Taylor Swift, left, poses with Britney Spears at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, held at Paramount Pictures Studio Lot on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles ? It took a year, but Britney Spears got the comeback she was seeking from the MTV Video Music Awards – and she didn’t even have to sing or dance.

Spears nabbed three VMAs, including video of the year, erasing last year’s career-low performance. Her first Moonman trophies came during a 25th anniversary show that otherwise lacked a defining moment, with most of the zaniness coming from host Russell Brand.

“Wow, thank you, I’m in shock right now. I was not expecting this,” Spears, looking spectacular in a shimmering silver dress, said as she accepted her third trophy of the evening for “Piece of Me.”

Spears kept all three of her acceptance speeches short.

“This is such an honor to have this award right now,” she said. “I want to thank my fans. This is dedicated to you.”

There was no such honor for Spears last year, when the declining diva – by then known more for her tabloid exploits and erratic behavior – kicked off the Las Vegas telecast. Looking haggard and dazed, Spears bumbled her way through a performance of “Gimme More” that gave new meaning to the phrase “Sin City.”

Though Spears didn’t perform this time, she still opened the show, giving a blink-and-you-missed-it introduction of Rihanna. Still, just being there was enough for a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd long before she opened her mouth to get things rolling.

Though the VMAs have been defined by zany, wild moments in the past, there were more head-scratching moments than outrageous ones at the sprawling Paramount Studios lot.

The prim and proper Leona Lewis gave a graceful opening performance for a song by … Lil Wayne, who appeared on stage barechested, displaying his tattooed torso as his pants hung below his buttocks (Ralph Lauren’s underwear line got a nice plug, however). He performed hits “A Milli” and a song with T-Pain.

The Jonas Brothers performed a version of their song “Lovebug” that was so genteel one might have thought they were doing a tribute to the Osmonds. But the trio then segued to a rocked-out version in the final moments, as a throng of screaming fans surrounded them on one of the movie’s many sets.

Pink gave perhaps the show’s most rousing performance, a pyrotechnic-fueled performance of her new song, “So What.”