Britney Spears and Barack Obama, even as compared to the popularity of the
Apple iPhone.
Almost 2 million people searched for "Britney Spears" 3.8 million times in April. That's about
two Britney-related searches per person. In the same month, just over 2 million people
searched for "Barack Obama" for a total of about 5 million searches. That's about 2.5 searches
per person.
MORE
Kevin Touch says, "If you are one of
those people who still like classic brit-porn, you may be interested to know that Britney was
the victim of another up skirt picture. The Blogsphere is claiming you can see
hairs on her butt."
MORE
Britney Spears' new album is reportedly being recorded at George Maloof's Palms Casino in
Las Vegas.
Maloof, who owns several casinos in Las Vegas, is now branching out into music. He is also
backing Lindsay's sister Ali Lohan's upcoming album, reports TMZ. Maloof has been spotted
with Britney at numerous dinner business meetings.
Britney's vocal producer and co-writer, Jim Beanz, recently confirmed to Us mgazine that
Britney is currently at work on a new album.
"Everyone has personal stuff, but a true professional doesn't bring it into the studio,"
Beanz said.
Larry Rudolph, who returned as Britney's manager late in March, is believed to be producing
the album.
In May, People magazine reported that Britney is back in the studio with producers JR Rotem
and Sean Garrett evolving the sound and direction for her next album.
Speaking at the BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills on May 20, Rotem told People, "She's great.
She's like a master at what she does. She's a lot more experienced than most people. She just
has the 'it' factor that not every artist has. So it's always nice to work with her."
Rotem wasn't willing to go into the details but a source close to Britney's family was
forthcoming.
"Britney is in the experimental stages of a new album," the source said. "She's trying to
find the sound and direction she wants to go in, but nothing is set in stone just yet. She
has been playing the piano a lot and just singing. She says she misses 'just singing.'"
MORE
Troubled pop star Britney Spears has developed a weird obsession for Marilyn Monroe and visits her grave regularly.
The singer is obsessed by the film star after reading her life story.
A source said: "Spears is fascinated with Monroe and visits her grave often. Since she's been getting her life together, she's been reading about the star and has recently been glued to a book about her.
"She's fascinated that Monroe asked her favourite make-up artist to make her look beautiful after she died and picked her own burial plot."
She wants to be buried near Monroe and other famous dead people at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
"When Spears saw Rudolph Valentino's grave at the cemetery, she shrieked and said she wanted one. Now she is planning for the future," said another source.
Spears told her aides, "I'm going to live forever so I want to be brought to the Forever Cemetery when I'm 101."
Meanwhile, Britney has filmed her cameo appearance in the new Pussycat Dolls video for their new track "When I grow up".
A source said: "In the scene shot, Britney is driving in a car. They all wave at each other
as they are passing in traffic - that is it. It is genius and you will love it! Of course,
Britney looks hot and blonde."
MORE
Krugle, Inc., the code search company, today announces its list of top Java queries that
developers world-wide have submitted during the last month at
Krugle.com, as well as the
number of times various celebrity names are included in the billions of lines of open source
code tracked by Krugle. -- Of non-Java searches uncovered by Krugle management, “Knuth” returned the highest number of
hits in honor of leading computer scientist and “father of algorithm analysis” Donald Knuth,
outstripping close second “Satan.” Next on the list, “George Bush” edged
out “Britney Spears,” with both dominating the fifth-ranked “Fidel Castro.”
“Paris Hilton” rounded out the bottom of the rankings. “Hillary Clinton” dominated the
presidential candidates, followed by “John McCain” and then “Barack Obama.”
MORE
Britney Spears is making new news
following her successful stint on the US sitcom
How I Met Your Mother. Britney is making a return to the CBS show. Already in production, it
will air May 12th.
After portraying a receptionist on
How I Met Your Mother, PETA offers
Britney a real gig, as a real life PETA office receptionist.
Dear Britney,
After seeing your excellent performance on How I Met Your Mother, PETA would like to offer
you a real job as a receptionist. It could be for as little as an hour, and you would
see — from the inside — why we are so concerned about issues like fur and homeless dogs
and cats. As a "thank you" for your willingness to learn and help, we would donate $1,000
to a children's charity.
As PETA's "virtual receptionist," you will see firsthand the problems that we
deal with every day. You would be able help the cats and dogs who linger in
animal shelters because people have chosen to buy animals from breeders or pet
stores. You will also personally respond to calls about our Animal Birth
Control (ABC) campaign, which provides no- to low-cost spay/neuter surgeries
and other services in underprivileged communities. You will explain to callers
that every time someone buys a dog or cat from a breeder or a pet store
instead of adopting from an animal shelter, a shelter animal loses a chance at
ever finding a home. You will explain how 6 to 8 million unwanted dogs and
cats enter U.S. animal shelters every year and how most will die simply
because there are not enough good homes for them.
You would also tell people about the misery that foxes, chinchillas, and other
animals suffer on fur farms and explain how mother animals caught in traps are
so desperate to return to their young that they will often chew off a limb to
escape. You will tell callers about the number of animals killed to make one
fur coat and how these animals—like us—would prefer to love and enjoy life
rather than be strangled, poisoned, or electrocuted. And you will never be
the same again.
