Britney Spears To Open VMAs  9/4/08

Britney Spears will open the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (07Aug08) with a heartfelt message to her fans.

The news ends weeks of speculation about the pop star's role in this year's show, which will be hosted by comedian Russell Brand.

Spears has appeared alongside Brand in an ad for the telecast and gossips have suggested she'll perform and present an award with Olympic champion Michael Phelps.

In a statement, Spears says, "MTV has long played an important role in my career. How can I not be there to kick off their 25th VMAs? I'm excited to open the entire show, to say hi to my fans and to be nominated."

Spears has been nominated for 16 Video Music Awards but has yet to win one. She's nominated for three prizes on Sunday - Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for Piece of Me.

She hit the headlines at last year's (07) VMAs after giving a lacklustre performance.