LOS ANGELES (AP) — Really, all Britney Spears needed to do was show up to the MTV Video Music Awards without stumbling and her appearance would have been considered a rousing success.She did more than that — if barely. Still, it was enough for a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd even before she opened her mouth.”Thank you so much,” she said flatly. “Thank you for all the love.”Maybe the audience was simply excited to see a glimpse of Britney looking fab once again. The rebounding pop queen wore a short silver mini-dress with a plunging neckline, showcasing her svelte figure.It was a far cry from last year, when her dishelveled, bumbling kickoff was widely panned as one of the worst in VMA history. But Spears was merely on hand this time to give a perfunctory introduction of Rihanna’s opening song.Moments later, she won her very first VMA when she nabbed best   female video for “Piece of Me.””I first wanna thank God for blessing me like this,” Spears said, then left the stage quickly — though she still had a shot at two other awards, including video of the year.Though she only spent a few seconds onstage at the top of the show, Spears did provide a few laughs during a pre-taped comedic segment with “Superbad” actor Jonah Hill. There were a few more laughs during British comedian Russell Brand’s opening monologue, but the celeb audience seemed more nervous than amused, as Brand took aim at Madonna, President Bush and the virginity of teen sensations the Jonas Brothers.Spears won’t be the only act of the night looking for a second chance after a disappointing VMA experience last year. Kanye West is expected to close the two-hour ceremony; in Vegas, he had a Kanye-sized hissy fit backstage and vowed never to appear at the VMAs again after he didn’t get a Moonman trophy despite being nominated several times. He also lashed out for being confined to performing at one of last year’s suite parties instead of on the main stage.—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s entertainment staff at [email protected]