Britney Spears Another Biography With Many Pictures
14,686 viewsIf you go to Wikipedia you will see this biography of Britney Spears (but the pictures I find out on the web, and these pictures make all the difference):
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop singer. She has sold over 83 million records worldwide (as of October 2007) according to Zomba Label Group which has lead to her being dubbed the “Princess of Pop” by the media.[1] The RIAA ranks her as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 32 million albums in the U.S.[2] Her success as a recording artist has allowed her to work in other media; she has acted in film and television, has written two books, and has been contracted to endorse several products, including her own perfume line.
Spears released her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999, propelling her to international stardom.[3] It spawned the Billboard topping single “…Baby One More Time”.[4] She released her second studio album Oops!… I Did It Again in 2000 with continued success.[5][3] A third album Britney was released in 2001, followed by the release of her fourth album In the Zone in 2003. The album’s breakout single “Toxic” won Spears her first Grammy Award.[6] After the release of a greatest hits collection and a remix album, she released her fifth album Blackout in 2007.[7]
As a result of her fame, Spears’s personal life has received much media attention. This only escalated after her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston, in 2005 and to her second child, Jayden James, in 2006.[8][9] The couple’s divorce in November of the same year was highly publicized, followed by an ongoing custody battle over their sons.[10][11]
Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi,[12][13] and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist. Her parents are Lynne Irene (née Bridges), a former elementary school teacher, and Jamie Parnell Spears, a building contractor. Spears’s brother Bryan works as a manager for the Spears family interests[14] and her sister Jamie Lynn is an actress and singer. Her maternal grandmother Lillian Woolmore was an English war-bride,[15] born in Tottenham, London[16] who met Spears’s grandfather Barnett O’Field Bridges in England during World War II. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears and Emma Jean Forbes.[15]
Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions.[17] She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. At age eight she auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent.[17] Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC’s Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991’s Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida.[17] She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13.[18] After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year.[19]
In 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense.[20] Later that same year, she recorded a demo solo and was signed by Jive Records.[17] She began a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.[21]
Spears’s debut single “…Baby One More Time“, released in the end of 1998, became an instant international success; it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With nine million copies sold worldwide,[4][22] the United World Chart ranked “…Baby One More Time” as the 38th best song and second most charted song of all time.[23] The song was also ranked 25th on Rolling Stone and MTV’s “100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time”.[24] The music video accompanying the song featured Spears provocatively dressed in a midriff-baring schoolgirl uniform.[25]
The album of the same title was released in January 1999, reaching number one on the Billboard 200.[26] …Baby One More Time was certified Diamond in the U.S. and subsequently achieving worldwide sales of 25 million copies.[27][3] The album received mixed reviews. All Music Guide gave it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the album “has the same blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry that propelled the New Kids and Debbie Gibson.”[28] While Rolling Stone gave it 2 out of 5, noting that “While several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like ‘E-Mail My Heart’, are pure spam.”[29] The success of Spears’s music coupled with her controversial image made her one of the year’s biggest stars. She also became the first artist to have a number one album and number one single in both the U.S. Billboard charts and in the United World Chart.[30][31][32]
In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. A month later, she took home the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards.[33] At the 2000 Grammy Awards, Spears received two nominations in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for …Baby One More Time, but lost to Christina Aguilera and Sarah McLachlan respectively.[34]
Following the success of her previous album, Spears released the album Oops!… I Did It Again. It debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest album sales in its debut week by any solo artist.[35] The RIAA awarded the album with a Diamond certification with 10 million copies sold in the U.S.[36][37][3] Concerning both musical content and sales, the album was very similar to Spears’s debut, although it fared better with critics. All Music Guide once again gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the album “has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made One More Time.”[38] Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 by noting the album as “fantastic pop cheese” and “Britney’s demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary.”[39]
The album’s lead single “Oops!… I Did It Again” broke the record for most radio station additions in a single day, and quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries.[40] The same year, Spears launched her first world tour, the “Oops!… I Did It Again World Tour“. During the tour, she made a stop in New York for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. As part of her performance, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated much controversy.[41] She finished the year with two more Billboard Music Awards,[42] and two Grammy nominations for Oops!… I Did It Again in the categories of Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[43]
Spears released her third studio album Britney in November 2001. Although not as successful as her previous albums,[3] she assumed some creative control by co-writing five of the album’s tracks.[44] It surpassed Michael Jackson’s album Invincible when it had a successful debut at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week.[45] The album’s success made her one of the few female artists to have their first three albums debut at number one.[46][26] The album fared well with critics such as All Music Guide who gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing the album’s title tracks as being “pivotal moments on Britney Spears’s third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney.”[47] In contrast, Rolling Stone said of the album Britney “belabors the obvious: Spears is one month away from entering her twenties and clearly needs to grow up if she’s going to bring her fans along.”[44]
