The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards are only a few weeks away. The biggest party of the year features nominated clips by Lady Gaga, Eminem, Jay-Z, Ke$ha and Katy Perry and will feature performances by Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Justin Bieber, Paramore, Usher, B.o.B, Florence and the Machine and Linkin Park. In order to properly prepare yourself for what's to come, every day the MTV Newsroom Blog will deliver a classic moment in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards, and we're calling it "30 Days of VMA." Today's installment: Britney Spears proves sometimes less is more.
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards were completely unhinged. Rather than confining the show to a single space like Radio City Music Hall or the Nokia Theatre, the producers of the 2007 version of the show decided to stage the night's events in a dozen different locations scattered throughout the Palms Casino and Resort. It was one of the most unpredictable nights in VMA history, and it was a thrill to watch.
But despite the singularity of the staging, there was really only one thing that people were talking about in the lead-up to the 2007 VMAs: The return of Britney Spears. She hadn't produced any new music since the release of 2003's In the Zone, and during her absence she had landed permanently on the tabloid pages for having a 24-hour-marriage, getting pregnant, shaving her head and generally getting into trouble. So when Spears kicked off the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards with "Gimme More," the first single from her comeback album Blackout, expectations could not have been higher.
Spears' performance of "Gimme More" proved that she was a little bit rusty (the choreography looked especially flat), but she looked exceptionally sexy in her Vegas best and it felt good to have her back. The VMA performance kicked off a triumphant return for Spears that included another massive album (2008's Circus), a well-received and commercially successful world tour, a handful of Moonmen of her own (for "Piece of Me" in 2008) and more chart-topping singles (including 2009's "3"). It all began at the VMAs, where stories can begin again and comebacks can make an impact. Who will have the most compelling story at the 2010 VMAs? You only have to wait a few more days.
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET.