In a crotch-grabbing, pole-dancing comeback, fallen pop star Britney Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards, one of the biggest nights in the US pop music calendar.
Wearing a black sequined bikini and black boots Sunday, Spears performed her racy new single, "Gimme more", at the trendy Palms Casino resort in Las Vegas. The sexy, some might say vulgar, number was Spears' biggest performance since she put her career on hold in 2004 to get married and have two children.
The recent disintegration of her marriage and her subsequent erratic behaviour kept Spears in the spotlight. But judging by the critical panning of her performance Sunday it's questionable whether she can return to superstar status.
Justin Timberlake, one of Britney's former boyfriends, had a much better evening, winning three of the big prizes, including Male Artist of the Year and the Quadruple Threat of the Year, which honours the combination of fashion, business, philanthropy and acting or dancing.
Monster Single of the Year went to Rhianna for "Umbrella". The collaboration with rap superstar Jay Z also earned her the Video of the Year Award. The Best collaboration award went to Shakira and Beyonce for Beautiful Liar, while Fergie was named best female artist.
The best group was Fall Out Boy, while Gym Class Heroes were named Best New Artist.
Lip-synching and gyrating her way through the song, Spears' disappointing performance had threatened to overshadow the night. But broadcast in a nightclub format, with performances beamed live from VIP parties taking place elsewhere in the resort, the show managed to avoid the usually tedious formats of other awards shows.
Nevertheless, Kanye West was upset that Spears was allowed to open the proceedings. "I can't believe she would perform. She hasn't had a hit record in years," West said. "Maybe my money's not right. Maybe my skin's not right."
West, who was nominated for five awards, including male artist of the year, performed later in the show.
