MTV Awards find suite success

Musician Rihanna, center, and Fall Out Boy perform at a party suite during the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas. Sunday's show focused more on partying and music than on acceptance of awards.

? Somewhere, Kevin Federline is laughing. An out-of-shape, out-of-touch Britney Spears delivered what was destined to be the most talked about performance of the MTV Video Music Awards – but for all the wrong reasons.

Kicking off the show Sunday night with her new single, “Gimme More,” Spears looked bleary and unprepared, much like her recent tabloid exploits on the streets of Los Angeles. She walked through her dance moves with little enthusiasm. She appeared to have forgotten the art of lip-synching. And, perhaps most unforgivable given her once-taut frame, she looked embarrassingly out of shape.

Even the celebrity-studded audience seemed bewildered. 50 Cent looked at Spears with a confused look on his face; Diddy, her new best friend, was expressionless.

Some comeback. Breathlessly hyped by MTV as the evening’s most anticipated performance, it became the worst of the night. Jive Records might want to push back that Nov. 13 album release date.

The VMAs had better luck with their own reinvention on Sunday. After suffering poor reviews and a decline in ratings over the last few years, MTV moved the show to Las Vegas’ Palms Casino, shortened the show from three hours to two, and changed the show’s setup to focus more on performances than awards. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters each hosted separate suite parties, where much of the show’s performances were held.

Thankfully, after Spears’ dismal start and an awkward, off-color intro by comedian Sarah Silverman, the show rebounded with several exciting performances. (There was even more drama in the audience: an off-camera fight broke out between Pamela Anderson exes Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, leading Diddy to remark: “It’s not just the hip-hop artists that sometimes have a problem.”)

Though the suites appeared to be chaotic parties, the MTV-cast revelers were carefully organized and strategically placed for the cameras. Choreographed or not, Timberlake and Timbaland’s joint suite looked like the most exciting – T.I., buffeted by pole dancers, delivered a rousing version of “Big Things Poppin”‘ while 50 Cent stopped by to perform “Ayo Technology” with Timberlake and Timbaland.

But the TV audience never got full views of those shows, though MTV promised viewers more via its Web site and other “remixed” versions of the show. That might have been the purpose: to whet appetites for repeat viewings by promising glimpses of what they missed during the traditional broadcast. And unlike in recent years, there was plenty reason to come back for more.

MTV Video Music Award Winners

  • Video of the Year: Rihanna, “Umbrella,” featuring Jay-Z
  • Male Artist of the Year: Justin Timberlake
  • Female Artist of the Year: Fergie
  • Quadruple Threat of the Year: Justin Timberlake
  • Best Group: Fall Out Boy, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race”
  • Monster Single of the Year: Rihanna, “Umbrella”
  • Most Earthshattering Collaboration: Beyonce and Shakira, “Beautiful Liar”
  • Best Editing: Ken Mowe for Gnarls Barkley’s “Smiley Faces”
  • Best Director: Samuel Bayerfor Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around … Comes Around”
  • Best Choreography: Marty Kudelka for Justin Timberlake’s “Let Me Talk to You/My Love”
  • Best New Artist: Gym Class Heroes