting the show on in a slew of different venues, there's a bevy of changes with the awards this year. The program has been trimmed from three hours to two; in lieu of a traditional host, producer Timbaland will serve as the Video Music Awards "maestro" and oversee the musical aspects of the event; and there's a clutch of new categories, including "Monster Single of the Year" and "Quadruple Threat Award," which honors artists who have had success in several different fields.

Moreover, unlike in years past, the show will be shown in its entirety only once, and not subject to heavy reruns.

Ignjatovic hopes that this one-time showing will be the final piece in this glittery puzzle, reveling in the run-up to the show with the enthusiasm of a guy whose heart pumps caffeine.

"I think there's an incredible energy around this show, because we are trying different new things," he says beaming. "It's palpable. I see it as a maelstrom of madness."