We might have criticized you in the past for contributing to the dog
overpopulation crisis and wearing real fur, but perhaps now that your own
crisis has abated, a new day calls for a new relationship, a new outlook, and
a new understanding.
We wish you well and look forward to a positive response.
Britney Spears covers this month's OK! Magazine with a fresh new look. Taken by photographer
Dani Brubaker at her home, Spears looks as gorgeous as she used to be.
MORE PLUS PICS
The Obit: Britney Jean Spears was born in rural Louisiana. She loved singing since
childhood. She sang with the choir in her local church and even sang on national television
as a Star Search contestant. - Although refused when she auditioned for "The All New Mickey
Mouse Club (1989 TV series)" at 8, she starred in several TV advertisements and an off
broad-way play "Ruthless" when she moved to New York under the help of one of the show's
producers. In the next three years, she studied at the famous Off Broadway Dance Center
and at the Professional Performing Arts School. When she auditioned for a part in "Mickey
Mouse" she won a "Mouseketeer"role.
When she moved to her hometown and returned to high school after doing the show, she led a
normal teenager's life. But her pursuing a career as a singer didn't stop. Britney set off to
the big apple again. She tried in vain to send out demo tapes to various labels including
Sony and Mercury. Finally, Jive Records signed with her.
MORE PLUS PICS
Britney Spears is suddenly of interest as a mainstream news commodity.
The Associated Press has been getting a lot of press of its own lately on the
evolution (pronounced Evil-loo-shun) of what makes news.
Forget Darfur, and the US economy.
The AP has elevated
Britney Spears to "news" news from their entertainment, and
Inquirer-like celebrity scandal beat, and is devoting news resources to their effort.
SUDDENLY IMPORTANT An internal memo from the Associated Press’ Los Angeles assistant bureau
chief declares “now and for the foreseeable future, virtually everything involving
Britney [Spears] is a big deal.”
[Gawker] See
AP MEMO
Along with its
expanded Britney Spears and Heath Ledger coverage, the AP released a new
pricing model that its claims will make its services cheaper for newspapers. Editors
have a different read on the plan, and have protested the rate adjustments, which are set
for 2009. The
New York Daily News is telling AP to "Fuck off!"
Britney is currently hospitalized under a 72-hour psychiatric emergency hold,
known as a 5150.
MORE
The effort, which the LAPD estimates cost $25,000, was carried out with the help of the department's Crisis Response Support Section, a unit that deals specifically with the mentally ill. The LAPD responds to about 100 calls a day to deal with mental health incidents, said Lt. Rick Wall, who heads the unit. Of those, about 20 to 25 a day lead to involuntary commitments, Wall said.
"Most go exactly as the one last night, without the 200 paparazzi," he said. "We get calls from family members daily who are worried about their loved ones being a danger to themselves or others."
Police officials defended the cost of the operation, saying that aggressive paparazzi required numerous police officers to avoid a traffic accident that could have caused harm to the public or Spears.
LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore said it was "a shame" that scarce police resources had to be
diverted from "public safety needs such as violent crime, drunken driving or responding to
the ongoing stream of 911 calls." But he said the department "had no choice but to ensure
that we appropriately dealt with this incident."
Not even counting the dollars Britney spends in LA every day from her $737,000 a month
income, your average 5150 doesn't
contribute more than a million dollars a year to the local and wider economy, so the paltry
$25,000 spent by the city to protect their own interest can't be faulted, and shouldn't have even be questioned.
See
The Britney Economy by Duff McDonald and Miriam Datskovsky.
While real estate and credit cards, and the world economy are melting down,
with or without Britney Spears, or her melting down or not, the Britney Spears Industrial Complex is thriving.
Portfolio magazine estimates record companies, promoters and licensers make 30- to 40-million dollars because of endorsements, record sales and other business.
It estimates the paparazzi make four million dollars from selling photos of her.
Celebrity tabloids, web traffic and other media make an estimated 75 million dollars off
her in a year.
MORE CUTE
A back-of-the-napkin calculation of just how much the scandal-plagued star is worth to the
multitudes who make money off her.
To the casual tabloid reader, Britney Spears' life looks like a train wreck. To the Britney Industrial Complex, comprising everyone from paparazzi to perfume vendors, she is a gold mine. Whether she's shaving her head or battling for custody of her children, Britney seems to grow more fascinating (and to some people, more lucrative) every time she stumbles. Recent court documents suggest she's amassed a $125 million fortune and continues to rake in about $737,000 a month, or nearly $9 million a year. But that's chicken feed compared with the overall Britney economy. (View slideshow.)
The Packagers
Britney has sold 83 million records since the release of her debut album in 1999, bringing in more than $400 million to Jive Records, her recording company. Even her 2007 album sold well, despite her troubles. Her tours have grossed nearly $150 million; the average take for her 265 solo shows is $583,138, according to Pollstar, which tracks touring data. But there's a lot more of Britney for sale than her music: Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas reportedly sold seats at a table next to hers for $50,000 at a recent bash, and she still commands between $250,000 and $400,000 just for showing up at events. Elizabeth Arden has sold nearly $100 million worth of its Britney perfumes—Believe, Curious, and Fantasy. PepsiCo determined that it was worth paying her a reported $4 million to $10 million for a short-lived ad gig.
