Britney Spears Rocks!

Biography of Britney

b. Britney Jean Spears, 2 December 1981, Kentwood, Louisiana, USA. One of the biggest teenage pop superstars to emerge at the end of the twentieth century, Britney Spears enjoyed her breakthrough success in 1998. She appeared in local dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and at the age of eight auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was too young to join the series, a producer on the show gave her an introduction to a New York agent. She subsequently spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center and appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions as a child actor, including Ruthless (1991). She returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on The Mickey Mouse Club, where she was featured for two years between the ages of 11 and 13.

Spears began to audition for pop bands in the New York area, her demo tapes eventually landing on the desk of Jive Records' Jeff Fenster. "Her vocal ability and commercial appeal caught me right away," he recalls. Spears was expensively groomed by Jive, who put her in the studio with Eric Foster White (producer and writer for Boyzone, Whitney Houston and others). They employed top R&B writer Max Martin (of Backstreet Boys fame) to produce her debut single, "... Baby, One More Time', and an album of the same title. They also set up a promotional free phone number where fans could listen to Spears" music and interviews throughout the summer of 1998. She toured American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by US teen magazines, eventually joining *NSYNC on tour. The careful planning paid off when her debut album and single went on to top the US charts at the start of 1999. The album and single enjoyed similar success in the UK and Europe. The ballad "Sometimes" and the funky "(You Drive Me) Crazy" were also substantial transatlantic hits, and "Born To Make You Happy" topped the UK charts in January 2000.

By now Spears had become a bona fide media sensation, although the discrepancy between her professed sexual innocence and her titilating image (notably dressing as a schoolgirl for the video to "... Baby, One More Time"), was the cause for much debate about her status as a role model for teenage girls. Her success also prompted the emergence of a new wave of teen divas, notably Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and Pink. The demand for new Spears material was satisfied when her second album, Oops! ... I Did It Again, was released in May 2000. The album contained the expected quota of well-produced, expertly crafted pop songs, including the title track, "Lucky", "Stronger" and "Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know", alongside a risible cover version of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". The singer's relationship with *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake meant she was rarely out of the public eye, although Spears was still rather half-heartedly preaching abstinence until marriage.

Spears' self-titled third album was a laboured attempt to cultivate a more mature approach, with the singer also going a long way towards shedding her puritanical image. Although its initial sales were not as strong as her previous two albums, Britney shot straight to the top of the US album chart on its release in November 2001 for a brief stay. Spears' mainstream film debut, Crossroads, was released the following February to a rousing chorus of critical disapproval. Her fourth album saw the singer moving further away from teen pop, disposing of the services of Max Martin and cultivating a sexually charged adult image at odds with the flirtatious schoolgirl of her earlier albums. In The Zone, released in November 2003, included a collaboration with Madonna on "Me Against The Music" (the two singers had already raised some eyebrows by snogging on stage at the MTV Video Music awards in August). Despite mixed reviews, In The Zone repeated the success of her other albums in debuting at the top of the US charts.

A bizarre sequence of events shot the singer into the headlines at the start of 2004. She married her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on 3 January, but the marriage was swiftly annulled two days later and dismissed by her management as "a joke too far". Away from the tabloid gossip Spears notched up her fourth UK number one single when the excellent "Toxic" topped the charts in March. "Everytime" repeated the success three months later. In September, the singer married Kevin Federline and announced she was taking a hiatus from her career to concentrate on her marriage. Spears subsequently won her first Grammy when "Toxic" picked up the Best Dance Recording award in February 2005. Later in the year she appeared with Federline in the UPN reality television show Britney And Kevin: Chaotic, and on 14 September the couple celebrated the birth of their son Sean. In 2006, Spears guest-starred on the Will & Grace episode "Buy, Buy Baby" as a closeted lesbian. Spears announced her second pregnancy in May 2006 during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.[87] She also appeared on Dateline the next month to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce, and motherhood. She addressed an incident which occurred in February when photos revealed her driving with her son unrestrained in her lap,[88] explaining, "I see a bunch of photographers and I’m scared and I want to get out of the situation... They’re coming up on the sides of the car which is a scary situation for me… so I get my baby out of the car and I go home."[89] The month following the televised interview, Spears posed nude for the August 2006 cover of Harper's Bazaar.[90][91] Just two days before Sean's first birthday, Spears gave birth to her second son, Jayden James Federline on September 12 in Los Angeles.[3]

Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer on January 21, 2007.[92] Spears then stayed in an off-shore drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than 24 hours on February 16.[93] The following night at a hair salon in Tarzana, California she shaved her head with electric clippers. A few days later, she admitted herself to another treatment facility in Malibu, California.[94] While leaving the facility briefly, she quickly returned on February 22.[95] The previous day, Kevin Federline had requested an emergency hearing regarding the custody of their children but then his attorney announced that Federline asked to cancel the court appearance. No further explanation was given.[96] Spears filed for divorce from Federline on November 7, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for both physical and legal custody of their two children, with visitation rights for Federline.[97] The following day, Federline filed a response to Spears's divorce petition, seeking physical and legal custody of their children.[98] American attorney Laura Wasser was hired to represent Spears in the case.[99] According to a representative for Federline's lawyer, the divorce filing "caught Kevin totally by surprise".[100] The couple reached a global settlement agreement in March 2007 and their divorce was finalized in July.[101][102] Throughout 2007, Spears's behavior received heightened media attention, including attacking a paparazzi vehicle with an umbrella.[103] Spears left the rehabilitation center on March 20 according to her manager, who said she was released after "successfully completing their program."[104] As the legal battle over the custody of their children continued, many members of her entourage have been summoned to testify about her parenting skills.[105]

In May 2007, she produced a mini-tour for the House of Blues just after she left a rehabilitation facility under the name The M+M's; with six shows altogether, she sang live during some lines of her songs.[106] She recorded her latest album with producers such as Sean Garrett, J. R. Rotem and Nate "Danja" Hills throughout 2006 and 2007.[107][108]

In September 2007, the official findings in Spears's custody battle were announced by the court. She was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testings and to attend parenting counseling. Spears and Federline continued to share joint custody of their two children on a conditional basis.[109] A few days later, she was officially charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a license. If convicted, she could face a year in jail.[110] Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1,[111][112] with the court ruling that Federline will keep full custody of the children.[113] The charges for her alleged hit-and-run that occurred in August 2007 were officially laid,[114] she was booked for the charges by the Los Angeles Police Department on October 15 but was not arrested.[115]

The release of Spears's fifth album, Blackout, was rescheduled to October 30, 2007 rather than November 13, 2007 due to online leaks.[116][117] Blackout debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200.,[118] making Spears the only female music artist to have her first five albums go to number one and two. It was fairly well received by critics.[119] As of June 2008, there have been 3.1 million digital downloads of the songs and remixes from the album in the United States.[120] Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars.[121] Allmusic also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling Blackout "coherent and entertaining" and stating that "it holds together better than any of her other records".[122] Blackout's lead single, "Gimme More" leaked on the internet on August 30.[116] The song, which was Spears's first produced by Danja, peaked at number three on Billboard's Hot 100 on October 3, making it her most successful single in the U.S. since her debut, "...Baby One More Time".[123][124] Spears's highly-anticipated performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was panned.[125][126][127] The BBC stated that "her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards",[128] and The Times noted that "Spears was out of synch as she lip-synched and at times just stopped singing altogether".[129] Despite the criticism on her performance,[130] the single has achieved worldwide success.[131][132][133] The second single, "Piece of Me", was certified platinum in the US.[134] On the evening of January 3, 2008, after not sleeping for over four days, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her children to Federline's representatives. In response, police were called to Spears's home.[135] She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after she "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance",[136] though blood tests tested negative for any illicit substances.[137] She was held for psychiatric evaluation for two days.[138][139][140] Pending a February 19 hearing, Commissioner Scott Gordon issued an order on January 14 stating that her visitation rights have been suspended indefinitely. On January 31, a court placed Spears under temporary co-conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallete, giving them complete control of her assets.[141] As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, she was taken to UCLA Medical Center to be put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold for the second time that month.[142] On February 1, a restraining order was issued against Sam Lutfi, a prominent figure in Spears's life.[143][144] She was released from the hospital on February 6, amid speculation that she has bipolar disorder,[145][146] although medical records are classified, and no confirmation has been made. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her.[147] She has regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel.[148] On July 18, 2008, Spears and Federline reached a custody settlement in which Federline retains sole custody while Spears keeps her visitation rights.[149]

In 2008, Spears guest-starred on CBS's television show How I Met Your Mother playing a receptionist.[150] She received positive reviews for her performance as well as bringing in the series' highest ratings ever.[151][152] Spears reprised her role in May 2008, leaving the storyline open for a future return.[153]

On September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards for the third time. Although having not performed, a skit with Jonah Hill was pre-taped, as well as an introduction speech to the official opening of the show. Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year for "Piece of Me".[154]

On September 15, Jive released a statement announcing the title of her sixth studio album, Circus as well as the first single, "Womanizer". The single was released to radio stations on September 26, and the release date for the album is December 2, Spears' 27th birthday.[155] On October 15, the song made a record-breaking jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by T.I.'s Live Your Life. It also garnered first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003. It marked Spears's first number one single on the Hot 100 since her debut ...Baby One More Time.[156]

MTV signed a deal with Spears and Jive records to release a documentary title For the Record, it will air on November 30, 2008, two days before the release of Circus.[157]