MTV harried by hurricane

MTV officials can be forgiven if the phrase “Something Wilma this way comes” keeps rattling through their heads.

Hurricane Wilma forced MTV Latin America to postpone its annual video awards show scheduled for Thursday night in Cancun. And Key West -- where a season of “Real World” episodes are being filmed -- is under a mandatory evacuation order as of today. “Real World” declined comment Thursday on whether it would obey the Wilma evacuation order. But a neighbor of the house where the show is being filmed said the crew decamped when Hurricane Katrina rolled over Florida on its way to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

“It is our policy not to comment on our shows during production, but we can confirm that we have plans in place to insure the safety of ‘The Real World’ cast and crew,” said Todd Beck, spokesman for Bunim-Murray Productions, which produces the show.

Linda Alexander, spokeswoman for MTV Latin America, said the network evacuated 850 guests and crew members late Wednesday after dismantling its stage at a Mayan amphitheater in the Xcaret eco-resort near Cancun.

The network had not determined when it would reschedule the program, which was to have aired Thursday night on MTV2.

Wilma is the second hurricane in less than two months to muddy MTV’s plans. The network’s annual MTV Video Awards, held Aug. 28 in Miami, narrowly missed being washed out by Hurricane Katrina.

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Scott Martelle