Estimated annual take for record company, promoters, licensers, and others: $30 million to $40 million
The Paparazzi
A Britney photo garners anywhere from $250 (for a run-of-the-mill shot of her at Starbucks) to $100,000 or more. The photo agency X17, which has a team trailing her 24-7, estimates that Britney accounts for 30 percent of its revenue: It sold $2.5 million worth of Britney photos in 2007 alone, including $500,000 for its exclusive Bald Britney pics. Competitor Splash News says that Britney accounts for 10 to 15 percent of its business, boosted this year by $200,000 for photos of Britney in a hot tub. All told, Britney probably makes up a full 20 percent of the paparazzi business.
Estimated average annual take: $4 million
The Media
If it seems like every time you see a newsstand, Britney is on the cover of another magazine, that's only because…she is. A celebrity tabloid with Britney Spears on the cover sells 1.28 million newsstand copies, some 33 percent more than the average. Between January 2006 and July 2007, Britney was a cover subject of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK!, or Star a total of 175 times in just 78 weeks. During that period, newsstand sales of issues with her on the cover amounted to a staggering $360 million. She's also topped the annual Yahoo Search rankings in six of the past seven years, slipping to No. 2 only in 2004, when Paris Hilton briefly stole her crown. Searches for Britney were up 60 percent in 2007, the year of her divorce, shaved head, and car wreck. "If there was no Britney, would all Web traffic stop?" asks Vera Chan, senior editor at Yahoo. "I would hesitate to give her that much power, but it's hard to argue with the facts."
Estimated average annual take: $75 million
The K-Fed
The most famous ex in America, Kevin Federline is living large off his Britney-fueled image. Nightclubs reportedly pay him about $30,000 just for appearing. And he gets $35,000 a month from Britney in spousal and child-support payments.
Estimated average annual take: $1 million
The Bottom Line
Britney's peak touring and recording years are surely behind her, but the public's fascination with her chaotic life continues to mint money for those selling her image.
Estimated annual value of the Britney Spears economy: $110 million to $120 million
Ed. note:
Britney Spears is still atop the "most searched" heap, but since
the first of the year Benazir Bhutto has made it onto Google's front page (news) site more
often than Britney.
With Benazir, there's some chatter about an anti-corruption court in Pakistan having
dismissed posthumously a case against her in connection with some alleged possession of
illegal wealth.
Two recent Britney stories and a new pic caught my mind's eye; Britney embracing Islam is
interesting because of the influence she has over 13-yo girls and 50-yo men. And not exactly
a "feel good" story... that tells of an online guessing
game (with prizes) for
predicting when Britney is going to die.
Britney Spears is so much in love with her new man, paparazzi boss Adnan Ghalib, that she’s
considering
converting to Islam to marry him.
Spears has talked about how important 35-year-old Ghalib is to her now. She reportedly
told a doubting relative of his over the phone, “We’re taking care of each other. He’s the
only one who understands me. It’s serious.”
MORE
A new website
WhenIsBritneyGoingToDie.com has been created to predict the death of the
troubled star and surprisingly the website has been stormed with responses from people,
reports Contactmusic.
A posting on the site reads, "A couple of years ago she looks stunning and was a wet dream
for every man. But for some reason Britney also landed in a self-destruction derby.”
"Guess her final breath and be crowned Mr. or Mrs. Death. Winner will be rewarded with
a PS3."
Around 10,000 predictions have already been made, with many of those taking part suggesting
Spears will die from an overdose, suicide or a heart attack later this month (Jan08).
And some have even posted obituaries for the 26-year-old singer. One writes, "Shame on you
for throwing your life away."
The website was created on 4 January (08) - a day after the pop star was committed to
hospital for a psychiatric evaluation following an apparent breakdown at her home.
MORE
Currently there are 62,590 Benazir stories, and 18,298 Britney stories linked
from Google (news). On the web, Benazir racks up 912,000 stories, and Britney
about 7,840,000.
Luego de los
incidentes en los que se vio envuelta hace una semana, la cantante parece
buscar tranquilidad.
Foto: Archivo
La problemática cantante estadunidense
Britney Spears reapareció hoy en la escena
pública, pero en México, luego de que este miércoles lograra engañar a las decenas
de "paparazzis" que la siguen, haciéndoles creer que abordaba un jet privado hacia
Nueva York.
Sitios de Internet especializados en celebridades y espectáculos reportaron
este jueves la presencia de la aún llamada "Princesa del Pop" en México, pero en sitios
distintos, unos en las playas de Rosarito y otros en Cabo San Lucas.
MAS
Ed. note: Aerial video provided by KTLA helicopters
showed
Britney Spears on a
stretcher, surrounded by police and paramedics, and then ambulanced away to
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. A
danger to herself or others was
likely the diagnosis. California law allows a
"patient" to be held 72 hours for psychological evaluation. That can be stretched
into a 14 day hold. Marilyn was never afforded such right or wrong place at the right
or wrong time luck in her life. Britney's
5150 meltdown gives
bottoming out an all new meaning.