The singles did not perform as well; Britney’s lead single “I’m a Slave 4 U” peaked at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the album’s biggest hit.[48] To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the “Dream Within a Dream Tour” in November 2001. The tour was forced to cut short in Mexico City due to bad weather.[49] With the end to her tour, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career.[50]
Spears made her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance. While performing “I’m a Slave 4 U”, she controversially utilized caged animals and danced erotically with a large albino python draped over her shoulders. Animal-rights organization PETA claimed that the animals featured in the performance were mistreated and cancelled plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears.[51] Her career success was highlighted by Forbes Magazine in 2002 as Spears was ranked the world’s most powerful celebrity.[52] At a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she appeared with Christina Aguilera performing the song “Like a Virgin”, and was later joined by Madonna. Spears locked lips with Madonna in a highly-publicized kiss.[53][54][55]
In November 2003, Spears released her fourth studio album, In the Zone, jettisoning the Max Martin-produced synthpop of her earlier releases. The album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote eight of the album’s thirteen songs and co-produced several pieces of her material for the first time. In the Zone reached number one in the U.S. charts during its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the first female in the Nielsen SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one.[56] The album had a mild reception from critics. Stylus Magazine gave the album a D and even blamed Spears’s career choices by stating, “Ultimately, In the Zone suffers greatly from Britney’s uneasy transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. Had Britney been in charge of her career direction instead of mercilessly prostituted by her management, she might have been able to produce something with some semblance of musical vision.”[57] The Guardian praised the album’s melodies and her effort, giving it 4 out of 5 stars and writing, “Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna.”[58]
The album spawned the hit single “Toxic”, winning Spears her first ever Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording.[6] “The Onyx Hotel Tour” began in March 2004 to promote the album. The tour’s choreography generated much controversy and criticism, with the presence of young children in the audience.[59]
After her marriage to Kevin Federline, Spears announced on her website she was taking another career break in order to start a family.[60] November 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, which features all of Spears’ singles with the exception of “From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart“. It also featured three previously unreleased songs, them being a cover version of Bobby Brown’s 1988 hit “My Prerogative”, “Do Somethin’”, produced by Bloodshy and Avant, whom she had worked with on In The Zone, and “I’ve Just Begun (Havin’ My Fun)”, which was a song recorded for Spears’ fourth album, In The Zone, but did not make the final cut.[61] By the end of that year, Spears had become one of the best-selling artists in the world.
In November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B In The Mix: The Remixes. The album ranged from “…Baby One More Time” to “Toxic”. Her newest single “Someday (I Will Understand)” was also remixed. Another single, “And Then We Kiss”, was only released in Asia, where it charted in many countries. The song peaked at number 15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart,[62] despite it not being officially released in the U.S.[63]
In May 2007, just weeks after Spears left a rehabilitation center, she produced a mini-tour for the House of Blues under the name “The M+M’s”, with 6 shows altogether, she sang live during some lines of her songs.[64] She recorded her latest album with producers such as Sean Garrett, J. R. Rotem and Nate “Danja” Hills throughout 2006 and 2007.[65][66]
The release of Spears’s fifth album, Blackout, was rescheduled to October 30 2007 rather than November 13 2007 due to online leaks.[67][7] Blackout debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts.[68] It was fairly well received by critics.[69] Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating that “Blackout is the first time in her career that she’s voiced any real thoughts about her life. The old provocation game is still afoot, but Britney’s stubbornly holding on to her freakness — it’s the only form of rebellion she’s got left.”[70] All Music Guide 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.”[71]
Blackout’s first single, “Gimme More” leaked on the internet on August 30.[67] 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”.[72][73]
Spears’s highly-anticipated performance of “Gimme More” at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was panned as a disappointing attempt at a comeback. And prompted Jive Records to cancel all further promotion involving Spears and the album, except for music videos and radio airplay.[74][75][76] The BBC stated that “her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards”,[77] and The Times noted that “Spears was out of synch as she lip-synched and at times just stopped singing altogether.”[78] Despite the criticism on her performance,[79] the single has achieved worldwide success.[80][81][82]
Spears entered New York City’s Professional Performing Arts School when she was 8. She was an understudy in the 1991 play Ruthless! and appeared in several other off-Broadway productions. At age 11, she joined the cast of The New Mickey Mouse Club until the show ended in 1993.[17][18]
Spears had her first starring role in the 2002 film Crossroads,[83] in which she portrayed a high school graduate who travels to find her long-lost mother. The movie was poorly received,[84] as was Spears’ performance; Spears received Razzie Awards for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song.[85] Nonetheless, the film grossed over $60 million worldwide.[86] Spears also made cameo appearances in Austin Powers in Goldmember and Longshot.[87] Footage of Spears appeared in the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which samples a 2003 CNN interview about the Iraq War in which Spears says, “Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens.”[88][89]
In late 1999, Spears appeared on the sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and performed the song “(You Drive Me) Crazy”; this cameo was a cross-promotion for the film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Sabrina’s Melissa Joan Hart and was named after the song.[90] She later appeared on Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest during 2000, 2002 and 2003.[91] In 2006, Spears guest-starred on the Will & Grace episode “Buy, Buy Baby”. Her portrayal of a closeted lesbian drew criticism from conservative Christian groups.[92][93]
In 2008, Spears guest-starred on CBS’s television show How I Met Your Mother playing a receptionist.[94] She received positive reviews for her performance as well as bringing in the series highest ratings ever.[95][96] According to People, Spears will reprise her role in an upcoming episode.[97]
One Response to “Britney Spears Another Biography With Many Pictures”
By Augustine Breckel on Apr 23, 2010 | Reply
Please do not consult an astrologer Britney! When your relationship is going through troubles you should go to a marriage guidance councellor.