I finally broke down and watched Britney [sic] Spears’ much maligned MTV 2007 VMA performance. I have to say, I can’t see what the big deal is. Yes, she looked a bit pudgier than when she was sixteen, but other than that? Was her lip-synching less convincing than usual? Were her strutting “dance” moves less sharp? Maybe the pop song she was supposedly singing was even more forgettable than pop songs usually are? These days, the word “fiasco” is never far from our minds, but I’m really not seeing the fiasco here. It seem more like business as usual to me.
However, Spears seems in need of damage control, and I’ve got a plan. It’s a million-dollar idea, but given that I’m not likely to get in a position to pitch it, I’ll just post it here.
Apparently, Sarah Silverman did an only marginally more entertaining send-up of Britney in the very same show. (Why, again, do people watch MTV?) So, next time Silverman is performing on TV, preferably Saturday Night Live or something like that, Britney could come on stage and denounce her for being so mean, and vow revenge. (Work with me here. This will all be staged beforehand.) Britney then acknowledges that she can’t beat Silverman at snarky comedy, so she has hired another even more sarcastic comedian to take her on. I’m thinking Kathy Griffin. So Griffin comes on stage and starts ripping Silverman apart, while Britney looks on in smug satisfaction. At some point though, either on her own, or with encouragement from Silverman, she turns to targeting Britney instead, who after all is much more easily mockable. Slowly at first, but with gaining momentum, and then in a tag-team with Silverman, Griffin begin to roast Britney alive. Britney is finally pushed past her breaking point, and with a rally cry of “You bitches!” she comes lunging at them. Some screeching and hair-pulling later, the aging pop diva is subdued by the comedienne duo, and the incident seems closed. Ah, but then comes the stinger! Britney with an evil glint in her eye says that she didn’t get where she was without making a “Plan B”. Joan Rivers then stalks onto stage and says, “Can we talk?”, with an arch look at the visibly worried Griffin and Silverman.
Then there’s the wrap. Everyone smiles. Cue the applause. The result is Britney diffuses the issue, manages to stay relevant in the media for a couple more weeks, and maybe gets a few people on her side. Our great country is well-stocked with people who are willing to overlook complete lack of talent, drug addiction, child endangerment, and psychotic meltdowns as long as you can show you have a sense of humor and are willing to be a good sport about it.
It could work!