Britney Speaks Out About Kissing Madonna
Britney Spears has spoken about her already infamous kiss with Madonna, saying it was her first in a long time and would "last her for a while".

The star was asked about her MTV Music Awards smooch with Madonna during a news conference in Washington to promote Thursday night's National Football League kick-off celebration.

Spears will headline the event, along with Aerosmith, Mary J Blige, Good Charlotte and Aretha Franklin.

Spears said she left the US for England immediately after the August 28 awards show and was unaware of all the media attention the kiss received.

She said it was unrehearsed and that it was the first time she had kissed a woman.

Would she do it again?

"I hadn't kissed anyone in a long time," she responded, "so that should last me for a while."

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The picture, not much bigger than a postage stamp, was near the top of Friday's edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

It showed Spears and Madonna kissing at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The sloppy kiss picture resulted in many complaints by readers.

In Monday's editions, managing editor Hank Klibanoff apologised, saying the picture should have been inside but not on the front page.

Mr Klibanoff compared the Spears picture to graphic images from the war in Iraq.

He said: "We ran images we otherwise might not have run. But that was war, and war was news. The photo we ran Friday was neither, and I wish I had limited its display to the inside of the Living section."

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Coldplay and Radiohead were among the winners at the ceremony - Coldplay took the Breakthrough Video, Direction and Group Video awards for The Scientist, and Radiohead won the Art Direction accolade for There, There.

Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera gave a gyrating tribute of Madonna's Like a Virgin to open the show, dressed in the same kind of white bustier wedding dress Madonna wore while performing the song during MTV's inaugural awards broadcast in 1984.

Madonna also sang her new "Hollywood" in a masculine all-black outfit.

There were no big winners - Missy Elliott's Work It won two awards, including Video Of The Year, while Justin Timberlake, Coldplay and Beyonce had three apiece. Country legend Johnny Cash, 71, nominated seven times for Hurt, won once.

Other performances included 50 Cent's pimp-a-licous performance of P.I.M.P. during which he was joined on stage by Snoop Dogg, the ubiquitous former pimp Bishop Don Magic Juan, members of his G-Unit posse - and a bevy of half-naked women.

Beyonce's sexy video Crazy In Love, featuring her boyfriend Jay-Z, won three awards. She gave a showstopping performance with dozens of dancers, garnering a standing ovation from the crowd.

Nominated for seven awards was Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River video, which takes a not-so-subtle dig at ex-girlfriend Spears the video features Timberlake exacting revenge on a cheating Spears lookalike.

Timberlake won best pop video for Cry Me A River, and best male video, beating Cash.

"This is a travesty! I demand a recount," he said, before paying tribute to Cash.

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And the excited youngsters had good reason to thank the SLAVE 4 U star - she paid for their places on the camp with her own money.

According to the NEW YORK POST newspaper, Britney also signed a pink guitar for an auction to be staged by the Los Angeles-based after-school programme, The Blues Lab, which supplied instructors to the camp.

Britney's brother BRIAN helps organise and run the camp.

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However, the LUCKY star does not resent this inconvenience - as she is well aware of the many benefits there are to being a hugely successful singer.

She says, "I understand that I need to be very discreet about my private life. The lesson was difficult to learn, but I've had to get it through my head in order to have some peace in my life.

"I couldn't allow myself a real freedom of movement. I know that because of what I do I'll never live as openly as many girls my age. But, look at all the perks."

As for the men she is currently finds attractive she adds, "For some time I've felt attracted to men who really take care of themselves. The real men. That might seem weird, maybe even stupid, but this is the truth!"

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Other multiple winners included Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," for Best R&B Video and Best Choreography, and 50 Cent's "In Da Club," for Best New Artist and Best Rap Video.

Chris Rock received a warm welcome in his return to the VMA stage and proceeded to lash out with jokes aimed at everyone from P. Diddy (for "teaching the kids wrong from wronger") to Paula Abdul (for judging singers, "which is like Christopher Reeve judging a dance contest") in perhaps his most harsh opening monologue ever.

Rock continued to win many exclamations of "Damn!" from the crowd with his infamous introductions of presenters, beginning with LeBron James and Ashanti: "He's trying to be the next Kobe Bryant and she's trying not to be the next victim."

In the coveted Viewer's Choice Award, Good Charlotte, whose Benji Madden faced the challenge of following the sexy opening spectacle by kissing bassist Paul, appeared visually moved when accepting for "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." The award made up for their loss to Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong" for Best Rock Video.

Eminem won Best Video From a Film for the "8 Mile" anthem "Lose Yourself," but lost two others to 50 Cent. The mentor and protégé made light of their competition, however, by joining each other at the podium for their acceptance speeches.

