Britney VMA Countdown! #Tribute

Britney herself told us that her bombshell kiss with Madonna in 2003 is her favorite VMA moment. "My greatest experience -- probably being with Madonna," she told MTV News. "The kiss was amazing. ... Being onstage with someone of that caliber is just iconic."  

But Spears certainly has a long list to choose from. And with that track record, it's no surprise that this year's VMAs will pay tribute to Britney. Let's dive into the highlights of her decade-plus history with the show:

1999
For her first-ever appearance, Spears not only went dress shopping with MTV News correspondent Serena Altschul, but also declared herself a VMA pop princess, taking the stage alongside 'NSYNC to perform her breakout hit " ... Baby One More Time." Still the epitome of a teen-pop sensation, Spears performed with a school backdrop, a callback to her video for the track.

2000
Spears upped the sexy ante when she literally did a striptease at the show. She cooed her way through the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" and then -- boom -- it happened: She ripped off her tux to display a nude two-piece getup and shimmied her way through "Oops ... I Did It Again."

2001
Just one year later, not only did the singer give Jamie Foxx a dance lesson to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell," but she also hung out with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger on the red carpet, who appeared not to know who she was. "Am I a Britney fan?" Jagger pondered. "Of course I am. And she did one of our songs, didn't she? She did it very well."

2002
Brit donned a dominatrix outfit and presented idol Michael Jackson with a birthday cake and referred to him as the "artist of the millennium." Michael may have misunderstood and thought that she meant he was receiving some new Artist of the Millennium award and gave an acceptance speech.

2003
Here it is: Britney's favorite. She, along with queen Madonna and peer Christina Aguilera, opened the show with striking dance moves and star power. But things really heated up during a wedding-themed performance of Madge's "Like a Virgin," when Madonna leaned in for a quick smooch with Christina Aguilera and then an even-steamier kiss with Spears. Everyone was surprised by it -- including Justin Timberlake. She later told CNN, "I didn't know it was going to be that long and everything. ... I've never kissed a woman before."

What's better than Britney, Madonna and Christina kissing? Cats re-enacting the smooch!

Apparently, the three-way kiss struck a major chord with music fans around the world, who just voted it the most outrageous moment in the show's long history.

2006
Spears appeared on the show in a way fans had never seen her before: pregnant. The mommy-to-be (Jayden James was on the way) pre-taped a segment alongside then-hubby Kevin Federline to present the award for Best R&B Video.

2008
Spears took home her first Moonman -- actually, she took home three, for Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video, all for "Piece of Me." She also displayed her funny bone in a video that opened the show, making us all laugh alongside Jonah Hill. "I just want to dedicate this to all my amazing fans out there for all their support," she said when she took the stage to accept one of her many Moonmen that night.

2009
The show landed back in New York City, and Spears was up for seven awards. She took home the prize for Best Pop Video for her Joseph Kahn-directed clip for "Womanizer."

2011
After taking a break in 2010, we come to this Sunday, where a Spears tribute is set to take place and the singer is up for two Moonmen, including Best Pop Video and Best Choreography. Will she add any more hardware to her collection? You'll have to wait and find out. But we are betting on one more memorable moment to add to her stellar VMA history.

Britney HOT Mess!

April 1999: Poses on the cover of Rolling Stone lying on a bed, scantily clad; angers parent groups and religious organizations alike.

Sept. 6, 2001: At the MTV Video Music Awards performs "I'm a Slave 4 U" with a live boa on her shoulders; angers PETA and parents groups (again).

Aug. 28, 2003: Ms. Spears and Christina Aguilera lock lips with Madonna as part of the 2003 VMA opening performance.

2004: She becomes involved with Kabbalah.

Oct. 6, 2004: She marries Kevin Federline, has two children with him (Sean and Jayden). They file for divorce in 2006.

June 15, 2006: In an interview with Matt Lauer, Ms. Spears is much heavier than usual, speaking with a heavy Southern twang, and sports fake eyelashes that seem to fall off during the interview as tears flow.

Feb. 17, 2007: Shaves her head, attacks paparazzi with umbrellas.

Sept. 9, 2007: Appears visibly nervous and out of shape as she performs for the first time in three years at the MTV VMAs. She very clearly lip-syncs the lyrics of "Gimme More." The performance is panned by critics and fans alike, who begin to doubt her comeback.

Oct. 15, 2008: "Womanizer" becomes her second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, her first song to do so in nearly a decade.