Ed. note: So you've got to give Yahoo credit for trying to drag the collective mentality out of the
celebrity gossip gutter? No!
Like it or not, "Britney Spears was Yahoo's top search term, followed by
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment),
Paris Hilton, Naruto [of the Great White North],
Beyonce, Lindsay Lohan, Rune Scape, Fantasy Football, Fergie, and Jessica Alba."
As explained by C/NET's
Elinor Mills, in
Oops! Yahoo dumps Britney, "That's six female
celebrities, a theatrical wrestling company, fantasy sports, a medieval-themed online game
and a Japanese anime comic series..."
MORE
Ed. note: Editorially, we don't know where the
Britney Spears story is going anymore... as
Jamie Lynn and Britney propell each other higher and higher in Google and Yahoo
as (news) search criteria, drowning out the Cheney-Bush White House that
includes war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, their blind-eye wink and nod to Made
in the USA (Marianas) sweat shops, and evidence of CIA torture on video
destroyed.
MORE
From where
Julie Pikes leaves off, Shmuley Boteach, the author of
Kosher Sex, pick up on the Jamie Lynn story with a story of his own:
Sex is for Adults, in the Jerusalem Post. And the New York Times, has a real zinger by Sara
Rimer;
TV’s Perfect Girl Is Pregnant, and even our friend Carl Worden, goes off on a rant about
underage parents and underage grandparents...
CONTINUED
Yahoo Buzz noticed Internet search interest in the story or it wouldn't have made the
December 20
Buzz front page. At this writing, Jamie Lynn Spears, Anna Chakvetadze, Angelina Jolie,
Britney Spears, Colloidal Silver, and the NFL are in the top 5 in the overall at the Buzz.
Britney
and Jamie Lynn have the No.1 slots in Music and Actors respectively.
MORE
Britney's ass: In celebration of the 2007 Holiday Season
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - When
Britney Spears and Paris Hilton open their stockings on
Christmas Day, they shouldn't be surprised to find a lump of coal.
A poll of American children released on Wednesday found that the two high-profile
celebrities should be top of Santa's naughty list.
The online survey of 1,107 children aged 2-17 was conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which
specializes in celebrity and brand research, to gauge children's attitudes about nice,
naughty, and the seasonal question of who makes Santa's list.
Britney, whose stint in rehabilitation, and panty-less pictures won headlines
globally, was awarded top "naughty" honors with younger and older children.
By contrast Disney star Hannah Montana was overwhelming deemed the "nicest" celebrity among
children agreed 2-12 while actress
Angelina Jolie was the choice for teenagers 13-17.
MORE
BEIJING (Xinhuanet) - A Paris civil court has ordered Sony BMG and MTV Online to stop broadcasting or marketing
Britney Spears' video "Do Something" in any form and fined them 117,000 U.S. dollars each
after lawyers for Louis Vuitton successfully argued the video violates counterfeiting laws
by highlighting a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard.
The court did not find Britney Spears guilty but ruled that Sony BMG and MTV Online were
guilty of violating counterfeiting laws. MORE
BEVERLY HILLS NEWS WIRE - Britney Spears has chosen to work with X17online.com exclusively to organize and promote the charitable auction of a signed copy of her new CD “Blackout” to benefit UNICEF.
Spears told X17online: “I think it’s important to give back and with the release of ‘Blackout,’ this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give the fans a chance to bid on something to help children everywhere.”
Spears’ most recent album, “Blackout,” is the #2 album in the US and the first single, “Gimme More,” is the most downloaded single on iTunes.
X17online.com is one of the Internet’s hottest destinations for celebrity news, photos, and video and has become a destination for Britney Spears fans around the world. These fans have been contacting X17online, asking us to ‘give them more’ Britney and here it is!
100% of proceeds will go to the United States Fund for UNICEF (United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund).
STORY LINK * E-BAY LINK
Ed. note: From
Rolling Stone - "The new rule, dubbed 'The Screw Britney Clause' by industry insiders,
denied Brit’s comeback album from the top spot it had earmarked for the entire
week." Blackout has secured the number-one spot in Europe, Canada and Ireland and even
set a new record for digital sales in the States. Spears has officially sold more digital albums in
her first week of release than any other female artist, and Blackout is still at the top of
the iTunes chart.
MORE
...
Baby One More Time - When Britney's debut album hit stores on Jan. 12, 1999, Spears was already a sensation with
the success of the title track and the follow up single, "(You Drive Me) Crazy."
Oops! ...
I Did It Again - Spears's follow up album hit stores on May 16, 2000. Some raised
eyebrows when she blasted off to Mars in the video for the title track in a red vinyl
catsuit.
Britney - When her self-titled album appeared on Nov. 6, 2001, tracks
like "Overprotected" and "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" reflected the singer's changing
image, while the steamy "I'm a Slave 4 U" spoke for itself.
In the Zone - Spears was at the height of her career when she released her fourth studio
album on Nov. 18, 2003. Tracks included "Toxic" and her duet with Madonna, "Me Against the
Music."
