Buzziest Moments From The 2011 Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is one of the few award shows where wacky antics are expected and encouraged. This year was no exception. Among the standout moments: Beyonce's baby bump rub, Justin Bieber's appearance with his pet snake and a Lady Gaga-Britney Spears kiss, with Gaga dressed as a man.

To present Spears with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Lady Gaga dressed as her drag king alter-ego Jo Calderone. When Spears walked on stage, the two shared a polite smooch. A few minutes later, Gaga tried to recreate Spears' infamous 2003 Madonna liplock, but Spears pulled away saying she had already done that. Gaga looked disappointed.

Singer Selena Gomez, who helped host the pre-show, had one of the most anticipated interviews with her own boyfriend, Justin Bieber. As she tried to interview him, Bieber (who sported specs) tried to throw her off by holding a small snake in his hand (which he said is named "Johnson"). After she was done asking questions, he sweetly kissed her on the cheek.

As for weird outfits, Nicki Minaj set the bar, sporting a Japanese Kawaii raver-meets-Hannibal Lecter look, with a geometric metal armored dress and graffiti face mask. She also had a creepy accessory: A monster doll.

Chris Brown delivered a memorable performance, during which he covered the 1993 Wu-Tang Clan classic "Protect Ya Neck," as well as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." He was then elevated high above the crowd on a wire and did back-flips and splits in the air.

Another weird moment occurred when Gaga (still in drag) went to accept "Best Female Video." She was presented with the award by the Jersey Shore ladies and actress Cloris Leachman. Gaga inexplicably put the 85-year-old Leachman in a headlock before giving her speech.

But the night belonged to Beyoncé, who had announced her pregnancy on the red carpet. During the middle of the show, she belted out "Love On Top." At the end of the performance, she rubbed her belly as her usually-serious husband, rapper Jay-Z, jumped out of his chair and cheered in the audience with Kanye West.

Katy Perry took home Video of the Year for "Firework" and donned what looked like a giant cheese square on her head to accept the award. Paired with Lady Gaga's 2010 meat dress, Perry's get-up might've made a nice appetizer tray.

Kanye West's 'Imma Let You Finish' Britney Tweets Divide Fans

Maybe it was a bad idea for Kanye West to make light of the Taylor Swift incident in a comical note he sent to Britney Spears Friday via Twitter.

Last Tuesday, Spears released a new song "Hold It Against Me," and it immediately reached No. 1 on iTunes. Ironically, West and Jay-Z dropped a new track, "H.A.M.," the same day, and it came in at No. 2.

West's acknowledgment of Spears' chart victory sparked a wave of reaction from both West and Spears fans. "Yo Britney, I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you be #1, but me and Jay-Z single is one of the best songs of all time! LOL," the controversial rapper wrote on his Twitter page.

Many West fans found humor in the message. "I LOLed at the 'I'm happy for you' you tweeted at Britney," Imoh "Im0h" Dexter Emah said to West via Twitter. "Nice to know you can make fun of yourself."

While Twitter was flooded with comments from fans who understood the joke, many took offense. Numerous profanity-filled tweets condemned West for again attacking a female pop singer.

"Did u ever really think u could touch Britney in sales?" Andrew "thekingofpop" Quintal wrote. "Go back 2 the dumpster u came from."

West's Spears tweet was later deleted from his page, likely due to the backlash. He explained himself in a subsequent post.

"I thought LOL signified a joke," West replied on Friday. "I didn't get the 2011 LOL doesn't signify a joke anymore memo ... LOL or something else I guess."

Fortunately, camp Spears made an effort to diffuse the situation. "Thanks for ‘letting' us be #1. Much appreciated ... " Spears' manager Adam Leber wrote on the "Toxic" singer's Twitter page.

West is a media genius. He knew this joke would prompt such an outcry. The Swift reference may have been in poor taste, but it was funny. Any good comedian will tell you that you never sacrifice a good joke for potential backlash. It comes with the territory.