March 25, 2011: "Femme Fatale," the seventh studio album, is released. The album has thus far produced three hit singles ("Hold It Against Me," "Till the World Ends" and "I Wanna Go.")

Aug. 28, 2011: A Britney Spears tribute is planned at MTV's annual VMA ceremony, with Madonna presenting Ms. Spears with a Lifetime Achievement award. A list of alleged performers credits Katy Perry belting "Oops! I Did It Again" and Lady Gaga tackling "Circus" as part of the tribute, with Ms. Spears rounding out the rest of possible performances (which also includes Janet Jackson, Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato) with a mash-up of "Hold It Against Me" and "I Wanna Go.

Britney MTV VMA Tribute Cheat Sheet

David Edgar, of 96.1 KISS-FM radio, first met Britney Spears when she was just a 15-year-old girl who came to Pittsburgh with her family to promote her upcoming debut song, "... Baby One More Time."

Spears, who had dinner with Edgar at the Bravo! Cucina Italiana on McKnight Road in Ross, was one of many aspiring stars who meet him every year, hoping for radio exposure. Spears seemed a bit shy and intimidated by the limelight, while her parents seemed eager to get their daughter's career rolling after her stint in "The Mickey Mouse Club." It was hard for Edgar to tell whether Spears would be one of the singers who would become famous.

"I remember thinking, 'She's like a 15-year-old girl' -- and she was," says Edgar, operations manager for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment in Pittsburgh, which owns KISS-FM. "It was like the adults were talking and she was doing her own thing.

"Very quickly after that, anytime I ever met her, she was a complete pro in terms of meeting people and being pleasant and nice," Edgar says. "She's come a long way since then, that's for sure."

The now 29-year-old Spears, who since has sold about 67 million albums, is bringing her "Femme Fatale" tour, based on her seventh studio album, to Consol Energy Center on Friday.

The "Femme Fatale" album came out in the spring, and includes the current hit "I Wanna Go." The album, which has received many positive reviews, follows her "Circus" album in 2009. "Circus" represented Spears' comeback after her highly publicized breakdown, after a messy divorce from husband Kevin Federline, substance abuse, emotional meltdowns and the loss of custody of her two sons, Sean and Jayden.

With many loyal fans during the years, and a notable effort to rebuild her life, Spears is no Lindsay Lohan, and has many successful years ahead of her, Edgar says.

"She went through a bad patch," he says. "Unfortunately, for stars of her level, it's very public.

"It seems like Britney has put it back together again," Edgar says.

The "Femme Fatale" tour has had its rough patches, too. Many reviewers panned the concerts, saying that Spears just wasn't singing and performing that well. Many mid-price tickets, also, have been offered through Groupon. Yet, Gary Bongiovanni, editor of pollstar.com, says that most of the shows still have been relatively full.

Spears, a survivor, truly is making a strong comeback, Bongiovanni says.

"Personally, she's already doing better than I expected," he says. "She was off the scene for so long. She had almost become more of a tabloid star than a music star.

"Any time an artist disappears ... you never really know, until they come back, what the response is going to be," Bongiovanni says.

Read more: Britney Spears' comeback continues - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/music/s_751998.html#ixzz1VLamHshH

Here's the rundown of this mysterious document of what's said to be an eight-minute sequence...

00:20: Intro Video (ft. Inside Out/Mickey Mouse Club Theme)
01:10: …Baby One More Time (Selena Gomez)
00:55: I’m A Slave 4 U (Miley Cyrus)
00:45: Toxic (Demi Lovato)
01:00: 3 (Selena/Miley/Demi)
01:15: Hold It Against Me (Katy Perry/Rihanna)
00:25: Till The World Ends-Rap Verse (Nicki Minaj)
00:15: Till The World Ends-Acapella (Britney Spears)
02:35: (Drop Dead) Beautiful (Britney Spears ft. Sabi)

 

Selena Gomez will be performing Baby One More Time, Perry will sing Oops! I Did It Again, Janet Jackson is to tackle I'm A Slave 4 U, Demi Lovato will sing Toxic, Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj are thought to be performing a duet of Gimme More, Lady Gaga will take on Circus and Spears will perform a mash-up of Hold It Against Me/I Wanna Go. Madonna will then apparently present Spears with a Lifetime Achievement award.

Spears has been nominated in the 'Best Pop Video' and 'Best Choreography' categories for her single 'Till The World Ends'.