Britney Spears Tapes Promo for VMAs

Not even a universally reviled performance can keep Britney Spears away from the Video Music Awards.A year removed from her lip-synching, head-scratching number, the recovering pop star has joined forces with MTV again to film a promo for the Sept. 7 ceremony.Shot on Tuesday, the commercial features Spears doling out hosting advice to first-time emcee, British comedian Russell Brand, E! Online reports."It was mostly ad-libbed, with Russell asking her for advice about hosting the show," a source says. The two aren't the only ones in the ad — a 9,000-pound elephant hovers in the background, as in "'the elephant in the room,'" the source adds.No word yet if the 26-year-old singer will make an appearance at the show, but she’s more than welcomed to return. "Everyone deserves a second or third chance, right?" MTV president Van Toffler teased in June.Spears is up for two moon men, including Best Female Video for "Piece of Me." So far, she’s been 0-for-15. — Joyce Eng

TV GuideNews Aug. 8, 2008 at 6:14 p.m. PT