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative - Spears released her first greatest hits album on
Nov. 9 2004, which included several remixes and a new title track, a cover of Bobby
Brown's "My Prerogative."
Blackout - Spears's first album in nearly three years is due Oct. 30, 2007. But what is
supposed to be her comeback album could be overshadowed by the singer's recent troubles.
Ed. note: Praise for Britney's music from an unexpected source. Also worth noting is that
Britney has been Number 1 on the
Yahoo Buzz, seems like forever. There's no way to
get higher than #1 but it is possible to generate 6,500% more interest than usual. That's
the story; the new music is the real interest. That's all that matters. But the "personal" as
Steve Jones says, also generates the sheer numbers. The
Kim Kardashian "romp" story (below - with pics) didn't hurt either.
During an appearance on MTV's TRL, Kim Kardashian said that she's “a Britney fan” and that she found Spears' comments “very flattering.”
"She's amazing - I love Britney," she said. "I thought it was kind of cool, you know… I get it from the guys but not from the girls."
She admitted that she and Spears are not really friends, but said that she would certainly
want to be if given the opportunity. When she was asked if she wanted to tell the singer
anything, she held her hand up and made a telephone sign to the camera.
MORE
The singer reportedly admitted her saucy secret while playing a tell-all game with pals. The
Toxic star told them: "I really love Kim's butt, skin and hair. Kim is a real women.
A real horny beast." Kardashian is now one of the biggest stars in the US and came to prominence after a sex
tape appeared all over the net. She posed naked for this month's issue of Playboy, as you
can see...
MORE
Headlines about the travails of Britney Spears have been plastered everywhere for almost four years, but that isn't necessarily all bad for her as a recording artist.
Blackout, the singer's first studio album since 2003, arrives in stores Tuesday, and she still seems to have retained some of the popularity that fueled four No. 1 albums that have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide.
Despite tabloid reports about her marriages and divorce, rehab stints, weight gain, driving mishaps and child custody problems, the 25-year-old singer's latest single, Gimme More, is a sales hit. It topped Nielsen SoundScan's digital songs chart earlier this month and is now No. 8, having sold a solid 527,000 copies in four weeks.
"You almost have to throw out the rule book when you evaluate her," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts. "You might think the attention she's gotten doesn't bode well, but the first single has been well received."
The track initially was strongly embraced by mainstream top-40 radio stations, but it peaked at No. 17 and falls to No. 22 this week. Mayfield says it could become a dance hit but isn't likely to gain footing in other major formats.
Spears sold nearly 20 million copies of 1999's ... Baby One More Time and 2000's Oops! ... I Did It Again, but nobody does those numbers anymore. Even the 2 million sold by 2003's In the Zone would be a good showing in this era of digital track downloads and dwindling album sales.
Still, Barry Weiss, president and CEO of Jive Records' parent Zomba Label Group, is bullish about the album's prospects, based on Gimme More's download sales. He says that it's hard to predict how an artist who has been off the market for four years will fare but that the album's high-energy dance/pop is what her fans expect.
"The sound is a maturation from her prior albums," Weiss says. "In the Zone hinted in this direction, and this album fulfills that promise.
"With so much noise out there about her, we are trying to keep the focus on the music as much as possible."
He says Spears "will do her part" in promoting the album, but the company will be "very selective" about what she's asked to do.
The 12-track Blackout is produced largely by Timbaland protégé Nate "Danja" Hills and the Swedish duo Bloodshy & Avant, who helmed her Grammy-winning hit Toxic.
Stephen Lenz, editor of AOL Music's PopEater and a contributor to the blog's
Britneywatch, says Spears is the site's third-most-searched-for artist and Gimme More is
the fourth-most-watched video. The comments he sees there (music.aol.com/popeater) are
evenly split between forever-faithful fans and those disaffected by her antics.
He's not sure how that will translate into album sales, but that may not
matter. "She's got her money. The point is to stay relevant. She's really feeding this
machine, but it's a Catch-22. She needs to stay in the public eye, but stay out of
trouble."
MORE
Britney Spears is about to become tangled up in a new shock-horror controversy absolutely guaranteed to outrage the Vatican and Catholics.
This time it involves a fake Catholic priest.
Her new album Blackout is slated for release tomorrow and promotional shots include pictures of her in fishnet stockings sitting on the lap of a Catholic priest during confession.
A second pic has her propped up suggestively against the confession box while the priest
looks on with very definite interest.
Racy confessional photo shoot set to outrage Catholics...
Are people misunderestimating Britney Spears? After months of reports suggesting she'd
taken a long swim in Lake Write-off, the singer last week received a series of upbeat
reviews for her new album,
some of which were so positive they featured the
phrase "toothsome chorus". Just a few days later and she's followed that up with another
masterstroke: insulting the Catholic faith.
"Britney Spears is now set to outrage the Catholic church with this kinky 'confession'
photo-shoot," explains the Mirror this morning, alongside
an image of Britney in fishnets
leaning against a confessional behind which sits a priest who looks a bit like Jose
Mourinho.
Predicting outrage on the part of the Catholic church is like tipping rabbits to breed; it's not a tricky call. But while it's easy to offend a cardinal, that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile.
