Britney Spears Confirmed for VMAs

Zap2It.com | September 6, 2007

Britney Spears

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She'll open Sunday's show with her new single

Confirming several weeks of speculation, MTV said Thursday that tabloid fixture and sometime pop singer Britney Spears will perform at Sunday's Video Music Awards.

Spears -- who, you may remember, sold some records before her recent run as a poster child for celebrity train-wreckdom -- will open the show with a performance of her new single "Gimme More." Those of you setting your DVRs will want to know that the show, which will air live (tape-delayed out West) from Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET.

The presence of Spears will most likely be a ratings-grabber for the VMAs, which have seen their audience decline in recent years. It will be her fourth VMA performance, following such memorable moments as her kiss with Madonna in 2003 and her entrance at the 2001 show with a python draped over her shoulders.

Spears has also been working with illusionist Criss Angel to craft "some of the moments of the performance," VMA executive producer Jesse Ignjatovic says in a piece on MTV's web site. The network is keeping quiet about those moments until Sunday.

The show will also feature performances by the Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Cee-Lo, Alicia Keys and Nelly Furtado, among others. Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and West are among the leading nominees.

"Gimme More" is the first single from a new album, untitled as of now, that's due for release in November. It will be Spears' first new album since 2003.