Britney is officially not performing at the VMAs


More proof that Britney Spears is associating with people who actually care about her and her career: the recovering singer is not scheduled to perform at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Though Spears appeared on some promotional spots for the awards and may be attending them, her management team has issued a statement saying that there will be no repeat of last year’s trainwreck seen ’round the world.

“Britney Spears will not be performing at the VMAs this year. I’m telling you officially and unequivocally,” Ryan Seacrest quoted her manager, Larry Rudolph, as saying on his KIIS-FM radio show Monday morning.

Rudolph told Seacrest that Spears “is in the middle of recording her next album, which is going amazingly well, and was never supposed to perform at that show.”

The possibility of Spears performing had been rumored for weeks. (Her hair stylist Kim Vo even told E! News that he was creating three VMA looks for the singer, hinting that one of the ‘dos was for her performance.)

The singer is still involved in the show in some capacity, however.

She is appearing alongside host Russell Brand in cheeky TV spots promoting the September 7 show.

She is also up for three VMAs — including “Video of the Year” — for her song “Piece of Me.”

Spears has never won a “Moonman,” despite being nominated 17 times.

Last year, she raised eyebrows after her rocky opening performance of “Gimme More.” The New York Times called her “awful,” writing that she “tottered around the stage, dancing tentatively and doing nothing that sounded or looked like real live singing.”

[From Us Weekly]

While most gossip bloggers are probably disappointed by this news, I’m glad. It shows that Britney has the right people around her again who aren’t looking to exploit her or push her into something she’s not ready to handle yet. And it also means we won’t be subjected to another tearful diatribe by a whacked-out fan.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Britney is shown out driving with her bodyguard on Sunset Boulevard on 8/22/08. Next week’s tabloids are going to be saying there’s romance there. Credit: O’Duran/Fame Pictures.

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16 Responses to “Britney is officially not performing at the VMAs”

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  1. Jess Doherty says:

    I have to say I am really disappointed….

  2. cc says:

    I feel a big sense of relief. Maybe next year. She doesn’t need to push it.

  3. Syko says:

    There is a God.

  4. Codzilla says:

    Can the people who care about Britney’s career please convince her to bathe?

  5. Christina X says:

    It’s probably better for her without MTV exploiting her performance as a primetime freakshow (*cough*last year*cough*)

    -I just love how everyone goes on about how “ugly” she is now that she doesn’t look like a Maxim posterslut.

    Newsflash, this is how people look like without makeup. I doubt that at this point the first thing Britney Spears gives a flying f-ck about is how she looks. Acne happens, and if you’re still naive to believe that all the other young “hot” (bland) starlets aren’t hiding anything under their 18 layers of foundation and airbrushing you’re insane.

    Acne doesn’t mean you don’t bathe. I hate hate HATE that assumption.

    /end rant.

  6. paris herpes says:

    Acne happens to everyone, I’m not sure why Britney needs to look “perfect” all the time. She doesn’t…that expectation is unfounded…besides lots of make-up actually CAUSES acne!

  7. Codzilla says:

    Chill, Christina. I’m not talking about the acne. I’m referring to the ever present greasy, polyester mop piled on her head.

  8. audrey says:

    i agree with codzilla. she looks terrible.

  9. Lily Rose says:

    I have to agree, it is probably a good idea that Britney does not perform. I don’t know why, but I am really cheering for her! When she was popular, I so was not a fan…and then watched horrified as she spiraled downward, but now…for some reason I want her to make a huge comeback! She is a gorgeous girl who just pushed too hard too young.

  10. cali angel says:

    Ya, I’m with you too Codzilla. Of course, coming down from heavy methamphetamine use tends to throw off the body’s hormones and metabolism and make things like acne/weight fluctuation/overactive oil production (i.e. greasy hair) happen. This of course has no connection to Britney at all, cough, cough, not at all. Oh and I do not mean to insult anyone who has had to deal with that issue because I am obviously no stranger to it myself.

  11. mollination says:

    She looks so cute in the video spots. I also love the “elephant in the room”. I think it’s just the right ammount of acknowledgment from her about her recent past. She is so not in the position to be cracking jokes about her vagina on SNL, or even doing FunnyOrDie.com. I don’t think it’s a good idea to pull that celeb-mea-culpa-maneuver until she is like, 2 or 3 years sane and successful.

    On that note though, I sure hope that she’s kicking off that successful and sane comeback RIGHT NOW. I miss her and am rooting for her.

  12. Aspen says:

    I have NO CLUE why I am so emotionally invested in seeing this girl get better and back to success, but I am.

    I really am rooting for her, and I hope to goodness that this apparent rebound from her problems is just the beginning…and not only a last gasp before the end.

    I want to see this girl do well.

  13. Christina X says:

    Either way, it’s shallow of you to CONSTANTLY knock anyone’s appearance.

    Maybe if Britney Spears was like Perez Hilton and made a career out of putting people down for their looks, I’d say it was called for, but since she’s not, it’s fucking rude.

  14. pissoff says:

    “She is also up for three VMAs — including ‘Video of the Year’ — for her song ‘Piece of Me.'”

    –that’s the funniest line in this post, since MTV doesn’t play music videos anymore.

  15. Lily Rose says:

    Hey, did you guys (who are rooting for her to make a comeback) see the new pictures of Britney out shopping at Pottery Barn? They are over at laineygossip.com. She looks great and you can tell she has been working out! yay!

  16. Codzilla says:

    Christina: “Constantly” means a repeated act, so ONE comment on ONE thread doesn’t exactly fit the bill. (My second response was to clarify myself, not to introduce another insult.)

    And just for the record, Britney has spent the last year hurting the people closest to her, most of all her own children, so I don’t buy this innocent victim crap. Also, the mental illness excuse isn’t the whole story, not by a long shot. While she’s clearly unstable, I think excessive drug use and a boundless sense of self-entitlement is at the core of her troubles.

    Well, I suppose that’s two insults on this thread. Still doesn’t qualify as “constant,” but if you’d like, I’ll gladly keep going.