Just like Madonna before her, Britney is sure to find that bumping and grinding with a priest - "in another 'very naughty' pose for her new album Blackout, she even sits on his lap in the cubicle" - is priceless regardless of whether said act actually has, you know, a point.
Never mind the depth, feel the width. Because it's becoming conceivable that the past six
months of outrageous behaviour is all just part of the Spears comeback masterplan. We still
doubt it, but should Britney get caught blackmailing a member of the Royal Family on the
week her next single comes out we may be forced to change our mind.
MORE
NEW YORK - PRNewswire - MTV Networks' Music & Logo Group and Jive Records today announced
that Britney Spears' highly anticipated new album, Blackout, will be streamed exclusively
through The Leak on MTV.com, VH1.com and LOGOonline.com beginning today - a full week in
advance of its official release date. The Leak is the only online destination where fans
can listen to Blackout in its entirety prior to Oct. 30. MTV Networks will drive further
interest in Blackout by promoting it on-air on MTV, MTV Hits, MTV Tr3s, VH1 and Logo.
One of the year's most eagerly awaited albums, Blackout features the smash hit "Gimme More,"
which stormed the charts worldwide. Domestically, "Gimme More" ranks #1 on iTunes Store's
Top Songs Chart and is the #1 iTunes video. Recently, the song made a meteoric jump from #68
to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, where it currently ranks #6. Further, digital
single sales abroad are impressive. In the UK this week, "Gimme More" debuts #3 on the
iTunes Store's Top Songs chart and holds the top spot in Australia and Canada on iTunes.
Overall, the song is a Top 20 hit on the European Top 100 Airplay chart.
For Blackout, Britney collaborated with top-notch producers and songwriters to produce an
upbeat album with a nod to past musical influences and an ear toward the future. Fans who
tune into The Leak will hear all tracks from the album.
MORE
Britney Spears will release her new album on October 30 in the United States, and a day
earlier internationally, Jive Records said.
Back in the real world, "Jive is a unit of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which combines most
of the recorded-music assets of Sony and closely held Bertelsmann."
NEW YORK (AP) - Her new song is now a success on the music charts. This week, "Gimme More"
released to radio stations in August, topped Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart at No. 1
with 179,000 downloads, and jumped from No. 68 to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100.
The song is the first single from her new album, set for release Nov. 13.
"Man, they were just trying to get ratings, and they knew Britney wasn't ready and they
exploited her." -
Kanye West
BEIJING - In a black bikini Britney Spears opened MTV's Video
Music Awards Sunday night, one of the biggest nights in the U.S. pop music calender.
Wearing a black sequined bikini and black boots, Spears started her much anticipated
premiere performance with racy new single, Gimme More, at the trendy Palms Casino resort in
Las Vegas.
"If you’re looking for trouble, look right in my face," was one of the lines Spears
appeared to mime as her “Gimme More” song kicked off.
Not as fit as she was in her "...Baby One More Time" days, Spears still had the look of the
young pop star — though notably aged by motherhood and endless tabloid tension. She
performed surrounded by a few dozen backup dancers.
This was Spears' first step on the comeback trail, which will peak when her album comes out
in November.
Spears’ last appearance on the MTV awards show was in 2003 when she ended a duet with
Madonna, and their passionately controversial kiss. MORE XINHUA * THE KISS
Britney will make an appearance tonight at the grand opening of
LAX nightclub in Las Vegas.
MORE
After several false starts and bogus leaked tracks on the Internet, Britney Spears' new music has arrived. Today, the singer released her first single, Gimme More.
The dance track debuted on New York's Z-100 website. Hear now on YouTube in a video titled
Britney Spears - Gimme More.
This will be Britney's fifth album, and the first new music since 2003.
MORE
Everyday, I’m in a daze
Looking for that someone
And everyday, I sit and kneel and pray
Oh, sweet love, can I get some?
So why do you desert me, baby boy?
I need your love right now!
And if you desert me, baby boy
Don’t you leave me in your crowd
Talking
Hey baby, what time you gonna get home?
Oh, really?
[Sigh]
Alright, well, I’ll see you later, then
Oh, wait
Would you mind getting some…
Yeah, when you come home
Yeah, that’s it
I love you too
Bye
[Singing again]
Some day when you see my face
You will think that you have won
And some day when it’s all away
Our love just begun
So why did you desert me, baby boy?
I thought that you, you were the one
So if you preferred the other one
She won’t bring you the sun (son)
In her giving a nod to the Goddess, Britney Spears seems to have let go the vengeful, wrathful
god of the Holy Babel's KJV. In a letter to her fans, Britney said, "I guess we will never
really understand or figure out life completely. That's God's job. I can't wait to meet
him... or her." MORE - Photos: Sina.com and
Xinhua
Thursday, 17MAY2007
Look to the Higher Power story, and photo from
Gossip Girls.
Ed. note: Before taking an umbrella to a paparazi windshield, and all else that went with that; hangin'
with Paris Hilton, the beaver shot, and rehab, rehab and rehab, when in September
of 2003, Britney was asked by
CNN about her take on the Iraq war, she
said, "I think we should trust our president..." Not too clever or bright at the time but
neither was she - even claiming to watch CNN "all the time" and look what happened to the
Dixie Chicks and Pete Seeger and the Weavers when they told the truth.
