A.                 MTV Video Music Awards

B.                  Britney Spears

C.                 Microwave Popcorn

D.                 Mattell toys

Congratulations, you are correct! Yes, all of these products have experienced recent failure but I guess the true “fauxment” was Britney Spears’ performance at the MTV VMA’s and most of the rest of the VMA show. It makes one wonder who is making these programming decisions?

Two wrongs don’t make a right. And the VMAs and Britney's performance were all wrong. MTV President Christina Norman promised that the 2007 VMA’s would be a “total reinvention.” I am sure that Brittney Spear’s management provided the same commitment. It is hard to imagine who needed who more. At the end of the night, audience members wanted neither.

According to the Washington Post, the VMA ratings

“... have been sinking steadily since 2001, when the show peaked with nearly 12 million viewers. Last year, the VMAs drew 5.8 million viewers, its smallest audience in 10 years.”

MTV played up on the comeback performance of Brittany and I can speculate that the promise of Ms. Spears, who has seen her own popularity and public image plummet, drew some audience. However, I am sure their were viewers like Kevin & Bean at LA radio station KROQ who were in Las Vegas for the show promoting the show in anticipation of a Spear’s national TV disaster as much as anything.

They were not disappointed; the Associated Press reported Spear’s performance as thus....

“Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears' once-taut belly. At times she just stopped singing, as if even she knew nothing could save her performance."

"Designed to drum up excitement for her upcoming album, Spears' kickoff to the Video Music Awards on Sunday night became another example of how far she has fallen.”

There was some reinvention going on from MTV. Unfortunately, MTV wrote a check that could not be cashed. From the Washington Post, MTV

“spread the action throughout Las Vegas's Palms hotel and casino. Along with one main stage, there were also performances in a number of suites throughout the resort. Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Timbaland (the evening's "maestro," according to MTV), Fall Out Boy, the Foo Fighters and 50 Cent were among those performing away from the main stage. When the network did cut to them, they were sometimes halfway through a song, robbing viewers of enjoyment."

Sounds like a bona fide fauxment. All promise, no delivery. Maybe that was good enough for MTV or even a strategy. Afterall, anything crazy including a “train wreck” by Britney Spears gets a mention on TMZ. Blogger Idolator throws out the conspiracy theory that in todays internet/reality TV chaos, any news is good news.

“MTV has, after all, seemed nothing short of desperate for attention with this installment of the show, and coupling that desperation with the idea that all press is good press could have created quite the toxic stew”

MTV is owned by Viacom, Inc. (NYSE:VIA)