Britney “Bombs” At MTV Video Music Awards

Britney Spears did it again. Her much anticipated performance at the MTV Video Music Awards has critics going to town (again) calling it a train wreck instead of a comeback.

With the intention of creating hype of her upcoming album, the former pop princess kicked off Sunday’s show in Las Vegas with her new single “Gimme More.” They’re saying her lip-synching was “out of synch” and that her dance moves were “lethargic” and “seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home.” They also called her flabby.

It would’ve been understandable if the show had been crushed under the weight of the opening fiasco – yet somehow it rebounded, and even flourished.

The show banked heavily on its own reinvention. After poor reviews and a decline in ratings over the last few years, MTV moved the show to Vegas, shortened it from three hours to two, went to a hostless format and focused more on performances than awards.

Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters hosted separate suite parties where most of the performances took place.

But the performance most people will be talking about was Spears’. And unlike her last VMAs appearance, when she locked lips with Madonna in 2003, this time it will be for all the wrong reasons.

“It definitely could have been a lot better,” the hitmaking singer and producer Akon commented afterward. “She seemed nervous … you could tell by the expression on her face. Instead of just blocking everybody out and doing her thing, you could tell she was thinking about it.”

Britney Spears performs onstage during the MTV Video Music Awards at The Palms Hotel and Casino on September 9, 2007, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Winners of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards:

Rihanna, “Umbrella,” featuring Jay-Z

 Justin Timberlake

Female Artist of the Year:   Fergie

Quadruple Threat of the Year:  Justin Timberlake

Best Group:  Fallout Boy, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race”

Monster Single of the Year:  Rihanna, “Umbrella”

Most Earthshattering Collaboration:  Beyonce and Shakira, “Beautiful Liar”

Best Editing:  Ken Mowe for Gnarls Barkley’s “Smiley Faces”

Best Director:  Samuel Bayer for Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around … Comes Around”

Best Choreography:  Marty Kudelka for Justin Timberlake’s “Let Me Talk to You/My Love”

Best New Artist: Gym Class Heroes