Today, complete with a new topless with white gloves pic, Britney (or her image-makers)
wrote on her
Official Website: "The reason for this letter is to let everyone know that their prayers
have truly helped me. I
am so blessed that you care enough about me to be concerned and will continue to live in this
brighter state with all of you by my side during this trying time. We are all the lights of
the world and we all need to continually inspire others and look to the higher power. You are
all in my prayers. Godspeed. Love, Britney."
"Higher power" is a hopeful clue that some kind of a post-rehab break-thru has taken hold in
the mind of Britnik. Still holding the top slot on
Yahoo Buzz, how many 13-yo girls and 50-yo men can she bring along?
Wednesday, 02MAY2007
Ed. note: According to
AXcess News and
mtv.com, singer Britney Spears who hasn't put out a new album in four years sang five
songs (... Baby One More Time; I'm a Slave 4 U; Breathe On Me; Do Somethin', and Toxic)
last night in a 13-minute set at the House of Blues in San Diego.
Today, CNN showed some of a video clip from last night's performance.
HEREis what we have at the moment.
Despite not having put out a new album in four years,
Time magazine says Spears has sold
over 76 million records worldwide and her 31 million albums sold in the US make her the
eighth best-selling female artist in American music history.
Stuff says, Britney is working on a fifth album with R&B singer Ne-Yo and Swedish producer
Max Martin.
MORE
What do these
Britney Spears pics from
Xinhua and her comeback performance last night have in common? It's part of her plan to
regain control of who she once was.
MORE
Monday, O5MARCH2007
Ed. note: Britney Spears is still part of the
discussion, even at the breakfast table - What happens at rehab stays in Vegas as they
say. Well, what's happening at rehab is getting out which means they've got more of a problem
than what they are qualified to handle. Not good news for Britney.
Watch the Chinese watching Britney Spears for details.
BEIJING (Xinhuanet) - Britney Spears has flipped her lid in
rehab, trying to hang herself with a bedsheet before pleading with her estranged husband to
give her another baby, media reported on Monday.
Britney is in rehab at the Promises Clinic in Malibu, California.
The ordeal began when she terrified staff by writing the number of "666" on her head and running around the clinic screaming, "I am the anti-christ!"
"The clinic people just didn't know what to do," a friend claimed.
"Later that night she tried to kill herself," media reported. "She attached a sheet to a light and tied it around her neck. Paramedics were called, but luckily she was unhurt."
Within days of her suicidal behaviour, Britney -- who was in and out of rehab before shaving
her own head and later attacking a photographer's car with an umbrella -- was begging
estranged husband Kevin Federline not only for a reconciliation, but saying she wanted to
soon have another baby.
Reports surfaced earlier this month that Britney, 25, was battling alcohol and drugs after
the star's behaviour became increasingly erratic.
24FEBRUARY2007
THIS JUST IN: 24FEB2007 08:45 PM
PST - Basis Instinct 2 was given four
Razzie Awards for selling what Britney gave up for free; for worst picture and worst
actress (Sharon Stone), and for worst screenplay and worst prequel or sequel.MORE
Britney Spears fighting back. Brit-Brit
got so mad that she attacked the paparazzi.
X-17online caught it all on camera. She picked up a patio umbrella and beat it
against one of the photographer's cars, not to mention the psycho look in her eyes while
doing it. MORE
Ed. note: Hal Brown is a clinical social worker and former mental health center director who is
mostly retired from his private psychotherapy practice, and writes on the psychopathology of
public figures. [As posted on
The Geeze], this piece was written for
Capitol Hill Blue:
Could the flamboyant Britney Spears and the dour Dick Cheney both suffer from multiple
personality disorder? The term is most often used colloquially to describe someone who has
contradictory parts of their personality. Now that Britney Spears has replaced Anna Nicole
as the headline grabber of the week and we wait to see if Vice President Cheney will skate
away unscathed from the Plame Affair, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to
speculate...
During the State of the Union address, Dour Dick sitting behind the president next to Nancy Pelosi, he
was onscreen all the time. While an anxiously elated Pelosi blinked so often I thought she'd
strain her eyelid muscles, Cheney blinked once or twice a minute.
It takes a certain ability to dissociate to go without blinking for a minute.
I also think back to Cheney’s unemotional reaction after he shot his friend Harry
Whittington in the face as an example of dissociating himself from feelings. Like his
excuse for taking five draft deferments, he had "other priorities" to deal with.
I think Cheney has developed an ability that he uses when he's in the unusual position of
not being in control.
MORE
Ed. note: I was outa the pop-culture loop when Anna Nicole
Smith was a Playboy bunny, so I never really heard of her until she was a sloppy blonde on a
reality TV show that mostly came and went without notice. Then there was the matter of her
marrying some old guy who probably died a happy man. Then she got some media attention when
she gave birth to a baby girl. Then it was wall-to-wall ever since, when her son died, and
then she died two weeks ago. I flicked on the TV a few minutes ago, and there she was again,
still, yet, on
Wolf Blitzer.
