"It's Britney, b****."

Britney Spears

That's how the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards will likely kick off Sunday night, as Britney Spears, whose new single "Gimme More," features the aforementioned intro, will open the event with a performance of the song, MTV confirmed today.

Spears will perform "Gimme More" as well as the yet-to-be-unveiled "Cry" with the assistance of illusionist Criss Angel.

MTV also said that fans will be able to immediately purchase ringtones of "Gimme More" as well as the "It's Britney, b****" ringtone exclusively through MTV Mobile for two days prior to any other service. Fans can text "Gimme" or "Brit" to 33633 to buy the ringtones.

Based on just more than three days of airplay, "Gimme More" will debut tomorrow at No. 55 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. The as-yet-untitled album from which it will be drawn is due November 13 via Jive.

Spears hopes to use the VMA performance to regain her footing in the music world following a year that has seen her divorce Kevin Federline, shave her head, enter rehab, and sustain a seemingly endless array of embarrassments.

The full list of VMAs performers includes Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Common, Nelly Furtado, Gym Class Heroes, Akon and Soulja Boy, T-Pain, Cee-Lo, Daniel Merriweather, Lil' Wayne, Alicia Keys, T.I., and Adam Levine. The event will also feature a hard rock medley, featuring Foo Fighters, Mastadon, Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen, and Serj from System of A Down.

The awards show will air live Sunday, September 9 at 9 p.m. ET/tape delayed P.T.