After weeks of speculation regarding Britney Spears’ performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, the channel announced last week that the former pop princess would open the much awaited event, which was said to be fun and full of surprises.

However, all the fuss and buzz proved to be much ado about nothing.

Her longed-for comeback on Sunday night was not remarkable at all, as it included only a pretaped segment with “Superbad” geeky-looking star Jonah Hill and a live minute of introducing the show. If you ask me, the singer’s appearance was more than disappointing.

One year after her disastrous comeback attempt at the VMAs, the pop icon nevertheless won the first Moonman awards of her career. Following 16 previous nominations, Britney Spears took home the prizes for Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and the top award, Video of the Year, for her much talked about single “Piece of Me.”

“I first wanna thank God for blessing me like this,” the singer said of her first win, before dedicating the Moonman to her fans. “This is for you,” she said.

She was just as short and snappy in her Video of the Year Award acceptance speech. “Wow. I’m in shock right now. I was not expecting this!”

We were expecting more from you, Brit.

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the MTV VMAs, held at the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles, was hosted by British comedian Russell Brand, who probably couldn’t decide whom to make fun of and scoffed at everybody. You are probably wondering who this Brand guy is. Well, he’s best known for his role in the Judd Apatow comedy “Forgetting Sarah Mashall.”

“Of course [Americans have] seen me in ‘Sarah Marshall,’ if they’re alive! Russell Brand reportedly joked with MTV reps. “If they’ve got lungs and kidneys, we can assume that [they’ve seen me]. It’s a given. It’s on the national curriculum: breakfast, go watch ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ come home, remember scenes from ‘Sarah Marshall.’”

“Britney Spears lost her VMA virginity. Hopefully the Jonas Brothers will be next,” the British comedian said while rushing to the afterparty, talking about Britney’s first Moonman and the Jonas Brothers’ purity rings, a topic he just loved to discuss and laugh at during the ceremony.

Rihanna was the one to perform first at last night’s event, singing her “Disturbia” just moments after Britney’s anticipated comments, while Leona Lewis, Lil Wayne and T-Pain joined powers and performed together later in the show.

Other famous performers included Pink, T.I., Katy Perry, Kid Rock and, of course, Christina Aguilera, who debuted her new single, “Keeps Gettin’ Better,” in a medley with her oldie-but-goldie hit “Genie in a Bottle.”

Kanye West was the one to close the ceremony, performing his brand new single, “Love Lockdown,” although he vowed last year that he would never come back at the VMAs after failing to win any award. He did win, however, the award for best special effects for one of his clips, “Good Life.”

Besides Britney Spears, other big winners were Chris Brown, who won the Moonman for Bets Male Video with his clip for “With You,” Linkin Park, who received the prize for Best Rock Video for “Shadow of the Day,” and Lil Wayne, whose “Lollipop” won Best Hip-Hop Video. Teen icon Miley Cyrus nonetheless did not win the Best New Artist award, as the Moonman went to German rockers Tokio Hotel.