Britney Spears who has provided some of the most memorable songs in the history of notoriously unpredictable MTV Video Music Awards, for the better or worse as the last year was the worst for Britney.

The hot kiss to Madonna when she was singing I’m Slave 4U whth a gaint snake draped across her shoulders! And of course her debacle of a performance during last year’s show, A lethargic retarded woman singing Gimme More that signaled the apparent nadir of her spiraling pop career.

This time, Spears made news—and earned a standing ovation—just by showing up, smiling brightly and not making a fool of herself.

But even when you’re playing the nice girl, you can’t please everyone, it seems.

“We didn’t see any amazing performance by Britney Spears,” said Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis after the ceremony was done. “That’s what I was looking for.”