Britney a No-Go for Emmys

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While rumors buzzed all day, everyone wondered whether it could really be true that Britney Spears — who infamously shot her career in the foot at last Sunday's Video Music Awards with a performance whose only "wow factor" was how stupefyingly badly it went — would be making a cameo appearance this coming Sunday on the Emmys to apologize to her fans (and to fans of good taste).

Alas, Britney's label, Jive Records, has burst the bubble by announcing that “Britney Spears has no plans to appear on the Emmys this Sunday.” Sigh.

So where did these rumors come from? Was it just wishful thinking that something even vaguely interesting would happen at the Emmys for the first time since... well, ever? Or did Britney pull one of her famous last-minute pullouts? Perhaps, as some theorize, with the hype surrounding the VMA performance, the show's producers were hoping that the buzz would last until Sunday night?

"All these awards shows are in desperate need for some sort of hook," an industry insider explains to OK!. "The hairbrained idea that Britney might put in an appearance could have been enough to increase viewership."