Britney Spears is finally looking like her old, smoking-hot self in a series of promotional ads with host Russell Brand for the upcoming 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

"You are Britney Spears, right? I'm not dreaming this, am I?" wonders Brand in one clip, which features a 9,000 lb elephant on its hind legs in the background. "No, this is real," she assures him before pinching him to prove it.

Perhaps the real elephant in the room is the fact that it was only a mere year ago that Spears launched her train wreck, err... "comeback" performance at the same award show.

So far, MTV won't confirm if Spears will appear at the ceremony on Sept. 7, but judging by her promo spots, all signs point to yes. Spears, the Susan Lucci of the VMAs, has been nominated 17 times without a win. This year she's nominated for best female video and best pop video.

The second spot has Brand, who is still mostly known in North America for his role as an eccentric rock star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, quizzing (patronizing, really) Spears to remember his full name -- which she of course doesn't and proceeds to laugh manically -- proving there may be a bit of crazy Brit left in her. 

"You will remember that name because I think pretty soon it's going to be your surname," he jokes. "Britney Brand."

"Oh gosh," Spears giggles in a perfect Southern drawl, bringing to mind the young poptart we all fell in love with and nearly erasing our memories of the bald, umbrella-wielding embodiment of every parent's worst nightmare.  Keep that comeback train chugging, Brit-Brit!

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