By now, much has been written about Britney Spears and her maligned performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Spears seemed to forget how to lip-sync, dance and tone her body for 4 minutes of cavorting around like a sedated, slowly-writhing zombie. 
Spears looked lost and unsure at the VMAs, and that is too bad because the venue has been home to some of the highest points of her career. My personal favorite was her breathy version of the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" before she changed tunes and ripped off her business suit to reveal a flesh-colored pantsuit underneath. 
She oozed enough sex that I felt dirty watching as I distractedly shot a horrendous game of pool. I might have lost at 9-ball (couldn't sink the blue one), but it was worth it.
In later years, Spears turned in solid flesh-peddling moments while wearing green hot pants and using a large snake to her advantage. The kiss with Madonna and Christina Aguilera was a bit too showy for my tastes, but that staged lip-lock still found the pop star so much higher than she has fallen these days. 
Sunday's VMA performance was supposed to signal that Spears could shake off her late nights, questionable parenting skills and alcohol-bloated body to announce to the world that she was still relevant.
Instead, it was another testament to her career grinding to a halt, and about as sexy as a BYOB strip club in Elko, Nevada (and for those who haven't witnessed that scene - Don't.) I take no pleasure in this because a train wreck is interesting on occasion, however, nobody except for moral deviants like to watch them all the time.
For Spears, it must be depressing to realize your career peaked by your mid-20s, a hard fact that might resonate if she had even a vague grasp on reality. Sad.
-BDS
yesterday would have been a good time to "reinvent" herself. I think she could have scored big points if she tried to do something a little understated, heartfelt and sincere. Instead she looked like someone who thinks she is entitled to her success. Her lack of anything resembling effort was pretty insulting.
Oh, she broke my heart. I watched her try to bump and grind around the stage and saw a young women who should realize it's time to shed the snakes/etc., and go home.
To her kids.
Her body is still kicking...who cares about a small ponch really??
The performance was terrible, she looked lethargic and bored and just sort of stumbled around.
Idig - Yes. It would have been a good time to do something different or if you refuse that option, then at least practice and do the bump/grind thing well. Insulting is a good word, and I agree on the entitlement point as well.
Anonymous Boxer - It's always sad to watch anyone who doesn't realize that the party is shutting down, everyone else knows this and is leaving, yet you remain. Good call w/ her going home to the kids, but I doubt it's going to happen.
Miss Ash - Missed you in Cyberspace. Her body is OK, but the problem is that if you put your body out there as the main thrust of your talent (because the dancing was putrid) then it better measure up mightily. It's hard to compete w/ yourself I suppose.
The body wasn't so bad. However, the weave... couldn't she take time out of her busy schedule of drinking and smoking and leaving her kids chained to a fire hydrant to get her roots touched up?
Wow, I just watched this today and was going to post about it! She phoned that one in for sure. I do think she was on some type of medication and I could overlook the slightly less cut version of her if she had given a good performance. (dancing wise..she has NEVER sang live) She didn't sell it AT ALL. The audience reactions were priceless. I felt so sad for her...
Wendy - I heard the first shots were up close & personal on the bad weave, but I missed that part. But I love the visual of the fire hyrdant. That's funny.
Jlee - Exactly. She could have at least spent the time to learn the dance moves. She can dance, or at least she could at one point in her life. Her body wasn't a mess, but it does look like a body that has been abused w/ late nights & alcohol.
it was very sad to watch. how could none of her 'friends' tell her not to do it. I am afraid of what will happen next to keep her in the spotlight she has become addicted to.
Sometimes, these art-empty pop stars wise up and realize that being on top is less important than creating work they can be proud of. I'm not a fan of Alanis Morisette, but I remember her bid for pop star fame before she decided to write what she wanted. I respect that, at least. I don't see Spears stepping up to the plate like that. It seems to me like she has always needed an army of PR and image consultants in order to sell her thing. Poor girl just doesn't know that.
Vivavavoom - That's what happens when you fire anyone who says 'no' or 'maybe you should consider not doing this' and surrounding yourself with 'yes' people. Ugly results all the way around.
Getoffmylawn - Alanis has more musical talent than Spears ever will as Britney is an entertainer - or at least she was. As for Alanis, most people churn out better product when they're writing for themselves versus a mass audience. Not always, but . . .
H. Wood - I think most people assumed this would be a mess, but were holding out a glimmer of hope that Spears would dedicate herself to this performance and actually produce something worth seeing. Of course, the results were the exact opposite of this latter assumption.
I must agree with miss ash and wendy. Brittany doesn't look THAT bad. Sure, the performance was horrible, although she's ALWAYS lipsynch'd. She did look sedated. It won't take her long to "get her shit together", IF she chooses to do so.
I don't think Brittney looks bad for a person not expected to look great, but she is an entertainer, who has made her money off of her looks and (gulp) sex appeal. just look at her videos. so because of that, the expectations of how her body should look are higher than the rest of us. If she was out of shape....which she obviously was....and possibly self medicating....which she obviously is, then she should have known better than to say yes to opening a show like the VMA's for her 'comeback'. this poor woman needs some guidance and to really reaccess what she is going to do. the sad part is she is not very talented. her voice is all synthesized, a lot like Madonna, but unlike madonna, she has no idea how to reinvent herself. and so she is 25 trying to be like she was at 19. since then she has been in rehab, gotten married twice and had 2 kids. and if you don't bother to get in shape and practice your dancing skills, then you better have a killer voice which even when she was in shape, she never had.
She'll be in rehab again before the year is out.
Tiara Girl - Here's the thing: Britney doesn't look bad when compared to the general population, however, when compared to Hollywood & herself in the past, she receives low marks. The focus is on that because she didn't even bother to try to lip sync or dance (which she used to do fairly well).
Vivavavoom - Excellent, excellent summation. I couldn't agree more.