The media is going insane over the Britney VMA performance that bombed the airwaves Sunday. Some are saying Spears overheard Sarah Silverman’s rehearsal bit about her kids, others are saying Britney was nervous, that she was possibly on a drug of some sort, or that the partying was replacing the dance rehearsals. None of these speculations have been proven, nor has Spears or any of her reps released any statements about the performance or the rumors. TMZ.com released a statement about the alleged reasoning:””The dance number was spectacular – without her,”” says a spy. … “” “”(T)he more complicated dance moves had to be erased because she couldn’t do them. TMZ went on to say that MTV picked out an outfi t for her that included a corset, but that she refused, saying it was “”not sexy enough.”” Needless to say, MTV still banked on the performance and earned ratings 23 percent higher than last year’s show.

It appears that Kanye West is going to win the “”rivalry”” he has with 50 Cent over who would sell more albums within the first week of their albums’ drops. Well, they dropped Tuesday, and the results are in: West sold 437,000 and Cent sold 310,000, as reported by www.reuters.com. Will 50 Cent keep his word and retire? With a multi-million-dollar record deal and the record sales to prove it, the Formula 50 drink under Vitamin Water, a Reebok contract, G-Unit clothing line, books and even condoms with his name on them, is he out of the job now? Doubtful.

It seems as if the words “”anxiety”” and “”exhaustion”” are credible excuses for not going to work. The White Stripes canceled their U.S. and U.K. tours due to “”health issues,”” according to reports by E! News and BBC News. Drummer Meg White is apparently “”suffering from acute anxiety
and is unable to travel”” right now, according to E! News. The band strongly apologized to fans on its Web site.

Did anyone see Paris Hilton’s hair at the MTV Video Music Awards? Hello, Mrs. Robinson!

-compiled by Nicky Hamila