It's hard to know precisely how Spears was feeling, since she declined to comment for this article. But sources close to the production tell us that MTV may have known it had a potential fiasco on its hands. ''I would think [MTV] knew it was going to be a mess,'' says one. ''They knew she'd been out partying. It seems like it was really meant for attention, like they wanted the publicity.'' And in the end, MTV must have known that Spears was going to generate massive coverage no matter how she did. Responds MTV: ''Britney Spears has had so many memorable, high-energy performances at the VMAs...and no one wanted to see her succeed more than her fans and MTV.''
The incident fits into a larger sin/contrition cycle that Britney and the media have played out since her quickie first marriage in Vegas in 2004. Spears has become a nonstop content provider whose every move is dissected, chewed up, and spit out ad nauseam. We treat her using the same instructions you'd find on the back of a shampoo bottle: Squeeze her into an impossible situation, lather up a media frenzy, rinse off the residue of the ensuing scandal, and repeat. We root for her comebacks as intensely as we revel in her downfalls. An entire cottage industry has been constructed around this very idea: Two days after the awards show, VH1 aired a presciently planned special that chronicled her ''most shocking year ever.'' And Chris Crocker, a 19-year-old fan, became an overnight Internet sensation by shedding (crocodile?) tears in a widely circulated video titled ''LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!'' that he claims made him the No. 1 most watched person on MySpace (see video):
NEXT PAGE: Did Sarah Silverman go too far?
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