The 25th anniversary of the Video Music Awards was all about Britney Spears’ comeback. The pop fallen-rising-again star won three awards, including the much-desired trophy for video of the year for "Piece of Me."

Nothing new, fresh and spontaneous about this year’s VMAs though, apart from the hosting. British comic Russell Brand did a really good job to save the show and gave it some much-needed rhythm.

Britney, on the other hand, was very careful not to make any mistakes like the ones made last year, when her performance at the VMA’s was followed by harsh criticism. During her acceptance speeches the pop singer spoke briefly. She followed the “standard procedure” by thanking God and dedicating the awards to her fans. Even as she started the show in front of standing ovations from the crowd Britney didn’t say much.

"Thank you so much," she said.
"Thank you for all the love."

Another interesting story about this year’s VMAs is that of Kanye West. Despite his vow that he would never set foot on the stage of the VMAs again, the singer has apparently buried the war hatchet with MTV and closed the night. Last year, Kanye West was relegated to a small stage and went home with no award despite being nominated in seven categories. However, he didn’t get one this year either.

There were eight awards this year:

Best male video - Chris Brown with "With You"
Best rock video - Linkin Park with "Shadow of the Day"
Best dancing in a video - Pussycat Dolls with "When I Grow Up"
Best new artist - Tokio Hotel
Britney Spears won best female video, best pop video and video of the year with "Piece of Me."