*UPDATED* The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards Recap

Christina Aguilera "Genie In A Bottle" & "Keeps Gettin' Better"

Pink "So What"

Rihanna "Disturbia"

Britney Spears Opening Skit/Intro

Lil' Wayne ft. Leona Lewis & T-Pain - Medley

T.I. ft. Rihanna "Live Your Life"

Check out the performance highlights for the 2008 MTV VMAs above. Conflicting reports turned out for the best, as Christina Aguilera performed both a special rendition of "Genie In A Bottle" & her new single "Keeps Gettin' Better." AMAZING! Christina pulled out all the stops last night! In my opinion, the (only) other show-stopping performance was Pink's "So What." It was really exciting & she did an incredible job! Rihanna did an excellent job of re-creating the visuals from the music video for her performance of "Disturbia." Britney Spears did indeed open the show with a skit alongside Jonah Hill, followed by a basic intro. A bit disappointing, considering that 'secret rehearsal video' that was floating around, but nothing more than I expected from the ratings stunt & a considerable improvement over last year. The biggest surprise guest, imo, of the night was Leona Lewis performing "Don't Get It" with Lil' Wayne, which was followed by a T-Pain-assisted medley of Wayne's hits. Lastly, Rihanna hit the stage once again to join T.I. in performing their latest single "Live Your Life." While I quite like the song, poor RiRi really needed the synthesizer on that one.

I have mixed feelings--though generally positive--about the awards themselves. Britney Spears owned the night by winning all three awards she was nominated for: Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, & Video Of The Year for "Piece Of Me." In turn, of course, Britney won her first moonman ever, then her second, & then her third lol. I'm happy for her & though she's had many better videos, her winning was long overdue. It upset me that Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" was snubbed, but if she hasn't won yet for all her previous wonderful videos, why would MTV start now anyway? So, even though it would have been cool to see her, I don't blame her for staying home. The Pussycat Dolls were victorious, however, by winning Best Dancing In A Video for "When I Grow Up." View a complete list of winners HERE.

Well, though they were a far cry from the VMA heyday, I would have to consider this year a step up from last year's show, despite the fact that this year, they held the ceremony in a closet... So, did anybody else find Russell Brand hilarious? Hey, he was something different! Well, let's look at the bright side: at least they were better than the BET Awards!

UPDATE: In addition to replacing the videos (again), I decided I wanted to share with you who I thought looked the hottest at this year's VMAs. They include Christina Aguilera, Pink, Ciara, & Keri Hilson. Credit to That Grape Juice for the pictures. The only negative thing I wanna say is: Rihanna? That cockatoo hair? Ya, gotsta go. Yesterday.