Los Angeles, July 12, 2006 – The Kodak Theater in Hollywood is hardly a combat zone, so we’re not sure what exactly Janet Jackson’s overly zealous security guard thought might happen to her at the ESPY Awards, but his arm flew in front of her face every time a camera whirred. Dude, you might consider glasses; those weren’t pistols people were pointing at Janet! She looked great, by the way.

The show itself is pretty funny, not nearly as boring as a lot of other awards programs. Highlights include a film clip of soccer player Zinedine Zidane’s infamous head-butt incident, complete with ad-libs, and a photo of host Lance Armstrong catching Britney Spears’ baby as she drops it.

Racecar driver Danica Patrick asked Ludacris how she could get to appear in one of his videos. “Shake your money-maker”, he told her. And she did.

Mariah Carey wore a glowing bubblegum pink dress. Presenter Elizabeth Banks tripped and almost fell on the stage, and was duly teased. Ashley Judd, who presented an award, hadn’t intended to come backstage, but then she popped into the press area after all.

Voted on by fans, the ESPYs honor athletes and entertainers, and the show will air Sunday, July 16 on ESPN.