MTV's 2007 VMA Winners In Pictures: Rihanna & Beyonce Can't Compete With Britney Bombing... Big Time!

Was it me, or was there something very off about Britney Spears?

While White media has already started bagging on Spears being "embarrassingly out-of-shape", we were thinking just the opposite. Her body, from a brotha's perspective, was on and poppin'. And after two mini-Federlines back to back -- oh c'mon, don't even trip!

It was her singing performance and dance routine, however, that left a lot to be desired.

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.

Male Artist of the Year/ Quadruple Threat of the Year: Justin Timberlake/ Best Director: Samuel Bayer for Timberlake's "What Goes Around... "/Best Choreography: Marty Kudelka for Timberlake's "Let Me Talk to You..."

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 most shockingly bad 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.

Female Artist of the Year: Fergie

Thankfully, after Spears' dismal start and an awkward, tired intro by comedian Sarah "I Hear Crickets In The Audience" Silverman, the show rebounded with several exciting performances.

Silverman not only dogged Britney, but also her kids by calling them mistakes. You know if that had been a Black woman, hair would have been flying all over that stage.

There was even "White Rockers Gone Wild" drama in the audience when an off-camera beatdown broke out between Pamela Anderson exes Kid Rock and Tommy Lee. Word is that Kid just walked up and pimp-slapped Lee, leading Diddy to remark: "It's not just the hip-hop artists that sometimes have a problem."

Translation - there are no color barriers when it comes to acting Ghetto. Want another example? How about the latest "White Girls Gone Wild" baby-mama-drama playing out between actress Bridget Moynahan, supermodel Giselle Bundchen, and New England Patriot quaterbackr Tom Brady.

Best Group: Fallout Boy, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"

Timberlake's suite was packed with revelers, alcohol and eight lingerie-clad stripper types on raised platforms. Before he accepted the Quadruple Threat of the Year award at his suite, the DJ summoned the partygoers to watch the monitor and go crazy if Timberlake won.He did, they did, and Timberlake said: "I want to challenge MTV to play more videos!" Then he was whisked away by bodyguards and disappeared.

The ex-boy band N'Sync member was the night's big winner, with four trophies. After accepting the award for Male Artist of the Year, he jabbed at MTV again: "We don't want to see the Simpsons on reality television" - apparently he's not a fan of either Jessica or Ashlee's MTV shows.

Most Earthshattering Collaboration: Beyonce and Shakira, "Beautiful Liar"

Meanwhile, Rihanna won the coveted Video of the Year for her metallically inspired "Umbrella," and Monster Single of the Year for her ubiquitous hit "Umbrella," and Beyonce and Shakira won Most Earthshattering Collaboration for "Beautiful Liar." Beyonce's shimmering gold dress barely contained her top; immediately after she picked up her trophy, she asked an assistant backstage to help fix her dress, apparently to prevent a wardrobe malfunction.

Best Editing: Ken Mowe for Gnarls Barkley's "Smiley Faces"

Other performers were appearing on the show's main stage, in front of an industry-only audience seated at tables, like at the Golden Globes. Chris Brown gave one of the evening's most extravagant performances - a dance-centric, eye-popping spectacle that channeled Michael Jackson, right down to a brief "Billie Jean" imitation.

Alicia Keys had the evening's most rousing performance, debuting her new song "No One" and then an inspired, choir-backed cover of George Michael's "Freedom."

Best New Artist: Gym Class Heroes

While performances like Keys and Spears were delivered on the main stage, others were delivered in snippets: Akon crooned a bit of his "Smack That" before an award was announced, while the cameras zoomed in on performances from Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters mid-performance in their suites, giving viewers the sense that they had happened upon an intimate concert.

Cee-Lo delivered a rocking version of Prince's naughty classic "Darling Nikki" in the smoky Foo Fighters suite (where a beer bong was in operation as Dave Grohl danced, sang Cure songs, played air drums and posed for snapshots); Soulja Boy was showing Kanye West his "Crank That" dance in West's suite.

Though the suites appeared to be chaotic parties, the MTV-cast revelers were carefully organized and strategically placed for the cameras. In another suite, the MC encouraged everyone to drink and keep the energy up.

Video of the Year: Rihanna, "Umbrella," featuring Jay-Z / Monster Single of the Year: Rihanna, "Umbrella"

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.

Not to be outdone, T-Pain and West danced high atop Las Vegas in one of the Palms' balcony suites as they celebrated "The Good Life." And Lil Wayne, doing double duty in the Fall Out Boy suite after opening the pre-show with Nicole Scherzinger, was particularly animated.

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.

WAIT... WE'VE GOT MORE PHOTOS!

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report.