Britney Spears was different. She came aboard with us because we had a local Pepsi bottler
advertising contract, and Pepsi Corp had just signed Britney to be their Pepsi girl. Except
for the 2002 Joy of Pepsi song (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba-baa), I don't know if I've ever
heard one of her records, but I see her stats on Yahoo Buzz and the like, because
compulsively I watch stats everywhere. There is an abstract correlation between her
publicity stunts, orchestrated or not, her ups and downs in the charts, and the number of
her records sold from this site. The Internet version of Britney's life is trip enough. We
almost watched the wall-to-wall coverage of a reality-like TV show alternative, like what
happened to Anna Nicole Smith. CNN missed it 'til it was over. By contrast, with the help of
the paparazzi in pubic, uh, public, in L.A., Vegas and NYC, Britnik played out her downward
spiral all the way to
rehab, for the third time, and likely it will stick. While it will
be only a matter of time before she slips down the charts, consigned to reside somewhere
below the Top 20 slots forever, at least now she's got a shot at getting a life.
The editor in me will miss her antics, because we play to the same easy-to-outrage
audience, but the stodgy old boringly sober father in me welcomes her back to the family,
where, even though much like in real life, we won't see or hear too much from her anymore.
We don't know who the people are behind buybritneyshair.com, but these hair-snatching
hucksters sure know how to drum up buzz. Searches for the site leapt 500% yesterday.
Britney being the pop-star-slash-train-wreck that she is, though, the buzz doesn't stop
there.
In the days since the Cajun chanteuse sheared her head, tattooed her body, and bounced in
and out of help clinics, interest in everything from "britney spears rehab" to "britney
spears bald pictures" has surged. We're logging spikes on her wig, her car, her haircut,
and the question "why did britney shave her head." If only Search knew. Our favorite query,
though, has to be "bald britney." We like a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point kind of
search.
Never content to be left out of a tabloid spectacle, Paris Hilton has clawed her way into
the story through boosts in "britney spears paris hilton party." That's predictable. But the
sudden spike in "sinead o'connor" took us by surprise. Apparently, thoughts of one shaved
female cranium lead to another. Thankfully, Britney has not yet encountered any photographs
of the Pope.
Really, we should know better than to be surprised by anything related to the Britney buzz
juggernaut. After all, these searches simply join the other still-spiking (!) references to
the starlet's lingerie-free rampages. Demand for "britney no panties," "britney upskirt,"
and "britney spears pantyless" continues to surge. People, that was so months ago. Please.
Ed. note: Besides making it to the top of Mr Blackwell's
worst dressed list alongside heiress pal Paris Hilton, coming in second as
Hello magazine's most elegant, second to Denmark's
Australian-born Princess Mary, but ahead of Natalie Imbruglia, Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Jordan's Queen Rania, Spain's Princess Letizia and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands,
we didn't hear much Britney news down at the barber shop during the month of
January, so some gossip from the
Razzie Vagina World will hafta do for now.
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' vagina heads the list of five celebrity vaginas nominated for a Golden Raspberry award in the Razzie's newest category: Worst Vertical Smile. Razzie founder, Jon Williams, told The Celebrity Dirt, an adult celebrity website, that the "recent rash of celebrity beaver shots" inspired the creation of this new category.
"The picture Britney Spears' puffy emerging from the back of Paris Hilton's limousine was the shot seen round the world," said Mr. Williams. "Never has so little been viewed so often by so many."
The worst vertical smile award is a departure for the Razzies, which are presented to
honor outstanding cinematic achievement.
MORE
Razzie award winners will be announced February 24, the day before the Academy Awards are
presented.
After her 12:50 ayem collapse at the Vegas PURE Nightclub in
Caesar's Palace,
Britney Spears was hidden under a hooded black poncho behind a screen
of 12 burly bodyguard bouncers and dramatically whisked away. The night before,
Britnik and Pairs Hilton were photographed at
JackRabbit.
MORE
WASHINGTON - When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times.
Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding, and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.
Bush was the choice of 43 percent of Democrats for villain, and 27 percent of Republicans for hero.
The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13
percent named him as their favorite, while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.
Among entertainment celebrities, Britney Spears
outdistanced Paris Hilton as the worst role model.
When asked to choose from a list of names, 29 percent bestowed the honor of worst celebrity
on panty-eschewing pop star Spears. Second-worst billing went to Spears' fellow no-panties girl
Hilton, with 18 percent.
"Chastened, perhaps by the fact that everyone in the entire world has seen her
hoochie, Britney Spears has been spotted purchasing some sorely needed underthings at an
upscale L.A. lingerie store. We’ll get there, Brit. Together we’ll get there." -
MotherJones
Britney Spears looks set to give up her snatch flashing ways after doing a bit of underwear shopping in Los Angeles.
The paps will be disappointed hear that the singer spent $3000 on new lingerie form the uber trendy La Bra Lingerie shop in West Hollywood yesterday.
According to TMZ she bought a camisole and thong for $1315, a bustier and thong for $510, a black corset and matching red thong for $300, and a yellow bra and thong for $333.
While real estate and credit cards, and the world economy are melting down,
with or without Britney Spears, or her melting down or not, the 
