LAS VEGAS - Somewhere, Kevin Federline is laughing. Britney Spears launched her comeback at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, drawing ridicule by dressing up as a stripper and miming her new single Gimme More.

No longer boasting the buff body that helped drive her to international superstardom almost a decade ago, she moved sluggishly around the stage at the Palms casino, often with the support of dancers. Rapper 50 Cent, in the audience, looked bewildered by the action on stage.

Spears' performance led host Sarah Silverman to say: 'She is amazing! I mean, she is 25 years old and she's already accomplished everything she's going to accomplish in life.'

'She blew it,' gossip columnist Perez Hilton told Reuters. '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!'

That wasn't the only excitement. An off-camera fight between Pamela Anderson's ex-husbands Kid Rock and Tommy Lee led Jamie Foxx to quip: 'Stop all this white-on-white violence.'

Justin Timberlake won four prizes, including Male Artist of the Year. Rihanna won Video of the Year, for her hit Umbrella.

Reuters