The Detroit rapper appeared in a much better mood this year, even joking about his assault of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog last year before his introduction of 50 Cent's performance, which he did with another trash-talking puppet, Special Ed from "Crank Yankers."

The MTV2 Award, which is voted on by viewers, went to AFI, who gave special thanks to their fan club, the Despair Faction.

In categories announced during the pre-show, Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age both won their first VMAs, for Best Art Direction ("There There") and Best Special Effects ("Go With the Flow"), respectively, while the White Stripes, who won three Moonmen last year and had four nominations in 2003, also won an early trophy, Best Editing for "Seven Nation Army."

Aguilera, who returned to the stage for a medley of "Dirrty," featuring Redman, and "Fighter," with Dave Navarro on guitar, lost in all four of the categories for which she was nominated. Jennifer Lopez, who had four nominations, Kelly Clarkson who had three, and double nominees Sean Paul, Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, Nelly and No Doubt were also shut out.

There was no Michael Jackson surprise at the 20th VMAs, although Jack Black dressed the part when "accepting" his "Super Genius of the Universe Award." Black was one of a few surprise presenters, along with Jimmy Fallon, who did a spoof of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," and an unwelcome guest who bumrushed Snoop and Adam Sandler's hilariously-izzle presentation of Video of the Year.

The performances, capped by a Metallica covers medley that included Michael Jackson's "Beat It," were mostly about guest appearances, with 50 Cent and Method Man joining Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and Don "Magic" Juan joining 50 Cent and Jay-Z joining Beyoncé.

Before the Madonna kisses had heads turning, Aguilera was doing more of the same on the red carpet, showing up looking like a hot pink flamingo in a dress made of feathers.

Other hot topics outside Radio City Music Hall were Snoop Dogg, who was accompanied by two ladies on leashes, and 50 Cent, clad in a sharp gray suit, matching hat and blinging with diamonds.

Outkast took the unofficial P. Diddy award for the best entrance, riding in on a flatbed truck, equipped with a stripper pole, that Big Boi called "the portable boom boom room."

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Baker says, "They have been long-time admirers and, in the weeks leading up to the VMAs, they became very close friends."

Madonna has proudly worn her support of Spears in the past, often spotted sporting a Britney Spears t-shirt. The material girl even gave Britney a $15,000 diamond "B" necklace before the VMAs. Madonna has a matching "M" necklace. Baker says, "I think she feels very maternal toward Britney, almost like she's passing the torch."

"Extra" spotted Britney Tuesday morning leaving Madonna's hometown of London with a new souvenir-- a mysterious bandage on her right foot.

Us Weekly also reveals that Jennifer Lopez was asked to perform in Madonna and Britney's kiss off, but Jennifer blocked the idea because she didn't want to wear a wedding dress so close to her actual wedding date with Ben Affleck.

Us Weekly hits stands on Friday.

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The singer also appeared hungover after her cringing snog with Madonna at the MTV Video Awards.

US newspapers have been swamped with criticism from fans disgusted at the suggestive show-opening clinches between Britney, Madonna and Christina Aguilera.

And this time it was Britney who put the dirt in Christina's Dirrty.

Former fan Evelyn Moreno, from the Bronx, wrote: "Poor Britney Spears. She either got suckered by Madonna into performing that vulgar stunt or she's taken total leave of her Christian upbringing. In any case, she's a dope for doing it, and here's hoping her music career falters as a result."

In a raunchy wedding outfit, Britney tried to be the Madonna of 20 years ago as the trio opened the MTV Video Music Awards bash with Like a Virgin.

But it seems she may have overdone it, most likely on champers as well, judging by her sheepish, messy appearance and large designer shades yesterday.

John Barnes, from Manhattan, wrote: "There was a time when `bad girls' like Bette Davis would seek to assure their public that, in real life, they were nothing like the vamps they played up on the screen.

"Now, entertainers work to convince the public they are much worse than we think."

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Tabloids across the globe leaped at the opportunity to print pictures of the pair out on the town in Hollywood together earlier this month (August) - particularly as Leto's former fiancee CAMERON DIAZ is dating Spears' ex JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.

But the FIGHT CLUB actor was left bemused by the allegations

Jared's pal says, "They basically ran into each other at a party. Jared thinks it's hilarious that such a big deal has been made of it all."

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The BOYS singer admitted to a friend that she often skips cleansing and moisturising after a heavy night out - and goes to bed with her cosmetics still on.

When her eyeshadow was commented on, Britney candidly explained, "To tell you the truth, it's my makeup from the night before.

"I'm very lazy. God, I look scary - very ROCKY HORROR."

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