Did you see it? It sucked. What did you think?
Britney Spears launched her highly anticipated comeback at the MTV Video Music Awards on last night, drawing ridicule by dressing up as a stripper and lip-synching her new single Gimme More.
The 25-year-old singer, who partying away any pre-show nerves during a 48-hour Vegas bender with P Diddy, took to the stage in a black sequined bikini and knee-high boots.
No longer boasting the buff body that helped drive her to international superstardom almost a decade ago, the mother of two moved sluggishly around the stage at the Palms casino, often with the support of a troupe of dancers.
At one point, the camera panned to rapper 50 Cent, sitting in the audience, who looked bewildered by the action on stage.
A reviewer from American entertainment magazine EW said: “Britney gallumphed around like a zombie,” adding she performed like a “tentative, confused-looking girl who could barely muster the energy to mouth along with the backing track.”
The Washington Post concurred, describing the act as “disjointed, underwhelming… and plain boring,” adding “out-of-shape Spears moved tentatively around the stage, getting totally outgrooved by her back-up dancers.”
“She blew it,” gossip columnist Perez Hilton said. “Everybody knows Britney lip-syncs, but that’s because she dances so much. She barely even danced in this. It was so bad. It was painful. It was embarrassing. And I loved it!”
Comedian Sarah Silverman also showed no mercy. She took to the stage when the performance was over, declaring that the singer’s young children were “the most adorable mistakes you’ll ever see.”
Hip-hop singer Kanye West went home empty-handed after receiving five nominations. He was also not thrilled that Spears took the plum opening slot.
“I can’t believe she would perform. She hasn’t had a hit record in years,” the outspoken hip-hop star improvised during a performance the night before.
Spears released her last studio album in 2003, the commercial disappointment “In the Zone” - and West has recorded three albums in that time.
She has been working on a new album for more than a year, although it is not known when it will be released.
MTV brought the show to Las Vegas for the first time, hoping to reverse a sharp slide in viewership for its awards bash.
(Via 'I looked like a fat ...)