Taylor Swift takes early lead at MTV awards

Pop superstar Taylor Swift took an early lead at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday, winning the first two of her whopping 10 nominations and burying the hatchet with rapper Nicki Minaj.

Swift won Best Pop Video and Best Female Video for her hit "Blank Space," beating Beyonce in both categories and former foe Minaj in the second.

In a surprise start to the awards show, Swift joined a resplendent Minaj, festooned in a red tribal-style headdress, at the end of her opening set when they broke into Swift's hit record "No Bad Blood."

Swift strode out in a skimpy red dress for the set -- topped with a quick hug -- that appeared to end their twitter row.

They hit the headlines last month when Minaj's "Anaconda" was passed over for a Video of the Year nomination.

Minaj blamed the slight on bias against full-figured black women, saying the music industry preferred "very slim" women.

The track on Sunday won her Best Hip Hop Video.

The very slim Swift, who is Sunday's most nominated star, responded to Minaj that "I've done nothing but love and support you" and invited her to share the stage if she wins for her video "Bad Blood."

Nearly two days later, Swift backtracked and apologized. Minaj said she wished that Swift had spoken out on portrayals of African American women.

The host of Sunday night's show was shock pop diva Miley Cyrus, who graced the red carpet in an outfit so revealing that the New York Daily News named it a "crotch chandelier."

The former idol of tween girls around the world made Music Awards history two years ago by performing in a flesh-toned bikini and bent over and gyrated provocatively with singer Robin Thicke.

"May be MTV figured the easiest way to keep me from performing was to ask me to host," she joked onstage Sunday.