Make sure to download the newest episode of the pmaCAST: Looking Better, Shining Brighter Than You Do, featuring Four Tet, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The xx, Yeasayer, Department of Eagles, Hot Chip and more.
Just in case you missed Britney Spears’ performance last night, catch it again below
So how was Britney? Was it bad? Was it horrible? Or, was it down right awful? You tell me down in the comments. While we’re waiting on you guys, here is what a handful of media authorities and other opinionated people had to say:
• “You couldn’t even get good hair extensions?????? You have no one to blame for your failure but YOU! There was no way you were going to be good. You were out partying every night before the VMAs for three days in a row until almost sunrise! You were probably still drunk or high during your performance!!! You almost tripped a few times, you fucking mess!!!!!!!” [Perez Hilton]
• “Thanks to her annus horribilis — or, more accurately, anni horribiles — she was one of the most anticipated VMA performers in years. Voyeurs around the world were ready to see a fallen star back onstage. She didn’t disappoint: she was awful. Visibly nervous, she tottered around the stage, dancing tentatively and doing nothing that sounded or looked like real live singing. It’s too bad, because the song itself, “Gimme More,” is a pleasant surprise: brash and sleek and unapologetic. But Sunday’s performance in Las Vegas didn’t seem very likely to stem the tide of mean-spirited jokes about Ms. Spears.” [NYT]
• “But there was nothing memorable about Spears last night. Lip-syncing the thin, breathy vocals, she seemed bored. At one point, she stopped moving her lips altogether. The performer has been through a lot since the last time she wowed the MTV crowd. Perhaps last night, she still had a lot on her mind.” [Baltimore Sun]
• “Britney Spears’ first major performance in three years, at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, has been widely dismissed as a disaster. The BBC’s David Willis said her performance would ‘go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards’. … Singer and producer Akon added that ‘it definitely could have been a lot better’. ‘She seemed nervous… you could tell by the expression on her face,’ he said.” [BBC]
• “It reeked of Anna Nicole. The girl needs serious help, and I don’t think she’s going to get it.” [HORTENSE]
• “I actually wanted to cry watching that performance. I have varying degrees of sympathy towards Brit but this was just painful to watch.” [SEXANDPHILOSOPHY]
Your Turn. COMMENT AWAY! This should be fun 
Tags: Britney Spears, MTV, VMA 2007
She looks great for a mom of two…but goddamn not good enough to wear that!
All I feel for Britney is pity because it’s obvious she’s got nothing but “Yes” men around her. No one is giving her cold, hard truth. To that respect Vegas is perfect. I mean, bloated, southern, drug using performer past their prime sound familiar?
Britney was awful. The obvious lip-synching, along with a dance you might see a pre-teen attemping….sorry, the career is over.
I watched the awards because I wanted to see Britney either fall further down or kick some ass. I was rooting for her, seriously. I sat on the edge of my couch in stomach pain because I was so embarassed for her. My boyfriend sat next to me laughing his ass off and pointing out every mistake. I was saddened and felt bad for her but I was also annoyed because I had just wasted precious minutes of my life watching her mess up lip synching which is something I managed to learn and conquer when I was in the 5th grade (thank you New Kids and Tiffany and one bored teacher). Britney has always pulled off good shows at the VMA’s but this was truly appalling. Actually the whole damn show was appalling. I was more interested in the Suites then the Main stage. Oh well, I will probably watch it next year cause I am stupid.
Poor Brit. Just terrible.
As much as I don’t care for her I was really rooting for Britney to pull it together and show everyone else how it’s done. Watching her was agony. And what did she need Criss Angel for, to show her how to walk back and forth?
The best I could guess is Britney got her idea for the setup by watching Chicago and then saying “Let’s do something like the cell block tango, y’all!!”
As much as I don’t care for her I was really rooting for Britney to pull it together and show everyone else how it’s done. Watching her was agony. And what did she need Criss Angel for, to show her how to walk back and forth?
Let the pity party begin. In her defense (albeit a very weak defense), if she’s fat, then I’m morbidly obese. She’s simply the mother of 2 children who likes her Cool Ranch Doritos and a nice Orange Fanta every now and again who has a tendency to choose the most unflattering outfits on the planet – as Snap Judgement can attest.
That is all.
My verdict: Very Very Bad.
I hope she (Brittney) picks it up and tries again. She needs a shot of confidence to pull herself out of the deep, deep hole she’s in.
Was that her “come back” performance or a preview of her upcoming long-term gig in the Twilight Room at the Flamingo?
um i knew it was downhill when they did a close up of her eyes
a shade of blue only seen in art supply stores
Seabeast hair and hooker makeup
Boor Brit! The thing is, she’s not fat at all, she’s just not perforn on stage in your underwear skinny, hardly anyone is. If she had only worn a dress instead and gotten a better weave she could have looked good. The really sad thing is that none of her people, and no one at MTV, stepped up and said NO, you can not perform like that- you are not up to it. But no, her people don’t want to be fired and MTV wanted the ratings for their crappy ass show
I’m still on team Britney, and won’t jump on the bangwagon to continue the merciless trashing of the poor woman.
I think Britney’s body is great…
all else is “fail”.
the world does not forgive us as women for getting older
While generally true, Michael, that “the world does not forgive us as women for getting older,” Britney’s comeback struggles tell us that she herself hasn’t come to terms with adulthood and ‘life passages.’ Why would anyone under the circumstances attempt to reset her career back to the glory days of ‘18-year-old pop princess’? Not that you should dress like June Cleaver, or even Lily Allen, but you’ve got to commit and always be moving forward. A la Madonna, whatever else we think of her; and likely Xtina’s post-partum career. Those two examples also highlight Britney’s biggest difficulty — no, not being a single mother: it’s her tiny (perhaps unadaptable) talent.
She clearly is not “fat”, but if your belly jiggles every time you move you should NOT be wearing a glitter bikini while dancing on national television. Especially if you did it a few years ago while sporting the best abs ever televised.
I totally agree about Britney not being fat. Though as far as “she’s not dance-around-on-stage-in-your-underwear skinny” goes, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that, no matter how hot of a body you have, it would be good for the mental health of our nation if everyone stopped thinking it was okay to dance around on stage in their underwear.
I never thought that I would have sympathy for Brit, but I completely concur. I think her body looks great, even in that horrific outfit. Perhaps it is the empathetic mental health counselor in training in me, but I just wish there were people in her life wh actually seemed to try to help her and tell her what is good and obviously (unlike last night) what is not.
I never thought I’d say it, but I just want to give her a hug and help her.
Maybe I’m going out on a limb here but don’t just about all of these music award performances suck 98% of the time. I mean, they’re almost always lipsynched and embarrassing to watch and just on the whole really sucky.
The only one I can think of that was ever good was Britney and her snake dance.
wow I wish my body looked like that after two kids…
I did not watch the VMAs, but I just saw some clips. She looked tired and burnt out, and what at the age of 24 (?)…old
I feel sorry for her, but like some of you said, she is surrounded by people who tell her what she wants to hear, not what she needs to hear.
Britney, bless her heart.