Troubled singer Britney Spears will join British comic Russell Brand to kick off the MTV Video Music Awards show in Los Angeles later.

The 26-year-old, whose comeback performance at last year's show was widely panned, will not sing at this year's event.

Instead, she has promised something "fun and unexpected".

Brand is making his first major US live appearance on the show, which features Kanye West and Christina Aguilera.

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Spears will be hoping her appearance gives her career a lift after a year of health problems and legal difficulties which saw her lose custody of her children, while her father James has taken legal control of her affairs.

Brand, who has appeared with Spears in advertisements for the show - along with an elephant in the room - praised his co-star in an interview with the BBC's Peter Bowes.

"She seems ever so sweet, but some people have been ever so battered by fame," the 33-year-old said.

"She's been kicked in all directions by the media. She's a little bruised, but she's a very sweet, lovely person."

Spears' video for Piece of Me is up for the showpiece video of the year prize, along with Chris Brown's Forever, Burnin' Up by the Jonas Brothers, When I Grow Up by the Pussycat Dolls and The Ting Tings' Shut Up And Let Me Go.

Kanye West will close the show with a performance, after having fallen out with MTV following last year's ceremony.

He had promised to boycott the awards after losing out in all five categories he was nominated for, while in 2006 he publicly complained about not winning best video at the MTV Europe awards.

Speculation that Michael Jackson will make an appearance at the 25th VMAs has been played down, with MTV president Van Toffler saying: "I don't know whether that's going to happen."

Last year's big winners were Justin Timberlake with four awards, including top male artist, and R&B star Rihanna, who won video of the year for Umbrella.

(BBC)

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