THE GOOD
Britney Spears (2000 and 2001)
With little more than a Rolling Stones song dripping from her lips and a handful of diamonds sprinkled on her body, Britney Spears changed VMA expectations for the new millennium. Jaws dropped as the pop princess shed her girl-next-door image — along with her clothing — on stage at the 2000 show and convinced us once and for all that she was indeed ''not that innocent.'' One year later Britney turned the stage into a jungle, beginning her performance of ''I'm a Slave 4 U'' inside a cage with a lion and later strutting around in front of the audience with a boa constrictor draped over her shoulders. She has yet to follow up with a memorable (um, in a good way) VMA showing, but there's always this year...or next...