Britney pick up prizes at MTV awards

Britney Spears picked up three prizes at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The singer who is slowly getting her career back on track following a public breakdown earlier this year looked stunning in a tight silver Versace dress as she took to the stage to open the Los Angeles ceremony, before accepting the trio of accolades.

As she picked up her first award for Best Female Video for Piece of Me, Britney who has two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, with ex-husband Kevin Federline - said: I'm speechless. Oh, my goodness, thank you! First I want to thank God for blessing me like this and my family... my two beautiful boys for inspiring me every day.

After winning Best Pop Video for the same track later in the evening, Britney hugged her manager Larry Rudolph before going up to collect her statuette.

The 26-year-old singer who had never won a Moonman, the nickname given to the distinctive silver awards, before completed the evening by winning the third award for which she was nominated, the biggest honour of the evening, Video of the Year.

The Resurrection of Britney Spears

AFTER a tumultuous year in which she was admitted to a psychiatric unit and lost custody of her children, Britney Spears has staged her greatest performance yet – appearing before the world looking healthy and composed.
The troubled pop singer dominated the 25th MTV Video Music Awards in Hollywood, winning awards for all three categories in which she was nominated.

The ceremony's host, comedian Russell Brand, declared the evening "the resurrection of Britney".The 26-year-old took home awards for best video, best pop video, and best female, all for her single, Piece Of Me.

Her haul of statuettes was not the defining moment of the evening – that was reserved for her ability to endure the ceremony without incident or embarrassment.

Only a year ago at the same awards, a dishevelled Spears delivered a universally mocked performance, lip-synching out of time and forgetting her dance steps to her single, Gimme More.

That precipitated a tough time for the singer, which saw her shave her head for the paparazzi, find herself admitted to a hospital psychiatric award, and lose custody of her two sons.

Spears received a standing ovation from the crowd as her best-known song, Baby One More Time, blasted through the auditorium's PA.

Britney Spears is back

In just seven months Britney Spears has turned around her disastrous personal and professional life to regain her status as award-winning darling of pop. How on earth did she manage it, asks Emma Cowing
IT TOOK just 20 seconds. Striding onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in Los Angeles on Sunday night in a vintage silver Versace mini-dress, her skin glowing and her eyes bright, Britney Spears uttered the four short sentences that would resurrect her career.

"I want to thank God first and foremost for just blessing me like this," she told the crowd of hardened music industry types as she accepted three awards, for best female video, best pop video and video of the year. "I want to thank my beautiful family, my two beautiful boys for just inspiring me every day. And my fans, this is for you. Thank you so much".

The crowd got to its feet and – as the singer flashed the innocent white-toothed smile that had once made her America's sweetheart – gave her a standing ovation. With that, Britney Spears was back.

PARAMORE SPEAK OUT FOR CYRUS

MILEY CYRUS has found an unlikely source of support in a rock star - PARAMORE's HAYLEY WILLIAMS.

The Hannah Montana star sparked controversy in the U.S. when the candid snaps - which show Cyrus posing bare-backed, wrapped in a satin sheet - emerged online, forcing the 15-year-old to issue an apology over the controversial Annie Leibovitz photos.
But Williams - who is a family friend of the star - insists her pal will survive unscathed by the scandal.

She tells MTV news, ""We grew up around the Cyrus family, and they're amazing people, and I know they wouldn't steer their daughter wrong.
"Miley's got a good head on her shoulders, so I think she'll come out of all this strong. She's a great girl."

PARAMORE VOW TO NEVER STOP

PARAMORE have reassured fans they are not splitting up - insisting "the music's never gonna stop". The band sparked rumours of a split last month (Feb08) by cancelling the remaining dates on their European tour due to unspecified "internal issues". But the Tennessee four-piece were adamant they had put their problems behind them at a gig in La Zona Rosa as part of the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas on Friday (14Mar08) night. Frontwoman Hayley Williams told the audience, "I know there's been a lot of craziness going on and if you follow our band you may have heard about it in the press or whatever, but the music is never gonna stop for us, and thanks for believing in us." She added, "This was our first show in about a month, and it couldn't have gone any better."

WILLIAMS SLAMS PARAMORE SPLIT REPORTS

PARAMORE front woman HAYLEY WILLIAMS has dismissed reports the band is to split - despite cancelling the remainder of their European tour over "internal issues". The 19-year-old singer posted a message, signed by all four band members, on her blog on Thursday (21Feb08) announcing the group needed to take time off to work out their personal problems. But Williams has since updated her blog, insisting her comments were taken out of proportion. She writes, "Since we posted the last entry, we've gotten tons of phone calls and people posting things on Web sites saying that we are breaking up. I just want to make it clear, though... we weren't saying the band was over. We posted because we are going through hard times and we felt that because we have a really good support system in you guys, our fans, it would be better for us to just be honest about what's going on - even though it was a pretty vague explanation." And the flame-haired star has refuted allegations the tour cancellation was caused by her falling pregnant. Williams adds, "Man, some of the rumors that I've heard going around are insane! It's weird how out of hand things can get even when you just try to tell a simple truth (for the record, my Eggo is not preggo). Anyway, we just need to take time to make this band the best it can be... and we are doing that now." A spokesperson for Atlantic Records has confirmed Paramore are still scheduled to tour with Jimmy Eat World in April (08) in the U.S.

PARAMORE TOUR CANCELED DUE TO INTERNAL ISSUES

The future of PARAMORE is in doubt after the U.S. rockers abruptly cancelled the remainder of their European tour, blaming "a lot of internal issues". Singer Hayley Williams posted a message, signed by all four band members, on her internet blog on Thursday (21Feb08) announcing the group needs to take time off to work out their personal problems. Williams writes: "(There are) a lot of internal issues that have been going on in this band for quite a while now... "We were able to fight through all of it for this long, but unfortunately we weren't able to keep it together long enough to make it through the end of the tour.” We really feel that taking this time is going to give us a chance to get away and work out our personal issues at home and on our own terms. We just aren't willing to risk the life of our band over one tour... "Maybe one day we will tell the whole story, but for now, just know that all five of us are going to work so hard to get it right."

Paramore was due to have played five more European gigs including a date scheduled in Paris, France on Thursday (21Feb08) night.